India Startup

Speciale Invest announces new Rs 200 crore fund for deep tech start-ups

Speciale Invest, a venture capital firm that has funded space and technology startups such as Agnikul Cosmos and QNu Labs, on Wednesday announced a new fund with a Rs 200 crore corpus to provide series A and above funding to initiatives in the deep-tech sector. The Speciale Invest Growth Fund I, with an initial investment of Rs 100 crore, has received approval from market regulator SEBI to provide series A and above funding to high-potential technology startups, supporting India's enterprise and deep-tech startup ecosystem, a company statement said. The fund expects to close the corpus at Rs 200 crore in the next three-four months, it said. "Our new Growth Fund I is an extension of our vision and commitment to expand our investment strategy to support high-performing technology startups from our portfolio at the Series A and beyond stages," Arjun Rao, General Partner at Speciale Invest said in a statement. Founded in 2017 by Vishesh Rajaram and Arjun Rao, Speciale Invest had a ...

Snacks start-up Kikibix raises $300,000 from founders of nine unicorns, VCs

Nutrition snacking start-up Kikibix has raised USD 300,000 from founders and co-founders of nine unicorns, including Mama Earth, Pristyn Care, Fashinza etc, the company said on Friday. Early-stage venture capital firms Blume Ventures led the funding round and US-based Angelist also participated in the fundraising. Founded by paediatrician Ridhi Kaur in 2022, the company makes cookies in flavours such as Cranberry Oats, Gur Chana, Ragi Mocha, Coconut, Figs, and Date Almonds. Mama Earth Founder Varun Alagh, Mosaic Wellness Co-founder and CEO Revant Bhate, Pristyn Care Co-Founders Vaibhav Kapoor and Garima Sawhney, EaseMyTrip Co-Founder Prashant Pitti, Fashinza Co-Founder Abhishek Sharma participated in the funding round. Kaur said that in the last six months, the company had seen 10 times growth in its monthly revenues. The organization plans to use the funds to launch more product categories, build a team and enter more distribution channels across the country.

Fundraising gets tougher, 2023 super challenging for startups: Report

Amid a deepening funding winter, only 53 per cent of startup founders had a positive fundraising experience (71 per cent of those who attempted to raise) in 2022, down from 92 per cent in 2021.

10 yrs tax holiday, less holding period of ESOP shares: Startups on Budget

Indian startup founders on Monday said that to explore a comprehensive digital India, the Union Budget for FY24 must leverage the full inherent potential of the homegrown technology industry

TMS Ep356: Google unbundling, Indian start-ups, PSU, capex stocks, BharOS

What will Google unbundling mean for Indian apps? Is there a governance deficit in Indian start-ups? How to trade PSU, capex stocks ahead of Budget 2023? What is BharOS? All answers here

Indian startup funding dropped by 33%, may become normal after 2-3 quarters

Many startups are using this time to tighten operating models and optimise their cash runway by deferring discretionary spends and investments

What does the 2022 funding winter indicate for start-ups in 2023?

2022 was a year of reckoning for Indian startups. New unicorns halved compared to last year, and mass layoffs followed. So, how did this year change Indian start-ups? How are they prepared for 2023?

Flipkart veteran building unified shopper identity across stores

Flash is creating a digital identity that power shoppers can use across retail sites

From layoffs to cost-cutting, start-ups brace for long funding winter

Favourite haunts of start-up community in Bengaluru and Gurugram reflect the sombre mood

Largest ever contingent of India Inc participates in GITEX Global 2022

India had the highest number of participating companies after the host, UAE, at the four-day event

Health-tech start-up Good Health Company raises $10 mn in funding

Hyderabad-based company will use financing to introduce more product categories and expand team

Govt to provide collateral-free loans to start-ups under CGSS framework

The credit guarantee cover under the scheme would be both transaction-based (for single eligible borrowers) and umbrella-based (for a group of eligible borrowers)

Start-up LeverageEdu gets RBI approval for financial services unit

Company raised $22 million in funding in March earlier this year at a valuation of $120 million

Future of learning: Edtech start-ups' hybrid tilt to lure students

With the offline lure of greater teacher-student connect many such start-ups have forayed into brick-and-mortar centres to compete with existing offline institutions

Need to build resilient supply chains, boost connectivity: PM Modi at SCO

India assumes rotational annual presidency of SCO summit nations; China, Russia and other countries offer support for summit next year in India

SoftBank plans $35 million bet on India's GoMechanic, says report

SoftBank has for years been a prominent backer of Indian startups, investing close to $4 billion last year alone, according to data from Venture Intelligence

Singapore's GIC funds Indian rocket startup Skyroot ahead of first launch

The funding follows the Indian government's push to get the country's private sector to complement its state-run space programme known for its affordable launches and missions

BlackSoil crosses $300 mn in venture debt deals, predicts robust market

Company that provides debt capital says its assets under management have grown 55% YoY

Get a masterclass on the art of scale-up from start-up wizards

Tech world's prime-movers set up Artha School of Entrepreneurship.

Ratan Tata invests in senior citizen companionship-as-service startup

Ratan Tata announced an undisclosed investment into startup Goodfellows that offers companionship to senior citizens as a service