The End Of SEO? How AI Is Reshaping Brand Discovery On The Web
AI-powered generative search engines are displacing traditional SEO, ushering in a new discipline dubbed Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) or Answer Engine Optimisation. Brands now compete to be recalled by large language models rather than ranked on keyword lists, as AI chat interfaces deliver zero‑click answers. Studies show AI‑driven referral traffic converts at roughly twice the rate of conventional organic links. Startups are racing to build GEO platforms that track, analyse, and automate brand visibility across AI assistants.
Karnataka Drafting Responsible AI Framework To Embrace ‘I-Governance’: Priyank Kharge
Karnataka has formed a responsible‑AI committee to draft a policy framework that will guide the state’s transition from traditional e‑governance to “i‑governance,” an AI‑driven public‑service model. The pilot phase includes semi‑autonomous chatbots for grievance handling, image‑verification tools for crop loss...
Dhan Bets Beyond Brokerage
Raise Financial Services, the parent of Dhan, has leveraged its $120 million Series B round to pivot from a pure brokerage to a broader fintech platform. The capital boost, which lifted its valuation to $1.2 billion, funded the acquisition of algo‑trading startup Stratzy,...
High Gold Prices Hit BlueStone’s Store Addition Plans In FY26
Omnichannel jeweller BlueStone’s FY26 store rollout was sharply curtailed as gold prices surged to about $1,711 per 10 g, nearly double the 2024 level. The company added only 65 stores against a target of 290 and opened 17 in Q4, citing...
Game Developer PlaySimple Files DRHP For ₹3,150 Cr OFS-Only IPO
Swedish MTG‑owned PlaySimple Games filed a draft red herring prospectus for an OFS‑only IPO targeting ₹3,150 crore (≈$385 million). The mobile‑gaming studio, which runs 30 casual titles and logged 4.99 million daily active users across 110 countries, posted 2025 revenue of ₹2,259.8 crore (≈$275 million)...
Can D2C Be ElasticRun’s Most Profitable Bet Yet?
ElasticRun, the Indian logistics unicorn, is pivoting from traditional B2B FMCG distribution to a D2C‑focused quick‑commerce model. The company now handles close to 5 million orders a day across 500+ cities, supported by 900+ delivery stations and about 100 fulfilment centres....
Parminder Singh Appointed CEO Of Reliance’s AI Subsidiary
Reliance Industries has named former Google executive Parminder Singh as chief executive officer of its AI arm, Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Ltd (REIL), effective immediately. The move follows a joint venture with Meta that injected roughly $103 million—$71.9 million from Reliance and $30.9 million...
Karnataka Govt Mulls Policy To Legalise Bike Taxis
The Karnataka government is weighing a policy to legalise bike‑taxi services while simultaneously filing a special leave petition in the Supreme Court to overturn a High Court judgment that lifted the ban. The state argues the High Court overstepped by...
RBI Floats New Draft Rules To Govern Prepaid Payment Instruments
India’s central bank released a draft Master Direction to overhaul prepaid payment instruments (PPIs). The rules split PPIs into General‑Purpose (full‑KYC and small) and Special‑Purpose categories, setting caps such as ₹2 Lakh (~$2.4k) for full‑KYC wallets and ₹10k (~$120) for small...
Gramophone Cofounder Navneet Singh Batra Quits, Joins Superplum
Navneet Singh Batra, co‑founder of Info Edge‑backed agritech platform Gramophone, has resigned to become chief business officer of fruit‑supply chain startup Superplum. His move shifts him from the input side of agricultural trade to the output side, closer to consumers....
Online Gaming Act To Come Into Effect From May 1
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued the operational rules for the Online Gaming Act, 2025, effective May 1. The framework creates the Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) to classify games, enforce compliance, and impose penalties of...
Domestic AIFs Halve Ownership In MobiKwik In March Quarter
Domestic alternative investment funds slashed their holding in MobiKwik by half in Q4 FY26, leaving them with 0.71% of the company. In contrast, foreign portfolio investors boosted their stake to 4.25%, adding 33% more shares. The fintech posted its first...
PrimeInvestor Nets ₹19.5 Cr From Rainmatter To Expand Portfolio Management Services
Indian wealth‑tech startup PrimeInvestor announced a seed round of ₹19.5 cr (≈$2.1 m) led by Rainmatter Capital, Zerodha’s investment arm. The capital will be used to scale its subscription‑based portfolio management services, which currently include mutual‑fund‑only, hybrid, and pure‑equity strategies under a...
How Bonkers Corner Bootstrapped Its Way To A ₹195 Cr Streetwear Brand
Indian D2C streetwear label Bonkers Corner has scaled from a solo Instagram‑DM operation in 2020 to a ₹195 crore ($23 million) revenue business with ₹15‑16 crore ($1.8 million) profit projected for FY26. After bootstrapping, the brand secured a ₹1.5 crore ($180 k) Shark Tank investment and...
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...
Inside Jaipur Watch Company’s Play To Become A ₹100 Cr Luxury Watch Brand
Jaipur Watch Company (JWC), an Indian luxury watchmaker known for heritage‑driven designs, is on track to hit a ₹100 Cr (≈$12 million) revenue target within three years. For FY26 the brand projects ₹40 Cr (≈$4.8 million) on the back of 14 retail outlets, with...
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....
Thank You, Partners, For Powering Griffin Retreat 2026
Inc42’s Griffin Retreat 2026 brought together 100 founders whose companies hold roughly $200 bn in combined valuation and $20 bn in revenue. Hosted at the Oberoi Udaivilas on Lake Pichola, the three‑day event emphasized deep, uninterrupted dialogue under Chatham House rules. Speakers...
The Souled Store: The Making Of A ₹700 Cr D2C Lifestyle Brand On Fandom Fashion
The Souled Store, founded in 2013, has evolved from a niche licensed‑merch tee seller into a full‑stack D2C lifestyle brand targeting fandom culture. It posted FY25 profit of ₹11 Cr (≈$1.3 M) on revenue that rose 37% to ₹492.4 Cr (≈$59 M) and projects...
From Hosteller To GobbleCube— Indian Startups Raised $60 Mn This Week
Indian startups raised just $60.4 million across 15 deals between April 13‑17, an 83% drop from the previous week’s $361.5 million. AI companies led the funding pool with $23 million, while ecommerce secured only $13 million from six deals. Seed‑stage capital collapsed 86% to $3.3 million,...
Meet The 10 Startups Selected For Second Cohort Of IndiaAI Startups Programme
IndiaAI Mission announced the second cohort of its Global Acceleration Programme, selecting ten Indian AI startups for a three‑week online prep and a three‑month residency in Paris. The programme, run with Station F and HEC Paris, aims to give Indian...
Pocket FM Claims EBITDA Profitability, Crosses $400 Mn ARR
Pocket FM announced that its annualised revenue rate (ARR) hit $430 million in March 2026 and is projected to reach $450 million by April, doubling year‑over‑year from $198 million in March 2025. The company also reported near‑5% EBITDA margin and free‑cash‑flow positivity, attributing...
As DPDPA Kicks In, Are Startups Ready For Privacy Compliance Burden?
India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) 2023 and the DPDP Rules 2025 set an 18‑month compliance timeline ending May 2027, creating a $1.2 bn compliance‑as‑a‑service market. Startup IDfy, backed by Blume Ventures and others, won a government‑run privacy‑platform competition and is...
Decoding Agnikul’s Cosmos Race With SpaceX On 3D-Printed Rocket Engine
Agnikul Cosmos, an IIT Madras‑incubated startup, has demonstrated the Agnite engine – the world’s largest single‑piece 3D‑printed semi‑cryogenic rocket engine – in a successful test‑fire. The engine’s 3‑month‑to‑week manufacturing cycle and reusability aim to lower launch costs for sub‑tonne payloads,...
IndiQube Soars 20% Amid Rally In Coworking Stocks
IndiQube Spaces' shares surged up to 20% intraday, closing 5.8% higher at ₹160.85, giving the company a market capitalisation of about $360 million. The rally was sparked by a ₹52 Cr (~$6.3 million) five‑year lease with a Japanese e‑commerce giant and follows recent...
D2C Brand Desi Farms’ Revenue Surges 8X To ₹300 Cr In FY26
Desi Farms, a D2C dairy brand, posted FY26 revenue of ₹300 Cr ($36 M), an eight‑fold increase from ₹38 Cr ($4.6 M) a year earlier. Growth was driven by inorganic acquisitions, including Suruchi Dairy for ₹130 Cr ($15.7 M) and the Healthy Mithai brand, alongside a...
Zelio E-Mobility Ropes In Ex-Navi Executive Divyanshu Agarwal As CEO
Zelio E‑Mobility, a BSE SME‑listed electric two‑ and three‑wheeler maker, named former Navi UPI head Divyanshu Agarwal as chief executive effective April 15. The 26‑year‑old chartered accountant previously led Navi’s UPI business and helped raise private‑equity capital. In H1 FY26, Zelio...
Indian Mutual Funds Double Down On Eternal Amid FII Selling Spree
Domestic mutual funds dramatically increased their stake in Eternal, the Zomato parent, to 28.9% in March 2026, up from 16.4% in December 2025. Large funds such as SBI and HDFC each crossed the 3.5% threshold, while newer entrants like Mirae...
Agrizy Elevates Markish Arun As Cofounder And CTO
Agrizy, the Omnivore‑backed agritech CRDMO, has promoted its head of engineering, Markish Arun, to co‑founder and chief technology officer. Arun, who joined in 2022 after serving as Zoomcar CTO, will now lead the startup’s AI and tech roadmap, including its...
Gujarat HC Sends Notices To Google, Meta, X Over Deepfake
The Gujarat High Court issued notices to Meta, Google, X, Reddit and Scribd, demanding responses to a public‑interest litigation seeking tighter regulation of AI‑generated deepfake content. The bench set a May 8 deadline and ordered the platforms to join the SAHYOG...
EaseMyTrip Cofounder Nishant Pitti Pledges Another 6.86 Cr Shares
EaseMyTrip co‑founder and chairman Nishant Pitti pledged an additional 6.86 cr shares worth roughly $6.6 million to Motilal Oswal, bringing his total pledged holdings to 44.87 cr shares (12.34% of the company’s equity). The pledge represents 1.89% of the firm’s total share capital...
IPO-Bound Practo Appoints Srijesh Kumar As Global CPTO
Practo, the Bengaluru‑based healthtech platform preparing for a 2027 IPO, has hired former Salesforce VP Srijesh Kumar as its global chief product and technology officer. Kumar will unify product and engineering to scale the service as Practo pursues a $100‑125 million...
Flipkart Elevates Sharon Pais To The Role Of Myntra Head
Flipkart has promoted long‑time executive Sharon Pais to head of its fashion marketplace Myntra, succeeding Nandita Sinha who will transition out over the coming months. Pais, a former chief business officer, will report to group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, while Kapil...
Scope Of Startup India FoF 2.0 Expanded To Support Deeptech, Manufacturing Investments
The Indian government’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has launched Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with a ₹10,000 crore (~$1.2 billion) corpus, expanding its mandate to deep‑tech, tech‑driven manufacturing and micro‑VC backed early‑stage startups. Disbursements to SEBI‑registered...
BharatPe Cofounder Shashvat Nakrani Steps Down To Launch New Venture
BharatPe co‑founder and COO Shashvat Nakrani will step down from daily duties, moving to a strategic advisor and board director role while remaining its largest individual shareholder. The transition comes as the fintech unicorn finalises its leadership overhaul, with CEO...
Foreign Capital Reprices The India Premium
Foreign investors have largely exited Indian equities, with FIIs selling about $5.8 bn in April and $21.6 bn year‑to‑date, pushing foreign ownership to a 14‑year low. Over the past 18 months FPIs withdrew roughly $28 bn, and the MSCI Emerging Markets weighting fell...
The Making Of A Lending Tech Unicorn
KreditBee became India’s 128th unicorn after a $280 million Series E round valued it at $1.5 billion, marking the country’s second unicorn of 2026. The raise was oversubscribed despite a 26% YoY drop in overall startup funding, underscoring investor confidence in data‑driven, digital...
MeitY Extends Deadline For Public Comments To IT Rule Amendments
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has pushed back the public comment deadline for its draft amendments to the 2021 Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code to April 29, up from April 12. The revisions would tighten oversight of...
How Ottonomy Robots Are Mapping Last-Mile Delivery With Contextual AI
Ottonomy, a US‑based deep‑tech startup manufacturing in India, has raised $7.8 million to commercialize Contextual AI‑powered delivery robots for indoor‑outdoor logistics. Its two SKUs, Ottobot 2.0 and 3.0, can carry up to ten parcels per trip and adapt to hospitals, airports, malls...
WinZO Cofounder Bail: K’taka HC Warns ED Of Costs For Frivolous Appeal
The Karnataka High Court warned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) it could be penalized about $1.2k if its appeal against the bail granted to WinZO co‑founder Paavan Nanda is deemed frivolous. The ED alleges the gaming platform generated roughly $21 million through...
D2C Brand Snitch’s FY26 Revenue Surges 80% To ₹900 Cr
Snitch, the Indian D2C fashion brand, posted FY26 operating revenue of ₹900 Cr (≈$108 M), an 80% jump from ₹498 Cr (≈$60 M) a year earlier. EBITDA remained thin at 2‑3% of revenue, roughly $2‑3 M, while the company turned a modest net loss of...
Software’s Re-Founding Moment: What Separates Transformation From Theatre
Software firms are confronting a pivotal choice: bolt AI onto existing products or undergo a full "re‑founding" to become AI‑native. The term, now used by companies like Airtable, Handshake, and Atlassian, signals an existential shift rather than a feature upgrade,...
Libas’ Next Big Thing After Hitting The ₹600 Cr Revenue Mark
Libas, the Indian ethnic‑wear brand founded in 2014, has surpassed the ₹1,000 Cr (~$120 M) annual revenue run‑rate after a decade of bootstrapped growth. The company began by targeting affordable workwear for women online, later pivoting to a fast‑fashion model that slashed...
What’s Driving Startup Investors’ Shift Towards Domestic LPs?
Indian venture capital firms are increasingly turning to domestic limited partners as macro volatility and geopolitical tensions make foreign capital harder to secure. A recent Inc42 survey shows 74% of institutional investors would prefer Indian‑origin LPs for the next funding...
Former OYO Executive’s Startup Nava Raises $22 Mn To Build Neocloud Platform
Former OYO executive Abhinav Sinha’s AI startup Nava, formerly Kluisz.ai, closed a $22 million Series A round led by Greenoaks, bringing total funding to $31.6 million. The company rebranded as Nava and established its regional headquarters in Singapore to tap APAC talent and...
TR Capital Appoints Umang Agarwal As India MD, To Invest $1 Bn Over 5 Years
Private equity firm TR Capital announced a $1 billion commitment to invest in Indian secondary transactions over the next five years. The firm appointed former Eight Roads principal Umang Agarwal as India Managing Director and co‑head of its Asia secondary platform....
Is Algae The Answer To Carbon Capture? Intrinsic Foundries’ Green Fix For Toxic Waste
Indian startup Intrinsic Foundries, founded in 2023, raised about $1.5 million seed funding to develop algae‑based carbon capture and utilization (CCUS) platforms that turn industrial CO₂ and waste streams into valuable biochemicals. The company’s proprietary 3‑D‑printed photobioreactors replace large ponds, achieving...
Nexus Venture Partners Sells Delhivery Shares Worth ₹530 Cr
Venture capital firm Nexus Venture Partners has offloaded a total of 1.2 crore Delhivery shares through multiple block deals, raising approximately ₹530.4 crore. The transaction comprised 1.04 crore shares from its Nexus Ventures III fund at ₹442 each and 15.6 lakh shares from its...
Atlas Nets $6 Mn To Scale Its Accounting-Focused AI Platform
Singapore‑based AI startup Atlas secured $6 million seed funding from Accel and Stellaris Venture Partners to accelerate its accounting‑focused AI platform. The solution promises to triple the capacity of partner firms by automating routine tasks such as audit preparation, bookkeeping, and...
Inside Q1 2026’s Mega Deal Drought: War, LP Shift & Growth Capital Gap
India’s startup funding fell sharply in Q1 2026, with total capital inflows dropping 26% YoY to $2.3 bn and no $100 million mega deals recorded for the first time since 2022. Despite the funding dip, the number of deals rose 17% as...