AI Startup Giga Secures $61M to Scale Emotionally Intelligent Support Agents

Giga, the AI company redefining how people interact with customer support, today announced it has raised a $61 million Series A round led by Redpoint Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator and Nexus Venture Partners.

The funding will accelerate Giga’s growth as it continues to outperform global incumbents and emerges as the product of choice for complex enterprise support automation. Giga will grow its technical team, accelerate go-to-market motion, and scale deployments with the world’s largest enterprises.

Founded by IIT Kharagpur graduates and Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees Varun Vummadi (CEO) and Esha Manideep (CTO), Giga is redefining how companies scale high quality support. The platform enables companies to deploy emotionally intelligent agents that can reason, act, and resolve issues — all in real time.

"What excites me most about Giga is that it's not just building a best-in-class support bot—it’s that the team is building a foundational AI infrastructure layer for customer voice,” said Satish Dharmaraj, Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures. “This is one of our largest early stage investments to date because we believe deeply in both the strength of the product to reshape the world of customer support and the pace of execution from the Giga team.”

Abhishek Sharma, Managing Director, Nexus Venture Partners, added,

Giga is leading a paradigm shift in enterprise support with AI. Their category‑leading platform helps the biggest enterprises in the world to achiecompanies move from human and outsourced support to scalable, software‑driven AI—boosting efficiency, quality, and compliance. Varun, Esha, and the team are building one of the most transformational AI companies of our time, and it’s been a privilege for Nexus to be part of their journey since the early days.

Rather than bolting together prebuilt scripts or APIs, Giga has engineered a unified platform for real-time automation — purpose-built for scale, precision, and emotional fluency. Giga’s AI agents are logical, perceptive, emotionally aware, and always improving. And their breakthrough is context — giving AI the memory to truly understand every situation. All of this comes in a platform that can be deployed across even the most complex enterprises, in just weeks, not months.

Key capabilities include - Highly Configurable Intelligence, Low Latency, High Empathy – Multi-intent understanding, emotional awareness, and multilingual fluency, Built for the Enterprise - Giga was designed to scale to the largest B2C companies in the world, with enterprise-grade security, compliance, and reliability built in from day one, Enterprise-Grade Security Powerful Platform – Out-of-the-box analytics, automated QA, and low-code tools to customize every part of the agent, Context as a Superpower – Every conversation is remembered, analyzed, and used to improve the next.

Giga’s system ingests a company’s entire support knowledge base and instantly generates high-accuracy agents. These agents handle real-time reasoning across complex policies and systems — without human handoff.

Organizations globally spend billions on call centers every year and yet the customer experience is still broken. ” said Varun Vummadi, co-founder and CEO. “We built Giga to change that. For the first time ever, machines are capable of understanding the nuances of customer voices and holding conversations with them, fundamentally changing the way the world interacts with devices.

Aniket Kamthe of Nexus Venture Partners, said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Giga at this inflection point for AI-powered customer experiences. They're setting new standards for deploying AI reliably at scale across complex enterprise environments."

Designed for high-compliance industries like ecommerce, financial services, healthcare, and telecommunications, Giga’s agents use retrieval-augmented generation and contextual reasoning to deliver policy-safe, emotionally intelligent conversations, without sacrificing speed or accuracy.

Giga’s voice systems already handle millions of customer calls every month for large-scale enterprises, dramatically reducing wait times.

At DoorDash, Giga’s deployment improved resolution speed, reduced escalations, and enhanced operational efficiency across teams.

At DoorDash, we operate at a massive scale across services, platforms, and languages,” said DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang. “Giga leveraged usage data to deliver measurable improvements, including fewer escalations, faster resolution paths, and more efficient workflows across our teams. As we continue to grow across more than 40 countries and serve nearly 50 million people each month, partnerships like this are critical to delivering better outcomes for consumers on a global scale.

To learn more, please visit https://giga.ai/.

About Giga

Giga is an AI platform that automates enterprise customer support with emotionally intelligent, real-time agents. Designed for high-compliance environments, Giga’s agents combine contextual reasoning, secure orchestration, and sub-second response times to deliver human-quality conversations at global scale and ease a variety of customer support issues, from call abandonment to customer wait times. To learn more, please visit https://giga.ai/ .

UST Invests in Israel’s aiOla to Advance Voice-Led AI Workflows for Frontline Industries

Amir Haramaty, President and Co-founder, aiOla

UST, a leading AI and technology transformation solutions company, has strengthened its presence at the intersection of human-AI interaction with its recent investment in aiOla. Israel-based aiOla is a deep tech voice and conversational AI lab that has built a voice-agentic AI platform that powers workflow agents, converting frontline speech into structured, auditable workflows. The deal follows a successful collaboration initiated and incubated by UST’s open-innovation arm, UST Spark.

With this strategic investment, UST expands its growing technology advantage in next-generation AI solutions. With expertise in frontline intensive verticals such as healthcare and life sciences, retail, manufacturing, and automotive, UST and aiOla are strongly positioned to transform the frontline worker experience in these industries through AI and natural voice-to-system execution. This partnership strengthens aiOla’s ability to bring innovation to market and scale voice-agentic automation in mission-critical settings across a variety of verticals.

So far, enterprises have primarily found success integrating AI into back-office processes. But this has resulted in the collection of more valuable frontline data has lagged because it remains stuck behind unconnected keyboards, clipboards, and fragmented apps. Natural and agentic voice processing efficiently captures this critical frontline data, resulting in superior demand forecasting and richer insights while also reducing costs associated with traditional manual data capture methods.

aiOla is a leader in this emerging field, and its platform turns shorthand data captured through spoken inputs into structured, auditable information. With aiOla, frontline workers can interact with their own systems through voice input in any environment, overcoming background noise, accents, and jargon to work faster, reduce manual errors, and seamlessly capture critical information. This replaces keystrokes with agentic, voice-led workflows that capture triple the data, three times faster. UST invested in aiOla because it is the only voice-to-workflow platform purpose-built for enterprise operations, scaling in jargon-heavy, industry-specific environments, while also adapting to each site’s terminology and enforcing consistent processes across locations.

Because UST is a key strategic partner for Fortune 500 enterprises, the company is well positioned to streamline the rollout of this innovative technology to clients, allowing them to benefit from a holistic approach to products and platforms that support complex work processes.

Manu Gopinath, President, UST

"At UST, we envision enterprise transformation enabled by AI as the next major leap for business. By integrating advanced voice and conversational AI technologies with our platforms and solutions, we empower frontline workers with seamless, intuitive experiences—automating data capture, accelerating workflows, and optimizing operational efficiency at scale. These capabilities are redefining how work gets done in the field, bringing actionable intelligence and measurable outcomes directly to those who deliver value every day. Our investment in aiOla, aligned with UST’s proven technology ecosystem, reinforces our commitment to delivering the powerful tools enterprises need to transform services, drive innovation, and set new standards for operational excellence,” said Manu Gopinath, President, UST.

“UST is the ideal partner to help bring aiOla’s voice-agentic workflows into the heart of the enterprise. Together, we’re enabling organizations in critical industries like pharmaceuticals and manufacturing to replace manual, error-prone processes with seamless, voice-driven workflows that give teams real-time access to data and processes, unlocking a more efficient and agile way of working at scale,” said Amir Haramaty, President and Co-founder, aiOla.

UST and aiOla did not disclose the investment value.

Beauty Appliance Brand Protouch Raises $2 Million in Pre-series A Round Led by GVFL

(L-R) Saurabh Nair, Mihir Joshi - MD GVFL, Tanisha Lakhani - Founder Protouch, Dhruvil Soni

Protouch, an emerging Indian beauty appliance brand, has raised $2 million in its Pre-Series A funding round led by GVFL, the pioneer of venture capital in India. Enrission India Capital and Anicut Capital also participated in the round, valuing the company at $10 million.

Founded in 2022 by Tanisha Lakhani, Protouch operates in the fast-growing beauty and personal care appliance segment, offering high-tech yet accessible solutions across haircare, skincare, and grooming. The brand aims to bridge the gap between professional salon treatments and at-home convenience through smart, technology-driven devices.

Protouch’s products are positioned between mass-market low-quality products and premium, high-priced international devices. Its portfolio includes India’s first automatic hair multi-styler powered by Coanda Airflow Technology, the country’s first clinically tested LED-based beauty devices for skin and hair, and a dual-sided trimmer with a ceramic trimming edge. Protouch's products are designed and engineered specifically for Indian hair, skin, and climate conditions, ensuring both performance and longevity.

Commenting on the investment, Mihir Joshi, Managing Director of GVFL, said, “Protouch is addressing a clear and growing opportunity in India’s beauty-tech segment. The brand combines product innovation, design, and consumer insight to bring professional-grade results into homes. We believe Protouch is well-positioned to become a category leader as the demand for high-quality, technology-enabled beauty solutions continues to rise.”

Protouch has already served over 2 lakh customers across India and has also expanded into the Middle East market. It has recorded 15x revenue growth in 30 months while remaining profitable.

The latest fundraise will support the expansion of the product portfolio, boost research & development and innovation, and strengthen online and offline retail expansion. Protouch also plans to introduce new products in the haircare and skincare categories and establish a manufacturing unit over the next few years.

Tanisha Lakhani, Founder of Protouch, said,

Consumers are seeking smarter, faster, and more effective beauty solutions. At Protouch, we are committed to simplifying beauty through innovation and functionality. This investment from GVFL and other partners will help us accelerate our mission to make professional-quality beauty devices accessible to every household.

Protouch is targeting further category expansion and aims to establish itself as a household beauty appliance brand within the next three to five years.

ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL Backs Nova Nova to Redefine Gen Z Snacking in India

ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL announces its investment in Nova Nova, a bold and fast-growing Gen Z–focused D2C chocolate brand in India. The investment, made as part of Nova Nova’s Pre-Series A round through our fund, marks a key step in supporting the next generation of consumer-first food brands.

India is home to over 377 million Gen Z consumers—nearly 40% of the population—who are reshaping the snacking landscape with their demand for lighter, on-the-go indulgences. Nova Nova is at the forefront of this shift, offering playful, bite-sized chocolate formats that are fun, shareable, and designed for everyday enjoyment.

Founded by Harsh Gadia and Nidhi Gadia, Nova Nova has quickly carved out a distinct space in India’s sweet-snacking market. The digital-first brand stands out for its focus on product innovation and format-driven storytelling, engaging modern consumers with indulgent, everyday snacking experiences that match their evolving tastes.

Harsh Deodhar, Principal at ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL, said, 

Nova Nova captures the essence of what today’s young consumers seek authenticity, creativity, and an emotional connection with the brands they love. With this investment, we look forward to partnering with Harsh and Nidhi as they scale Nova Nova’s presence, expand product innovation, and strengthen its position as a new-age chocolate brand built for global appeal.

Harsh and Nidhi Gadia, Co-founders of Nova Nova, said,

At Nova Nova, we recognised a gap between traditional treats and modern snacking, and an opportunity to create an indulgent, engaging brand of chocolate that speaks to the aspirations and lifestyle of today's consumers. Partnering with ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL helps us accelerate that vision—to reach more consumers, introduce new product formats, and bring sparks of joy and indulgence to their everyday life.

At ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL, we are focused on backing visionary founders who are reimagining consumer behavior through innovation and design. Nova Nova exemplifies this ethos by redefining how India’s Gen Z experiences chocolate—making sweet moments more frequent, fun, and meaningful.

With this investment, ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL and Nova Nova are partnering to bring a fresh take on indulgence to the Indian market, paving the way for a new era in everyday snacking.

Fertility Startup Pluro Raises ₹125 Cr in Series A Funding Led by Bessemer Venture Partners at ₹ 1,000 Crore Valuation

Pluro Fertility and IVF, a healthcare partnership platform, today announced that it has raised Rs. 125 Crore in Series A funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners at a valuation of Rs. 1,000 Crores. The round marks a key milestone in Pluro's mission to partner with India's most accomplished fertility specialists and help millions of Indian women and men realize their dream of parenthood. Prominent angels such as Vikram Chatwal (MediAssist), Dharmil Sheth & Hardik Dedhia (PharmEasy/All Home), Salil Musale (Astarc Ventures), Shalibhadra Shah and Niket Shah (Motilal Oswal), Karan Kapur (K Hospitality), also participated in this round.

Founded in 2025 by Dr. Jaydeep Tank, Dr. Parikshit Tank, and Dr. Bhaskar Shah, Pluro partners with successful independent IVF specialists across India through a clinical partnership model that preserves doctor autonomy while offering centralized operational support. This enables clinicians to focus entirely on patient outcomes while scaling their practices sustainably. Pluro plans to have 25 fertility centers pan-India by March 2026, each in partnership with a leading fertility specialist with at-least a decade of exceptional clinical expertise.

Dr. Jaydeep Tank, co-founder & CEO of Pluro Fertility

“India’s most respected fertility specialists have spent decades building trusted patient relationships and delivering consistent clinical outcomes. Operational bottlenecks and bandwidth limit their ability to scale and invest in technology and infrastructure. Pluro solves for this and enables them to serve couples truly becoming partners in the journey to Parenthood enabled by Tech, research, great infrastructure and state of the art care” said Dr. Jaydeep Tank, co-founder & CEO of Pluro Fertility, on behalf of the Founders. Pluro supports everything outside the consultation room - so doctors can do what they do best: help create families.”

Pluro manages all non-clinical functions across partner clinics, including practice management, technology, compliance and marketing. The platform provides each partner doctor with equity participation, aligning incentives across the network and enabling wealth creation for doctors as Pluro grows.

Pluro plans to have a pan-India presence with the initial 25 fertility partners scaling up to 100+ clinics within 3 years. Pluro will use the fresh capital to expand its network presence, invest in technology, and deepen clinical capabilities in advanced reproductive science.

“India needs scalable, credible fertility care now more than ever,” said Nithin Kaimal, Partner and COO at Bessemer Venture Partners India. “Pluro brings together world-class medical leadership and a thoughtful partnership model for doctors, backed by strong execution. We are excited to partner with them to build India’s leading fertility platform.”

Pluro brings together three industry leaders with deep medical and operational expertise:

• Dr. Jaydeep Tank: Leading Gynaeocologist, amongst the earliest adopters of IVF in India; helped establish 20+ clinics, Immediate Past President of FOGSI.,
• Dr. Parikshit Tank: A Leading Gynaecologist and IVF specialist with over 80 peer-reviewed publications and author of four medical textbooks Deputy Secretary General of FOGSI.,
• Dr. Bhaskar Shah: Leading Cardiologist and Co-founder of Asian Heart Institute & Co-Founder, Board Member and Head of Dept. of Cardiology of Jupiter Hospitals (listed healthcare company)

Drip Capital secures $50M credit facility from TD Bank to scale SMB trade finance across North America

• Drip Capital’s total debt funding raised to date exceeds US$500 million, supported by global partners including Barclays, World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), and East West Bank
• Drip Capital has financed over USD$8 billion in trade transactions for more than 11,000 firms across 100+ countries since inception

Drip Capital, a digital trade finance and B2B e-commerce company, has secured a US$50 million committed credit facility with an additional $25 million accordion feature from Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), one of the top ten banks in North America.

Pushkar Mukewar, Founder & CEO, Drip Capital

The partnership marks Drip Capital’s first engagement with TD Bank. The facility will support the company’s Buyer Finance programme across North America while reinforcing its leadership in cross-border SMB financing globally. With this round, Drip Capital’s total debt funding raised to date exceeds US$500 million, supported by global financial partners including Barclays, the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), and East West Bank. 

India’s small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) power nearly 40% of the nation’s exports, yet many still face cash flow gaps and limited access to formal credit. Drip Capital bridges this gap by giving exporters instant access to working capital through its non-recourse receivables factoring solution, where they’re paid upfront for their overseas shipments by Drip Capital, which, instead of the exporter, takes on the risk of payments from the overseas buyers. This approach allows SMBs to grow their business confidently without tying up collateral or worrying about buyer defaults.

Since its inception in 2016, Drip Capital has financed over US$8 billion in trade transactions for more than 11,000 firms across 100+ countries, including thousands of Indian exporters in sectors such as agro commodities, textiles, chemicals, and engineering goods. In FY24–25 alone, the company disbursed over US$2 billion, with India continuing to be one of its largest and fastest-growing markets.

“This partnership with TD Bank reinforces global confidence in Drip Capital’s business model and the strength of Indian fintech on the world stage,” said Pushkar Mukewar, Founder and CEO, Drip Capital. “Our mission is simple: to make global trade more accessible for small businesses. Whether in India, or outside, SMBs need reliable financing and trusted trade partners to compete. This facility allows us to extend that support at scale.”

“Every company can benefit from having a collateral-free, flexible credit line to procure goods and services and manage working capital better. Despite our rapid growth, we’ve only scratched the surface. Drip Capital is quietly financing the supply chains behind millions of purchases across the globe,” Mukewar added.

Gaming Startup Exiles Interactives Raises $355K in Pre-Seed Round Led by Chimera VC

Exiles Interactives, a Bengaluru-based gaming startup, has raised $355K in pre-seed round led by Chimera VC. The round also included participation from Warmup Ventures, IndigoEdge, and angel investor Dhruv Vohra, along with existing shareholder Sourav Gupta.

The funds will be used towards developing Centarius, the company’s next-generation social gameplay platform, as well as for strengthening marketing initiatives.

Exiles Interactives’ gameplay platform Centarius runs entirely in the browser, enabling seamless social play and connections across all devices. It offers a curated collection of mid-core titles, enhanced by social and competitive play and meaningful rewards that keep players engaged.

Unlike traditional gaming platforms on the web, Centarius is a product-focused platform that carefully curates unique, high-quality games that emphasise player retention and foster deeply engaging social experiences for gamers. The titles on the platform span various genres and cater to a wide variety of users, and alongside community features and competitive play aim to retain users long term. Beyond the player experience, Centarius serves as a discovery platform for indie developers from not only a browser background but also PC/console and mobile markets, offering them a wider reach beyond the distribution limits and policies of traditional native platforms.

Krish Anurag, Managing Partner at Chimera VC, said, “ Exiles Interactive has shown strong early traction, and it’s clear they are addressing a large unmet need in the browser-based gaming market. The team is deeply passionate about gaming and highly strategic in their approach towards the business. They are well-positioned for growth, and we believe Centarius has the potential to become a leading platform in this space. We are excited to support them on this journey."

Commenting on the fundraise, Anubhav Bhattacharya, Lead Developer at Exiles Interactives, said, “This funding round is a strong validation of our vision, product, and the growing opportunity in browser-based gameplay. With Centarius, we’re building high-quality, socially engaging games that anyone can access—enhanced by community and competitive features, and free from the limitations of aggregation or native platforms. This investment will accelerate our product development and expand our marketing efforts ahead of launch.”

Krish Gangaraju, Product Lead, Exiles Interactives, said, “We're building an open, developer-friendly browser gaming platform with native social features that keep players engaged. By connecting indie developers and players across devices—without the restrictions of native platforms—we’re creating a space where creativity and community make social gameplay thrive.”

Over the next several months, Exiles Interactives plans to collaborate with gaming content creators across TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube to drive significant user growth and establish Centarius as a leading name in the browser gaming space. Following the launch, the company plans to ramp up marketing efforts by building brand awareness through closely engaging with gaming communities and establishing a presence at global game development events to solidify Centarius's position in the gaming industry.

About Exiles Interactives

Exiles Interactives is building Centarius, a next-generation gameplay platform that runs entirely in the browser, enabling seamless social play and connections across all devices. The platform offers a curated collection of mid-core titles, enhanced by social and competitive features and meaningful rewards designed to keep players engaged and returning.

VoidZero Raises $12.5M Series A to Launch Vite+, the Unified JavaScript Toolchain

VoidZero, the company behind the next generation of open-source JavaScript tooling, today announced its successful fund raise of $12.5 million in a Series A round led by Accel, with participation from Peak XV Partners, Sunflower Capital, and notable angel investors including Koen Bok (Framer) and Eric Simons (StackBlitz). The funding will accelerate the commercial release of Vite+ (VoidZero’s unified toolchain), fuel team expansion, and deepen investment in its open-source projects.

JavaScript powers nearly every modern web experience, yet its ecosystem has grown increasingly fragmented. As applications scale in complexity, inconsistent tooling leads to productivity loss, higher maintenance and hiring costs, and growing security and performance risks. With 28 million developers worldwide and growing, every inefficiency can translate into significant challenges, amplified by recent supply chain attacks and performance bottlenecks.

Vite+ addresses these challenges by seamlessly combining development server, production build, testing, linting, formatting, project scaffolding, and monorepo management into a single, coherent command-line interface. Built atop the company’s open-source projects - Vite, Vitest, Rolldown, and Oxc - Vite+ ensures full compatibility with industry standards while delivering unmatched speed, consistency and usability. Vite alone is downloaded 36 million times weekly, while Vitest, the test runner, reaches 16 million downloads per week. Evan You, Founder and CEO of VoidZero said, “Our mission is simple: make JavaScript developers dramatically more productive. With Vite+, we’re building a unified, high-performance toolchain that developers can trust across every stage of their workflow. This funding allows us to bring that vision to life faster while supporting the sustainability of our open-source ecosystem.”

This round of fund-raising marks Peak XV Partners’ strengthened support for developer innovation in India and the wider APAC region. With over 11.4 million developers and more than 440,000 organisations on GitHub, India has one of the world’s fastest-growing communities of developers. This growth, along with India’s vibrant SaaS and startup ecosystem, makes it a key market for next-generation developer tools like Vite+.

VoidZero envisions Vite+ becoming the ubiquitous toolkit for JavaScript developers from startups to the enterprise. By simplifying development, the company aims to empower more developers to focus on building meaningful products instead of worrying about tooling.

The company’s open-source tools already power products at OpenAI, Shopify, Stripe, Cloudflare, Hugging Face, and Mercedes-Benz. Its projects earned multiple accolades in the 2024 State of JS Survey, and it maintains design partnerships with elite engineering teams including Framer and Linear.

About VoidZero

Founded in 2023, VoidZero is a globally remote company with 17 employees, building the next generation of JavaScript developer tools. Its mission is to make JavaScript developers more productive than ever before through unified, high-performance tooling. Website: voidzero.dev.

AI powered B2B Visa Processing Company StampMyVIsa raises Rs 4 crore in Bridge Round Led by Unicorn India Ventures

• StampMyVisa has also launched premium services like SMV Insure and SMV Global for the global travelers.
• Over the next 12 – 18 months, the company will also build fintech infra with payment solutions and embedded credit to fuel India’s SMEs business growth.
• They also plan to expand their visa tech infra to GCC countries

AI powered B2B Visa processing company StampMyVisa has raised a bridge round of Rs 4 crore led by Unicorn India Ventures (UIV). UIV is an existing investor in the company and last year, it invested Rs 6.6 crore in SMV leading their seed round. The bridge round has been raised to reach critical milestones by the Company as they gear up for a larger Series A round in the next financial year.

The current capital will be used for future growth of the company, marketing and supporting the acquisition of Teleport. SMV had recently acquired Teleport to expand its operations in South India. The Company has achieved a 4X growth in its revenues. The visa processing capabilities have been further enhanced by using AI backed proprietary software Nucleus, built by SMV inhouse, that has resulted in a success rate of 99.5% with 75,000+ visas processed in the last 6 months alone

Commenting on the fund raise, Rahul Borude, Co-founder CEO, StampMyVisa, says, “India’s economic growth is driving outbound travel for work, studies and pleasure. While there is a tech disruption taking place in every aspect of foreign travel, visa processing still remains a highly manual process. We see this as a last mile gap to be addressed. With the help of AI, visa documentation can be virtually made error-free, thus bringing down the chances of rejection considerably. Our platform enables travel agents, corporates, OTAs and MICE to process visas for over 80 countries. As we continue to improve our offerings, we are also going to enter GCC countries.” 

StampMyVisa has also launched premium offerings for travelers to provide more comfort while traveling to foreign destinations. This includes, SMV Insure: Trip Protection Insurance where If Visa gets rejected, SMV would refund the booking value to the traveller. SMV Global: Global Internet connectivity via SMV's proprietary eSim Product that enables travellers to enjoy affordable & uninterrupted connectivity, which is 40% cheaper than regular International roaming offered by telecom providers.

Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says, “We invested in SMV last year and have seen Rahul and his team building a truly global product which is made in India. Visa processing is a highly stressful process and over 35% rejections are due to human error, the paper work, timelines and dependencies on manual processes has many a times played spoilsport in the travel planning of many professionals, students and even leisure travellers. SMV understands this problem and with an intelligent use of AI is streamlining the entire process. Seeing them hit one milestone after the other, we decided to continue our investment round in the company as we gear up for an accelerated growth trajectory and a larger round on the horizon.”

SMV’s key driver in future growth is going to be its enhanced capabilities in processing ~80% of visas within 5 minutes of receiving applications. This beats the current industry standard of 2 days. Tech automation with the deep integration of AI will enable SMV to provide users with a tentative % probability of their visa getting approved. This comes in handy for European and US visas. The company currently serves 80+ countries each month and will keep on serving them with increased efficiency in the order processing leading to shorter processing times.

About Unicorn India Ventures

Started in 2016 by Bhaskar Majumdar and Anil Joshi, Unicorn India Ventures is a technology focused early-stage venture fund that invests in emerging and visionary startups. Unicorn India Ventures launched its first fund with a corpus of Rs 100 crore and invested in 17 companies like SmartCoin, Open Bank, Sequretek, Pharmarack, Genrobotics, Clootrack, FutureCure to mention some. The Fund has emerged as the best performing early-stage fund in India with the stellar exits provided by the fund to its LPs.

Fund II is a Rs 300 Cr fund launched in 2020 that has invested in 20 companies so far like Gamerji, Probus, Daalchini, Windo, HiWi. Most of the portfolio is scaling up fast and has had several uprounds.

Unicorn India Ventures is closing its Rs 1000 Cr Fund III.

With this Fund, UIV aims to build a portfolio of 20 startups that are focused mostly in the deep tech sector that includes semiconductor, space tech, and medical diagnostics apart from SaaS and India digital platforms. Unicorn has already made 16 investments from this fund and includes companies like Netrasami, Qubehealth, Orbitaid, Aurassure , PELocal, Kluisz amongst others.

About StampMyVIsa

StampMyVisa is a revolutionary AI-powered platform that simplifies the complex visa application process for businesses.

Specialising in B2B travel, the platform helps corporates, travel agents, MICE companies, and OTAs streamline and automate visa processing, ensuring faster approvals, reduced errors, and enhanced global compliance. With its scalable and user-friendly technology, StampMyVisa is positioned to transform how businesses manage international travel documentation, empowering them to scale globally with ease

Coinbase Invests in CoinDCX, Valuing Indian Crypto Exchange at $2.45 Billion

Coinbase has deepened its commitment to the Indian crypto market by investing further in CoinDCX, valuing the exchange at $2.45 billion post-money. Here's a quick breakdown of what this recent development in Indian cryptocurrency market:

Investment Highlights

• Investor: Coinbase Ventures (the investment arm of Coinbase)
• Recipient: CoinDCX, one of India’s leading crypto exchanges
• Valuation: $2.45 billion post-money
• Funding Type: Extension of a previous round; exact amount undisclosed
• Purpose:
  • Expand CoinDCX’s product suite
  • Drive user growth and innovation
  • Strengthen presence in India and the Middle East
  • Introduce new on-chain use cases tailored for India

• Strategic Moves:
  • CoinDCX recently acquired BitOasis, a crypto exchange in the Middle East and North Africa
  • The company now serves over 20 million users across India and the UAE

Coinbase’s Perspective:

Shan Aggarwal, Chief Business Officer at Coinbase, emphasized the potential of India and the Middle East as dynamic regions for crypto adoption and innovation

CoinDCX Valuation Timeline

Date	Round	Amount Raised	Post-Money Valuation	Key Investors
Sep 2020	Series B	$13.9M	$36.3M	Block.one, Polychain, Jump Capital
Jun 2021	Series C	$90.2M	$779M	Coinbase, Bain Capital, Polychain
Mar 2022	Series D	$135M	$1.51B	Pantera Capital, Steadview, Coinbase
Oct 2025	Extension	Undisclosed	$2.45B	Coinbase Ventures

Graph AI Raises $3M to Automate Drug Safety with Context-Aware Intelligence

Graph AI, a California-based AI life sciences company focused on patient safety and pharmacovigilance, announced the close of its $3 million Seed round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. The investment will enable Graph AI to accelerate product innovation, expand its engineering team, and drive global market adoption.

Graph stands out as a prime example of the new wave of AI-native challengers reshaping the pharma and life sciences landscape, with a sharp focus on the $8 billion pharmacovigilance market. Pharmacovigilance, mandated by global drug regulatory authorities, requires pharmaceutical companies to continuously monitor, detect, and report adverse drug events (ADE) across a drug’s entire lifecycle, from clinical trials to post-market use, ensuring patient safety and regulatory compliance.

Pharmaceutical companies have traditionally relied on large service firms to manually extract and process data from a wide range of unstructured sources, call center transcripts, legal filings, medical literature, emails, and even social media posts. These firms employ vast teams of pharmacology graduates who sift through hundreds of thousands of documents to assess the causality of ADEs, prepare and submit regulatory reports across multiple jurisdictions, and recommend follow-up actions. The existing workflows are highly fragmented, labor-intensive, and reactive, resulting in operational silos that slow down case processing, signal detection, regulatory reporting, and overall compliance.

The company’s flagship platform, Graph Safety, is redefining pharmacovigilance through context-aware artificial intelligence and intelligent automation, delivering a truly end-to-end safety solution. Already deployed with leading enterprise customers, Graph Safety automates key processes including ADE case processing, signal detection, aggregate reporting, and regulatory compliance, while building a centralized safety intelligence database over time.

By keeping a human-in-the-loop only for select regulatory-mandated steps, Graph enables pharmaceutical companies to transition from manual, error-prone, and time-intensive workflows to highly automated, AI-driven systems that enhance the efficiency and accuracy of medical reviews while ensuring full regulatory compliance.

Founded in 2024, Graph AI is led by Raghav Parvataraju (CEO), Vijay Ponukumati (CTO), Mohan Konyala (CPO), and Ashutosh Bordekar (CFO), industry veterans with significant experience across leading global organizations including LTI Mindtree, Infosys, ServiceNow, Google and Cisco. Their deep expertise in technology, outsourcing, and enterprise operations has been instrumental in shaping Graph’s vision to transform pharmacovigilance through AI-driven innovation.

In just over a year since its inception, Graph AI has delivered remarkable traction and tangible results. Its proprietary AI models demonstrate exceptional accuracy, ensuring consistent classification and complete data extraction from both structured and unstructured sources. Enterprise customers have reported up to 70% efficiency gains, 90% faster regulatory reporting, and substantial cost savings all while maintaining end-to-end traceability and audit readiness. Today, Graph’s platform has built a strong pipeline across more than 7,000 marketed drugs, reflecting growing demand from enterprise customers and the expanding scope of pharmacovigilance modernization.

In a joint statement, the founders said: “The life sciences industry continues to grapple with outdated technology, fragmented point solutions, data silos, and manual handoffs that hinder decision-making and elevate compliance risks. At Graph AI, we’re addressing these challenges with a unified, AI-native safety platform that integrates context, compliance, and intelligence into a single seamless ecosystem. Our vision is to make patient safety smarter, faster, and more connected, empowering pharmaceutical and biotech enterprises to achieve safer outcomes, stronger regulatory confidence, and exponential efficiency across safety operations.”

Nithin Kaimal, Partner and COO at Bessemer Venture Partners India, said: “We’re excited to partner with Graph AI as they redefine labour intensive and inefficient pharmacovigilance workflows through AI-native solutions that prioritize both accuracy and scalability. At Bessemer, we’re deeply optimistic about the transformative potential of AI products to reimagine traditional services models as for the first time, delivery is shifting from labour arbitrage to intelligence arbitrage, empowering enterprises to work with firms that deliver faster, smarter, and more adaptive solutions. We look forward to supporting the Graph team as they continue to scale new heights.”

AI Startup Consuma Secures $1.3M to Disrupt Traditional Research Methods

Mr Abhilash Madabhushi

• The round also saw participation by prominent angel investors like Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn), Mekin Maheshwari (Flipkart), Harsh Shah (Fynd), Arnav Kumar (Leap Finance), Shiv Kapoor (Titan Winner’s Fund) and others
• The funds will be allocated for technology development and market expansion - both domestically and globally.

Consuma, an AI startup that is disrupting traditional research methods like surveys & focus-groups, today announced that it has raised $1.3 million (INR 11.16 Crore) in seed funding led by Equirus InnovateX Fund. The funding round also saw participation by prominent angel investors Abhishek Goyal (Tracxn), Mekin Maheshwari (Flipkart), Bhavik Dholakia (Swatantra Wealth), Harsh Shah (Fynd), Arnav Kumar (Leap Finance), Shiv Kapoor (Titan Capital), Biswa Kalyan Rath (Comedian) and several others.

Founded in 2021 by Abhilash Madabhushi during his second year at PES University, Consuma is transforming the consumer research landscape by helping brands derive faster, deeper insights from digital behaviour data — at scale. In less than six months since its public launch, the company already works with over 35 global brands, including Godrej and Britannia.

Speaking on the development, Abhilash Madabhushi, Founder of Consuma, shared, “Consumers are changing faster than ever before, and brands need research methods that keep up with this rate of change.

Unfortunately, traditional research methods have become sluggish and outdated. Relying on surveys in 2025 is like relying on smoke signals in the era of satellites.

At Consuma, we are building technology to bring consumer research into the age of AI - driving differential insights in minutes, not months.

We already see this with our customers, but in the not-too-distant future it will be clear that brands that use Consuma will outperform their competitors that do not.With this round, we can accelerate our journey towards that mission.”

Sadhika Agarwal, Equirus InnovateX Fund Principal Officer, shared "In a world of quick commerce where consumer expectations evolve in real time, shelf life of insights is low. Brands can no longer rely on million-dollar research projects that run into months. Consuma AI’s exceptional team and platform brings that decision intelligence into the moment. This investment round will help scale faster, deepen the tech, and enable delivery of insights from source to strategy, in minutes, not weeks."

Today, with Consuma’s AI Engine, brands can perform research in 30 minutes instead of 2-3 months, at 1/10th the cost, all while analysing 1000x more data.

About Consuma

Consuma is an AI startup revolutionizing how brands conduct consumer research. By replacing traditional surveys and focus groups with AI-driven analysis of digital behaviour, Consuma enables brands to access faster, richer, and more cost-effective insights. Founded in 2021 by Abhilash Madabhushi, Consuma already works with leading brands such as Britannia, Foxtale, and Godrej, and is redefining how businesses understand and act on consumer intelligence.

For more information, visit: https://consuma.ai/

Fery Rides Raises ~ ₹2 Cr from IAN Angel Fund to Grow India’s 1st Women-Led, Women-Only Mobility Network

Fery Rides, India’s first women-led mobility platform built for women, has raised ₹2.075 crore in a seed funding round led by IAN Angel Fund, part of IAN Group. The round was led by Hari Balasubramanian, Uday Chatterjee, and Sri Prakash. The investment will help the company strengthen its technology platform, scale operations beyond NCR, and onboard more women drivers — referred to on the platform as Sister Partners.

Fery Rides is tackling one of India’s most urgent challenges: the lack of safe and reliable transportation for women. Every day, millions of women across Indian cities travel with anxiety or fear of harassment. The idea for Fery began when co-founder Ajay Kumar saw a close friend being harassed by a ride-hailing driver. That was the moment he realised how unsafe the daily commute had become for women. Together with Vindhya Mehrotra and Himanshu Chaubey, he built the platform to create a service where safety, reliability, and dignity come first.

Fery ensures every ride is operated by trained and verified women drivers and is exclusively used by women passengers. Technology enables easy onboarding, real-time tracking with SOS alerts, and WhatsApp-enabled customer support, through a robust app. Additionally, all vehicles are electric, making the platform both sustainable and inclusive.

Since launching in April 2023, Fery has completed over 65,000 eco-friendly rides, empowered more than 250 women drivers, and crossed 50,000 app downloads. The service currently operates in Gurugram and is preparing to scale across Delhi NCR and other major cities. Fery has partnered with players like Sakha Cabs for airport rides and participated in pilot operations during the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj.

Ajay Kumar, Co-founder & CEO, Fery Rides, said, “This fundraise is more than just capital; it’s a strong validation of our mission to redefine mobility for women in India. With the backing of IAN Group and our mentors, we are ready to scale Fery into a national movement for safer, sustainable, and women-led urban transportation.”

Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder, IAN Group, said, “Real change happens when innovation meets inclusion. Fery Rides places women at the centre of the solution to one of the biggest challenges — safe mobility. This company has built an innovative solution to a real problem, creating both value and social change. We’re proud to support a team that is redefining transportation through empowerment, technology, and trust.”

Fery’s model is unique because it empowers women on both sides of the ride. It offers commuters a trusted, stress-free way to travel while creating dignified livelihood opportunities for women drivers who are often excluded from the gig economy. These Sister Partners receive training, financial independence, and confidence through their work — and many now serve as role models in their communities.

Beyond the numbers, Fery’s story is deeply human. One early driver, who was once hesitant to even ride in traffic, now completes 20 rides a day and supports her daughter’s dream of becoming an Olympic athlete. Stories like hers reflect the larger mission of building a movement where women support, trust, and uplift one another — through mobility.

About Fery Rides:

Fery Rides is a Gurugram-based mobility platform and India’s first to be built by women, for women. It offers safe and reliable rides operated only by trained and background-verified women drivers, called Sister Partners. By serving both commuters and earners, Fery creates independence, dignity, and trusted connectivity for women. With features like real-time tracking, SOS alerts, and WhatsApp support, it is redefining how women move through cities.

About IAN Group:

IAN Group is the country’s single largest seed and early-stage investment platform, comprising IAN Angel Fund, BioAngels, IAN Fund I, and IAN Alpha Fund — enabling entrepreneurs to raise from ₹50 lakhs to ₹50 crores. The platform brings capital, mentoring from successful entrepreneurs, and global market access. It is sector-agnostic and has funded innovative start-ups across 19 sectors in India and 7 other countries, expanding the global footprint of Indian companies. IAN has been listed by Forbes as one of the iconic business and economic events of Independent India over 75 years, alongside LIC, NASSCOM, RBI, and Naukri.com.

Airoclip Lands $2.75M to Fuse Generative AI with Personalized Puzzle Gameplay

Airoclip, an AI-powered gaming studio focused on building adaptive gaming experiences for global audiences, has raised $2.75 million in a seed funding round led by T-Accelerate Capital (TAC), co-led by Centre Court Capital and global gaming investor BITKRAFT Ventures.

Founded in 2024 by IIM Calcutta alumni Naga Rohith Anisetty and Pruthvi Sai Y, Airoclip is pioneering a new era of mobile puzzle games by integrating adaptive story progression, innovative monetisation models, and scalable live operations. The company focuses on AI-driven personalisation and dynamic content generation to deliver superior gaming experiences to the world from India.

Airoclip, with its flagship puzzle games Tap Hexa and Hexa Dreams, has rapidly gained strong traction among players in the USA and Europe. With a stellar 4.8/5 rating on the Play Store and more than 300,000 installs, the studio is just beginning its journey to craft premium puzzle experiences for global audiences.

“We’re not just building games, we’re crafting experiences that evolve with every player. We’re thrilled to partner with investors who share that vision and will help us bring it to life,” said Rohith, co-founder and CEO of Airoclip.

This capital infusion will accelerate the development of Airoclip’s proprietary game personalization technology and strengthen its teams across game development, data, design, and marketing.

“We combine strong game design principles with innovative content formats that generative AI now enables. This approach will significantly enhance player engagement and unlock new revenue streams. By creating personalized, culturally relevant content, we can scale efficiently across global markets with experiences that truly resonate with players everywhere,” added Pruthvi, co-founder.

Investors see Airoclip’s approach as a blueprint for how Indian founders can merge creative depth with analytical precision to build global gaming experiences.

“We’re excited to partner with Airoclip on their growth journey. Their sharp blend of analytical depth and creative ambition reflects the evolution of India’s gaming ecosystem and underscores the confidence of a new generation of studios ready to compete on the global stage,” said Carol Wong, Founding General Partner at T-Accelerate Capital.

Mustafa Ghouse, General Partner at Centre Court Capital, an India-based fund exclusively focused on sports and gaming, said, "Our conviction in Pruthvi and Rohith is rooted in their sharp product intuition and a disciplined, capital‑efficient mindset. Their vision to harness AI for personalization and pair it with a rapid iteration cycle enables them to refine gameplay and deliver impactful experiences at scale."

Backed by increasing digital adoption and rising global playtime and revenue, the casual gaming segment is seeing sustained investor interest and global momentum.

"Airoclip represents the new wave of ambitious gaming studios emerging from India with global potential and vision. Their focus on quick prototyping along with their past experience in scaling games globally positions them to create enduring mobile gaming franchises from India in the future," said Anuj Tandon, Partner - India & UAE at BITKRAFT. 

About Airoclip

Airoclip is a Bengaluru-based gaming studio building AI-powered mobile puzzle games. Founded in 2024 by IIM Calcutta alumni Naga Rohith Anisetty and Pruthvi Sai Y, the studio focuses on delivering deeply engaging, adaptive gameplay experiences powered by live operations, monetization innovation, and data-driven design.

About T-Accelerate Capital (TAC)

T-Accelerate Capital is a global venture capital firm investing at the intersection of gaming, consumer technology, and interactive media. With a $100 M fund and a growing global footprint, especially across India, Vietnam, and Turkey, the firm backs ambitious teams building the products, platforms, and cultural movements shaping the next generation of digital experiences. The team is led by experienced investors and operators who bring deep on-the-ground expertise, operational depth, and a global perspective with strong networks to help founders scale from seed to Series A and beyond.

About Centre Court Capital

Centre Court Capital is a first-of-its-kind venture capital fund backing founders that expand the boundaries of sports and gaming for India. With India emerging as a serious contender in the sports and gaming industry, we bring deep operational and investing experience in the sector focus and work closely with founders to drive smart growth in our sectors.

About BITKRAFT Ventures

BITKRAFT Ventures is a global investment platform at the intersection of games, immersive technology, Web3, and AI. With over $1B in assets under management and more than 130 portfolio companies, BITKRAFT is built by founders for founders. The firm leverages deep domain expertise, a decentralized global presence, and institutional-grade infrastructure to back visionary teams building in interactive media and adjacent verticals. BITKRAFT’s core belief is that gaming is not just the largest entertainment sector; it is a catalyst for consumer and technology innovation and a blueprint for the future of digital experiences.

GoodScore Raises $13M to Transform How Indians Track and Manage Credit

GoodScore, a Bengaluru-based AI-powered fintech platform, has raised $13 million in Series A funding, led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from existing investors Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital. Founded in 2023 by Sanchit Bansal, GoodScore enables users to manage their credit health through personalised, AI-driven insights and expert guidance, helping them improve their credit scores and manage their borrowings.

India’s booming fintech ecosystem has made access to credit easier than ever, but it has also led to growing over-leverage and repayment stress. With multiple loan and credit-card options at their fingertips, many consumers are now juggling several EMIs without full visibility into their obligations. Fintech NBFCs now account for nearly three-fourths of all personal loans by count, and delinquencies are rising as borrowers stretch themselves thin. As of March 2025, personal loans overdue by more than 90 days rose to 3.6%, a six-quarter high, while credit-card dues overdue for 91-360 days surged 44% year-on-year to nearly ₹34,000 crore. This spike can be linked to borrowers holding three or more unsecured loans simultaneously, creating a need for responsible credit management tools that bring visibility, control and discipline back to consumers’ financial lives.

To solve this growing challenge, GoodScore offers an integrated, AI-powered credit management platform that brings together credit bureau data, transactional insights, and behavioural patterns to deliver real-time credit monitoring, personalised score improvement guidance, and repayment tracking, all in one place. The platform also features AI-led educational content, spend tracking, and access to human experts, helping users make smarter financial decisions, improve their credit scores and maintain healthy credit habits. GoodScore serves India’s growing base of credit-active users, from young earners to seasoned borrowers, enabling them to understand, manage and improve their credit profiles with confidence, and ultimately access loans at affordable rates.

Sanchit Bansal, Founder, GoodScore, said: “We started GoodScore with the belief that managing credit shouldn’t be as stressful or confusing as it is today. We wish to change how Indians interact with credit by bringing every user’s credit life into one view, helping them understand their loans, track payments and make informed, data-driven financial decisions. Our goal is to make responsible credit management a mainstream habit for millions of Indians.”

Ishaan Mittal, Managing Director, Peak XV, “India has an active borrower base of over 250 million consumers. GoodScore is on a mission to empower them by putting them in charge of their credit health. They can track scores, take actionable steps to resolve bureau disputes and manage repayments seamlessly. GoodScore is not just helping users improve scores, it is unlocking credit access and fueling true financial inclusion in India. We are proud to be a part of this mission with Sanchit and team.”

Mayank Jain, Principal, Stellaris Venture Partners, said, “Having known Sanchit for over a decade, I have seen firsthand his deep customer-backwards orientation and product-first mindset. That conviction made it natural for us to back him from day zero, and it is reflected in GoodScore's formidable customer NPS and trust among users. The company's strong traction today reflects the rising importance of credit health in India, with COVID serving as a key catalyst in this shift. As a partner since 2023, Stellaris has been privileged to support GoodScore's journey, and we look forward to the continued impact they will create.”

Since its launch, GoodScore has rapidly scaled to millions of active users pan-India, with strong adoption across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. GoodScore plans to use the funds raised to deepen its AI-led advisory offerings, expand its tech, product and operations teams, and further enhance its credit marketplace, connecting borrowers and lenders across India.

About GoodScore: GoodScore is an AI-powered platform that simplifies credit management for Indian consumers. From personalised credit advisory and real-time credit score monitoring to flexible repayments and spend tracking, GoodScore empowers users to take control of their financial health. The company partners with leading financial institutions including HDFC Bank, KreditBee, and Tata Capital, building a premier credit ecosystem. Website: https://www.goodscore.app/

Encryption Startup Pantherun Raises $12M to Fuel Global Expansion and Post-Quantum R&D

Srinivas Shekar, CEO and Co-Founder, Pantherun

Pantherun Technologies, a data encryption company that safeguards information across any device, today announced it has raised $12 million in a Series A round led by Sahasrar Capital Investors and Lucky Investment Managers, with participation from existing investors Capital 2B (Info Edge), 8X Ventures, and Real Time Angel Fund (GrowX) and new investment from Founders Collective Fund.

The capital will enable Pantherun to:

• Scale internationally, building out sales and partnerships across North America, Europe, and select APAC markets
• Accelerate product development, advancing its patented, industrial-grade encryption platform for high-volume, low-latency use cases by using 25% of this fund raise for R&D
• Launch new offerings tailored for device-agnostic deployments across endpoints, edge, cloud, and OT environments

“Data has become the operating system of modern life. It sits on every device, travels across every network, and powers every decision,” said Mr. Srinivas Shekar, Co-founder and CEO, Pantherun Technologies. “This funding is a pivotal step in our journey. We will expand globally, deepen our R&D, and bring new products to market that make strong encryption simple to deploy and consistent across devices.”

“Enterprises need encryption that keeps up with device growth and regulatory obligations without adding operational drag and Pantherun offers unique data encryption enabling edge devices to have zero latency secured communication at affordable cost” said Jeevan Patwa, of Sahasrar Capital Investors. “Pantherun’s architecture is built for scale and speed, and we are confident in the team’s ability to lead this category.”

This funding comes at a point where device proliferation, stricter data protection rules, and sustained breach costs are forcing enterprises to encrypt by default. Market growth sits in the mid-teens, ransomware is trending upward in double digits, and connected devices are nearing 20 billion worldwide. Pantherun will use the capital to advance its patented, real-time encryption stack, expand internationally with focused sales and partnerships, and launch products that deliver secure, scalable, and device-agnostic protection without performance trade-offs.

Pantherun’s Core Technology

• Capabilities:Adaptive Keyless Encryption: AI-generated keys (128/192/256-bit) created independently at source and destination; no key exchange or code changes required
• Seamless Deployment: Inline agents, gateways, and FPGA/chip accelerators protect data in motion and at rest without app modifications
• Zero-Trust by Design: Fine-grained access controls, mutual authentication, and least-privilege enforced by default
• Observability & Compliance: Native logs, metrics, and audit trails integrate with SIEM and data operations to track coverage, anomalies, and drift
• Future-Ready Security: Supports post-quantum encryption (384/512-bit) and advanced protections for ML, big data, and homomorphic encryption use cases
• Versatile Industry Applications: Secures Ethernet/automotive networks, IoT devices, surveillance cameras, cloud/data centers, and SaaS platforms.

Founded with a mission to make data protection seamless and universal, Pantherun has developed solutions that secure information across devices, networks, and applications without compromising performance. The company’s proprietary technologies address critical challenges faced by enterprises, governments, and consumers, where data breaches and cyberattacks are on the rise.

About Pantherun Technologies

Founded in 2019 by Srinivas Shekar (CEO) and Tiffany Chan (COO) with the mission to make strong encryption universal, Pantherun Technologies Pvt Ltd is a leading data encryption company providing innovative solutions to safeguard data on any device. Headquartered in Bangalore, India, Pantherun specializes in real-time encryption, making data breaches significantly more challenging. With a vision to make encryption accessible and affordable, Pantherun is committed to securing industries and users worldwide. As an Indian technology company, Pantherun Technologies is dedicated to "Securing The World."

Health-Tech Startup Fastest.Health Raises Rs 1.2 Cr in Pre-seed Round Led by Inflection Point Ventures

• The funds will be utilized for strengthening sales and marketing, geographical expansion, technological enhancement, and on boarding of key resources.
• Fastest.Health has conducted hundreds of tests and has partnered with NABL accredited laboratories to provide fast and accurate test reports.
• So far, Inflection Point Ventures has invested over INR 800 Cr across 250+ startups.

India’s first Quick Service Diagnostics platform (QSD), Fastest.Health has raised Rs 1.2 Crore in Pre-seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The funding will be utilized to scale marketing initiatives, improve sales, invest in technological advancement and onboard key resources to streamline operations. Currently, Fastest.Health is operational in the regions of Navi Mumbai and Mumbai's suburban areas and plans to expand in new markets to meet India's growing demand for quick, reliable, and convenient diagnostic solutions.

Fastest.Health is co-founded by a team of industry veterans who specialize in Diagnostics, Logistics, Ecommerce and technology. The leadership team includes Jayesh Kamat, CEO, Sandeep Krishna, CBO, Mazhar Faruqi, COO, Dr. Santosh Wakchaure, CMO and Mohit Lala, CTO. Together, they bring a holistic mix of leadership, business insight, healthcare and technology experience to the company.

Vinay Bansal, Founder IPV, says, “The healthcare sector has undergone a paradigm shift post the covid crisis. Now, the emphasis is not only on accuracy but also on speed, convenience and reliability. Tech plays a major role in making healthcare accessible. Fastest.Health exemplifies this evolution by delivering faster diagnostic results without compromising credibility thereby eliminating delay in starting the treatment which is one of the most important factors in healthcare especially during crucial moments.”

Sandeep Krishna, Co-founder and CBO Fastest. Health says, “Our journey with IPV has been seamless, their support has helped Fastest accelerate its vision of redefining diagnostics in India. At Fastest.Health, everything revolves around one core belief: healthcare should move at the speed of need. With our 15-minute doorstep collection and 90-minute report delivery, we’re not just delivering reports faster, we’re building India’s first true quick-commerce diagnostics network. Our goal is to make Fastest.Health the first and fastest responder for any medical need, ensuring care reaches people exactly when it matters most.”

The Mumbai-based health-tech startup has been offering its services since Jan 2025, and provides on-demand diagnostic services, that is redefining the standards of swiftness and precision in the healthcare industry. All Fastest partner labs are NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration for Laboratories) accredited and only offer certified lab reports, thus ensuring the highest quality and accuracy for its customers. Furthermore, Fastest.Health is working towards establishing a 24x7 on-demand service that will empower customers to access diagnostics services anytime.

The firm has developed and launched its proprietary app, which is available to both IOS and Android users, and has successfully conducted hundreds of tests, marking significant strides made in establishing its base and launching operations. The company's strength lies in its experienced founding team, home-grown custom technology and optimized blood transportation system enabling rapid sample collection within 15 minutes and report issuance in 90 minutes for most routine tests.

The Indian diagnostics market in 2023 was approximately worth USD 14 billion and is projected to increase to nearly USD 20 billion in 2026, showcasing the increasing demand for testing services. Fastest.Health stands apart with its capability supported by speed and accessibility to tackle the diagnostics markets in the ever-evolving healthcare industry and contribute to making patient care more accessible and efficient.

About Fastest. Health: Fastest.Health is the New Age leader in "On-Demand, Quick Service Diagnostics". It is India’s first health-tech platform that offers on-demand diagnostics testing, with sample collection at your doorstep within 15 minutes and report delivery to the patients mobile App for most routine tests within just 90 minutes*. These samples are tested in registered NABL accredited labs thereby offering accurate reports.

About IPV: Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) is an angel investing platform with over 24,000+ CXOs, HNIs, and Professionals to together invest in startups. The firm supports new-age entrepreneurs by providing them with monetary & experiential capital and connecting them with a diverse group of investors. IPV has launched a $50 Mn CAT 2 VC fund, Physis Capital, to invest in Pre-Series A to Series B growth-stage start-ups. The fund has already deployed capital in six startups so far, with a few deals in advanced stages of pipeline.

IISc-backed Morphing Machines Raises ₹38.36 Cr to Build India’s Next-Gen Semiconductor Accelerator

Morphing Machines, a Bengaluru-based fabless semiconductor IP company at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has raised ₹38.36 crore in a Series A funding round led by IAN Alpha Fund, with participation from Speciale Invest, IvyCap Ventures, and Navam Capital. Existing investors from the Seed round include Speciale Invest, IvyCap Ventures, Navam Capital, Golden Sparrow Ventures, IIMA Ventures, and DeVC.

Morphing Machines is part of India’s growing Deeptech ecosystem, developing breakthrough technologies that push the boundaries of computing. The company is building a many core processor that can handle diverse workloads with speed and efficiency, addressing the needs of industries such as data centers and artificial intelligence. These are sectors where demand is growing rapidly and existing hardware is struggling to keep pace.

After more than a decade of research, the company brings a combination of deep technical expertise and practical product focus. Unlike traditional approaches, the company is building semiconductor solutions that are not only powerful but also energy-efficient and scalable, making them relevant for high-performance computing, AI, and next-generation enterprise applications.

The company was founded by Deepak Shapeti (Co-Founder & CEO), Dr. Ranjani Narayan (Founder & CTO), and Prof. S. K. Nandy (Founder & Chief Scientific Advisor). The idea originated from a deep research foundation backed by IISc (Indian Institute of Science). The vision formalized from the work done on developed processors for DRDO and Safran Aerospace. These projects laid the foundation for Morphing Machines’ breakthrough innovation of creating software-defined hardware that can adapt to fast-changing needs.

Deepak Shapeti, Co-founder & CEO, Morphing Machines, said, “Data Centers today demand agility—REDEFINE uniquely adapts to any workload, from AI to analytics, delivering breakthrough efficiency and lower costs for the next era of cloud computing. Our Series A funding will accelerate deployment of REDEFINE into consumer cloud data centers, hyperscalers, and other such use cases where we can offer customers better performance, efficiency, and flexibility while dramatically lowering total cost of ownership.”

Rajnish Kapur, Managing Partner, IAN Alpha Fund, said, “We are delighted to partner with Morphing Machines, a deep-tech semiconductor startup built on nearly two decades of pioneering research at the Indian Institute of Science. Morphing Machines is developing REDEFINE™, a runtime reconfigurable manycore parallel compute processor that combines the flexibility of an FPGA with the performance of an ASIC. Like a Swiss knife, REDEFINE™ can dynamically switch between CPU and GPU capacity cores, making it ideal for the diverse, demanding and yet unpredictable workloads of modern applications that are increasingly AI-driven. The timing couldn’t be better: with the rising demands of high-performance computing, data centers, Generative AI, 6G, ADAS etc., the need for scalable AI acceleration is more urgent than ever. We are thrilled to work alongside Dr. Ranjani Narayan, Prof. S.K. Nandy, and Deepak Shapeti as they push the frontiers of India’s semiconductor mission.”

Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner, Speciale Invest, said, “At Speciale Invest, we are committed to backing founders who are building at the very edge of science and engineering. Morphing Machines exemplifies this — bringing together more than a decade of IISc-led research and transforming it into a commercially scalable semiconductor innovation. REDEFINE™ is a breakthrough architecture that addresses the growing demand for compute agility in data centers and AI workloads globally. We are excited to partner with Deepak, Dr. Ranjani, and Prof. Nandy as they push forward India’s semiconductor mission and build a globally competitive deeptech company.”

The new funding will be used to build and test its first chip, strengthen its product, and expand the team from 50 to more than 90 people. The company also plans to start demos with customers and secure early adoption in data centers. Over time, Morphing Machines will expand into global markets such as the US and Europe where Data center markets are already saturated and require for improved compute is paramount.

In the next 12 to 24 months, the company will focus on building its first proof-of-silicon chip, signing paid pilot projects with data center customers, and improving its software toolchain. They aim to become a global leader in semiconductor accelerators while contributing to India’s growing semiconductor ecosystem.

About Morphing Machines:

Morphing Machines is a Bengaluru-based fabless semiconductor IP company incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The company is developing REDEFINE™, the world’s most dynamic and flexible processor designed for demanding compute environments, starting with data centers and high-performance compute infrastructure. Unlike fixed ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) or power-hungry FPGAs, REDEFINE aims to deliver ASIC-like performance with FPGA-like flexibility. Backed by a decade of IISc-led research and patents, the company is supported by government initiatives like DLI (Design-Linked Incentive) and C2S (Chips2Startup).

About IAN Alpha Fund:

IAN Alpha Fund, a ₹1,000 crores (US$125 mn) SEBI-registered Category II AIF VC Fund, is the second fund in IAN Group’s series of funds. The Fund explores opportunities in diverse sectors such as healthtech, cleantech, deep tech, agritech, medtech, hardware and electronics, manufacturing, Web 3.0, Metaverse, Industry 4.0, SaaS, and other sectors where innovation is transformational. The Fund invests in innovative startups solving real problems for India and the world, with sustainable business models enabling scale by leveraging technology. With the IAN Alpha Fund, IAN Group continues its two-decade legacy of building a portfolio of technology-focused, innovative companies led by founders who not only understand customer needs but also have the leadership qualities to build large and valuable businesses.

About IAN Group:

IAN Group is the country’s single largest platform for seed and early-stage investment platform with IAN Angel Network, BioAngels and IAN Fund I and IAN Alpha Fund enabling entrepreneurs to raise from Rs. 50 lakhs to Rs. 50 crores. The platform brings money, mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and global market access. The platform is sector-agnostic and has funded innovative start-ups across 19 sectors in India and 7 other countries, thereby growing the global footprint of companies. IAN has been listed by Forbes as one of iconic business and economic events of Independent India, over 75 years along with LIC, NASSCOM, RBI, Naukri.com amongst others

Finvolve & India Accelerator Backs Battwheelz with ₹2 CR Seed Round to Power Sustainable Last-Mile Logistics

Finvolve, the multi-stage VC fund has recently announced its strategic investment in Battwheelz, one of the fastest growing Electric Mobility as a Service (EMAAS) providers, primarily focused on last-mile delivery. The ₹2 CR seed funding round, raised at a valuation of ₹60 CR, also saw participation from other marquee angel investors. The funds will be utilized to expand geo operations in Bengaluru and strengthen EV fleet presence in Chennai and Pune.

Founded in 2022, Battwheelz has successfully launched its operations in Pune, Chennai and Bengaluru. It is recognised as an “EV” centric 3PL provider with a 100% electric fleet size of 450+ vehicles deployed on 3PL logistics. Through this investment, Finvolve is playing a pivotal role in driving its growth in last-mile delivery and 3PL logistics while contributing to building a sustainable logistics ecosystem.

Talking about the investment, Ashish Bhatia, Founder & CEO of IA & Co-Founder of Finvolve said –

Battwheelz is solving a critical need in India’s logistics ecosystem by integrating sustainability with scale. At Finvolve, we believe in backing companies that are shaping industries for the future with innovation and our investment in Battwheelz reflects our commitment to enabling cleaner, smarter and more impactful growth in last-mile delivery.

Elated with the fundraise, Chetan Chaturvedi Founder & MD of Battwheelz said –

We are on a mission to redefine logistics by making it 100% sustainable and efficient. With Finvolve’s support, we are now equipped to accelerate our expansion across India while staying focused on our vision to reduce carbon footprints and build a cleaner future for logistics.

With this investment, Battwheelz is targeting an 80 CR fundraise, aiming for 5x growth in topline by FY25. The company is already closing at ₹80 Lakhs in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) and projects a 7x growth in MRR, while maintaining strong unit economics for sustainable and scalable expansion.set to strengthen its growth trajectory with a major focus on achieving a 5x growth in topline by FY25. The company also projects a 7x growth in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), while maintaining strong unit economics for sustainable and scalable expansion.

Finvolve boasts a vast and diverse investment portfolio that spans across high-potential sectors such as EV & clean mobility, defence-tech, consumer internet, fintech, healthcare and enterprise solutions. Backed by India Accelerator’s multiple investment theses, Finvolve is actively strengthening the Indian startup ecosystem with capital to enable the right mix of innovation, scalability and sustainability.

Affluense AI Closes ₹3 Crore Pre-Seed Round to Revolutionize How Firms Engage Affluent Clients

Affluense AI, the intelligence platform redefining how businesses connect with affluent customers, has raised ₹3 crore in its pre-seed funding round led by Zeropearl VC, with participation from Kunal Shah, Founder and CEO of CRED, Pravin Jadhav, Founder and CEO of Dhan, and a group of early customers who strongly believe in the venture.

(L-R) Co-Founders –  Sumit Sahu & Rishi Kumar

The funds will be invested across four strategic areas, including product development to sharpen AI capabilities and expand data integrations, market expansion to accelerate customer acquisition and build sales teams, technology infrastructure to scale cloud systems and strengthen security, and talent acquisition to bring in leading AI engineers and data scientists.

Founded by Sumit Sahu and Rishi Kumar, veterans with more than three decades of combined experience in building data-driven technology platforms, Affluense AI was born out of a frustration they repeatedly encountered in their work with prospecting teams. Professionals serving high-net-worth individuals were spending almost 80 percent of their time wrestling with fragmented and poor-quality data, rather than building meaningful relationships. The co-founders realized that engaging with a prospect should feel as natural as talking to a close friend, and that insight became the spark for creating a platform that could transform traditional prospecting into a competitive advantage.

Affluense AI has already partnered with several of India’s premier wealth management firms, where users are reporting significant improvements in the rate of affluent client acquisition. By automating research-heavy workflows and transforming fragmented information into actionable insights, the platform allows professionals to reclaim valuable time and focus on cultivating trusted relationships. Its suite of solutions brings together Deep Research Enrichment for 360-degree prospect profiling, Connect AI for identifying affluent individuals across professions, Trending Deals for real-time opportunity tracking across more than 150 news sources, and AI-powered Network Graphs to map warm referral pathways. With this combination, Affluense AI is positioning itself to become the definitive platform for wealth managers, luxury brands, real estate companies, and automotive firms that seek to engage with the world’s most affluent customers.

Sumit Sahu, Co-founder of Affluense AI, said, “This investment validates our vision and we are fortunate to have the trust of Kunal Shah, Pravin Jadhav and Zeropearl VC. Their confidence reinforces our mission to revolutionize firm engagement with affluent individuals and build the definitive platform that transforms prospecting into a genuine advantage across wealth management, luxury, real estate and automotive sectors.”

Industry investors echoed this sentiment, highlighting how fragmented and poor-quality data has long been a barrier for firms targeting affluent clients. With Affluense AI’s ability to turn manual, time-intensive research into actionable discovery, they believe the platform is positioned to address one of the most persistent inefficiencies in the industry.

Bipin Shah, Managing Partner at Zeropearl VC, said, “Affluense is solving a mission-critical challenge in how firms’ approach & acquire affluent clients better across sectors. Their AI-first platform provides clarity and precision in a space long plagued by inefficiency. We are excited to partner as they bring intelligence and scalability to this market.”

The enthusiasm was shared by early angel investors who see the potential for Affluense to expand beyond wealth management and bring its intelligence-driven model to luxury goods, real estate, and automotive sectors. They believe the venture’s multi-industry approach positions it to capture a much larger opportunity and build a category-defining presence in affluent customer intelligence.

With strong backing from leading investors and early adopters, Affluense AI is now focused on accelerating its product roadmap and expanding into new markets. The venture’s ambition is to establish itself as the global category leader in affluent customer intelligence, setting a new benchmark for how wealth managers, luxury brands, real estate firms and automotive companies discover, understand and engage the world’s most affluent customers.

About Affluense AI

Affluense AI is a comprehensive intelligence platform that empowers businesses serving affluent customers to discover, understand and connect with high-net-worth individuals more effectively. Founded by industry veterans with over 30 years of combined experience, the venture offers four core solutions: Deep Research Enrichment, Connect AI, Trending Deals and AI-powered Network Graphs. Backed by leading investors including Zeropearl VC, Kunal Shah of CRED, Pravin Jadhav of Dhan and early customers, Affluense AI transforms prospecting workflows into data-driven, relationship-first engines, enabling clients across wealth management, luxury goods, real estate and automotive sectors to accelerate growth at scale.