Indian consumer brands are attracting investor attention due to inspiring stories in sports. The daily news review presented by YourStory covers the latest events across various sectors.
Boxer Jasmine Lamboria demonstrated resilience despite setbacks at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Through work on physical and mental preparation, she won gold at the Boxing World Cup, a world boxing championship title, and Commonwealth gold in Glasgow. Her next goal is LA28.
Transactions on UPI platforms, which serve 703 banks, reached 24,162 crore rupees in the fiscal year 2026, significantly exceeding the level of 1.78 crore rupees in 2017.
The local coffee and fast-food brand Third Wave Coffee attracted 408 crore rupees during a funding round. The existing investor WestBridge Capital led this round, participating in both primary and secondary capital. Creagis and other angel investors also participated in the round.
Cosmetic brand Asaya received 88 crore rupees in a Series A round. The round was led by RPSG Capital with participation from OTP Ventures, Huddle Ventures, Hyperscale Ventures, and 72 Ventures.
WATER, a company developing intelligent adaptive surfaces using artificial intelligence, raised $2.5 million in a funding round led by Endiya Partners. Pullela Gopichand, India's chief national badminton coach; Rohit Chennamani, co-founder of Darwinbox; Nandan Reddy, co-founder of Swiggy; and other angel investors also participated in the round.
The funding will be directed towards the technical validation of WATER's AI model and its ability to transfer intelligence between products and users. The company is developing the adaptive chair FLOW and the adaptive bed CAMA, which operate based on the fundamental VORTEX model. This technology senses and reacts to the human body in real time, tracking posture, movement, sleep, recovery, and breathing. WATER plans to expand the application of this technology to the automotive and aviation industries, as well as other sectors.
The clinical cosmetic brand Be Clinical attracted 21 crore rupees in a seed funding round. The round was led by Sauce. V3 Ventures, supported by Verlinvest, along with a number of angel investors. Investors included founders Sangit Agrawal and Navin Parval of Mokobara, Reckitt head Arjun Purkayasta, and Shaunak Chiray Amin.
The company intends to use the funds for product innovation, portfolio expansion, research and development, increasing production capacity, and entering new markets. Founded by Hemangey Dir and launched in May 2025, Be Clinical focuses on clinically tested formulations and dermatologically active ingredients developed specifically for Indian skin and conditions. The company reports that its products undergo clinical trials for safety and efficacy. Since launch, 1.2 lakh orders have been placed, and a high rate of repeat purchases has been noted.
Yantraksh Logistics, operating under the trade name Yantra Packs, attracted 12 crore rupees in a funding round led by Caret Capital. This round followed earlier institutional support from Impact Infracap and will form the basis for the company's next stage of expansion. Yantra Packs plans to increase the pool of reusable packaging along India's manufacturing corridors, strengthen its operational and engineering teams, and develop Trakkia—its proprietary network intelligence platform for managing packaging assets.
The company provides manufacturers access to the benefits of using reusable packaging without the need for capital investment, operational burdens, or disposal liabilities associated with ownership. Initially focused on the automotive industry, its infrastructure-as-a-service model can also serve industrial manufacturing, machinery, consumer goods, and retail, where reusable packaging can replace single-use alternatives.
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed an AI-based platform designed to accelerate the discovery of sustainable, high-performance materials for sectors such as electric vehicles, aerospace, renewable energy, and marine infrastructure. The researchers used large language models to extract and systematize decades of scientific knowledge from over 10,000 research papers, creating one of the largest publicly available databases of advanced metal alloys in the world.
This platform allows scientists and manufacturers to find materials with improved performance characteristics and environmental sustainability faster. The databases and accompanying software were provided free of charge through the Alloy Tattvasar and GitHub platforms. This initiative potentially reduces the time and costs associated with material discovery, helping to avoid repeated experiments and supporting more environmentally friendly production and clean energy technologies.
IDFC FIRST Bank partnered with IIM Calcutta Innovation Park under the IGNITE program, which is FIRST IMPACT's startup incubation program. The goal is to launch a nationwide incubation program for sustainable business solutions. The initiative will provide a total support of 2 crore rupees, including a startup grant fund of 1.36 crore rupees, to help nascent companies strengthen business models, expand market reach, and create measurable environmental and social impact. The program will support startups working in green manufacturing, waste recycling and reprocessing, climate technologies, renewable energy, water supply and purification, environmental technologies, and sustainable use of local resources. Sixteen startups will be selected through a competitive selection process and will receive business diagnostics, mentorship, bootcamps, expert guidance, and networking opportunities. The most successful startups will also receive milestone-linked grants to accelerate growth and scaling.
The peer-to-peer car-sharing platform Zoomcar partnered with Uber to make trip planning more convenient for travelers. Under the partnership, users looking for self-drive cars on the Zoomcar app can also find and book Uber Intercity rides if they prefer a chauffeured transfer. This integration allows customers to compare self-drive and chauffeur-driven options in one place and choose the service that best meets their needs.
The collaboration covers specific routes for both one-way and round trips and targets travelers seeking greater flexibility and access to transport services. The integration has been launched in Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Mumbai, with plans to expand to additional cities. The companies stated that the partnership combines two complementary travel options and responds to the changing preferences of Indian travelers.
The managed office platform Smartworks Coworking Spaces increased contract rental revenue by 235 crore rupees through expansion mandates from existing clients, including companies from the Fortune 500 and Forbes 2000 lists. This rental income comes from agreements up to 60 months and is added to the company's base lease volume of 5,400 crore rupees as of June 30, 2026.
New mandates include clients from the engineering and technology services, IT services, and global infrastructure consulting sectors. Many of them are expanding their capabilities in advanced technologies and AI through their centers in India. Corporate clients account for about 92% of Smartworks' revenue, while approximately 35% comes from clients in multiple cities. The company has also secured extended capacity in prime locations for the 2027 and 2028 fiscal years, with some capacity reserved for the 2029 fiscal year.
Fintech company slice appointed Samir Sawhneya as CEO and Ramesh Kumar as Independent Director. Both appointments were approved by the slice board of directors and also approved by the Reserve Bank of India regarding Sawhneya's appointment as CEO.
Sawhneya has over thirty years of experience in the banking sector in Indian and international markets, covering treasury, investment management, retail operations, marketing, and human resources. He previously served as CEO of RMBS Development Company and worked at State Bank of India for over 34 years.
Kumar has over 30 years of experience in the banking sector, financial services, technology, and digital innovation. He spent two decades at ICICI Bank, where he headed technology strategy and digital banking platforms. He also worked with slice as a consultant during the merger with North East Small Finance Bank.
Cryptocurrency exchange WazirX launched WazirX AI—an intelligent trading assistant designed to help users research crypto markets, understand portfolios, and identify trading opportunities from a single interface. Integrated into the WazirX app and website, the AI agent can answer questions, provide chart-backed research, and allow users to execute trades.
Before executing a transaction, WazirX AI displays a real-time portfolio update and uses the user's risk preferences to recommend a suitable position size. The platform follows a 'Ask-Understand-Decide' model, coordinating market data, technical analysis, portfolio information, and order management in multi-step queries. The company stated that this tool is intended to simplify the process of moving from identifying a market opportunity to making a trading decision, without requiring users to switch between charts, news feeds, signal groups, and trading screens.
Engineering services company Cyient introduced a new brand positioning and promise—'Nothing Less,' reflecting its evolution into a leader in global engineering lifecycle services. The updated positioning focuses on integrating engineering expertise, domain knowledge, human intelligence, and AI throughout the entire product lifecycle. The company stated that the new positioning will form the basis of its go-to-market strategy and demonstrate its ability to support clients throughout the product and asset lifecycle.
Cyient describes 'Intelligent Engineering' as its approach to combining engineering, digital, and industry expertise to enhance productivity, reliability, and growth. Its second pillar, 'Intelligence Adoption,' focuses on merging people, data, and AI to support better decision-making and achieve superior outcomes. The company stated that the new positioning reinforces its focus on delivering long-term value and exemplary results, rather than limiting its role to individual projects.
Cognizant was recognized as a leader across four industry analyst ratings concerning Global Capability Center services. ISG, NelsonHall, HFS Research, and Avasant noted the company's AI Builder model as a key differentiator in helping enterprises transform AI investments into measurable business outcomes. These ratings acknowledged Cognizant's ability to help companies design, build, operate, and transform GCCs from traditional service centers into AI-driven innovation hubs.
Analysts highlighted its comprehensive GCC expertise, AI-driven execution, partner ecosystem, and integrated approach covering work, workforce, and workplace. Cognizant stated that the competitiveness of GCCs will increasingly depend on the adoption of AI in operational models, workflows, and business functions, rather than simply increasing AI spending. The company's AI Builder model includes AI-driven performance, industrialized AI deployment, and agentic capabilities within GCC operational models.
Avaana Capital, in partnership with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Startup India, announced the formation of the Grand Jury for the third edition of the Avaana–Startup India Grand Challenge on deep technology innovations for 2025–26. The competition received over 800 applications, reflecting growing activity in India's deep technology startup ecosystem. After a multi-stage evaluation, 12 finalists were selected to present their innovations to the Grand Jury on August 27. The 15-member jury includes representatives from policy, industry, academia, and capital. Winners will receive non-dilutive cash prizes, mentorship, industry pilot project opportunities, and access to subsequent funding pathways. Previous editions of the competition have collectively provided around 2.5 crore rupees in grants, supporting startups in transitioning from technology validation to commercial implementation.
Gaming studio LightFury Games announced Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma as an investor, making him the eighth cricketer to back the company.