Top Foreign Investors Backing India’s New-Age Tech IPOs
Foreign investors are increasingly anchoring India’s new‑age tech IPOs, contributing roughly $3.2 bn (₹26,508 Cr) in 2025 – about 40% of the capital raised by 18 listings since early 2025. Their participation jumped over 55% of primary‑market anchor tranches, with sovereign funds and global asset managers leading the way. Top anchor investors include Goldman Sachs ($76 m across nine IPOs), Franklin Templeton ($80 m), Amundi ($70 m) and Fidelity ($54 m). Structural drivers such as rising profitability, India’s fourth‑place global IPO ranking in 2025, and strong domestic liquidity are turning foreign interest from opportunistic to deliberate.
I Made This: Konker, an App to Help New Parents Navigate the City
Emily Mitchell, group brand director at The Midnight Club, created Konker, a mobile app that curates baby‑friendly activities across cities—from spas and museums to pop‑up exhibitions. Frustrated by limited local options, she built the platform to help new parents discover...
Skincare Entrepreneur Irene Forte on Longevity and Life as ‘Lady Good Deal’
Irene Forte, daughter of hotel magnate Sir Rocco Forte, discusses her luxury skincare line in a Spear’s interview, emphasizing longevity as the ultimate luxury. She highlights the brand’s B Corp certification, vegan formulas, and zero‑single‑use packaging sourced from an organic...
The New Unicorn Count Reached A 4-Year High In March, Led By Robotics, Frontier Labs And AI Infrastructure
Crunchbase reported that March saw 37 companies join its Unicorn Board, the highest monthly total in nearly four years. Robotics led the surge with six new billion‑dollar startups, followed by frontier labs, AI infrastructure and fintech each adding four. Twenty...
STAT+: Tortugas Neuroscience Launches with Hopes to Develop Drugs for Brain Disorders, Other Conditions
Tortugas Neuroscience launched with a $106 million financing round led by Cure Ventures, The Column Group and AN Ventures. The startup has licensed two schizophrenia and tinnitus candidates from China’s Jiangsu Hansoh and two additional therapies for focal epilepsy and encephalopathies...
Inside Artemis' "AI vs AI" War | Shachar Hirshberg & Dan Shiebler (Co-Founders, Artemis)
Artemis, an AI‑native cybersecurity platform, emerged from stealth after securing $70 million in seed and Series A funding. In just seven months the founders assembled a 30‑person team, hiring one to two people each week. Their product leverages fully AI‑native tooling to...
Currie Co-Founds New USA Focused Oil, Gas Company
Former Goldman Sachs commodities chief Jeff Currie has co‑founded 1947 Oil & Gas plc, a U.S.-focused upstream company, alongside veteran Ivan Murphy. The firm signed a term sheet to acquire Renaissance Offshore LLC, which currently produces about 3,000 barrels of...
Zoho Built a Global SaaS Business From Tamil Nadu, Can Startups Move Beyond Metro Hubs?
Zoho has built a global SaaS empire from Tamil Nadu, relying on bootstrapped growth and an in‑house training program rather than venture capital or metro‑centric hiring. The company now serves over 100 million users across 45 products and generates more than $1 billion...
Preventive Healthcare Startup CENT Opens Flagship Clinic in Bengaluru
Preventive healthcare startup CENT, founded by Practo’s Shashank ND, opened its first 7,000‑sq‑ft flagship prevention centre in Bengaluru. The centre offers a single‑purpose AI‑driven screening protocol—CCNM—combining whole‑body MRI, ultra‑low‑dose cardiac CT, DEXA, ECG and over 120 biomarker tests, delivering a...
Deals in Brief: Baskit Raises USD 4.4 Million, Tencent Buys Kaspi.kz Stake, Six China Investments, and More
A wave of capital is reshaping Asia’s tech landscape, highlighted by Baskit’s $4.4 million Series A and a $3 million HSBC credit line to scale its offline‑trade platform across Indonesia and the Philippines. Tencent entered Central Asia’s fintech arena with a $518 million purchase...
Exergy3 Raises £10m to Shake up the Clean Heat Market
Exergy3, a University of Edinburgh spin‑out, has closed a £10 million (≈$12.7 million) seed round to commercialise its ultra‑high‑temperature thermal‑energy storage platform. The technology converts surplus renewable electricity, such as curtailed wind power, into high‑temperature heat for industrial processes that are hard...
Cosaic Bags $6M to Replace Industrial Additives with One-Size-Fits-All Yeast Ingredient
Swiss food‑tech startup Cosaic secured a $6 million seed‑extension round led by DSM‑Firmenich Ventures to scale its yeast‑derived emulsifier, Cosaic Neo, and push regulatory approvals in the U.S. and Europe. The funding brings total capital to $12.5 million and will fund scale‑up...
Entrepreneurship Across the Generations
In the UK, more than a third of working‑age adults are running or planning a business, but the path to success varies sharply by generation. Gen Z founders launch early, leveraging speed, public learning and rapid pivots, while Millennials discover adaptability...
Polish Warsaw Equity Group Leads €5M Series A Alongside Porsche Ventures
Polish investment firm Warsaw Equity Group led a €5 million (≈ $5.45 million) Series A round in German EV‑charging tech company &Charge, with Porsche Ventures and existing backers InnoEnergy and Redstone also participating. The funding aims to close the data gap in Europe’s fragmented...
Tea Café Chain Chaayos in Talks to Raise $50-70 Million, Appoints Banker
Mumbai‑based tea‑café chain Chaayos has engaged Avendus to help raise fresh capital. The company aims to secure between $50 million and $70 million in the round. This follows its 2022 Series C that brought in $53 million and placed a $250 million valuation on the...
Fast Growth Tech: Why Skills Are the Common Denominator
Fast‑growth tech scale‑ups such as Trainline, Depop and Marshmallow are thriving despite a tough economy by leveraging cutting‑edge products and, crucially, the right skill sets. The article outlines three AI‑driven levers—skill‑mapping, on‑demand personalized learning, and hyper‑personalized coaching—that enable companies to...
Public Institutions Create the Most Value when They Help Ecosystems Interact.
Public institutions are essential to thriving startup ecosystems, but their impact goes beyond funding and visibility. Their greatest value lies in building practical interaction platforms where startups, investors, corporates, universities, and government bodies can meet face‑to‑face. These connection points generate...
PopArabia Acquires Viral Wave, Marking A15’s Ninth Exit
Egyptian venture capital firm A15 recorded its ninth exit as PopArabia acquired Viral Wave, a UAE‑based digital music distribution platform founded in 2023 under ARPUPlus. Viral Wave manages a catalog that has generated more than 55 billion streams across major streaming...
Ray Launches in Dubai with $1.2 Million Investment in Hand
Ray, a UAE‑based powerbank‑sharing startup, closed a $1.2 million seed round led by private angels to launch its service in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The company’s portable charging stations let users rent a powerbank and return it at any network location,...
Semafor’s Ben Smith on Evolving a News Start-Up for the Post-Traffic Era
Ben Smith argues that the era of chasing web traffic is over, so Semafor focuses on high‑quality newsletters and invitation‑only events to build direct audience connections. Its flagship newsletters have attracted over 1 million sign‑ups, while the CEO Signal newsletter targets...
KRAFTON, Naver Launch Rs 6,000 Cr India-Focused Unicorn Growth Fund
South Korean tech giants Krafton and Naver, together with Mirae Asset Venture Investments, have launched a Rs 6,000 crore (≈ $720 million) India‑focused Unicorn Growth Fund. The fund, announced during the South Korean President’s official visit to India, will be managed by Mirae Asset...
Unknown Knowns: Techboard Dug up Unannounced Startup Investments – and Discovered It’s Potentially the Majority of Funding
Techboard's new report reveals that only about one‑third of Australian startup funding is publicly disclosed, with more than 750 unannounced investments identified. The analysis, based on ASIC share‑issuance filings and internal data, estimates 1,100 startups received external capital in 2025,...
Health QSR Chain Acai Theory Raises Funds From All In Capital, TDV Partners, Others
Acai Theory, a Bengaluru‑based health‑focused quick‑service restaurant, closed a pre‑seed round of Rs 4 crore (about $480,000). The round was led by All In Capital with participation from TDV Partners and several high‑profile angels. The capital will fund expansion to 8‑10 stores, a central kitchen,...
Exclusive: The Laundress Co-Founder Returns to Luxe Laundry with Lindry Lab
Lindsey Boyd, co‑founder of The Laundress, has launched Lindry Lab, a direct‑to‑consumer luxury laundry brand. The line debuts with 17 SKUs, including six detergents priced at $45 for 32 oz, a fragrance‑free option, and specialty washes. Boyd positions the brand around...
LALO Tequila Builds a Legacy of Craftsmanship, Transparency
Co‑founder Eduardo “Lalo” González says tequila sales are booming worldwide, even as overall spirits soften. LALO Tequila, launched in 2020, has grown tenfold while staying true to a three‑ingredient, small‑batch formula. Its Blanco expression is NielsenIQ’s top share gainer across...
After Building Global Startup, Two Founders Who Met at Uni Are Backing a New Generation of Kiwi Students
University of Auckland alumni Alliv Samson and Hengjie Wang have pledged roughly US$18,000 (NZ$30,000) to launch the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Alumni Fund. The fund will back the university’s Velocity startup program and related initiatives, giving students free...
From Lab to Market: The Financing Gap Plaguing the Deeptech Sector
India’s deep‑tech sector is generating breakthrough work in semiconductors, climate tech, defence and quantum computing, yet many ventures stall before reaching market. In 2025 deep‑tech startups raised $1.65 billion, a clear increase from prior years, but funding dries up after early‑stage...
Lawyered Raises $2.5 Mn To Expand Legal Assistance Beyond Mobility
Lawyered, a Delhi‑NCR legal‑tech startup, secured about $2.5 million (₹23.2 cr) in a pre‑Series A round co‑led by Rainmatter and Turbostart, with existing backer Finvolve participating. The funding will fuel scaling of its AI‑enhanced SaaS platform, broaden product features, and accelerate user acquisition....
AI Co NudgeBee Secures Funding; Startups Reimagining Breast Cancer Treatment in India
NudgeBee, an AI‑powered cloud‑operations platform, secured $3 million in seed funding led by Kalaari Capital to accelerate its enterprise context layer and partnership‑driven rollout. The capital will fund AI‑SRE agents that help large firms monitor multicloud environments more efficiently. Meanwhile, India’s...
Pongbot Uses AI-Powered Robots to Address Sports Coaching Gap
Pongbot, founded by Zhang Haibo, has turned AI‑driven robotics into a scalable tennis‑training solution. After a successful 2024 Kickstarter that raised over $2.7 million, the company completed a Series A, bringing total funding to roughly $29.3 million across three rounds. Its Pace series...
Why Partnerships Fail, and How to Break the Cycle
Partnership failures among founders are increasingly linked to hidden trust patterns and attachment styles rather than pure business mismatches. As new ventures proliferate post‑pandemic, many co‑founders choose partners for emotional validation and perceived chemistry, overlooking long‑term strategic alignment. Kyle Kane...
The Open Accelerator Joins the Google for Startups Cloud Program to Empower the Next Generation of Innovators
The Open Accelerator, a joint initiative of Red Hat, IBM Ventures and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has joined the Google for Startups Cloud Program. The partnership gives participating early‑stage AI founders access to Google Cloud credits, hands‑on labs, workshops and a...
Ideally, the Kiwi Consumer Insights Startup Google and Telstra Use, Raises $13.4 Million Series A
New Zealand‑based consumer insights startup Ideally secured a A$13.4 million (~$8.8 million USD) Series A round, valuing the AI‑driven platform at roughly $83 million. The funding, led by Shearwater Capital, will fuel a rapid U.S. expansion after the New York office drove a 350% revenue...
Megan Kilgore Leaving Columbus to Launch Consulting Firm
Columbus city auditor Megan Kilgore is resigning to co‑found BKC Group, a technology consulting firm focused on modernizing the municipal bond market. During her nearly ten‑year tenure, Kilgore helped the city retain triple‑AAA credit ratings and secure a $1.9 billion bond...
ViewsML Secures $4.9 Million to Help Scientists Virtually Analyze Tissue Samples
ViewsML, a Vancouver AI startup, closed a C$4.9 million seed round (approximately US$3.6 million) to commercialize its virtual biomarker platform. The technology uses artificial intelligence to extract quantitative biomarker data from pathology images without traditional chemical staining. By turning a lab‑bound process...
He Sold His Grass-Fed Jerky Company for Millions. Then He Started One of the Hardest Businesses in Food.
After selling Epic Provisions, the grass‑fed jerky pioneer, Robby Sansom launched Force of Nature in 2019 to bring regenerative‑raised meat to mainstream consumers. The company aggregates 917 ranches across 3.8 million acres, selling beef, chicken, bison and other proteins through more...
Following National Stage Debut, Strategic Architect Michelle May O’Neil of Concierra Business Announces Free Live Training on Founder Overload for...
Concierra Business announced a free national live training for entrepreneurs on April 28, focusing on founder overload. The session, led by strategic architect Michelle May O’Neil, will introduce the Atlas Load Reset™ framework, a five‑domain diagnostic tool she unveiled at the...
From the Archive: Boo.com
Boo.com launched in 1999 with a suite of cutting‑edge features—virtual‑reality advisors, multi‑currency checkout, seven‑language sites, and rotating 3D models—backed by $120 million in funding and a $500 million valuation. The site went live on 4 November 1999 but crashed under the strain of...
Veteran Ventures Capital Announces Investment in Hybron Technologies as Hybron Technologies Closes $25M Seed Round
Hybron Technologies announced the closing of an oversubscribed $25 million seed round on April 9, 2026, with Veteran Ventures Capital as a key investor. The U.S.-based firm develops lightweight composite materials for aerospace and defense, targeting components such as turbine blades, airframes, and...
Creator Is Making a Comeback, Only This Time as a Platform Player and Not ‘Robot Theater’
Creator, the San Francisco‑based robotic burger startup that raised about $60 million and shuttered its flagship store during the pandemic, is re‑emerging as a technology platform rather than a consumer‑facing restaurant. The company now offers its redesigned robot to existing restaurant brands,...
Feel Like a Fraud? Read This Before You Doubt Yourself Again
Imposter syndrome touches roughly 70% of high‑achieving entrepreneurs, but it isn’t a career‑ending flaw. Leaders who treat self‑doubt as a signal—rather than a setback—use it to prepare more thoroughly, listen deeper, and act decisively. Research shows that moderate anxiety can...
Intelligent Investing Founder Arnout Ter Schure on Integrating AI Capabilities with Human Market Insight and Structure
Intelligent Investing, founded by Arnout Ter Schure, positions artificial intelligence as a speed‑enhancing companion to traditional market analysis rather than a replacement. Ter Schure leverages his scientific background to blend AI‑driven data processing with structured frameworks such as Elliott Wave, Fibonacci ratios,...
AXIAN’s Benjamin Toulouze Says CVCs Can Move Faster than VCs
Benjamin Toulouze leads AXIAN Investment’s corporate venture arm, one of Africa’s first CVCs, with a four‑person team split between Dubai and Madagascar. Since its 2021 launch, the unit has invested in 33 startups and taken stakes in 38 funds, targeting...
Togg Maintains Turkish Market Leadership, Expands In Germany Confident Of Diaspora Support
Turkey’s electric and hybrid vehicle sales topped 51% of new‑car registrations in Q1 2026, with state‑backed Togg remaining the market‑share leader. The automaker launched in Germany in September 2025, leveraging the Turkish diaspora to generate organic demand and avoid heavy...
Why I Take a ‘Roll up Your Sleeves’ Approach to Leadership – And How It’s Paying Off
The article outlines a CEO’s “roll‑up‑your‑sleeves” leadership style, emphasizing curiosity‑driven questioning, collaborative problem‑solving, and a calibrated mix of coaching patience with result‑oriented urgency. By working side‑by‑side with teams at a veterinary‑hospital network, the leader provides guidance without commandeering ownership. The...
Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation Takes One Small Step to Support Life on the Moon
Canadian Strategic Missions Corp (CSMC) secured $1.2 million CAD (≈$876 K USD) in federal grant to scale its nuclear micro‑reactor, and a $400 K CAD (≈$292 K USD) prize for its LunaPure lunar‑water purification system. The funding is part of NGen’s $63 million CAD (≈$46 million...
Polymarket in Fundraising Talks that Could Value the Prediction Platform at $15bn
Polymarket, a US‑based prediction‑market platform, is in talks to raise $400 million, which could push its valuation to about $15 billion. The company’s weekly trading volume has surged past $1 billion, driven largely by bets on the Middle‑East conflict and other geopolitical events....
Inside SatEnlight’s Spiral Staircase of Lasers: Interview with Startup Space Winner Matteo Vismara
SatEnlight, an Italian optical‑communications startup, unveiled a laser terminal that stacks multiple beams in a multi‑layered spiral‑staircase configuration. Co‑founder Matteo Vismara, a former CERN researcher, left a secure academic path to commercialize the technology. The company captured the top prize...
CuspAI Raising $200m at Unicorn Valuation, Reports Say
CuspAI, a 2024‑founded AI startup that speeds material design, is in talks to raise at least $200 million, which would lift its valuation above the $1 billion unicorn threshold. The platform functions as a search engine for materials, generating chemical compositions from...
Plata Raises $405M Series C at $5B Valuation
Mexican fintech Plata closed a $405 million Series C round, pushing its valuation to $5 billion. The round was led by Bicycle Capital with participation from Kora, Qatar Investment Authority and BTG Pactual. Plata, now a fully licensed digital bank, plans to expand lending,...