Go Ad-Free
    My Alerts
    Moneycontrol
    Moneycontrol PRO
    HomeNewsStartups

    Startups

    Startups, considered as disruptive forces in the business circles, are companies that are independently started by entrepreneurs. Unlike legacy businesses or franchises, startups focus on innovation, uniqueness of product or service and creating a new market for them. Leaders of startups often aim at providing the market or consumers with something which they need, or fulfilling a requirement which has not been effectively addressed by the legacy businesses. As startups succeed, they are quick to draw the attention of business sharks. They also begin generating lucrative valuations, and, in several cases, move towards an initial public offering (IPO) to raise a massive return on their investments. India, over the past few years, is considered to be emerging as a hub of startups. According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 42 startups turned into 'unicorns' - companies with over USD 1 billion valuation - in 2021. The prime minister had also announced that January 16 would be annually celebrated as 'Startup Day', and noted that the growing number of startups in the country are the 'hallmark of self-reliant, self-confident India'. While startups are distinguished in terms of their offerings and focus on innovation, their structure is largely similar to any other company. They are, normally, led by a chief executive officer (CEO) who is considered as the face of the startup. More

    Jump to

    • VCs double down on baby care: Peak XV Partners, RTP Global lead new funding sprint for BabyMD, Ozi and Peeko

      While Ozi is negotiating a $10 million round led by RTP Global, Peak XV Partners is in the advanced stages of investing $4-6 million in BabyMD, a startup that runs a chain of pediatric clinics in Bengaluru. Peeko has already begun engaging with investors, sources told Moneycontrol.

    • Ranveer Singh’s SuperYou, Gully Labs, Moxie Beauty, others line up fresh rounds of funding as VCs stay in the consumer aisle

      Each of these companies is raising between $5 million and $15 million from several marquee consumer funds including V3 Venture, Fireside Ventures, Saama Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners and others, sources told Moneycontrol.

    • IPO-bound startups race to turn profitable ahead of listing as investors turn more selective

      Several companies have tightened costs ahead of filing, with many leaning on tax credits, one-time gains and accounting boosts to present cleaner earnings as public-market scrutiny intensifies.

    • Logistics startup Ripplr to raise Rs 400 crore in fresh round from SBI, existing investors

      The Bengaluru-based firm is being valued at around Rs 2,000-2,200 crore during the ongoing negotiations, sources told Moneycontrol

    • New-age tech firms now account for 2.49% of India’s total stock market capitalisation, nearly double from 2021

      A surge of large tech IPOs, deeper institutional appetite and stronger operating performance have pushed India’s digital economy further into the public markets — marking the clearest shift yet in how investors are pricing tech-led businesses

    • Akshayakalpa Organic in talks to raise Rs 350 crore from Temasek’s ABC Impact, Narayana Murthy's Catamaran, others

      The company's valuation is also set to jump nearly 3X from Rs 590 crore three years ago to Rs 1,500 crore now, sources told Moneycontrol.

    • Agilitas nears Rs 450 crore fundraise deal with Nexus Venture Partners

      While the commitment is in, the amount will be wired to Agilitas in two tranches of $25 million (Rs 225 crore) each, sources told Moneycontrol.

    • Peak XV strikes gold with Groww, Pine Labs: Rs 350 crore bet delivers Rs 22,600 crore outcome

      With this, Peak XV will rank among the most successful VC firms in terms of exits, as it stands to gain over $2.6 billion, with several of its portfolio companies, including Meesho and Wakefit, expected to go public in the coming years.

    • Swiggy to move HQ from Bengaluru's Bellandur to Whitefield; cites better infra, affordable housing

      The size of the office will be similar and will house 2,000 employees. Swiggy is moving its HQ from Bellandur to Whitefield after Moneycontrol reported BlackBuck CEO Rajesh Yabaji's social media post had sparked an outrage among tech companies and the government.

    • India's real-money gaming ban leads to $556 million impairment for Flutter after Junglee halts RMG operations

      Flutter Entertainment CEO Peter Jackson said he was frustrated by the speed at which the bill came into law and expressed hope for more legal clarity in the future.

    • Burn to Earn: boAt, Licious, Urban Company lead the D2C shift towards profitable growth

      Analysts believe the investors are no longer paying for hyper-growth, instead, they are rewarding sustainable business models, improving profitability and long-term visibility in India’s consumption cycle.

    • Nazara Tech posts first-ever quarterly loss in Q2 FY26 on PokerBaazi impairment after real-money gaming ban

      Nazara's revenue from operations grew 65.1 percent YoY to Rs 526.5 crore in Q2 FY26, from Rs 318.9 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

    • Tech IPO boom to unleash a wave of luxury real estate buying

      As stock market euphoria turns many first-generation entrepreneurs and startup employees into crorepatis, wealth managers say this liquidity surge could reshape demand in India’s premium housing segment, particularly in tech-heavy hubs such as Bengaluru, Gurugram, Pune, and Hyderabad.

    • India's startup founders turn investors in their own firms amid valuation reset

      Tightened ownership, attractive valuations, and a need to project long-term conviction are prompting more founders to invest personal capital into their startups, per several founders and investors Moneycontrol spoke with.

    • Seven of 11 new-age listed companies continue to be loss-making in Q2FY26, but investors remain upbeat

      During the July-September period, Delhivery, Swiggy, Mobikwik, Urban Company, Ixigo, BlueStone and Ola Electric, all reported losses. Some firms even saw their profit profile worsen on a YoY basis.

    • What we did in 20-25 years can now be done in three: Nazara founder Nitish Mittersain on India's startup boom

      Indian companies going from zero to a billion-dollar-plus IPO in three or four years is now happening on a regular basis, said Nazara chief Nitish Mittersain.

    • Startup Street: Will the government’s mega RDI scheme boost innovation in startups?

      India’s innovation model lacks patient and professionally managed capital to see R&D through to market

    • Zepto’s meat business CEO Chandan Rungta quits, latest in a string of recent exits

      Apoorv Pandey, senior vice president, strategy, and Chandresh Dedhia, VP and head of information technology at Zepto, along with other employees who have spent over three years at the startup, have also quit in recent months

    • Nazara, Mixi Global Investments and ChimeraVC to launch LVL Zero, a gaming incubator for Indian startups

      LVL Zero will seek to support more than 100 high-performing startups over the next five years and also offer equity-free grants from a pool of $100,000

    • Dream11 goes global, launches in 11 countries including the US and UK

      Dream11's international expansion is expected to be a crucial step for the fantasy sports platform to broaden its footprint beyond India.

    • Consumer companies either become global brands or won't be a brand at all: Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal

      Lenskart acquired Owndays in Japan and Stellio in Spain to grow its international presence. The Middle East and regions like Singapore are key to the company’s next phase of growth, says the CEO

    • TAM doesn’t matter. I don’t track it, that is an analyst’s job, says Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal

      Even if it is Rs 5,000 crore, we can give vision to 50 percent of India and that is a sizable impact to create and so our job is not changing because of that, Peyush Bansal, CEO and co-founder, Lenskart, told Moneycontrol in an interview.

    • MC Interview: IPO not an exit event; Being a Promoter has an emotional angle: Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal

      In a freewheeling chat with Moneycontrol, Peyush Bansal, CEO and co-founder of the company said it doesn't matter to him what the total addressable market (TAM) is beyond a certain point. "I don't get into this, I don’t track it. I think this is an analyst’s job."

    • Investment platform Wint Wealth in talks to close $20-million round led by Vertex Ventures

      The deal comes amid continued investor interest in India’s wealthtech segment, which has been one of the more active fintech verticals since last year

    • India Quotient raises $129 million in Fund 5 to bet on early-stage startups

      India Quotient has also promoted two of its executives, Kanika Agarrwal and Sahil Makkar, to the position of partner

    Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347