5 Books that explain why we compare ourselves with others

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5 Books that explain why we compare ourselves with others

Startups

Human comparison is a natural psychological habit that often leads to anxiety and diminished self-worth. Five influential books—The Social Animal, The Happiness Trap, The Gifts of Imperfection, Stolen Focus, and Mindset—explore the roots of this behavior. These works analyze social influences, digital pressures, and mindset shifts, offering strategies to move from external competition toward personal growth, authenticity, and a value-driven life.

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Terra Industries closes $52M seed round to build defense infrastructure for the Global South

Startups

African defense tech company Terra Industries announced an additional $18 million in funding, bringing its seed round to $52 million. Investors include 8VC, Silent Ventures, and Nova Global. Terra plans to build.

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WordPress.com targets the next generation of web creators with a free student plan

Startups

"Automattic has launched WordPress.com Education, a free suite for teachers and students designed to integrate website building into the classroom. The program provides students with full domains, plugin support, and 6GB of storage for their first year. By targeting educational institutions, Automattic aims to train future web professionals and reach underfunded schools. A pilot program involving 5,000 students showed significant improvements in employability and entrepreneurial capacity.".

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Sunil Mittal To Step Down As Airtel Payments Bank Chairman, Shabnam Sinha To Take Over

Business

"Sunil Bharti Mittal will step down as non-executive chairman of Airtel Payments Bank on September 30. Shabnam Sinha, an independent director with over three decades of experience, will succeed him as chairperson on October 1 for a three-year term approved by the RBI. Under Mittal's leadership, the bank grew to 121 million monthly active users. The transition follows strong financial growth, including an 18.4% revenue increase in FY26.".

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Exclusive: Peak XV Alum Saksham Mittal’s Corpus Labs In Talks To Raise Funding From Stellaris

Business

Corpus Labs, a wealthtech startup co-founded by former Peak XV analyst Saksham Mittal, is reportedly seeking pre-seed funding from Stellaris Venture Partners, though its website claims $4.2 million already raised. The read-only platform analyzes mutual fund portfolios for cost differences and asset allocation without executing transactions or recommending funds. Corpus enters a competitive Indian wealthtech market projected to exceed $95 billion by FY30.

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Startup news and updates: daily roundup (August 17, 2026)

Startups

API Holdings became debt-free after repaying Rs 1,050 crore, while QpiAI opened Asia's largest quantum chip foundry in Bengaluru. Swiggy introduced Guru, an AI assistant for restaurants, and Per Annum saw its AUM surge to Rs 1,400 crore. Other highlights include Aum Ventures' DeepSpark 2.0 launch, Cognizant's Talent Accelerator program, and a joint venture between Voltas and Atomberg to manufacture high-efficiency AC compressors in India.

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Indian deeptech investments reach $11.4B: Report

Startups

The Bharat DeepTech Report 2026 reveals that India's deeptech sector secured $11.4 billion in funding from 2015 to mid-2026. AI leads investment, while semiconductors and spacetech show rapid growth. Despite milestones and government support via the RDI Fund, the sector faces a "valley of death" in early-stage research and a Series B/C funding gap. Addressing these hurdles is essential for building globally competitive indigenous innovation.

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Uber adds Zipline drones to its Eats delivery network

Startups

Uber is partnering with and investing in drone delivery startup Zipline to integrate its technology into the Uber Eats platform. The companies aim to achieve one million daily deliveries by 2029, with initial launches starting this year in existing Zipline markets before expanding to dozens of U.S. cities. This move aligns with Uber's broader strategy of partnering with autonomous vehicle providers to drive growth through quick commerce.

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Wispr raises $280M at $2B valuation as it looks beyond dictation

Startups

"Wispr, an AI dictation startup, raised $280 million in Series B funding led by Menlo Ventures, reaching a $2 billion valuation. The company plans to expand into meeting notes and improve speech accuracy with its new Canto model. Wispr is also scaling globally, partnering with hardware makers, and launching Interface Labs to explore human-computer interaction, all while facing increased competition from various AI dictation and note-taking apps.".

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Atomberg Gets Board Nod To Raise Over ₹450 Cr Via IPO

Business

Atomberg, a D2C consumer appliance startup, has received board approval to launch an IPO of up to ₹450 crore, consisting of fresh equity and an offer for sale. The company also approved a pre-IPO funding round of up to ₹90 crore, which will reduce the IPO's fresh issue size. Atomberg, known for energy-efficient fans, reported FY25 operating revenue of ₹958.4 crore and a 41% reduction in net losses.

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Crypto hardware wallet owners face fresh security risks after recent spate of personal data thefts

Startups

Data breaches at shipping partners of Trezor and SafePal have exposed personal information of hardware wallet users, increasing the risk of targeted phishing and physical "wrench attacks." While the wallets remain secure, leaked addresses enable criminals to steal seed phrases through force. Separately, a code vulnerability in Coldcard wallets allowed hackers to predict seed phrases, resulting in over $130 million in stolen cryptocurrency from the blockchain.

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UPI In July: Navi Gains Market Share As PhonePe, Google Pay Slip Marginally

Business

"In July, India's UPI market saw Sachin Bansal's Navi increase its market share to 4%, while leaders PhonePe and Google Pay experienced marginal declines to a combined 78.6%. Overall transaction volume rose 4% to 23.66 billion, with total value increasing 3% to ₹29.88 lakh crore. Additionally, Parliament approved a bill enabling merchant discount rates on select transactions, although person-to-person payments will remain free for users.".

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India Has One Demographic Cycle Left: A Blueprint to Turn Youth Unemployment into 10 Lakh New Entrepreneurs

Startups

The proposed National Entrepreneurship Mission aims to create 10 lakh new enterprises and up to 36 lakh jobs over five years. Written by Shradha Sharma, the framework focuses on connecting existing government schemes rather than adding new expenditures. Key initiatives include an Entrepreneurship Passport, district opportunity maps, and mandatory mentorship. By integrating fragmented systems and verifying outcomes via GST and EPFO, India seeks to address critical youth unemployment.

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API Holdings is debt-free, repays Rs 1,050 Cr

Startups

"Digital healthcare platform API Holdings, the parent company of PharmEasy and Thyrocare, has become debt-free after repaying Rs 1,050 crore. The company funded this repayment through internal accruals and the sale of a 9.90% stake in Thyrocare Technologies by its promoter, Docon. Consequently, Docon's remaining 51.02% stake is now unencumbered. API Holdings now aims for profitable growth and disciplined execution across its healthcare businesses.".

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Beyond hiring: How Myntra is building longer-term careers for women in tech

Startups

Myntra is enhancing its technology-first approach by creating sustainable career paths for women in engineering, product, and data roles. CHRO Govindraj MK highlighted initiatives like the Phoenix returnship program, Ascend leadership pathways, and the Women in Tech platform. These efforts aim to increase female representation in senior leadership and adapt to an AI-led environment by focusing on continuous learning, mentorship, and structured support systems.

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Table Space DRHP: A Look At Shareholding Pattern & Key Executives

Business

Managed workspace provider Table Space has filed its DRHP with SEBI for an IPO, proposing a fresh issue of up to ₹800 crore and an offer for sale of 6.5 crore shares. Hillhouse Investment-backed AGS TS II Holdings is the largest shareholder with a 41.76% stake. The company's cap table includes a disputed 22.14% stake from late promoter Amit Banerji, while FY26 revenue grew 66% to ₹2,262.3 crore.

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Festive season hiring expected to generate up to 2.7 lakh gig jobs: Report

Startups

Adecco India reports that festive season temporary staffing demand will generate 2.5-2.7 lakh jobs, growing 15-20% year-on-year. Key sectors include ecommerce, logistics, retail, and BFSI. While Tier II and III cities drive 45% of demand, Tier I cities face a 30% talent crunch. Despite rising wages and strong demand for operational roles, 80% of employers report talent shortages, with a 10-15% demand-supply gap expected.

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Ola Electric unveils full-stack energy storage portfolio from home to grid

Startups

Ola Electric has launched its 'Shakti' energy storage portfolio, utilizing indigenous LFP battery technology to provide clean energy solutions. The range includes Shakti Gen2 for residential use, with deliveries starting November 2026, and Shakti Rack for commercial applications available by March 2027. Additionally, the Mahashakti line targets industrial and utility-scale storage. This expansion leverages the company's Gigafactory to offer scalable energy storage from homes to grids.

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How a Kashmir agri university became J&K's most unlikely startup engine

Startups

Under Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai, SKUAST-Kashmir has transformed into a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. The university now leads the Rs 5,013 crore Holistic Agriculture Development Programme and operates the award-winning SKIIE startup incubator. Key milestones include launching India's first BTech in AI in Agriculture and creating "Tarmeem," India's first gene-edited sheep. These advancements have propelled SKUAST-K to rank third among State Agricultural Universities.

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Snabbit Ropes In Klydo Cofounder Pradeep Yadav To Helm Operations

Business

Quick home services startup Snabbit has appointed Pradeep Yadav, co-founder of Klydo and former Udaan CXO, as its new head of operations. Yadav succeeds Vikas Choudhary, who will now lead a new business venture within the company. Snabbit, which recently raised $56 million in Series D funding, provides rapid domestic help across five major Indian cities and reports an annual revenue run rate of $35-40 million.

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