Startup News Roundup: MoroMaa Funding, Neeman's Plans, and Launch of Asiana JCC Fund

YourStory's daily startup news review highlights the latest developments across various sectors, including the growth of India's semiconductor industry with participation from Applied Materials and Lam Research, as well as funding rounds in deep technology and workforce platforms, and the introduction of a partner payout feature in Swiggy.

Yaanendriya, a Bangalore-based company, develops and manufactures inertial sensors, navigation, and control systems for autonomous vehicles used in both commercial and defense applications. Founded in February 2025, its product line includes positioning modules, vehicle controllers, and motion sensors for robots, drones, and cars.

The introduction of a 0.4% commission on UPI payments for sellers exceeding ₹2000, with a limit of ₹300 for transactions of ₹75,000 and above, could potentially create a new revenue stream for payment market participants. Although investors are optimistic, the impact of this change on profitability and consumer behavior remains uncertain.

Under the Semicon 2.0 program, the Indian government plans to attract at least 200 startups and companies involved in chip design, and train one hundred thousand technical specialists in semiconductors, factory workers, and cleanroom personnel. According to government data, this program covers six verticals and has a budget of ₹1.275 trillion.

Lam Research intends to invest approximately ₹10,000 crore to establish its first silicon component manufacturing facility in India. This project will be accompanied by R&D development and deepening partnerships with suppliers. The proposed location will support a vertically integrated silicon production process.

Applied Materials plans to invest $5 billion in India over the next decade. These investments include establishing a 140-acre semiconductor research park, increasing India's supply chain capacity tenfold by 2035, and a plan to double the country's research and development staff.

DheyaTech raised ₹43 crore in a funding round led by Avaana Capital with participation from Unimech Aerospace and Manufacturing Limited. The funds will be used to scale up production, build a gas turbine test rig, and collaborate closely with clients to accelerate implementation timelines.

Founded in 2018, Bangalore-based DheyaTech develops indigenous micro-turbine engines for power generation and advanced aerial mobility systems, providing thrust from 20 kgf to 400 kgf. The company reported that its engines are beginning commercial deployment, with test flights scheduled for Q4 2026, while pursuing flightworthiness certification under CEMILAC-DRDO.

Enlight Metals Private Limited secured $1.5 million from Exar North Group Inc. at a company valuation of $10 million to advance its AI-driven metal procurement platform. The company stated that the funds received will support the technology roadmap, operational scaling, and expansion within the metal procurement ecosystem.

The Pune-based firm noted that its platform has reduced transaction processing time by 75%, inventory costs by 30%, and overheads by 60%. It currently operates in Pune, Mumbai, and Raipur, and plans to expand into the markets of Ahmedabad and Indore. Director Vedant Goel stated that this partnership will combine capital, technology, and operational support.

Factrika raised ₹8.9 crore in seed funding led by Info Edge to develop its on-demand industrial workforce platform. The company reported using the capital to strengthen its team, deepen technology, and reach more industrial clusters.

Founded in 2024 by Kshitijgem Puri and Gaurav Ashtana, Factrika connects manufacturers with vetted skilled and available workers, enabling deployment within two hours. The company indicated having over 10,000 registered workers across more than 20 skill categories, a job completion success rate above 90%, and clients including Lenskart, Asahi India Glass, and Jubilant Foods.

Ecosys, a brand specializing in laundry and home cleaning, raised ₹5 crore in a pre-Series A round led by GVFL Prarambh Fund with participation from Proteus Partners and operating investors Puru Gupta and Sreejith Moolayil. The company stated that the funds would be used to expand e-commerce and express retail, train categories, and introduce new washing formats.

This Mumbai-based brand focuses on disposable laundry pods. Co-founders Sumit Goyal and Chirag Dangi are chartered accountants. Ecosys reported that the total funding reached ₹7.94 crore after the latest round.

Crowwd raised ₹2.5 crore in an angel round at an approximate valuation of ₹50 crore from over 30 investors, including Dr. Ritesh Malik, Three Words Capital, and Hexa Startup Studio from France. The company stated that the proceeds will be used to finance wealth-tech infrastructure, acquire and integrate brokerage services, and scale mutual fund distribution.

The platform, which is an AMFI-registered mutual fund distributor, is expanding its operations from a community of investors to personalized investment experiences built around its proprietary Investor DNA structure. Crowwd also plans to enhance technology, compliance, and operational capabilities while maintaining a capital-efficient approach to growth.

Swiggy launched the Early Cashout feature for Food Marketplace delivery partners in over 720 cities. This feature allows partners to receive payouts on demand through the Swiggy Partner app instead of weekly cycles. The company specified that payouts will be credited within an hour of submitting a request through a three-step process in the app. Saurav Goyal, COO of Food Marketplace at Swiggy, noted that this feature eliminates waiting time, improving liquidity for the network of over 6.5 lakh partners.

Mirai Aerospace Systems and Software Solutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding with American company GreenValley International to create a LiDAR ecosystem in India, covering local assembly, manufacturing, technical support, and AI-based applications. The agreement was signed at the INTERGEO 2026 event in Munich. Mirai plans to establish an after-sales service and calibration center and lead local assembly under the Make in India initiative, with localization plans as volumes grow. The companies intend to jointly develop point cloud and digital twin applications, and final agreements on investment, technology licensing, and production volume will be discussed in the coming months.

YourStory presents a daily roundup of startup news, covering the latest developments across various sectors, including Amazon Now's billion-dollar annual revenue achievement and Flam's $40 million Series B funding round.

Kawach from Kaboom Impact, an interactive four-part training program on the iGOT Karmayogi platform, uses animation and storytelling to enhance empathy among civil servants regarding child protection. These modules have been adopted by 120,000 government employees with support from British Asian Trust and Mission Karmayogi.

AI startup Flam has secured $40 million in a Series B round. The round was led by QED Investors, with participation from Shah Rukh Khan, Claypond Capital, Martin Chavez, Olivier Pomel, and Venky Harinarayan, in addition to existing investors RTP Global and Dovetail. Flam plans to use the funds to expand research and development, product development, and corporate sales.

Amazon announced that its minute-based delivery service, Now, surpassed $1 billion in annual gross revenue in India. The service is expanding into over 60 cities in less than 10 weeks, moving beyond major metropolitan areas, and the company aims for 100 cities by Diwali.

1312 Interactive raised $1 million in seed funding led by Chimera Venture Capital and TAC. Ventana, Rahul Reddy G, Rohan MC, and Nara Srinivas participated in the round. The capital will be used to expand indie game publishing in emerging markets and strengthen the focus on premium PC and console games. Furthermore, the company intends to support partner developers in production, marketing, distribution, and platform relations.

Founded in 2021 by Deepak Gurijala and Raviteja Mantena, 1312 Interactive releases indie and AA games. This round followed a pre-seed round which included Akshat Rathee and Gautam Virk, Rajat Ojha, Sridhar Muppidi, Tanay Tayal, founders of Playsimple, Vatsal Chintalpati, and Rick Herman. The company is also launching the 1312 Playground initiative, based on player feedback.

Avendus Wealth Management appointed Umang Papneja as Executive Vice President and CEO. Avendus stated that under Papneja's leadership, the wealth management business will enter the next phase of growth and deepen its offering for founders, corporations, and family offices.

Papneja has over two decades of experience in private banking and wealth management. He recently served as CEO of Julius Baer India, where he led the expansion of its franchise across the country, and previously worked for over ten years as Chief Investment Officer at IIFL Wealth, managing investment strategy across various asset classes.

Flipkart announced the creation of over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs for the festive season, including gig roles. Approximately 75,000 of these, about 30 percent, are intended for first-time job seekers. These opportunities cover more than 7,000 Ekart locations, including fulfillment centers, sorting hubs, and last-mile operations. The company also reported creating over 900 festive logistics hubs and nearly 140,000 additional last-mile opportunities, with last-mile roles accounting for 60% of new jobs. Flipkart noted that the share of women in the supply chain exceeds 20%, and the inclusion of people with disabilities has also increased.

Premium dairy brand Epigamia appointed Mansi Modi as Head of Marketing starting late September, and Rahul Bhagat as Head of Production. The company aims to achieve an annual revenue run rate exceeding 1000 crore rupees in the next fiscal year and plans to double its business within 24–30 months.

Modi has over 14 years of experience at Hindustan Unilever, Oziva, Airtel, and Britannia. Bhagat held production roles at Danone, Britannia, ITC Foods, and Tata Consumer. Epigamia announced that Chief Operating Officer Ankur Goel is leaving the company for personal reasons.

BikeWo Green Tech appointed Sumanth Badiga to its Advisory Board in connection with expansion in corporate mobility and logistics. Badiga will advise on commercial transport strategy, fleet development, OEM partnerships and industry procurement and implementation, as well as enterprise relations and specialized logistics applications. Badiga is the Managing Director of Jasper Industries and Chairman of Adithya Automotive Applications. His career includes leadership roles in the Tata ecosystem, with experience in commercial and passenger transport, distribution, and after-sales service. BikeWo believes his experience will support the company's initiatives on the last, middle, and long miles.

Novastar Partners, an India-focused private market investment platform, announced its first investment in A Junior VC (AJVC), an early-stage venture fund founded by Aviral Bhatnagar. This investment marks the beginning of Novastar's broader strategy to build a diversified portfolio of high-quality funds and enterprises in India's private markets, focusing on technology and technologically advanced businesses. Novastar's investment will support AJVC's further deployment within India's pre-seed ecosystem, as AJVC creates a platform for early-stage startups, giving Novastar Partners access to companies at the earliest stages in sectors such as artificial intelligence, healthcare, deep tech, consumer tech, and brands.

YourStory presents a daily roundup of startup news, highlighting GalaxEye's achievement of a US patent, the launch of the new fund W Health Ventures, and funding rounds by consumer and deep tech companies led by Fundly.ai and DigitalPaani.

In observance of International Literacy Day, YourStory spotlights five initiatives aimed at expanding access to education. These examples include weekly classes in Delhi slums by Pehchaan The Street School, roadside libraries in Arunachal, and Central Fund programs. The stories demonstrate how community-driven models are fostering literacy beyond formal educational settings.

GalaxEye has secured a US patent for the core architecture of its OptoSAR system, which synchronizes optical and SAR sensors to obtain consistent observations. The company stated that this strengthens its intellectual property within its Earth observation business development.

The healthcare-focused venture fund W Health Ventures closed its second fund at ₹700 crore, exceeding its target of ₹630 crore. The firm plans to invest in 8–10 startups over four years and has already supported Everhope Oncology and Everbright Health from this fund.

Fundly.ai raised $4 million in a Pre-Series A round led by existing investors Accel and Multiply, with participation from Rajiv Ahuja and other angel investors. The company reported that venture debt from Alteria Capital was also included in the round, bringing the total funding to over $7 million.

According to the company, Fundly.ai is building an AI-based B2B network model for India's pharmaceutical market, valued at ₹2.5 lakh crore. This platform connects orders, payments, and credit for secondary trading. Founder and CEO Amit Chawla noted that the platform aims to coordinate currently fragmented workflows in drug distribution.

DigitalPaani raised ₹22 crore in a round led by Navam Capital, with participation from Enzia Ventures, Chakra Growth Capital, 3one4 Capital, Momentum Capital, Achieving Women Entrepreneurs Early Growth Fund, and Echo River Capital. The company stated that the capital raised will be used for expansion into industrial and municipal sectors, scaling operations, and initiating international expansion.

DigitalPaani reported that its AI-powered operating system automates water infrastructure operations and is deployed across more than 95 sites, processing over 150 million liters daily. The company cited examples of major clients and reported cost reductions in modernized enterprises, alongside nearly a sixfold revenue growth over two years.

Gaming technology startup ARC raised ₹10.5 crore in a Pre-seed round led by Chimera VC and MIXI Global Investments, with personal participation from Dhruv Vohra. The company stated that the funds will accelerate engineering work, validation, readiness for production of the ARC X1 device, development of OWL OS, and go-to-market efforts.

ARC specified that X1 is a portable gaming system built on ARM architecture and running on Qualcomm technology, featuring its own operating system, OWL OS. It was added that X1 is being developed with support for native Android gaming, PC game compatibility via the ARC software stack, and cloud gaming, and has gathered over 50,000 pre-registrations.

The on-demand textile care startup Iztri raised ₹10 crore in a seed round led by All In Capital and Suashish Group. The company plans to use these funds to expand operations, strengthen its hub network and infrastructure, and increase its customer base.

Iztri operates in Bengaluru, providing fabric care and repair services. The company announced plans to increase its presence density in the domestic market, expand across South India in the coming years, and later enter major metropolitan areas.

Safebox raised $1.1 million in a seed round led by a family office with the participation of several angel investors, including Sekhar Garisa personally. The company stated it will use the capital to enhance product capabilities and accelerate distribution through partnerships and corporate agreements.

Safebox positions itself as a family wealth protection platform that tracks assets, liabilities, insurance, and critical records across 55 categories, integrating with regulated infrastructure such as Account Aggregator. The company reported that since June 2026, clients have registered assets worth over ₹6,000 crore. Safebox operates through Beyondco Technologies Private Limited, registered with SEBI as an Investment Advisor.

SORRY SUGAR raised $1 million in its first seed round, led by the Dhanuka and Amishi London family. The company plans to expand online and offline across North India and accelerate the launch of new products, including sugar-free monk fruit flavored gelatinous desserts.

The clean-ingredient beverage brand reported revenues exceeding ₹1 crore in its first month and has three offline stores in Gurgaon and Delhi. The brand is founded by Deepak Pathak, Kunal Verma, Shashank Sherawat, and Saiyam Malik, with Palash Arneja and Wolfpack Labs acting as the incubator. SORRY SUGAR targets an annual revenue run rate of over ₹60 crore by the end of the current fiscal year.

Bhartiya Converge appointed Eric Pagdiwalla as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he will oversee consulting, operations strategy, and client success to strengthen execution and scale the company's integrated GCC delivery model.

Pagdiwalla joins from Persistent Systems, where he served as Senior Vice President and Head of GCC Practice. He previously held leadership roles at ANSR and Ascena Retail Group, and spent over 13 years at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, working in digital sales, global business services, and client management.

PointAI launched a real-time virtual try-on solution that, according to the company, combines generative models with physics-based simulation to mimic fabric behavior on different body types. The launch also includes AI platforms for e-commerce and enterprise clients.

The company stated that this offering aims to improve accuracy and speed compared to traditional image generation tools and plans to deploy an agent commercial application in several markets. PointAI provides AI solutions for digital fashion and retail.

Jarvislabs.ai introduced the Managed Endpoints feature, allowing enterprises to deploy selected open-source models as API endpoints, with the service configuration managed by the company. Jarvislabs.ai reported that its team pre-selects GPUs and optimizes images, accuracy, and cores for each model.

The company added that clients can configure workflow scaling based on traffic, maintain workflows in standby mode for latency-sensitive tasks, or scale down to zero during idle periods. Managed Endpoints are positioned alongside Jarvislabs.ai's existing options for VM, clusters, and serverless deployments.

Amazon India announced that its seller base has exceeded 2 million, with over 300,000 new sellers joining the marketplace. The company noted that reduced selling fees, including zero referral fees on over ₹12.5 crore in products, and broader use of AI-powered tools contributed to this expansion. Over 20 Seller Connects and Ads Hive seminars are planned before the festive season.

According to Amazon, seller engagement with its Seller Assistant has increased by 7.5 times year-over-year, while the share of advertisers using AI tools grew by 77%, and SMEs created 62% more ad creatives in Q1 2026. The company reported creating over 160,000 seasonal jobs in 400 cities.

Honasa Consumer Limited announced the promotion of Nishchay Bahl to Chief Business Officer for the offline segment. In this new role, he will oversee the company's offline business across general and modern retail channels, tasked with driving growth, expanding distribution, and strengthening brand presence in markets and categories.

Previously, Bahl served as Senior Vice President of Offline Revenue for nearly three years and worked on the Neev project to strengthen general retail. He possesses over 17 years of experience, including prior work at The Good Glamm Group, Reckitt, and Britannia. Varun Alagh, Co-founder and CEO of Honasa Consumer Limited, stated: 'Nishchay has demonstrated strong leadership.' At Reckitt, he held the position of E-commerce Director for South Asia, and he is an alumnus of ISB Hyderabad and St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

Agnikul Cosmos opened two new units at its Manufacturing and Testing Complex in Chennai, expanding capabilities for testing reusable rocket stages under near-flight conditions and manufacturing critical components in-house. The Stage Test and Inspection Facility and the Propellant Loading, Wrapping, and Checkout Facility for Mission-02 were inaugurated in the presence of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.

The STIF facility enables complete stage testing, supports thrust levels from 1 kN to 200 kN, LOX sublimation up to 73 K, and combustion for up to 150 seconds, and allows for post-flight inspection and requalification. PROOF can manufacture over 10 composite vessels wrapped in composites per month, with capacities up to 3500 liters and pressures up to 350 bar. Srinath Ravichandran, Co-founder and CEO of Agnikul Cosmos, stated: 'STIF gives us the ability to test full stages.' The company stated that these capabilities place it among a small number of global firms involved in full-cycle reusable launch capabilities and make it the only private Indian space company with in-house post-flight requalification infrastructure.