TECHNOLOGY
Lab-grown diamond jewellery startup Aukera in talks to raise $15 million in funding from Peak XV
The fresh capital will help the company scale its operations amid increasing competitive intensity in the India’s $2.6 billion LGD market. Existing backers, including Fireside Ventures, are expected to participate in the round.
BUSINESS
Meesho picks Morgan Stanley, Kotak and Citi as bankers for $1 billion IPO at valuation of $10 billion
Meesho is likely to command a valuation of $10 billion, a 2.5X increase from $3.9 billion last year. The company is expected to list on the stock exchanges around Diwali this year, outpacing Flipkart, sources told Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
Pune-based SaaS firm Icertis to raise $50 million in fresh funding
Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, Icertis operates additional offices across North America, India, and Europe. The firm was last valued at $5 billion.
BUSINESS
Minimalist’s ethos is transparency; it’ll stay intact under HUL ownership, says co-founder Mohit Yadav
While Yadav shed light on what typically changes for other brands after an acquisition, he is confident, from his conversations in the past several months, that HUL will not alter Minimalist’s perception and positioning which makes the acquisition deal even sweeter, he told Moneycontrol in an interview.
BUSINESS
Darwinbox set to hit $100 million ARR in 2025, expands focus on AI, US market
This comes a day after the firm announced raising $140 million in a funding round.
BUSINESS
Ola Electric receives Rs 73.7 crore incentives under PLI-Auto scheme, becoming the first 2W auto maker in India to qualify
The Bhavish Aggarwal-led firm, which offers Ola S1 range of electric scooters, is currently the market leader in the electric two-wheeler segment with a 28 percent share in February 2025.
BUSINESS
Banking infra firm M2P to acquire Chennai-based AI startup Mad Street Den
Sources say M2P has also acquired MSD’s full stack AI platform, Vue.ai to double down on its AI and Data first growth strategy.
BUSINESS
UK-India FTA important, but not essential given robust bilateral trade: UK investment minister Poppy Gustafsson
The UK Minister for Investments, Poppy Gustafsson, said she hopes to see more young professionals traveling between the UK and India.
TECHNOLOGY
Infosys layoffs: Nasscom defends tech industry, says companies follow performance-driven hiring, adhere to local laws
Nasscom said in a statement that the global tech industry, which is largely customer-focused, operates on a merit-based system, emphasising high-tech skills to meet evolving customer demands.
BUSINESS
Pune-based Sedemac Mechatronics, founded by an IIT Bombay Professor, plans Rs 800-crore IPO
Sources told Moneycontrol that the firm has clocked a revenue of Rs 650 crore and an Ebitda of Rs 120 crore in FY25.
BUSINESS
Lahori, a beverage brand, nears Rs 450 crore fundraise from Motilal Oswal, others
While the company was valued at around Rs 700-750 crore in 2022, ongoing negotiations value the company at around Rs 2,500 crore, a source told Moneycontrol.
TECHNOLOGY
Karnataka labour officials visit Infosys Bengaluru, Mysuru campuses amid layoffs; company emphasizes employee-friendly policies
Moneycontrol reported last week that Infosys was laying off over 300 trainees at its Mysuru campus after they failed evaluation tests in three consecutive attempts.
TECHNOLOGY
Infosys to issue increment letters by February-end; salary hikes to range from 5% to 8%
Moneycontrol learns that the software major has also started issuing promotion letters in batches, starting December. The salary hikes will be effective from April 2025.
STARTUP
IPO-bound Zetwerk in talks to raise $20-30 million from family offices, HNIs
The fresh capital infusion is aimed at strengthening the company’s captable as it prepares for public market listing in near future.
BUSINESS
Zepto taps domestic mutual funds for $300 million share sale ahead of IPO
During the course of his meetings, CEO Palicha has told mutual fund houses that Zepto will breakeven on an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) basis by Q4FY26, a source told Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
TCS slashes variable pay for senior employees for second quarter in a row
In the previous July-September quarter too, some employees had received only about 20-40 percent of their quarterly variable allowances (QVA) while others had even got zero percent of it.
BUSINESS
Juspay set to become first unicorn of 2025 with $150 million round
Juspay, founded by Vimal Kumar and Sheetal Lalwani in 2012, is the leading provider of payment orchestration software.
BUSINESS
Davos Diary: Europe's wake-up call, AI fever, Chandrababu Naidu's comeback, Indian CEOs' party scenes & more
Over five days, my video journalist and I trudged through snow and icy surfaces to conduct over forty- five interviews, with a mix of global and Indian business leaders, economists, policy-makers, and technologists.
DAVOS-SUMMIT
Davos 2025: Need farsighted plan of action to ensure water conservation, says Union minister CR Patil
Patil highlighted several ongoing initiatives by the government aimed at water conservation and increasing access to drinking water
BUSINESS
Davos 2025: India is a super strategic market, says SAP’s Saueressig
India is SAP's largest research and development hub outside its headquarters in Germany, executive board member Thomas Saueressig has said
BUSINESS
Davos 2025: DPDP Rules enable free transfer of data with trust, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the industry has appreciated the provisions in the DPDP Rules when it comes to protection of children's data
BUSINESS
Davos 2025: US sees India as a trusted partner, says Ashwini Vaishnaw after Trump’s inauguration
Minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasised that the positive relationship between the India and USA will be a "win-win" situation for the two countries
BUSINESS
Davos 2025: Safety tops Indian railways' 2025-26 budget, says Railway Minister
Vaishnaw added that he met the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) delegation and had a detailed discussion on safety technologies and maintenance practices.
BUSINESS
Davos 2025: India should replicate IT services success with leadership in AI services, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed plans for an indigenous foundational AI model and emphasied a focus on solutions tailored for enterprises, governments, and individuals.
