Future Wealth Investments launches $50M VC fund
Future Wealth Investments, a Singapore-based investment firm, has launched its debut venture fund with a target corpus of $50 million and a green shoe option of $10 million. The fund will primarily focus on pre-seed to Series A investments with initial cheques ranging from $250,000 to $5 million. The firm aims to build a portfolio of 20 startup investments.
Funding news
Bachatt raises $12M in Series A funding round led by Accel
Savings platform Bachatt has raised $12 million in a Series A round of funding led by Accel. The round also saw participation from existing investors Lightspeed & Info Edge Ventures.
Bachatt, which targets merchants and the self-employed, will use the capital to scale its savings solution and build new AI-led wealth and credit solutions. Founded in 2025 by Anugrah Jain, Ankur Jhavery, and Mayank Agarwal, the startup had raised $4 million in a seed round in April last year.
Gnani.ai bags $10M in Series B funding round
Bengaluru-based voice AI company Gnani.ai has raised $10 million as part of a Series B funding round led by Aavishkaar Capital with participation from existing backer Info Edge Ventures. The AI startup plans to use the capital to speed up global expansion, strengthen agentic AI capabilities, widen multilingual and industry-specific products, and add engineering and product talent.
Dugar Finance raises $5M led by HegdInvst
Dugar Finance, a Chennai-based non-banking financial company, has raised $5 million in a pre-Series A round led by HegdInvst, a Category II AIF focused on growth equity investments. The capital will be used to scale the NBFC’s secured MSME lending franchise alongside its established vehicle finance business, and to deepen its presence across underserved semi-urban and rural markets.
Mufin Green Finance raises Rs 25 crore
Mufin Green Finance has completed its first ₹25 crore Pass Through Certificate transaction for its mediclaim financing portfolio, backed by Aditya Birla Capital and rated A+ by CRISIL. The transaction marks the company’s entry into structured finance and highlights the growing importance of healthcare financing solutions in India. The company aims to build a scalable capital framework to support future growth while enhancing affordability and access to health insurance.
Fanon raises $1M in pre-seed round of funding
Fanon, a fandom storytelling and community platform, has raised $1 million in a pre-seed round co-led by Kalaari Capital and Gruhas, marking its first institutional fundraise. Founded by lifelong fans, the platform aims to unify fragmented fan activity across social and content platforms into a single destination for stories, comics and videos.
It currently hosts content across more than 250 fandoms, including Harry Potter, and formats such as Fix-Its, where fans reimagine storylines. With over 1.25 lakh users, largely Gen Z, Fanon is tapping into a space that generates over 500 billion views annually. The company plans to use the capital to scale its user base to over 1 million, introduce monetisation tools for creators, and invest in discovery and storytelling features tailored for fandom communities.
Other news
IndiesemiC, Kaynes Semicon partner to strengthen India’s chip manufacturing ecosystem
IndiesemiC Private Limited has signed an MoU with Kaynes Semicon to strengthen India’s semiconductor ecosystem by integrating chip design with domestic assembly and testing. The partnership will focus on qualifying and packaging semiconductor components.
By leveraging Kaynes Semicon’s OSAT infrastructure, the collaboration aims to create a scalable and reliable manufacturing pathway within India. The move comes amid growing global supply chain disruptions and increasing emphasis on localisation of critical technologies. It also aligns with India’s push to build a self-reliant semiconductor value chain, reducing dependency on imports while supporting innovation across design and manufacturing.
IIT Madras advances lab-grown diamond research for quantum applications
Indian Institute of Technology Madras’s India Centre for Lab Grown Diamond (InCent-LGD) is advancing research in quantum technologies, photonics and sensing using diamond materials, with support from the Union Ministry of Commerce.
The centre aims to position India as a global leader in lab-grown diamond technologies by developing indigenous capabilities for both gem quality and electronic-grade diamonds. These materials are increasingly relevant for applications beyond jewellery, including energy, space and advanced electronics.
The group recently hosted the International Conference on Diamond and Emergent Materials (iCDEM 2026), focusing on next-generation materials and quantum applications. The initiative is expected to boost innovation, exports and entrepreneurship while strengthening India’s self-reliance in advanced materials.
Xoriant Appoints Scott Van Vliet to board
Xoriant, a ChrysCapital-owned digital engineering and AI services firm, has appointed Scott Van Vliet to its board of directors.
Van Vliet, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, currently leads Azure OpenAI and AI Core Infrastructure. With over two decades of experience, he has played key roles in scaling platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Azure Communication Services. Van Vliet’s prior roles include leadership positions at Relativity Space, Amazon and Mattel, bringing deep expertise across multiple waves of AI innovation.
His appointment underscores Xoriant’s focus on strengthening its AI and platform engineering capabilities as it expands its Applied Intelligence strategy.
Samsung R&D Institute India expands innovation campus to 15 colleges
Samsung R&D Institute India Bangalore has expanded its Samsung Innovation Campus programme across six additional academic institutions, taking the total to 15 participating colleges. The initiative, aligned with Samsung’s global CSR vision, focuses on equipping students with future-ready digital skills in areas such as AI/ML, IoT, and coding.
Newly onboarded institutions include RV College of Engineering, BMS College of Engineering, and SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Launched in 2022, the programme aims to bridge industry-academia gaps and enhance employability by providing hands-on training in emerging technologies, particularly across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
4baseCare, Maharashtra Govt to set up precision oncology centre of excellence
4baseCare has signed an MoU with the Government of Maharashtra to establish a Centre of Excellence for Precision Oncology, aimed at integrating genomic-driven cancer care into the public health system. The initiative will deploy the company’s OncoTwin platform, which uses AI to generate treatment insights based on genomic and clinical data.
The centre will also support oncologists with Next Generation Sequencing-based profiling, enabling personalised treatment decisions. The collaboration seeks to build local clinico-genomic datasets and improve access to precision oncology across government healthcare institutions, advancing data-driven cancer care in India.
Pixxel partners with Cosmoserve for space debris removal mission
Pixxel has partnered with Cosmoserve Space to support a technology demonstration mission focused on active space debris removal. Under the collaboration, Pixxel will provide its satellite platform, enabling Cosmoserve to test debris capture and removal technologies in orbit.
The partnership addresses the growing challenge of orbital debris, which threatens long-term space sustainability. By combining Pixxel’s satellite engineering expertise with Cosmoserve’s debris mitigation solutions, the initiative marks an early step towards scalable in-orbit servicing and cleanup capabilities, critical for the future of the global space ecosystem.
Magicbricks, SPA Delhi collaborate on research-driven real estate insights
Magicbricks has partnered with the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA Delhi) to develop research-led insights into India’s real estate sector. The collaboration aims to bridge the gap between market data and urban planning by producing joint reports, white papers, and studies on housing and development trends.
Over the next year, the initiative will focus on improving market transparency and enabling informed decision-making for developers, policymakers and home buyers. The findings will be shared through seminars and public forums, contributing to broader discussions on urban growth and planning in India.
boAt enters Malaysia in partnership with Binny Bansal’s Opptra
boAt has entered the Malaysian market as part of its Southeast Asia expansion strategy, partnering with Opptra, a venture by Binny Bansal. The company will offer its range of audio products and accessories through major ecommerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada.
The move reflects boAt’s ambition to scale globally by targeting digitally native consumer markets. The expansion is expected to strengthen its international presence while leveraging localised distribution and digital retail channels.
Niyo forays into Chennai market
Niyo has launched a Niyo Forex branch in Chennai as part of its strategy to build a 50-branch ‘phygital’ network across India. The branch will offer forex cards, cash, remittances and travel services. The company aims to capture a 10–15% share of India’s outbound forex market, estimated at over $45 billion, by expanding distribution and enhancing customer experience across key travel and remittance corridors.
ImagiNxt 2026 partners with Outskill, GrowthSchool for Applied AI Training
ImagiNxt 2026 has partnered with Outskill and GrowthSchool to deliver applied AI learning sessions as part of its upcoming event. The collaboration will feature eight hands-on training sessions focused on real-world AI applications across business functions. Designed for professionals and founders, the initiative aims to move beyond theory and enable practical capability building, aligning with ImagiNxt’s vision of fostering actionable innovation.
KOGO AI launches Workspace to redefine enterprise AI operations
KOGO AI has launched KOGO Workspace, an enterprise AI platform positioned as a unified interface for building workflows, apps and reports through natural language. Built on KOGO OS, the platform enables organisations to deploy AI across cloud, on-premise or air-gapped environments with built-in governance and policy controls. It is designed to automate complex enterprise processes by coordinating AI agents, writing code and integrating with existing systems, reflecting a shift towards fully autonomous AI-driven operations.
Swiss Re partners with Birla Institute of Management Technology
Swiss Re has partnered with Birla Institute of Management Technology to strengthen insurance education through its PGDM-IBM programme. The collaboration will include co-developed courses, mentoring programmes and industry projects, focusing on areas such as risk analytics, sustainability and insurtech. The initiative aims to build future-ready talent aligned with evolving industry needs.
Beyond Appliances opens first experience store in Hyderabad
Beyond Appliances has launched its first experience store in Hyderabad, marking a step in its omnichannel expansion. The store offers an interactive environment for customers to explore its smart kitchen products, bridging online and offline experiences. The company plans to expand to multiple cities, including Bengaluru and Mumbai, as it scales its offline presence.
Lentra appoints Rajesh Kumar Rathanchand as CEO
Lentra has appointed Rajesh Kumar Rathanchand as CEO to lead its next phase of growth. With over 30 years of experience, Rathanchand has held leadership roles at TransUnion CIBIL and HDFC Bank. He will focus on advancing Lentra’s AI-driven lending platforms and strengthening capabilities in credit risk and analytics.
Girikon.AI reports 40% faster response times with AI voice Pplatform
Girikon.AI has reported early gains from enterprises adopting its AI voice platform, GirikVoice, with up to 40% improvement in response times. The platform automates voice interactions and integrates with enterprise systems, helping organisations improve customer engagement and operational efficiency as demand for scalable communication solutions grows.
The Ascott Limited names Rohit Dar as South Asia head
The Ascott Limited has appointed Rohit Dar as Vice President and Head of South Asia to lead its regional expansion. With over three decades of experience, Dar previously held leadership roles at Hilton and Marriott. He will oversee growth strategy and operations as Ascott expands its footprint across India and the broader South Asia region.
BlaBliBlu hits ₹100 crore ARR within six months
Fragrance startup BlaBliBlu has achieved a ₹8 crore monthly run rate within six months of launch, translating to an annual run rate of nearly ₹100 crore. Founded by Palash, Rajat, Kushal, and Durgesh, the brand is capitalising on the gap between expensive global perfumes and low-quality affordable options. Its products, priced under ₹1,000, feature high fragrance oil concentration to ensure long-lasting performance.
A key driver of growth has been its product-led strategy, including trial packs priced at ₹399, allowing consumers to test multiple variants with a redemption option. This approach has reduced purchase hesitation and enabled customer acquisition without heavy marketing spend, says the company.
Perfios launches DPDP Compliance Suite
Perfios.ai has launched the Perfios DPDP Suite, a unified platform to help enterprises comply with India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The solution integrates data discovery, consent governance, rights management, and compliance reporting into a single system. Designed for India’s regulatory requirements, it enables organisations to maintain a verifiable record of customer consent across the data lifecycle.
The platform addresses limitations of fragmented privacy tools through a modular, enterprise-grade architecture. It includes capabilities such as automated records of processing activities, cookie consent management, and database activity monitoring. With sectors like BFSI, healthcare, and retail expected to align with DPDP norms by May 2027, the suite positions Perfios to support large-scale compliance transformation across industries.
Salesforce partners MAHE for AI-driven university transformation
Salesforce has partnered with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) to modernise its Student Life Cycle Management platform and transition to an AI-driven university model. The collaboration will deploy solutions including Agentforce, Data 360, MuleSoft, and Tableau under MAHE’s MAGIC initiative. The goal is to unify the student lifecycle—from admissions to alumni engagement—while enabling real-time data integration and analytics. AI-powered agents will enhance student services, admissions processes, and operational efficiency.
MAHE, which serves over 40,000 students globally, aims to build a scalable, intelligent academic ecosystem. Deloitte will act as the implementation partner, ensuring seamless integration and execution. The initiative reflects a broader shift toward AI-led digital transformation in higher education.
Pay10 launches ‘Pay10 World’ for cross-border payments
Pay10 has launched ‘Pay10 World’, a cross-border payments platform aimed at simplifying global transactions for Indian businesses. The launch follows the company’s authorisation under the RBI’s Payment Aggregator–Cross Border framework.
The platform enables businesses to accept international payments in local currencies while receiving settlements in INR, with built-in compliance automation including FIRA generation. It connects global payment methods with India’s real-time payment ecosystem, streamlining the cash flow cycle.
Alongside, Pay10 has rolled out its campaign ‘No Borders. Just Business’ to highlight common exporter challenges and demonstrate simplified solutions. The offering is designed to support Indian SMEs expanding globally by reducing friction in payments, compliance, and settlement processes.
TeamLease Digital launches AI returnship initiative
TeamLease Digital has launched POWER (Professional Opportunity for Workforce Empowerment & Reboot), an initiative to bring experienced professionals back into India’s AI workforce. Its first programme, the AI Career Accelerator: Returnship Edition, has completed its inaugural cohort, with women re-entering the workforce in AI and digital roles.
The initiative addresses rising demand for AI talent, where salaries have reportedly increased 2–4 times due to supply gaps. The programme reflects a broader evolution of returnship initiatives from diversity-focused efforts to strategic talent pipelines. By equipping experienced professionals with AI skills, TeamLease aims to expand the talent pool and support India’s growing digital economy.
ASMS wins financial inclusion contract from Indian Overseas Bank
Avio Smart Market Stack Limited (ASMS) has secured a purchase order from Indian Overseas Bank to implement corporate business correspondent services under its financial inclusion initiative. The three-year contract involves deployment and management of business correspondent agents, along with cash handling and field operations.
ASMS will oversee onboarding, training, and monitoring of agents, ensuring secure and compliant banking services in rural and semi-urban areas. The deployment will leverage micro-ATMs, biometric authentication, and integration with the bank’s systems. The mandate strengthens ASMS’s position in technology-driven financial inclusion and supports broader efforts to expand banking access across underserved regions in India.
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