BUSINESS
Over a dozen AI startups in India set to raise seed rounds amid surge in investor appetite
A bulk of the startups negotiating deals are developing AI agents or are creating tools to facilitate their development. Investors are also spending time on AI companion companies, sources told Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
Groww eyes up to $9 billion valuation, to file updated IPO papers this week
Initially, Groww, which is looking at a November market debut, was targeting a valuation of $7-8 billion but a strong FY25 and a healthy Q1FY26 could result in a higher valuation, sources have told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
Instamart service at all-time high, outlook for quick commerce overwhelmingly positive: Swiggy Group CEO Sriharsha Majety
Instarmart CEO Amitesh Jha told Moneycontrol that Swiggy will run a Quick India Movement sale event later this month. It is likely to rival Amazon's Great Indian Festival and Flipkart's Big Billion Days signalling that the lines between e-commerce and quick commerce are blurring.
BUSINESS
Former IndiaAI mission advisor Aakrit Vaish to launch Activate, an AI fund with a $75 million corpus
General Catalyst, Aravind Srinivas of Perplexity, Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm, Harsh Jain of Dream 11 are among the notable limited partners (LPs) of the fund, sources told Moneycontrol. Activate has already signed its first term sheet.
BUSINESS
Global chipmakers like ASML showing interest in India a major confidence signal, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
Drawing parallels with India’s steel industry, the minister in an interview to Moneycontrol also said the semiconductor ecosystem will be the next engine of growth for job growth
TECHNOLOGY
MC Interview | Semiconductor will be the next engine of jobs for the country: Ashwini Vaishnaw on India's steel moment
In a wide-ranging interview, Ashwini Vaishnaw spoke about the measures the government is taking to protect IT jobs amid a wave of anti-outsourcing rhetoric from the US, why GST reforms are a game-changer, why real money gaming had to go and progress on India' s AI initiatives.
TECHNOLOGY
No proposal to lift TikTok ban in India, says IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
IT minister Vaishnaw's remarks come amid growing speculation that TikTok could make a comeback in the country as relations between India and China begin to thaw.
BUSINESS
India offers policy stability amid global turmoil, says Ashwini Vaishnaw amid India-US tariff tensions
Vaishnaw also credited India’s skilled talent pool and the trust built over more than a decades democratic governance as core to investor confidence.
BUSINESS
PM Modi has always cared for the middle class, GST rate cuts to drive consumption, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
Ashwini Vaishnaw argued that the combined impact of income tax and GST cuts would spur household consumption in a meaningful way.
BUSINESS
India engaging with US, global firms to protect IT jobs, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
India is engaging global firms and foreign governments to shield its $300 billion tech industry from potential US outsourcing curbs under President Donald Trump, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
MC interview: “Together Fund is my startup now, will watch Freshworks grow as a shareholder,” says Girish Mathrubootham after exit
In a candid interview from the US, Mathrubootham reflected on the emotional weight of his exit, the company’s culture, and his new chapter as he turns his focus to nurturing startups through his venture fund, Together.
BUSINESS
Being a public company is less stressful than staying private, says Ather CEO Tarun Mehta
Ather Energy went public in July 2025, shortly after rival Ola Electric’s listing in August 2024, which was India’s first major EV startup IPO.
BUSINESS
Ather Energy rules out cell manufacturing, to bet on partnerships instead
While several EV players, including Ola Electric and Reliance New Energy, have announced ambitious plans for giga-scale cell factories, Ather is keeping its focus on design, engineering, technology, and brand.
BUSINESS
Freshworks founder Girish Mathrubootham to exit firm, stepping down as executive chairman 4 years after IPO
Mathrubootham’s exit marks the end of an era for one of India’s most prominent SaaS founders and angel investors.
BUSINESS
Amazon completes acquisition of Axio, to follow measured growth in lending
Even as the credit cards in the country explode, the ecommerce firm continues to see a good demand for the BNPL product from customers with a lower income level, and helps them build a good credit history
BUSINESS
Ather Energy is moving to light rare earth magnets amid supply chain crisis
India’s electric vehicle industry has been grappling with supply risks due to the concentrated global supply of heavy rare earths, which are critical for high-performance magnets used in EV motors
BUSINESS
Kitchens@ weighs acquiring Popo Ventures that runs Pizza Bakery, Paris Panini, Smash Guys for Rs 800 crore
The deal hinges on whether Kitchens@ is able to raise the capital required to fund the acquisition this size, sources told Moneycontrol. The cloud kitchen startup has been looking to raise Rs 2,000 crore for about a year now.
BUSINESS
Nandan Nilekani is guiding us: Infosys CEO Salil Parekh strikes confident note on AI leadership
Parekh added that the Bengaluru-headquartered IT major has built a lot of content and capabilities around AI and the best place to scale up technology is Infosys and India.
BUSINESS
The skills that won’t be replaced by AI, according to NR Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani and Salil Parekh of Infosys
Murthy, who has seen many waves of technology disruption, said the one trait that stays through this constant evolution is the ability to learn.
BUSINESS
“Obituaries have been written many times”: Nandan Nilekani confident Indian IT and Infosys will thrive in the AI era
Nilekani brushed off concerns about keeping up with rapid shifts in technology, underlining that that human interaction, human collaboration, human relations will become even more important.
BUSINESS
Flipkart Minutes helped bring 50 million new visitors onto our platform, says SVP Hemant Badri
That is a significant addition especially because Flipkart has around 200 million annual active users and a total customer base of 500-600 million.
BUSINESS
Elevation Capital raises $400 million to foray into late-stage investing via Elevation Holdings
Elevation Holdings will write $20-50 million cheques and focus on new-age companies that are close to a public market listing. It will continue to stay invested in these firms even after their IPO.
BUSINESS
SEBI clears Groww’s IPO, paving way for one of India’s biggest fintech listings
The offering is expected to value the Bengaluru-based fintech at $7–8 billion, marking a major milestone in India’s startup and financial services ecosystem.
BUSINESS
Prosus eyes additional stake in Rapido with $200 million investment
Prosus is also considering a deal to purchase a part of Swiggy’s stake. If that deal goes through, the total round size may increase, sources told Moneycontrol.
