Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (January 29, 2026)
Featured stories
<figure class="image embed" contenteditable="false" data-id="588983" data-url="https://images.yourstory.com/cs/2/727115006d2011f09259ebc21ca89457/Bitespeed1600x900-1769585875125.jpg" data-alt="BiteSpeed raises $5.6M to turn WhatsApp chats into ecommerce sales" data-caption="Vinayak Aggarwal founded BiteSpeed in 2019 while studying manufacturing engineering at BITS Pilani, Bengaluru.
” align=”center”> Vinayak Aggarwal founded BiteSpeed in 2019 while studying manufacturing engineering at BITS Pilani, Bengaluru.
From a Shopify side project to powering $1B in GMV: The BiteSpeed story
For millions of online shoppers today, the path to checkout no longer begins on a website; it starts in a chat window or a WhatsApp message about an abandoned cart or an Instagram DM advertisement. As conversations replace clicks, ecommerce brands are scrambling to keep up. BiteSpeed wants to be the system that runs all of it.
Six organisations reimagining artisan livelihoods in India
India’s art and craft supports millions of artisans, yet many struggle with irregular work, unfair pricing, low income, and limited access to markets.
Artisans are frequently left out of conversations around growth, stability and dignity, even as their handicrafts are celebrated worldwide for their beauty. However, many organisations are trying to change this scenario by bringing artisans to the forefront and giving their work visibility.
A signature saree challenges the idea that consent ends with marriage
On January 28, a 4 km-long saree was unspooled across the Royal Opera House in Mumbai. A closer look at it revealed that it didn’t have patterns or zari, but names – thousands of them–printed, stitched, and embroidered into the pallu; each signature belonging to a survivor of gender-based violence.
Union Budget 2026: Industry seeks growth, innovation, and execution-focused policies
Ahead of the Union Budget 2026, Indian startups, businesses, policymakers, and emerging sectors are united in calling for a framework that enhances execution, clarifies regulations, and supports long-term innovation across the economy.
Industry leaders across sectors are calling for a budget that strengthens India’s execution capacity while enabling long-term, innovation-led growth.
Insights
Climate change action necessary but international; private capital flows remain constrained: Economic Survey
Developing countries will require $310 billion to $365 billion annually by 3025 to integrate climate adaptation into their ecosystems, according to the 2025 Adaptation Gap Report, the Economic Survey noted on Thursday.
However, the current capital flow stands at about $26 billion, highlighting one of the major pain points of climate adaptation in the world.
Millions of Indian gig workers are stuck in low-pay jobs, Economic Survey finds
India’s gig workforce has surged 55% since 2021 to reach 12 million workers, now representing over 2% of the country’s labour force, according to the government’s latest Economic Survey released Thursday.
Latest news
Mark Zuckerberg says 2026 will be a ‘big year’ for personal superintelligence
Facebook parent Meta delivered “strong business performance” in 2025, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said, as revenue surged on the back of AI-driven enhancements, and the company committed to significant capital investment in 2026 to support its Superintelligence Labs efforts.
Microsoft posts strong AI-led growth as heavy capex continues
Tech giant Microsoft reported a strong jump in revenue and profit in its fiscal second quarter of 2026, driven by AI momentum across its cloud business, as the tech giant continues to invest heavily in capital expenditure.
Swiggy posts widened loss of Rs 1,065 Cr in December quarter as Instamart expenses mount
Sriharsha Majety-led Swiggy posted a widened loss of Rs 1,065 crore in the December quarter, even as its topline grew by 53% to touch Rs 6,148 crore, helped by contributions from Instamart and its food delivery arm during the festive quarter.
Airtel partners Adobe to offer Express Premium access
Bharti Airtel on Thursday said it will provide free access to Adobe Express Premium to 360 million customers, enabling them to create high-quality social assets, marketing materials, short videos, and design other content.
India’s internet user base crosses 950M in 2025: IAMAI report
India’s internet user base crossed 950 million in 2025, driven largely by rapid growth in rural connectivity, rising short-video consumption, and increasing adoption of AI, according to a report released by IAMAI on Thursday.
The report also revealed that rural India accounts for 57% of India’s active internet users, i.e, approximately 548 million active users.
Antler is doubling its checks and speed amidst the flurry of AI companies in India
Further, faster—this is Antler’s new motto. The firm, which has funded companies like Cautio and Moving Tech (Namma Yatri), is making tweaks to its strategy to increase investments in pre-seed companies, especially those building in AI and deep-tech in India.
Funding news
Theia Ventures leads $1M pre-seed round in EarthSync Technologies
Theia Ventures, an early-stage fund focused on AI, deeptech, energy transition and decarbonisation, has led a $1 million pre-seed round in EarthSync, an artificial intelligence platform for renewable energy planning, procurement and operations. Eximius Ventures also participated.
The funding will support the development of EarthSync’s AI-driven energy modelling and forecasting tools, policy-linked techno-economic optimisation capabilities, and project marketplace. The platform is designed for use by independent power producers, commercial and industrial energy consumers, advisors and utilities.
EarthSync integrates techno-economic modelling, regulatory data, real-time simulations and AI to support renewable energy planning, evaluation and decision-making before capital deployment. The funding will also be used to expand the team, advance the product, increase marketplace volumes and support international growth.
OneARVO raises Rs 1.2 Cr in pre-seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures
New Delhi-based deeptech startup OneARVO has raised Rs 1.2 crore in a pre-seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The funding will be used to expand the technology team, build an AI data lab, and support go-to-market execution.
Founded in 2023 by Sumit Goswami and Duke Banerjee, OneARVO provides supply chain integrity solutions, helping brands track, protect and authenticate products using a combination of AI, blockchain and smart product identification technologies.
The company has launched copy-proof codes and AI-based tamper-proof labels and has filed a patent covering its copy-proof technology. Within six months of launch, OneARVO claims to have generated $10,000 in revenue from two paying customers and delivered four proof-of-concept projects. The company employs 15 people across offices in Delhi and Noida.
Other news
Urban Company and HDFC Pension partner
HDFC Pension Fund has partnered with Urban Company to offer a National Pension System model for platform workers to more than 50,000 service partners of Urban Company.
Under the initiative, Urban Company service professionals can voluntarily enrol in the National Pension System, a retirement savings scheme regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.
Service professionals can choose their contribution levels and build a retirement corpus through regular contributions, with benefits available as a lump sum or periodic payouts.
HDFC Pension will manage pension contributions and retirement planning, while Urban Company will support awareness and access across its service partner base.
EKA Mobility signs MoU with HPCL
EKA Mobility and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on sustainable mobility and green energy initiatives.
The partnership combines EKA’s electric commercial vehicle capabilities with HPCL’s national energy and retail network to develop and scale solutions across electric mobility, charging infrastructure, battery swapping, green hydrogen and sustainable logistics.
Under the agreement, the companies will explore the use of HPCL’s fuel retail network to deploy charging infrastructure for commercial electric vehicles, including battery swapping where required.
Easebuzz elevates Parimal Kumar Shivendu to Board of Directors
Easebuzz has appointed Parimal Kumar Shivendu as Executive Director and inducted him to its Board of Directors.
Shivendu has over 15 years of experience in financial regulation, policy and fintech, including more than a decade at the Reserve Bank of India, where he worked on regulatory frameworks for fintech and digital financial services.
At Easebuzz, he has been involved in finance, risk, compliance and strategic initiatives as the company scales its platform and product offerings. In his board role, he will support governance oversight, regulatory strategy, risk management and long-term growth, with a focus on compliant and resilient digital payments infrastructure.
Instamart unveils enhanced safety initiatives for delivery partners
Instamart has rolled out additional safety measures for delivery partners in partnership with VecRep, covering emergency response and vehicle readiness.
The programme includes ResQTag, a QR- and NFC-based tool that enables delivery partners to alert emergency contacts during accidents, breakdowns or roadside emergencies without sharing personal phone numbers.
Instamart is also offering free preventive vehicle inspections through VecRep’s verified garage network. The pilot is live across select cities, including Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Dehradun.
The initiative builds on Swiggy’s Delivering Safely charter. In 2025, Swiggy conducted over 22 road safety training and awareness sessions with the city traffic police.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
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