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Meet the changemakers driving social change across Northeast India
Northeast India is home to some of the country’s ground-breaking social change and impact. Across the seven Sister States, individuals and community-led organisations are addressing structural gaps in justice, education, livelihoods, and inclusion through locally-rooted solutions.
From restorative justice inside prisons to roadside libraries and women-led craft economies, these initiatives demonstrate how impact in the region is built quietly, consistently, and from within communities.
Meet the individuals and organisations leading social initiatives in Northeast India. Read more.
This programme is taking the long road to safer motherhood in India’s villages
In November 2024, 21-year-old Nisha from Nat Ki Madhiya, a small settlement in Uttar Pradesh, gave birth to her fourth child, a baby girl. A day earlier, a team from Swabhiman—an initiative under the Delhi-based Smile Foundation’s women’s health and empowerment programme—had met her, advising vaccinations and routine check-ups. But in March 2025, the baby developed severe diarrhoea and lung complications before passing away.
This wasn’t unusual. It was just another life lost to the quagmire of delayed care, misinformation, and deeply rooted beliefs about pregnancy and childbirth that marked the culture of her village. Read more.
Indian startups fast-tracked their listing journey in 2025 as ecosystem matures
The Indian startup ecosystem saw heightened listing activity in 2025 with companies like Urban Company, Meesho, and Groww ringing the bell on the Dalal Street. A deeper dive into the timelines of these companies shows that Indian startups are becoming IPO-ready sooner than before.
According to a report by Orios Venture Partners on India Tech Unicorns & Exits: 2025, the 20 startups that listed during the year managed to do so in 13.3 years. This is slightly lower than the 13.4 years it took for companies to go public in 2024. Read more.
Latest news
Varaha signs offtake agreement with Microsoft to remove over 100,000 tonnes of CO2
Varaha on Thursday said it has signed an offtake agreement with Microsoft for the sale of carbon credits through the company’s biochar carbon removal project in India.
Under the agreement, the tech giant will help fund a portion of the commitments required to set up 18 reactors across India’s cotton belt to scale the biochar project. Each reactor costs about Rs 9.2 crore to set up. Read more.
Snabbit absorbs Pync as funding and traction builds up in the quick services industry
Quick services provider Snabbit on Thursday said it has absorbed rival Pync’s founding team, as well as an over 20-member team, as the pace in the quick services industry picks up, bringing out clear market leaders.
Snabbit’s move suggests consolidation in a category that barely existed a year ago. According to media reports, Urban Company’s Insta Help is a market leader in the category, followed by Bengaluru-based Snabbit and Pronto. Other players in the space include Pync and Broomies. Read more.
OpenAI expands infrastructure via partnership with AI chipmaker Cerebras
ChatGPT creator OpenAI has announced a multi-year partnership with the artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaker Cerebras to enhance its computing infrastructure.
This agreement will see Cerebras deliver 750 megawatts of high-speed compute power to the OpenAI platform between now and 2028. Reuters has reported that the deal is worth over $10 billion over the life of the contract. Read more.
OpenAI researchers leave Mira Murati’s AI startup
The high-stakes world of artificial intelligence (AI) has seen another shift in its talent landscape as three prominent researchers depart Mira Murati-founded Thinking Machines Lab to return to Sam Altman-led OpenAI.
This exodus includes two of the startup’s co-founders, Barret Zoph and Luke Metz, alongside staffer Sam Schoenholz. Read more.
Funding news
Wint Wealth bags Rs 250 Cr in Series B
Wint Wealth, the holding company behind one of India’s largest retail online bond portfolio platforms, raised Rs 250 crore in a Series B round led by Vertex Ventures SEA & India. Existing investors 3one4 Capital, 8 Roads Ventures, Arkham Ventures, and Rainmatter also participated.
It will use the funding to expand its corporate bond offerings, capitalise its NBFC arm, which currently manages over Rs 200 crore in assets under management, strengthen investor education, and scale technology and operations to reach a broader retail base.
With increasing regulatory clarity from the Securities and Exchange Board of India supporting retail participation in fixed-income products, the startup aims to accelerate growth across both its platform and NBFC businesses.
Wint Wealth’s online bond portfolio platform has reported 10X growth in new sign-ups, reflecting rising retail demand for corporate bonds. Founded to broaden access to high-quality fixed-income products, it has helped open a market traditionally dominated by institutions to individual investors.
Emversity raises $30M in Series A funding round led by Premji Invest
Emversity, a higher-education embedded training and employability platform operated by Beyond Odds Technologies Pvt. Ltd., on Thursday said it raised $30 million (Rs 271 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Premji Invest, with participation from Lightspeed and Z47. The latest round takes the company’s total funding to $46 million.
The startup will use the fresh capital to scale its campus presence to over 200 locations, deepen its presence in healthcare and hospitality skilling, and expand into new verticals, such as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), and manufacturing. Read more.
Truva raises $9M in fresh capital from Stellaris, Orios Ventures
Resale homes platform Truva on Thursday raised $9 million in fresh capital led by existing investor Stellaris Venture Partners and Orios Venture Partners.
Of the total funding, $7.3 million (about Rs 61 crore) was raised as equity and $1.7 million was raised in the form of venture debt from Stride Ventures.
The round also saw participation from key angel investors, including Myntra and CureFit Co-founder Mukesh Bansal, PayCheque Co-founders Aakrit Vaish and Miten Sampat, LivSpace Co-founder Ramakant Sharma, Boundless Ventures Founder Natasha Malpani Oswal, and Ram Raheja, MD at S Raheja Realty. Read more.
Dazzl secures $3.2M in seed funding
Dazzl, an on-demand beauty and wellness services platform, secured $3.2 million in a seed round led by Stellaris Venture Partners, Ritesh Agarwal, Maninder Gulati, Abhinav Sinha, Sameer Brij Verma, and Abhishek Bansal.
Dazzl will use the capital to test and scale its consumer proposition across select micro-markets in Bengaluru, build repeatable hyperlocal operations and go-to-market playbooks, and invest in core technology and training systems.
Founded by Komal Solanki and Ashish Bajpai, the startup is repositioning beauty and wellness services around on-demand, at-home delivery rather than scheduled appointments.
The platform targets everyday, high-frequency needs rather than occasional use cases. Services include last-minute blow dries, head massages, and impromptu pedicures. By placing trained professionals close to demand clusters and vertically owning supply, training, and operations, Dazzl aims to deliver consistent quality with arrivals in around 10 minutes.
GrowthPal raises $2.6M in funding led by Ideaspring Capital
GrowthPal has raised $2.6 million to accelerate development of its AI-powered M&A copilot for deal sourcing and execution. The round was led by Ideaspring Capital, with participation from angel investors across multiple geographies.
The funding will support product development and international expansion as demand grows for faster, more programmatic approaches to inorganic growth.
GrowthPal was co-founded by Maneesh Bhandari, Shalu Mitruka, and Amaresh Shirsat, and applies AI-driven reasoning to help corporate development teams identify relevant targets based on strategic intent, sector context, and transaction readiness.
The startup claims to have supported over 42 completed M&A transactions and enabled over 210 LOI-stage discussions across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Its clients include large enterprises, mid-market firms, startups, private equity-backed companies, and corporate development teams across sectors such as IT services, SaaS, fintech, and vertical software.
Aule Space secures $2M funding led by pi Ventures
Aule Space, a deeptech startup developing autonomous satellites that dock with and service other spacecraft in orbit, has secured $2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by pi Ventures, with angel participation, including Eash Sundaram, former Intelsat board member and founder of Utpata Ventures, and Arvind Lakshmikumar, CEO of Tonbo Imaging.
It will use the funding to expand the engineering team, build ground infrastructure for docking tests, and progress the first demonstration satellites, planned for launch next year. These missions will validate rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking, which allow spacecraft to approach, manoeuvre near, and attach to other objects in orbit.
The startup is developing a satellite-agnostic docking mechanism paired with AI-driven guidance, navigation and control algorithms. It aims to enable a lightweight and cost-efficient fleet of RPOD-capable satellites. Intended applications include life extension of geostationary communications satellites, debris removal, and defence-related inspection for space domain awareness.
Founded in 2024 by Jay Panchal, Nithyaa Giri, and Hrishit Tambi, Aule Space plans to deploy an autonomous jetpack satellite that docks with existing GEO satellites, remains attached, and maintains orbital position. This could extend operational life by up to six years.
Roadgrid raises Rs 12 Cr in a pre-Series A round
RoadGrid raised Rs 12 crore in a pre-Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures, with participation from Venture Catalysts, Kamal Puri, FAAD Network, LetsVenture, Vrinda Goyal, Haresh Patel, and Maneesh Shrivastav.
The startup operates across two segments: first, the manufacturing and sale of EV chargers to original equipment manufacturers, and second, the development and operation of public and commercial charging stations.
It combines charging as a service with direct OEM sales. It is deploying and operating charging stations in locations, including Indore and Noida, with installations for clients such as Indian Oil Corporation. It has confirmed orders with utilities including BSES and Noida Power Company Limited, as well as Navi Mumbai Transport.
RoadGrid was co-founded by Deepesh Shrinath, Shashank Narayan, Chandraprakash Akotkar and Bharat Joshi.
RenewCred closes Rs 4.25 Cr seed round
RenewCred, operating as Net Zero Initiative, has closed a Rs 4.25 crore seed round comprising equity and grants led by Campus Angels Network, with participation from Kairos Early Opportunity Fund, build3 Startup Studio, VentureStudio Ahmedabad University, Ideashacks Investor Network, ACT Capital Foundation, and Social Innovation Lab by Citi Bank IIT Kanpur, along with angel investors.
Founded by Abhimanyu Rathi, with Yogendra Panchal, Shilpi Saboo, and Kaushik Gupta in the leadership team, RenewCred is building a fully digital, science-led carbon credit standard and registry for the voluntary carbon market.
Its focus is on non-nature-based methodologies, including biochar, EV fleets, renewable energy, methane reduction, clean fuels, and industrial decarbonisation.
At the core of RenewCred’s approach is its proprietary digital platform, Net Zero, which supports continuous monitoring, reporting, and verification at the level of individual credits. The platform integrates live data streams, scientific models, and automated checks to shorten verification timelines, reduce transaction costs, and improve auditability compared with legacy carbon systems.
Other news
Flipkart appoints Jane Duke as chief ethics and compliance officer
Flipkart has appointed Jane Duke as chief ethics and compliance officer for the Flipkart Group. She will lead the group’s ethics and compliance function and work closely with the leadership team as the company strengthens governance in line with its scale and long-term growth plans.
Duke brings close to three decades of experience across public-sector enforcement and enterprise compliance. She joins Flipkart from Tyson Foods, where she served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel, and previously as Chief Compliance Officer, overseeing regulatory compliance, government investigations, litigation, legal support, and enterprise risk management.
Earlier in her career, Duke spent more than ten years at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas, including serving as the US Attorney from 2007 to 2011.
Tetr College announces $100,000 grant pool for student founders
Tetr College has launched the Tetr Emerging Founders’ Challenge, an entrepreneurship initiative offering equity-free grants of up to $7,500 to student-led startups across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
The $100,000-plus grant pool is drawn from Tetr’s Innovation Fund and is intended as first capital for young founders, addressing limited access to early, non-dilutive funding.
The challenge is open to third- and fourth-year undergraduates and recent graduates up to four years out of college. It supports founders at different stages by prioritising capital that allows testing assumptions, building early products, and engaging customers without immediate fundraising pressure.
Selected participants will also access Tetr’s global network of mentors, operators, and investors, including professionals associated with organisations. Shortlisted founders may be considered for scholarships to Tetr’s Master’s in Management and Technology programme.
Lighthouse Canton appoints Gurjeet Sohi as MD
Lighthouse Canton has appointed Gurjeet Sohi as Managing Director and Head of Wealth Management for India, as it builds a scaled and institutionalised platform aligned with long-term growth in the country.
Sohi brings close to three decades of experience from Deutsche Bank, where he held senior roles in wealth management and private banking. He will lead the development of Lighthouse Canton’s India operations, with a focus on client engagement, UHNW coverage, and integration of global wealth and asset management capabilities.
He will be supported by Atin Kumar Saha, Vice Chairman for Wealth Management, and Sanjay Sharma, Executive Director for Wealth Management, who have joined the India leadership team to drive expansion across key markets.
The appointments come as Lighthouse Canton scales its India presence in response to sustained client demand and a shift towards institutional-grade wealth solutions. The firm aims to double assets under management to $10 billion by 2027, with India identified as a core growth market.
The leadership changes follow Lighthouse Canton’s recent $40 million fundraise led by Peak XV Partners, Nextinfinity, and Qatar Insurance Company.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
Edited by Suman Singh
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