Indian startups continue to attract capital in the capital markets, albeit at lower valuations, while fresh investments are directed towards companies operating in the deeptech sector. Today's headlines cover the latest developments across various sectors.
A e-commerce enablement platform based in Gurugram reduced its initial public offering size by 31%, lowering it from 2,342 crore rupees to 1,618 crore rupees ahead of its market debut scheduled for August 12th.
Cresa produces hot water soluble sanitary pads that are fully biodegradable, plastic-free, and decompose in 80 seconds. This plant-based innovation addresses waste disposal issues, dignity for sanitation workers, and menstrual stigma.
Influencer Anushka Rathod discussed topics such as responsible content creation, financial female empowerment, and emphasized that wealth accumulation ultimately depends on small, consistent habits.
The Mumbai-based investment house Piper Serica, which operates in public and private markets, raised 300 crore rupees in the first closing of its 800 crore rupee Bharat Tech Fund. According to the statement, nearly 50% of the commitments for the first close came from existing Fund I investors, including institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals.
HomeRun, a quick commerce platform for building and interior materials, attracted $12 million in a Series A+ funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners with participation from existing investors Sorin Investments, Titan Capital, Sparrow Capital, and Consumer Collective by Atrium.
Alternative lending platform BlackSoil invested 80 crore rupees in Mumbai-based fintech SaaS company Mintoak to finance the debt component of its acquisition of ICC Loyalty, headquartered in Dubai. This acquisition expands Mintoak's presence to over 20 countries, including partnerships with more than 50 banks such as HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, SBI Payments, and Emirates Islamic.
The combined entity now serves over five million merchants, 11 million customers, and processes an annual payment volume exceeding $93 billion. BlackSoil noted that the investment was driven by Mintoak's profitable growth, strong banking relationships, and technology-driven business model. The merged business generates over $30 million in annual revenue, reflecting BlackSoil's increasing focus on financing acquisitions and tech-enabled enterprises.
Deeptech startup Consint.AI raised 22 crore rupees in a Series A funding round led by BIG Global Investment JSC, Equanimity Ventures Trust II, and Seafund Venture India Scheme I. The capital raised will be used to accelerate international expansion, strengthen corporate delivery, and develop a core artificial intelligence model designed for fraud, loss, and abuse detection in insurance and banking. Consint.AI reported that its AI platform has analyzed over 100 million transactions, identifying fraud worth over 1,000 crore rupees, and implemented over 500 AI and machine learning models. The startup also plans to expand its offerings in healthcare and insurance while scaling operations in India, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the United States.
Cosmetics and personal hygiene brand Typsy Beauty raised 20 crore rupees in a funding round led by Saama Capital, with participation from existing and new strategic investors, including Sanjay Kapur, Tanaz Batia, SRF Group, and the family offices of Havells and Eicher Motors. The company intends to use the funds to strengthen its quick commerce and offline retail presence, enter the skincare segment through hybrid makeup and skincare products, and scale its fragrance business.
Typsy Beauty currently offers 27 products across makeup and fragrance categories and sells them through its own website, as well as on platforms like Nykaa, Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, Tira, Blinkit, and Zepto. The company expects to launch over 10 new products in the coming months.
Food delivery startup Amigo raised 4.5 crore rupees in funding from Foxhog Ventures to expand its business of delivering fresh produce at affordable prices. Founded by entrepreneurs Anshuk and Saswat, the startup aims to provide freshly prepared meals at reasonable prices, focusing on quality and consistency. The company plans to start operations in Kolkata before expanding to other markets. Amigo stated that it intends to differentiate itself in India's competitive food delivery market through value-based pricing and a strong emphasis on fresh, customer-expectation-aligned meals. The investment will support market launch, operational expansion, and customer acquisition as the startup strives to establish a sustainable presence in the country's rapidly evolving online food delivery ecosystem.
PhonePe launched instant deposit distribution on its platform in partnership with banks and NBFCs, and introduced the Daily Recurring Deposit digital product jointly with Shivalik Small Finance Bank. The new savings offering allows customers to start investing by depositing as little as 100 rupees daily, thereby encouraging disciplined savings.
Users can also compare and book fixed deposits directly within the PhonePe app and manage multiple deposits through a single interface. Fixed deposits offered through partner banks are insured up to 5 lakh according to the guidelines of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation. PhonePe stated that this launch expands its financial services portfolio by providing customers with safe and low-risk saving options.
The UPI Super.money platform launched splitStore—a credit-based checkout solution that allows consumers to break down purchases into interest-free installments in partnership with regulated lenders. The company stated that this offering integrates credit directly into the payment process, making purchases more accessible and promoting responsible borrowing.
Super.money noted that splitStore is designed to help India's growing population who are accessing credit for the first time build a formal credit history through timely repayments. The launch marks the company's evolution from a UPI payment platform to a broader commercial and financial ecosystem that combines payments, purchases, and embedded credit. The company believes the new 'split-commerce' model will improve accessibility and increase access to formal credit for digital consumers.
Space technology startup HEX20 from the Technopark signed a Multi-Launch Agreement with Skyroot Aerospace for orbital payload demonstration and Earth observation constellation missions. Under this agreement, HEX20 secured three dedicated launches on Skyroot's Vikram carriers starting in the fourth quarter of 2027.
These missions will support the HEX20 spacecraft and also provide ride-sharing opportunities for third-party satellites. The partnership combines Skyroot's launch capabilities with HEX20's expertise in spacecraft design, payload integration, ground operations, and mission delivery. The companies stated that the collaboration aims to create an integrated ecosystem covering spacecraft development, launch services, orbital operations, and Earth observation data from India.
Boeing announced seven teams, comprising university students and early-stage startup entrepreneurs, who were winners of the fifth cohort of the Boeing University Innovation Leadership Development (BUILD) 2026 program. Winners include Aerosearch Technologies, Alkamy Carbon, DIASOL Pvt. Ltd., EarthSprint Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Oreejoy MedTech Pvt. Ltd, StelX Dynamics, and SWRN Systems Pvt. Ltd. These winners will receive additional support from Boeing and partner incubators over the next few months to help transform their ideas into market-ready and viable business solutions.
Each winning team will receive a grant of 10 lakh rupees to support the development of their ideas. Over the past five years, the BUILD program has received over 7,000 applications and supported more than 35 startups in sectors such as aerospace and defense, technology, sustainability, and social impact.
Engineering services company Quest Global appointed Emiko Higashi, Dr. John Hillen, Sabine Kollegen, and Rostov Ravana as independent directors to its board, increasing the leadership to 12 members. These appointments increase female representation to one-third of the board and aim to strengthen governance and strategic oversight as the company expands into sectors such as aerospace, automotive, energy, healthcare, rail transport, and semiconductors. The new directors bring experience in investment management, defense, corporate transformation, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Quest Global stated that these appointments reflect its commitment to diverse leadership and long-term growth while enhancing strategic thinking and governance as it scales its global engineering services business.
Paramotor Digital Technology entered into an agreement with Aditya Birla Capital Digital Limited (ABCDL) for the distribution of prepaid payment instruments, including digital and physical prepaid cards and gift cards. Under the partnership, Paramotor will leverage its fintech expertise and digital distribution network to expand ABCDL's reach of prepaid payment solutions among corporate and retail clients. The company will also ensure compliance with Reserve Bank of India regulations, consumer protection standards, and best industry practices. The collaboration aims to enhance the availability of secure and technologically advanced prepaid payment products, combining Paramotor's partner ecosystem with ABCDL's regulated payment infrastructure to support wider adoption across India.
InCred Capital appointed Abhinav Khanna as Chief Executive Officer – Capital Markets to lead its business in institutional equities, equity markets, and asset services. Khanna possesses over 25 years of experience in institutional equities, capital markets, and investment management, working in India, the UK, and the Middle East. He previously served as Managing Director and Chief Business Officer for Global Affairs at ValueQuest Investment Advisors. He also spent over a decade at Citigroup Global Markets, holding leadership roles including Managing Director and Head of Equity for India. InCred stated that this appointment will help strengthen its franchise in institutional equities and capital markets and accelerate future growth.
InsuranceDekho appointed Rohan Mittal as Group Chief Financial Officer to strengthen its leadership team as the company enters the next phase of growth. Mittal will oversee finance, capital strategy, and corporate governance, bringing nearly two decades of experience in listed and fast-growing companies. He most recently served as Group CFO at RateGain, where he played a key role during the $280 million acquisition of Sojern. He also held senior financial leadership positions at Yatra Online, Allcargo-Gati, and Rivigo. InsuranceDekho stated that his experience in business scaling, capital management, and driving strategic growth will support the company's long-term expansion plans.
Snapdeal introduced a multifunctional AI suite, including personalized recommendations, conversational search, and image-based product search to enhance online apparel shopping. The company stated that its AI-powered recommendation engine, StyleMatch, now influences 76% of customer orders by analyzing browsing behavior, purchase history, location, and preferences to personalize recommendations. Snapdeal also processes over five million AI searches monthly using large language models, allowing customers to search naturally instead of relying on product keywords. The company stated that the new AI capabilities are intended to make product discovery more intuitive and accessible, especially for shoppers in Bharat, while boosting customer engagement and purchase quality on its platform.
Hexaware Technologies became a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA)—a global ecosystem of software developers and security partners that integrate with Microsoft security solutions. Hexaware's solution for Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 provides comprehensive security.
