News in 60 Words

IPO-Bound Zepto Eyes Premium Grocery Segment To Take On Blinkit, Instamart

Business • Shrishti Bisht

Zepto is preparing to launch "Select," a premium grocery service featuring imported and gourmet products via a dedicated in-app tab. This strategic move aims to attract wealthier consumers and increase average order values ahead of the company's planned IPO later this year. Zepto intends to use IPO proceeds to expand its dark store network and infrastructure, competing with rivals like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart in the premium market.

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Business • Shrishti Bisht

Avendus will finalize the close of its Future Leaders Fund III at approximately ₹1,800 crore by the end of July. Targeting late-stage companies nearing IPOs, the fund has deployed 30% of its capital, including a ₹140 crore investment in Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services. Avendus plans to back five to six additional firms next year, reflecting strong investor appetite for mature Indian startups with clear liquidity paths.

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Business • Anjali Jain

"Elevation Capital has launched Fund IX with a $500 million target corpus to invest in early-stage Indian startups. Focusing on seed and Series A rounds, the fund targets sectors like consumer tech, fintech, and healthcare, with a strong emphasis on AI-first products. This initiative complements the firm's $400 million late-stage fund, enabling Elevation Capital to support startups from their inception through to the pre-IPO phase.".

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Business • Shrishti Bisht

"The Indian government has tasked Sarvam AI and BharatGen with developing advanced cybersecurity capabilities similar to Anthropic’s Mythos to protect critical infrastructure. This initiative aims to reduce dependence on foreign AI models by creating sovereign, on-premises defenses hosted on isolated compute infrastructure. While CERT-In currently utilizes indigenous and open-source tools, the push for domestic capabilities responds to rising cyberattacks and faster vulnerability exploitation.".

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Business • Palak Sharma

India's $2 billion cookware market is shifting toward premium, non-toxic, and health-conscious products as consumers prioritize safety and durability. D2C startups like The Indus Valley, Ember, and Cumin Co. are attracting significant investment by offering toxin-free alternatives that withstand rigorous Indian cooking. While health awareness and regulatory pushes drive growth, brands must balance modern design with material transparency to build long-term consumer trust and mainstream adoption.

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Business • Team Inc42

Yotta Data Services plans to invest $7 billion in AI infrastructure and pursue a $1.5 billion IPO, shifting focus toward international markets. Meanwhile, BUILT and Dhruva Space secured new funding, and the Delhi High Court ordered Meta to remove pirated Zee content. Additionally, India paused the deployment of OpenAI and Anthropic models for cybersecurity, while FY26 data shows a profitability surge among several Indian tech startups.

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Business • Shraddha Goled

Yotta Data Services is rapidly expanding its AI computing capacity, targeting a cumulative investment of $7 billion by FY27. The company is scaling its infrastructure to 85,000 NVIDIA GPUs, shifting its focus toward international markets to capture higher demand and pricing. Currently valued at $3.9 billion, Yotta is preparing for an IPO, seeking $1.5 billion in total funding to solidify its position in the global AI infrastructure market.

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Business • Team Inc42

Early backer Augusta TBO (Singapore) Pte Ltd. today offloaded 2.04% stake in listed B2B travel tech platform TBO Tek via.

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Business • Anjali Jain

D2C footwear startup BUILT has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding from Singapore-based Tanglin Venture Partners to expand India's natural movement footwear category. Founded by Vedant Lamba and Vijayant Dhaka, the company aims to transition barefoot-inspired shoes from a niche fitness market to a mainstream performance segment. The capital will fund R&D, proprietary tooling, and manufacturing as the brand expands its product portfolio and scales production.

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Business • Anne Florentyna

Dhruva Space has secured ₹60 crore in funding from the Antariksh Venture Capital Fund (AVCF), marking the maiden investment from the ₹1,600 crore fund anchored by IN-SPACe. This capital is part of a pre-Series B round totaling ₹275 crore. The startup will utilize the funds to expand satellite manufacturing, develop space infrastructure, and advance critical technologies to support its growing order book and international expansion.

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Business • Shrishti Bisht

The Delhi High Court has ordered Meta to remove several Facebook URLs hosting Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited’s copyrighted content without authorization. This John Doe order follows Zee's allegations that various pages were illegally streaming and monetizing its television programs. While the court declined to block the accounts immediately, this action is part of Zee's broader strategy to protect its intellectual property across multiple digital platforms and companies.

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Business • Shrishti Bisht

A department under the IT ministry (MeitY) has reportedly asked central ministries to hold off on deploying AI models developed.

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Business • Anjali Jain

The Indian startup ecosystem showed significant maturity in FY26, with 22 companies debuting in public markets. Out of 54 tracked startups, 74% reported profits totaling ₹10,765.1 Cr, while 14 remained loss-making. Operating revenue surged 48.7% to ₹2.44 Lakh Cr. Despite uneven profitability and geopolitical uncertainties, many firms achieved better financial health through cost rationalization, reflecting a broader shift toward sustainable growth across the sector.

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Business • Team Inc42

MeitY is creating uniform standards for messaging apps to block features (like usernames) without individual notices. This is driven by concerns over impersonation, phishing, and fraud. WhatsApp's username feature is under scrutiny; Telegram and Signal were notified; Zoho's Arattai disabled it.

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Business • Debarghya Sil

Cult.fit is preparing for its IPO, shifting focus from rapid expansion to profitability. In FY26, the startup reported a 41.6% increase in operating revenue to ₹1,720.6 Cr and reduced its net loss by 48% to ₹251.9 Cr. The company is diversifying its revenue streams through Cultsport, its retail arm, to reduce capital intensity. As India's first organized gym chain to go public, Cult.fit aims for sustainable growth.

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Business • Debarghya Sil

Experienced Indian entrepreneurs are shifting from traditional digital businesses to AI-native startups. Founders like Bhavin Turakhia and Binny Bansal are building platforms where AI is the core product rather than a feature. While these serial founders possess scaling experience and investor credibility, they face significant challenges, including high infrastructure costs and intense competition from global AI giants in a market projected to reach $126 billion by 2030.

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Categories

IPO-Bound Zepto Eyes Premium Grocery Segment To Take On Blinkit, Instamart

Avendus Eyes Final Close Of Future Leaders Fund III At ₹1,800 Cr By July-End

Elevation Capital Launches Fund IX With $500 Mn Corpus To Back AI-Led Startups

Centre Asks Sarvam AI, BharatGen To Develop Mythos-Like Cyber AI Models

The Indian Kitchen’s New Obsessions

Yotta’s AI Infra Play, BUILT Bags $2 Mn & More

How Yotta Is Building Its AI Infra Playbook To Serve Global Enterprises

Early Backer Augusta TBO Sells 2.04% Stake In TBO Tek

Exclusive: BUILT Bags $2 Mn To Bring ‘Natural Movement’ Footwear To India

Centre’s Spacetech Fund Makes Maiden Investment, Backs Dhruva Space With ₹60 Cr

Delhi HC Orders Meta To Remove Zee’s Pirated Content From Facebook

MeitY Asks Ministries To Hold Off On OpenAI, Anthropic Models For Cybersecurity: Report

FY26 Financial Tracker: Tracking The Financial Performance Of Indian Startups

Social Media Wars, GoKwik Axes 120 Jobs & More

Inside The Numbers Lifting IPO-Bound Cult.fit

Unicorn Founders Go AI Native