STARTUP
Uncertainty looms over Gaurav Munjal’s new startup as UpGrad calls off Unacademy deal
Sources told Moneycontrol that Munjal and Roman Saini were in talks to raise about $17 million for the new venture from Peak XV Partners and Blume Ventures, and a dozen marquee founders.
STARTUP
UpGrad and Unacademy acquisition talks fall through over valuation differences
UpGrad's Ronnie Screwvala confirmed to Moneycontrol that the deal to buy Unacademy is off.
BUSINESS
Amagi eyes Rs 7,810 crores valuation with upcoming IPO
The Bengaluru-based SaaS firm, backed by Premji Invest, Accel and Norwest Venture Partners, is betting on strong growth in connected TV advertising as it gears up for its market debut. The IPO opens on January 13
BUSINESS
Menlo Ventures-backed Wispr Flow founder expresses disappointment in India’s AI talent pipeline, VC risk appetite
Speaking to Moneycontrol, Kothari says his disappointment stems from the stark contrast between how AI talent is trained in the US and the ecosystem available in India
BUSINESS
In search of Ironman’s Jarvis: Why Wispr Flow's Tanay Kothari wants voice to replace the keyboard
WisprFlow is setting up a Bengaluru office, with an initial focus on growth and marketing, alongside a small engineering team.
BUSINESS
Blinkit CFO Vipin Kapooria quits in about a year since taking over; likely to rejoin Flipkart
Kapooria, appointed around October 2024, was Blinkit's first full-time CFO since 2022. He has now quit to rejoin Flipkart, marking his third stint with the e-commerce major, just ahead of its IPO, sources told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
Coforge in talks for $1 bn-plus acquisition; board to weigh fundraise
The proposed acquisition is expected to strengthen Coforge’s cloud, data, and product engineering capabilities while expanding its footprint in key overseas markets.
BUSINESS
Zepto to confidentially file draft IPO papers on December 26
“Zepto’s pre-filing work is done and it will likely inform all the stakeholders about the filing on December 26,” a source told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
Techies make merry: Infosys hikes entry-level salaries, offers up to Rs 21 lakh for graduates in specialised roles
This makes it the highest entry-level pay among Indian IT firms, even when compared with specialised roles at peers.
TECHNOLOGY
YouTube to sharpen focus on live content, alternate movie distribution: India MD Gunjan Soni
YouTube’s move comes as connected TV viewership gains traction and hits critical mass in India.
BUSINESS
Audiobooks platform Kuku taps Kotak, JM Financial and others for Rs 3,000 cr IPO
Kuku will look to file its papers during the January-March quarter and look to list on the stock exchanges by the mid of calendar year 2026, a source told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
South Korean firms Krafton, Naver, Mirae Asset launch Rs 6,000 Crore Unicorn Growth Fund to back Indian startups
The fund aims to back startups poised to become unicorns across areas such as AI, fintech, digital content, and logistics.
BUSINESS
AI-led RFP automation has boosted win rates at Cognizant, says Babak Hodjat
While AI has shortened RFP timelines, its biggest impact has been on the quality of responses rather than speed alone, the Cognizant’s chief AI officer tells Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
India better placed to attract global AI talent amid US visa, immigration curbs: Cognizant chief AI officer Babak Hodjat
The crackdown on foreign students and tougher immigration policies have made the US less welcoming, prompting many to consider alternatives such as Canada and Europe, Hodjat tells Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
Jar in talks to raise over $100 million at $550 million valuation; WestBridge issues termsheet
As many as five investors are engaging with Jar for the new round.
BUSINESS
Customers migrating from Adobe, Salesforce to MoEngage: CEO Raviteja Dodda opens up on India flip, IPO
Valued at around $800–850 million, the customer engagement platform says AI-led migrations from legacy marketing clouds, improving profitability and a largely secondary funding round are shaping its IPO roadmap
BUSINESS
Kae Capital to raise a new fund of around $100 million
The fund will continue to back seed and Series A startups and about 80-85 percent of the corpus will be reserved for such early bets
BUSINESS
Visa startup Atlys in talks to raise around $40 million from SIG, MakeMyTrip amid travel boom
Atlys is being valued at around $200 million in the ongoing negotiations with potential investors, including Sofina, sources told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
IPO-bound Zetwerk sees a rise in demand from AI-led data centres, to close FY26 above $2 billion in revenue
Energy-related manufacturing, including transformers, solar trackers and wind turbine components, now contributes nearly 40% of Zetwerk’s revenue and is growing at roughly 100% YoY, co-founder and chief executive Amrit Acharya told Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
Smart fan maker Atomberg picks bankers for Rs 2,000-crore IPO
Atomberg will look to file its draft IPO papers likely under the confidential route in January and will aim to list by around March or April of 2026
BUSINESS
SoftBank is back! Sumer Juneja signals India investments in 2026, says ‘we don’t want to be out of the game’
In an interview with Moneycontrol, SoftBank's Sumer Juneja said the Japanese investment giant is confident of deploying capital in India, even through smaller, sharper bets.
BUSINESS
MC Interview: 'We’re competing with IPOs now': SoftBank’s Sumer Juneja says startup listings are rewriting India’s funding game
In an interview with Moneycontrol, Juneja said while competing with public markets may not be ideal for big funds, the rush of liquidity is phenomenal for the Indian startup ecosystem.
BUSINESS
Drone startup Airbound to raise $30 million in fresh funding led by Greenoaks
Airbound was founded in 2023 by Naman Pushp, who first began working on drones at the age of 15.
BUSINESS
Swiggy QIP: SBI MF, ICICI Prudential MF, Temasek, GIC, and others drive over 4X demand for Rs 10,000 crore QIP
Temasek, an early backer of Eternal (formerly Zomato), is now looking to bet on Swiggy, sources told Moneycontrol.
