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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

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  • IPO-bound Groww leans on wealthier clients, diversification to offset derivatives slowdown

    IPO-bound Groww leans on wealthier clients, diversification to offset derivatives slowdown

    As per AMFI data, 6 million new SIPs were created in India in June 2025, while Groww created 2 million new SIPs during the period, implying that around 33 percent of all new SIPs were created on the company’s platform.

  • VC exits shifting towards public markets, says Accel partner Abhinav Chaturvedi

    VC exits shifting towards public markets, says Accel partner Abhinav Chaturvedi

    Accel is an investor in Urban Company, which made a stellar market debut on September 17 listing with gains of more than 57%

  • Pocket FM now lets Hindi writers in India create AI audio series in a single click

    Pocket FM now lets Hindi writers in India create AI audio series in a single click

    AI Audio Series is part of Pocket FM's broader AI creator suite that aims to help budding writers brainstorm, draft, and experiment faster, while accelerating story production.

  • Urban Company IPO: SBI MF booster shot, stronger governance, transparency, leaving money on the table make investors lap up shares

    Urban Company IPO: SBI MF booster shot, stronger governance, transparency, leaving money on the table make investors lap up shares

    Spending time in Mumbai and Gujarat to convince HNIs to invest, detailed roadshows, speaking for long and with clarity all helped UC reach here. Where the share lists remains to be seen, but the grey market premium signals a 50 percent jump which should augur well for the firm.

  • Gaming platform Zupee forays into esports as it broadens offerings after real-money gaming ban

    Gaming platform Zupee forays into esports as it broadens offerings after real-money gaming ban

    Zupee founder Dilsher Singh Malhi said the company plans to reimagine traditional Indian games such as Ludo, Carrom and Chess as global esports formats.

  • OPINION | India’s E-commerce Surge: A market multiplier for startups and investors

    OPINION | India’s E-commerce Surge: A market multiplier for startups and investors

    The question is no longer whether Indians will shop online, but how deeply digital commerce will reshape the nation’s economy, jobs, and competitiveness. The evidence is clear: e-commerce has moved from convenience to core, from optional to inevitable – the very backbone of India’s growth story this decade

  • Swiggy to launch Toing, a standalone app for affordable food options

    Swiggy to launch Toing, a standalone app for affordable food options

    Toing, which will go live in Pune first, aims to tap demand from students, young professionals and will be an extension to Swiggy’s Rs 99 store. It will be the seventh app from the house of Swiggy. The aim is to increase its base of transacting users and maintain the company’s pace of growth.

  • Over a dozen AI startups in India set to raise seed rounds amid surge in investor appetite

    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.

  • Start-up Street | Can Deeptech funding bridge the widening Indo-US gulf?

    Start-up Street | Can Deeptech funding bridge the widening Indo-US gulf?

  • Dream11-linked FIFS says it won't contest India's online gaming law that bans real-money games

    Dream11-linked FIFS says it won't contest India's online gaming law that bans real-money games

    According to sources, any FIFS member contesting the legislation will no longer be associated with the fantasy industry body.

  • Porter raises another $110 million in extended round at $1.2 billion valuation

    Porter raises another $110 million in extended round at $1.2 billion valuation

    The company will use the funds to double down on the two-wheeler local logistics service space as competition with Rapido, Uber and others heats up

  • IPO not an exit; invested in pre-offer rounds of Urban Company, Bluestone: Prosus India's Ashutosh Sharma

    IPO not an exit; invested in pre-offer rounds of Urban Company, Bluestone: Prosus India's Ashutosh Sharma

    'If you assess India from a 10–25 year lens, then tariffs or mid-term geopolitical shifts matter less. Over the long term, if the country keeps growing, there’s plenty of appetite for the areas we invest in,' the head of India ecosystem at Prosus tells Moneycontrol

  • Bitkraft Ventures to step up India investments after Centre's new online gaming law

    Bitkraft Ventures to step up India investments after Centre's new online gaming law

    Bitkraft expects five to six mobile games to surpass $100 million in annual in-app purchase (IAP) revenue in India by the end of 2025.

  • MP High Court issues notice to Centre on plea challenging new online gaming law

    MP High Court issues notice to Centre on plea challenging new online gaming law

    India's new online gaming law, which bans real-money online games, has faced three legal challenges so far, with petitions filed before the High Courts of Karnataka, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh.

  • Seekho raises $28 million funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners

    Seekho raises $28 million funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners

    Seekho, an edutainment video platform, plans to use the capital raised to build new interactive content formats and invest in AI-powered learning experiences.

  • Walmart-owned Flipkart appoints former Google executive Balaji Thiagarajan as its chief technology and product officer

    Walmart-owned Flipkart appoints former Google executive Balaji Thiagarajan as its chief technology and product officer

    Thiagarajan holds nine U.S. patents, an MS degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Syracuse University, and an MBA in Finance & Operations from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

  • Peak XV Partners' Harshjit Sethi quits amid leadership churn

    Peak XV Partners' Harshjit Sethi quits amid leadership churn

    He is the latest to quit after Shailesh Lakhani, Piyush Gupta and others left over the past year or so.

  • After MPL and PokerBaazi parent, Games24x7 begins layoffs following govt ban on real-money games

    After MPL and PokerBaazi parent, Games24x7 begins layoffs following govt ban on real-money games

    Games24x7, which operates the online rummy platform Rummy Circle and fantasy sports platform My11Circle, is the latest casualty of the government's ban on real-money games.

  • Elev8 Venture Partners marks final close of maiden fund at Rs 1,400 crore

    Elev8 Venture Partners marks final close of maiden fund at Rs 1,400 crore

    Launched in 2023, the growth-stage investor has already deployed one-third of the corpus through investments of $8–14 million each across startups like Astrotalk, IDfy, Smallcase, Porter, and Snapmint.

  • MPL to significantly downsize its India workforce after govt's real-money gaming ban

    MPL to significantly downsize its India workforce after govt's real-money gaming ban

    MPL and other real-money gaming firms had suspended contests and games involving money on their platforms after the Parliament passed the online gaming law that prohibits such games.

  • Dream Sports-owned Fancode to shut its sports merchandise business by October 2025

    Dream Sports-owned Fancode to shut its sports merchandise business by October 2025

    Fancode stated that the decision to wind down the merchandise business was made in June this year and the company now intends to redirect all resources towards its core content product.

  • Start-up Street | How desi businesses are thriving and earning big

    Start-up Street | How desi businesses are thriving and earning big

    The culturally diverse and vast Indian market, with a new generation seeking cultural identity, makes a good market for ethnic start-up businesses that are commercially viable

  • After Dream11 and Gameskraft, Zupee says it won't challenge India's real-money gaming ban

    After Dream11 and Gameskraft, Zupee says it won't challenge India's real-money gaming ban

    Zupee plans to shift its focus to developing online social games and entertainment avenues that "go beyond mere recreation"

  • How online real money gaming and payment aggregator firms found a perfect match until it all came crashing down

    How online real money gaming and payment aggregator firms found a perfect match until it all came crashing down

    The gaming industry was a great opportunity for PA firms to monetise UPI payments, with the winnings payout yielding them a flat Re 1 per transaction, around 10 times higher margins than regular payments

  • Nazara, nCore Games, others form new video game association after online gaming law

    Nazara, nCore Games, others form new video game association after online gaming law

    Indian Game Publishers and Developers Association aims to promote the creation of original Made-in-India IP, bring Indian stories into gaming, and skill-building across the AVGC value chain.

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