Startup news and updates: daily roundup (February 10, 2026)
Featured stories
How Fidelity International’s GCC in India evolved into a leadership centre
Financial services firm Fidelity International has been engaged with India over the last 25 years in technology, finance, human resources, and legal expertise sectors. The company’s global capability centre (GCC) has now evolved into a strong leadership location as individual leaders, along with their teams, now have a seat at the decision-making table.
How helmet brand Tvarra is redefining safety for women riders
Founded by Alpana Parida and backed by Indian cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues, Tvarra is a helmet brand designed specifically for women, addressing a long-overlooked gap in safety, fit, and design for two-wheeler riders.
Insight
Big Tech’s AI infrastructure arms race
The surge in Big Tech capital expenditure (capex) in the AI era has highlighted a fundamental shift in the digital economy: the world of software and code is now inseparable from the hard, physical realities of power grids, cooling systems and silicon.
The scale of this financial reallocation is striking. Based on projections for the 2026 fiscal year, Amazon is expected to lead the group with around $200 billion in capex, followed by Alphabet at roughly $180 billion, Microsoft at about $140 billion and Meta at close to $125 billion. The combined capex of these firms is expected to exceed $600 billion.
Latest news
Bertelsmann takes control of LetsTransport
German media and investment group Bertelsmann has taken a controlling stake in digital trucking marketplace LetsTransport, marking the start of a buy-and-build strategy focused on acquiring and expanding founder-run companies in India.
The German investment firm has acquired an 80% stake in LetsTransport, which will be rebranded as LetsTransport Group, marking the first investment under its newly launched Bertelsmann Next India platform.
Funding news
Databricks raises $5B as it builds out AI infra
Data and AI company Databricks has completed $5 billion of new equity financing and secured about $2 billion of additional debt capacity, lifting total new investments to more than $7 billion and valuing the business at about $134 billion.
The artificial intelligence software company noted that its annualised revenue run-rate has topped $5.4 billion, growing at better than 65% year-on-year.
Supertails raises $30M to expand clinics
Pet care startup Supertails has raised $30 million in a funding round led by consumer-focused growth equity firm Venturi Partners. The company is looking to expand its veterinary services and rapid delivery network across the country.
The Series B round also saw participation from Nippon India Alternative Investments and Titan Capital Winners Fund, alongside existing investors Fireside Ventures, RPSG Capital Ventures, Sauce VC, and Saama Capital.
Enrission India Capital invests in GoDesi’s $2.8M round
Japanese VC firm Enrission India Capital has participated in GoDesi’s $2.8 million Series B extension round. Existing investors DSG Consumer Partners and Aavishkaar Capital also took part.
The company plans to use the funding to strengthen manufacturing and expand its product range and distribution.
GoDesi operates in packaged traditional foods, with products positioned as modern formats of familiar Indian flavours. Its flagship brand, DESi POPz, has reached more than 10 million consumers. The company has expanded across sweets, treats, and snacks, supported by in-house manufacturing and direct sourcing.
BotGauge AI secures $2M in funding round led by Surface Ventures
BotGauge AI, an autonomous quality assurance company, has raised $2 million in a funding round led by Surface Ventures, with participation from IA Seed Ventures and Saka Ventures.
The company plans to use the capital to expand research and development in India, strengthen its autonomous testing systems, and scale operations in the US and other markets.
Founded by Pramin Pradeep, Naresh Kumar Rajendran, Vivek Nair, and Sreepad Krishnan Mavila, BotGauge AI provides a managed autonomous quality assurance service that assumes responsibility for software testing outcomes. Its platform uses AI-driven agents to identify testing requirements, generate and maintain test coverage, and execute tests across the software development lifecycle, with oversight from quality assurance specialists.
The company plans to expand its engineering and product teams as it develops its offering for wider enterprise use and grows its customer base globally.
Benny’s Bowl raises $1.4M in pre-Series A round
Pet nutrition brand Benny’s Bowl has raised $1.4 million in a pre-Series A round led by Atomic Capital.
The funds will be used for product development and research, including the launch of new functional products such as cat food, protein supplements and meal toppers. The company also plans to expand its online and offline distribution and invest in consumer education on pet nutrition and balanced diets.
Founded by Akshay Gupta, Benny’s Bowl says it recorded a 2x increase in revenue over the past 12 months, with repeat customers accounting for 85% of sales. The company is targeting Rs 100 crore in annual recurring revenue by the next financial year.
Benny’s Bowl plans to expand its presence across major cities and develop partnerships in clinical and functional nutrition.
Ethera secures Rs 25 Cr from BlueStone
Ethera, a Bengaluru-based laboratory-grown diamond jewellery brand, has secured Rs 25 crore from Bluestone, which increased its existing investment.
Founded in 2024 by Nitesh Jain and Sharad Arora, Ethera designs and sells jewellery made with IGI-certified laboratory-grown diamonds and BIS-hallmarked gold.
The capital will be used primarily to expand its physical retail presence. Ethera currently operates five stores in Bengaluru and Delhi and plans to open additional locations. The company also plans to invest in design capabilities, technology, and brand development to support its omnichannel operations.
The funding comes amid growing demand for laboratory-grown diamond jewellery in India, driven by changing consumer preferences, demand for everyday jewellery, and greater emphasis on transparency and ethics.
CURAPOD bags Rs 20 Cr in Pre-Series A
CURAPOD, a Bengaluru-based pain management device company backed by Litemed, has raised Rs 20 crore in a pre-Series A round led by V3 Ventures, 3i Partners, and Ideaspring Capital.
The funds will be used to enhance the product and companion app, expand direct-to-consumer sales, strengthen partnerships with gyms and physiotherapy and sports medicine providers, and scale manufacturing and go-to-market operations.
The company also plans to prepare for entry into European markets, including regulatory and clinical readiness.
Founded in 2022, CURAPOD develops non-invasive, wearable devices for musculoskeletal pain management. Its FDA-registered device uses photobiomodulation therapy, including targeted red light wavelengths, to support pain relief across more than 30 conditions.
WellWith raises Rs 1.25 Cr seed funding led by BeyondSeed
Research-driven wellness brand WellWith has raised Rs 1.25 crore in a seed funding round led by BeyondSeed, with participation from Winner Ventures. The capital will be used to advance clinical research and strengthen supply-chain infrastructure in Ladakh.
WellWith focuses on science-backed wellness solutions derived from Himalayan sea buckthorn, combining traditional knowledge with modern research. The company plans to deepen community-led sourcing while scaling responsibly across nutrition and personal care categories.
Panda’s Box gets Rs 1.2 Cr funding from Shark Tank India
Panda’s Box, a Delhi-NCR–based startup focused on screen-free early learning, has raised Rs 1.2 crore through Shark Tank India in a joint investment by Aman Gupta and Namita Thapar.
The funds will be used to support product development, expand distribution, strengthen its digital presence, and reach more customers across India.
Founded by Sukriti and Rajat Mendiratta, Panda’s Box offers hands-on learning products designed as alternatives to screen-based early education. The company said it is currently operating at a monthly run rate of Rs 1.5 crore.
Other news
Mudrex appoints Rakhesh Raghunath as head of compliance
Mudrex has appointed Rakhesh Raghunath as the head of compliance, as the company aligns its operations with India’s evolving regulatory framework for virtual digital assets.
Raghunath has nearly two decades of experience in financial services risk and compliance. He has previously led compliance and risk functions at the National Stock Exchange, KFin Technologies, CoinSwitch and Lemonn, working with regulators and internal teams to implement compliance frameworks at scale.
The appointment follows increased regulatory activity in India’s crypto sector, including updated guidelines issued by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) in January 2026 and enhanced reporting requirements announced in this year’s Union Budget.
Founded in 2018 and based in Bengaluru, Mudrex is an FIU-IND-registered crypto exchange with more than 3 million users and over Rs 500 crore in assets under management.
Caspian Debt rebrands as Udhyam Debt
Caspian Debt has been rebranded as Udhyam Debt under BlackSoil Capital, marking a renewed focus on lending to India’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
As part of the transition, Udhyam Debt has deployed Rs 35 crore across five MSMEs, drawing on Caspian’s underwriting experience and BlackSoil’s lending and risk management capabilities.
The initial investments include Freshbus, an electric mobility platform; InPrime Finserv, which lends to priority sectors; Neeman’s, a footwear brand; Kreedo, an early education company; and Eeki, an agritech firm.
Udhyam Debt said its approach remains sector-agnostic, with a focus on MSMEs that demonstrate predictable cash flows, sound governance, and institutional operating standards. The platform will continue to prioritise lending in areas such as climate, education, agriculture and the rural economy.
Imarticus Learning expands CoE programme
Imarticus Learning has expanded its centre of excellence (CoE) initiative with colleges and universities across India to address gaps between academic curricula and industry requirements.
Five centres of excellence are operational as of January 2026, with plans to expand to 25 institutions by the end of 2026.
Partner institutions have introduced faculty development programmes, employability assessments, integrated international degree pathways with certifications such as ACCA, CMA and CFA, and student internships in areas including investment banking, data science, and AI.
Faculty development remains a core component. Between October 2025 and January 2026, Imarticus Learning conducted its EDGE programme at partner institutions in Agra, Lucknow and Jaipur, involving more than 140 faculty members and research scholars.
Atria University launches Atria Beyonder Labs to drive applied innovation
Atria University has launched Atria Beyonder Labs (ABL), an applied innovation and venture platform aimed at translating academic research into deployable technologies and scalable startups. The facility was inaugurated at the university’s Bengaluru campus by Karnataka IT and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge.
ABL begins operations with nine early-stage startups spanning domains such as autonomous logistics, clean energy, biomedical waste safety, carbon-negative materials and desalination technologies. Supported by A-Collective, Atria University’s global innovation network, the platform enables research validation, piloting, and early commercial deployment through industry-linked environments.
JioHotstar strengthens product and engineering leadership
JioHotstar has onboarded senior product, engineering and marketing leaders from leading global technology companies to advance its AI-led personalisation and platform capabilities. The appointments span discovery, viewer experience, advertising technology, consumer marketing and platform engineering.
The leadership additions include executives from Flipkart, Google, Amazon Pay, CRED, Razorpay, Myntra, ShareChat and Cleartrip. The expansion aims to support JioHotstar’s next phase of growth as streaming moves toward more responsive, data-driven user experiences.
TallyPrime Cloud Access now on Oracle cloud infrastructure
Tally Solutions has migrated TallyPrime Cloud Access to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), resulting in a 30% reduction in IT infrastructure costs while improving scalability and availability.
The migration enables secure, anytime access to TallyPrime for millions of small and medium businesses. By leveraging OCI Compute, Kubernetes Engine and Object Storage, Tally Solutions has enhanced automation, performance and service reliability as usage continues to scale.
Acer partners with ClickPost
Acer has partnered with logistics intelligence platform ClickPost to deploy an AI-driven proof of delivery verification system, streamlining delivery confirmation across high-value institutional shipments.
The solution replaces manual verification processes with automated, real-time intelligence, reducing reconciliation timelines to under 24 hours and improving predictability across Acer’s logistics network.
The initiative supports enterprise, government, BFSI and ecommerce operations, enhancing efficiency and financial reconciliation.
Niyo reappoints Sai Sankar as CBO for forex business
Travel fintech platform Niyo has reappointed Sai Sankar as the chief business officer for its forex business as it scales cross-border and outbound travel offerings.
Sankar returns after a two-year entrepreneurial stint, having earlier played a key role in building Niyo’s zero-forex markup travel card. His appointment aligns with Niyo’s expansion plans, including a growing physical presence across key travel corridors and increased partner-led distribution.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
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