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    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

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    • 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.

    • 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

    • Kusha Kapila and Vimarsh Razdan’s Underneat raises $6 million in funding led by Fireside Ventures

      The funding comes as the mass-premium shapewear brand crosses Rs 150 crore in ARR and turns EBITDA positive within eight months of launch.

    • 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

    • 'Gambling in guise of gaming': ED attaches assets worth Rs 117.4 crore linked to Probo in money laundering case

      In July 2025, ED had frozen assets worth Rs 284.5 crore linked to Probo and its promoters under PMLA.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • Prashanth Prakash joins WTFund as strategic adviser; fund unveils third cohort of under-25 founders

      WTFund, which targets entrepreneurs under 25, is also expanding its programme structure with a bootcamp and formalised mentorship framework

    • Startup Street | Why some startups prefer the many shades of grey

      The presence of multiple regulators for industry or lack of will or consensus to arrive quickly at regulatory procedures leads to grey areas for start-ups to take advantage of 

    • Khosla Ventures, SoftBank in talks to invest in Emergent’s $60-million round

      The round, which will be Emergent’s largest, will also mark SoftBank’s return to the Indian startup ecosystem. SoftBank has remained on the sidelines and largely done only follow-on rounds

    • RDI Fund will be a success if Rs 1 lakh crore catalyses Rs 10 lakh crore in deep tech VC investments: DST Secretary Abhay Karandikar

      Karandikar told Moneycontrol that the fund is willing to take lower returns, with an aim to produce 5-10 globally competitive deep tech companies from India in 15 years. It aims to deploy Rs 15,000 to 20,000 crore each year starting 2026.

    • InMobi’s Naveen Tewari, other founders, to hike stake to over 50%, as SoftBank sells shares worth $250 million

      SoftBank had written off this investment in around 2016 but it has now made $250 million on a bet it took 14 years ago. So, any proceeds would be positive for SoftBank, a source told Moneycontrol.

    • WinZO's mobile app and website go under 'maintenance' due to server disruption

      WinZO's app and website outage comes at a turbulent moment for the company, which is already dealing with a crisis following the recent arrest of co-founders Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda.

    • Fireside Ventures raises $253 million for its fourth fund to invest in more consumer startups

      Moneycontrol was first to report about the shift in LP base and Fireside’s latest fundraise in April.

    • Lenskart says it is now the market leader in Singapore; launches 2-hour deliveries in the region

      Lenskart has also gained market share in the region because its prices are about a tenth lower than other brands on average.

    • 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.

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