Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (January 28, 2026)
Featured stories
What the Union Budget is likely and unlikely to offer gig workers
As India’s gig workforce is projected to expand to 23.5 million by 2030, according to NITI Aayog, pressure is mounting on the Centre to move beyond just years of policy announcements and finally deliver tangible welfare measures, particularly at a time when platforms themselves seem ready to comply.
This year’s Budget comes at a moment when gig work has firmly entered mainstream economic and political discourse, driven by the rapid growth of quick commerce, rising worker unrest, and unionisation.
As Shaik Salauddin, Founder President, Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and National General Secretary, Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT), puts it: “All these schemes, data, and social security have been in discussion. But five years have passed now, and there’s still no real benefit.”
Budget 2026: Beyond stimulus, India Inc seeks structural reforms to spur consumption
With the Union Budget less than a week away, consumers, retail businesses, and D2C brands are hoping for more announcements to fuel the consumption story further. Apart from stimulus and tax benefits, India Inc is also seeking structural reforms to spur demand and consumption.
According to NielsenIQ’s second quarter snapshot, the Indian FMCG industry delivered a robust 13.9% value growth in Q2 of 2025 compared to the previous year. This was fuelled by demand from the rural market, which has now outpaced urban markets for the sixth consecutive quarter.
While quick commerce has grown rapidly in urban areas, moving goods is slow, unpredictable, and expensive in the heartland. To bridge this gap, the industry is batting for operationalisation of a National Digital Logistics Grid.
The digital infrastructure can tap into shipment data, geospatial information, customs and compliance layers, and real-time carrier performance into a secure, interoperable backbone. Private-sector companies and startups can build on top of this network to further provide solutions, especially those that can be powered by AI. Read more here
Meet Renee Noronha, India’s youngest female Ironman, who is chasing a six-continent dream
At 20, India’s youngest female Ironman finisher is not just chasing a world record but is also redefining what’s possible for young female athletes and encouraging more young girls to step into endurance sports.
Born in Mumbai, Renee Noronha was a gymnast for almost a decade, competing in the school nationals before switching to endurance sport.
But at 16, she wanted to try something new. Read more here
Crypto industry asks for tax relief and regulatory clarity in Union Budget 2026
As Union Budget 2026 approaches, India’s crypto and blockchain debate is no longer about whether innovation should be allowed, but whether policy can keep domestic capital, liquidity, and enterprise adoption onshore.
2025 marked the year crypto went mainstream globally—stablecoins processed $46 trillion in annual transactions, blockchain throughput increased 100-fold, and over $175 billion flowed into Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded products. Read more here
Microsoft Maia 200 and the ongoing evolution of custom AI silicon
Tech giant Microsoft recently introduced the Maia 200, which is a bespoke artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator designed to improve the performance and cost of running large-scale AI models within its Azure cloud.
This chip belongs to a category known as application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, which are processors built for one particular job rather than serving as general-purpose hardware. Specifically, Maia 200 is an inference-first chip. Read more here
Funding news
Semiconductor startup Agrani Labs raises $8M in seed funding round led by Peak XV
Agrani Labs, a new entrant in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor space, has raised $8 million in a seed funding round led by Peak XV Partners.
The Bengaluru-based startup, founded by veterans from Intel and AMD, said it is designing a ground-up, high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) and a full-stack software stack aimed at datacentre workloads.
The Guild raises $20.5M in Series A round led by TDK Ventures, BIG Capital; co’s valuation jumps 5.5x
Spacetech startup The Guild, formerly known as EtherealX, has raised $20.5 million in a Series A funding round led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital.
The round also saw participation from Accel, Prosus, Yournest, Campus Fund, BlueHill, and Riceberg.
Following the fundraise, the Bengaluru-based company’s valuation has increased 5.5x to $80.5 million. With this round, The Guild’s total funding to date stands at $25.5 million. Read more here
Zerodha’s Rainmatter leads Rs 12.5 Cr Seed funding in AquaAirX
AquaAirX, a deep-tech startup building amphibious and underwater autonomous platforms, has raised Rs 12.5 crore in a seed funding round led by Rainmatter, the investment arm of Zerodha founded by Nithin Kamath. The round also saw participation from Prime Venture Partners, Wyser, and India Accelerator.
The funds will be used to strengthen AquaAirX’s core technology, including system autonomy, air-to-water transition reliability, sensing and communication capabilities, and to expand its engineering and research teams across robotics, autonomy, controls, and embedded systems. The company will also focus on testing, validation, and certification to defence-grade standards, while preparing for pilot deployments with strategic customers.
SBC LLP raises pre-Series A funding at Rs 100 Cr valuation
SBC LLP, a leading multi-disciplinary tax, consulting, and advisory firm, today announced the successful closure of its pre-Series A funding round at a valuation of Rs 100 crore (approximately $11.2 million).
The investment was led by Raju Menon, Founder and Chairman of Kreston Menon Group (UAE), and Suresh Katamreddy, Founder and COO of Kastech Group (USA). The capital will be deployed to accelerate international expansion across the India-UAE-US corridor, develop proprietary AI-enabled technology platforms, and strengthen specialized advisory capabilities.
AI Film Studio TakeTwo secures funding at Rs 100 Cr valuation in pre-Seed round
TakeTwo, an AI-native film studio specialising in high-end visual storytelling, has announced that it has secured fresh capital at a Rs 100 crore valuation in its pre-seed round. The investment round features participation from US-based Afore Capital, recognised as the world’s largest pre-seed venture firm, and Canada’s Inovia VC.
The company’s founders, Rudresh Upadhyaya (CEO) and Raghav Katta (CTO), recently emerged from Y Combinator’s AI Startup School and have quickly established the company as a critical technology partner for India’s film industry. TakeTwo functions as a full-stack studio, assisting directors and production houses in executing complex VFX-heavy sequences, stylized inserts, and surreal environments at a fraction of traditional costs. This puts it far ahead of SaaS in this business, as TakeTwo has deep creative understanding along with AI expertise.
IAN Alpha Fund Invests Rs 25 Cr in D-Propulse Aerospace
IAN Alpha Fund has invested Rs 25 crore in D-Propulse Aerospace to back the development of indigenous Rotating Detonation Engine-based propulsion systems.
The funding will be used to scale engineering talent, strengthen simulation and testing capabilities, and accelerate AI-led design and validation, as the startup advances next-generation, high-efficiency propulsion technologies for defence applications.
Founded in July 2025, D-Propulse was created to address a long-standing weakness in India’s defence ecosystem: advanced aero-propulsion.
The company is led by an experienced team with strategic insights drawn from India’s defence and research ecosystem. Dr V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and former Chairman of DRDO, serves as Chief Mentor. Founder and CEO Saurav Jha is a defence expert who advises the Indian government and leading Indian companies on strategic technology issues. Co-founder and CTO Dr V. Ramanujachari, a former senior DRDO scientist, led India’s scramjet engine programme and played a key role in the propulsion system used in the Akash missile. Prof. S. Chakravarthy, Head of NCCRD at IIT Madras, is Chief Advisor.
Latest news
OpenAI’s Prism integrates GPT-5.2 reasoning into scientific research process
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has introduced Prism—a workspace designed specifically for scientific writing and research collaboration.
The platform integrates the GPT-5.2 model directly into a cloud-based environment that supports native LaTeX. This tool addresses the fragmentation often found in research by bringing together drafting, citation management, and real-time collaboration into one unified system. Read more here
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Other news
AUM Ventures partners with Sanyark Space as its first investment from its ‘India DeepSpark’ Deeptech initiative
AUM Ventures has invested in Sanyark Space, a spacetech startup building India’s first multi-mission NAV-COM satellite constellation, marking the first investment under its INDIA DeepSpark Deeptech Program.
Founded by former ISRO scientists, Sanyark is developing an indigenous satellite-based positioning, navigation, timing, and secure IoT communication platform for defence and commercial applications.
The first edition of the program, which was partnered with over 15 incubators, including IIT-backed ecosystems and government-supported institutions, attracted more than 400 applications from deeptech founders from all over India.
Quest Global Appoints Richard Bergman as Global Business Head of its Semiconductor Division
Quest Global, the world’s largest independent pure-play engineering services company, today announced the appointment of Richard (Rick) Bergman as President & Global Business Head of its Semiconductor vertical.
As the Global Business Head, Rick will focus on shaping the division’s long-term strategy, accelerating revenue growth, and deepening relationships with global customers. His responsibilities include defining a multi-year growth roadmap, supporting clients’ success through high-impact and transformational solutions, especially in AI, automotive, and industrial sectors, and fostering a culture of innovation and operational excellence to meet next-generation engineering demands.
(The story will be updated with news throughout the day)
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