Author: Vijaya

In a significant development for India’s e-commerce landscape, Bengaluru-based Meesho has successfully closed a funding round of $250-270 million, marking a crucial step in its journey toward public listing. The round, predominantly structured as a secondary share sale, welcomed new investors including Tiger Global, Think Investments, and Mars Growth Capital, despite a slight valuation markdown to $3.9-4 billion.The funding news comes as Meesho takes concrete steps toward its anticipated IPO, including filing an application with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to shift its domicile to its Indian entity, Fashnear Technologies. This strategic move positions the company for a potential…

Kotak Alternate Asset Managers (Kotak Alt) has achieved a significant milestone by marking the first close of its dedicated life sciences fund at INR 250 crore (approximately $29 million). The fund, with an ambitious target corpus of INR 1,600 crore (around $185 million), demonstrates the growing investor confidence in India’s life sciences and healthcare innovation ecosystem.The fund has attracted a diverse group of investors, including family offices, ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNIs), industry veterans, and institutional participants. This broad-based support underscores the strategic importance of life sciences startups in India’s evolving technological landscape.Ashish Ranjan, director of private equity at Kotak Alt, emphasized…

In a significant milestone for the Tamil Nadu startup ecosystem, IIFL Fintech Fund has successfully marked the final close of its second investment vehicle, raising INR 200 crore to support emerging fintech startups with a strategic focus on generative AI technologies. The fund, known as IIFL Fintech Fund – Series II, represents a targeted approach to nurturing innovative financial technology solutions in the rapidly evolving Indian startup landscape.Managed by IIFL Finance, a prominent non-banking financial company (NBFC), the fund underscores the growing importance of technological innovation in the financial services sector. This latest fundraise demonstrates strong investor confidence in the…

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is set to make a landmark investment of INR 60,000 Cr (approximately $7 Bn) in Telangana, dramatically expanding its data centre capabilities in Hyderabad. This strategic move underscores the state’s growing prominence as a critical hub for cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in India.The investment comes after a high-profile meeting between Telangana’s chief minister Revanth Reddy, state industries minister D Sridhar Babu, and Amazon’s top leadership during the World Economic Forum’s annual conference in Davos, Switzerland. State authorities have already approved AWS’s request for additional land to support this ambitious expansion plan.This substantial commitment is…

In a landmark transaction that underscores the growing maturity of India’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) landscape, private equity firm Everstone Capital is set to acquire a majority stake in Wingify, a Delhi-based website optimization platform, for approximately $200 million. The deal, which signals strong investor confidence in Indian SaaS companies, will see co-founder Paras Chopra exit the company while CEO Sparsh Gupta retains a significant stake and continues in his current leadership role.Founded in 2009, Wingify has carved a niche in the global digital optimization market with its flagship product, Visual Website Optimizer (VWO), an advanced A/B testing tool that helps organizations…

Proptech startup Landeed has secured $5 million in a significant funding round, marking a pivotal moment in its mission to transform property due diligence through cutting-edge technology. Led by 10x Founders Fund and supported by prominent investors including Oliver Jung and Snapdocs founder Aaron King, the investment signals strong market confidence in Landeed’s innovative approach to real estate transactions. The freshly raised capital will primarily fuel the launch of Landeed Labs, a dedicated division focused on enhancing the company’s artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities. This strategic move positions Landeed to address long-standing challenges in India’s fragmented property record landscape.…

In a groundbreaking revelation that underscores India’s technological ambitions, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has projected the country’s digital economy to grow nearly twice as fast as the overall national economy by fiscal year 2030. The comprehensive report, “Estimation and Measurement of India’s Digital,” signals a potential paradigm shift in the nation’s economic landscape. The report forecasts that the digital sector will contribute almost one-fifth of India’s national income within the next six years, potentially surpassing traditional economic pillars like agriculture and manufacturing. This projection comes at a critical moment when India is rapidly transforming into a…

The food delivery landscape in Tamil Nadu faced fresh turbulence as Swiggy, one of India’s leading food delivery platforms, saw its shares drop 3.88% to INR 423.20 during intraday trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on January 22, 2025. The decline marks the second consecutive day of losses for the company, reflecting broader concerns about the food delivery sector’s growth prospects.The recent downturn has reduced Swiggy’s market capitalization to INR 94,966.13 crore (approximately $10.97 billion), highlighting growing investor apprehension about the sustainability of food delivery valuations. This development comes at a particularly crucial time for Tamil Nadu’s startup ecosystem,…

In a significant development for India’s rural financing sector, Jaipur-based non-banking financial company (NBFC) Namdev Finvest has successfully raised $38 million in debt funding from a consortium of international investors. The funding round, led by impact investor BlueOrchard with $13 million, includes contributions from US-based Developing World Markets (DWM) at $8.25 million and French asset management firm Mirova at $10 million, marking the latter’s inaugural investment in India.The fresh capital injection comes at a crucial time as Namdev Finvest seeks to expand its footprint beyond traditional lending models and strengthen its presence in underserved rural markets. This funding round represents…

Top 13 Benefits of Chatbots in Business This results in reduced frustration and annoyance for your customers. Providing excellent CX is critical for nurturing loyalty and increasing customer lifetime value – something that benefits all businesses. Chatbots offer businesses multiple benefits – and this is why adoption is surging. According to Gartner, by 2027, chatbots will be the primary customer service channel for nearly 25% of companies. What Is A Chatbot? Everything You Need To Know – ForbesWhat Is A Chatbot? Everything You Need To Know.Posted: Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source] Undoubtedly, there are many more instances and…