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Chandra R Srikanth

Editor- Tech, Startups, And New Economy

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Rising Bharat Summit 2025: Tech-led trust helped us crack tier 2 & 3 India, says InsuranceDekho’s Aman Batra

BUSINESS

Rising Bharat Summit 2025: Tech-led trust helped us crack tier 2 & 3 India, says InsuranceDekho’s Aman Batra

InsuranceDekho is now looking to leverage technology to customise products by analysing the profile of customers.

GitHub COO Kyle Daigle on 'vibe coding' and why one should still learn to code in the AI era

TECHNOLOGY

GitHub COO Kyle Daigle on 'vibe coding' and why one should still learn to code in the AI era

In an interview, GitHub COO Kyle Daigle also spoke about what’s next for the Microsoft-owned developer platform and the future of AI-powered programming

GitHub is adding one million developers in India every 3 months: COO Kyle Daigle

BUSINESS

GitHub is adding one million developers in India every 3 months: COO Kyle Daigle

Student education will be a big focus area for GitHub in India, Daigle said. This includes helping high school and university students adopt AI-powered software development.

Agentic AI startup Composio raises $24 million in Series A round from Lightspeed, Elevation and Together

BUSINESS

Agentic AI startup Composio raises $24 million in Series A round from Lightspeed, Elevation and Together

The company, founded in 2023 by IIT-Bombay graduates Soham Ganatra and Karan Vaidya, focuses on simplifying complex enterprise workflows through AI-driven automation

Unicorn alert! B2B startup Jumbotail nears $120 million funding round at $1 billion valuation

BUSINESS

Unicorn alert! B2B startup Jumbotail nears $120 million funding round at $1 billion valuation

The larger entity’s fresh valuation of around $900 million is a significant markup from Jumbotail’s valuation of around $300 million in 2021 and Solv’s valuation of $200 million a few years ago.

Fissures appear in Payments Council on letter to PM Modi on MDR without consultation

BUSINESS

Fissures appear in Payments Council on letter to PM Modi on MDR without consultation

Some fintechs are miffed with Payments Council of India after it shot off a letter to PM on MDR without consultation. Such an aggressive public posturing on MDR could be counter productive, they said

Paytm snaps ties with Juspay, joins Razorpay, Cashfree, PhonePe in industry-wide shift to direct processing

BUSINESS

Paytm snaps ties with Juspay, joins Razorpay, Cashfree, PhonePe in industry-wide shift to direct processing

In a notification sent to merchants seen by Moneycontrol, Paytm announced that from April 1, 2025, it will only facilitate transactions routed directly through Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL), advising businesses to shift before the deadline to avoid service disruptions.

Lab-grown diamond jewellery startup Aukera in talks to raise $15 million in funding from Peak XV

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.

Meesho picks Morgan Stanley, Kotak and Citi as bankers for $1 billion IPO at valuation of $10 billion

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.

Pune-based SaaS firm Icertis to raise $50 million in fresh funding

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.

Minimalist’s ethos is transparency; it’ll stay intact under HUL ownership, says co-founder Mohit Yadav

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.

Darwinbox set to hit $100 million ARR in 2025, expands focus on AI, US market

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.

Ola Electric receives Rs 73.7 crore incentives under PLI-Auto scheme, becoming the first 2W auto maker in India to qualify

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.

Banking infra firm M2P to acquire Chennai-based AI startup Mad Street Den

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.

UK-India FTA important, but not essential given robust bilateral trade: UK investment minister Poppy Gustafsson

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.

Infosys layoffs: Nasscom defends tech industry, says companies follow performance-driven hiring, adhere to local laws

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.

Pune-based Sedemac Mechatronics, founded by an IIT Bombay Professor, plans Rs 800-crore IPO

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.

Lahori, a beverage brand, nears Rs 450 crore fundraise from Motilal Oswal, others

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.

Karnataka labour officials visit Infosys Bengaluru, Mysuru campuses amid layoffs; company emphasizes employee-friendly policies

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.

Infosys to issue increment letters by February-end; salary hikes to range from 5% to 8%

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.

IPO-bound Zetwerk in talks to raise $20-30 million from family offices, HNIs

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.

Zepto taps domestic mutual funds for $300 million share sale ahead of IPO

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.

TCS slashes variable pay for senior employees for second quarter in a row

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.

Juspay set to become first unicorn of 2025 with $150 million round

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.

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