DPDP Is Coming Fast But Indian Startups Are Moving At Different Speeds

Source: Startup

DPDP Is Coming Fast But Indian Startups Are Moving At Different Speeds

Business • via Startup • Shraddha Goled

"Indian startups are racing to comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, with the first milestone arriving in four months. Non-compliance risks severe penalties up to ₹250 crore and potential operational damage. While regulated sectors are better prepared, many MSMEs struggle with data mapping and high implementation costs. Beyond fines, poor data governance may hinder fundraising and enterprise partnerships as investors prioritize regulatory readiness.".

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How Tim Cook turned India into Apple’s growth engine; NIIF raises Rs 19,000 Cr infra fund

Startups

Zomato implemented a zero-tolerance policy for analogue dairy products following food safety crackdowns. India notified its Rs 1,27,500-crore Semicon 2.0 scheme to boost semiconductor design and manufacturing. Apple's Indian sales exceeded $10 billion, with 55 million iPhones assembled locally. Additionally, NIIF raised Rs 19,000 crore for infrastructure, Chile is building the Extremely Large Telescope, and the Bank of England warned about AI's financial risks.

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Zepto’s Retention Play: Fewer Discounts, Premium Carts & A Paid Club

Business

Before we turn the talk to Zepto’s IPO delay and how the company is looking to address the one problem.

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Exclusive: MS Dhoni Joins Edtech Startup SpeakX’s Cap Table

Business

AI-based edtech startup SpeakX has appointed cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a strategic investor and brand ambassador. Formerly known as Yellow Class, the English tutoring platform utilizes a freemium model and currently serves around 2 lakh paid subscribers. SpeakX is expanding its regional-language offerings across India and plans to launch a B2B product. The company reported EBITDA profitability in FY26 and projects revenue growth for FY27.

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Lachy Groom backs Indian startup aiming to keep aircraft aloft for a year

Startups

"Bengaluru startup Alteon has raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding led by Lachy Groom to develop autonomous aircraft capable of staying airborne for over a year. By utilizing dynamic soaring, a technique inspired by albatrosses, the aircraft will harvest energy from ocean winds for maritime surveillance. While early tests over the Bay of Bengal are promising, the team must still prove the aircraft can sustain energy-neutral flight.".

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Apple shares ‘shocking evidence’ against former employee accused of stealing company data for OpenAI

Startups

Apple has filed new evidence in its lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that former employee Chang Liu used confidential circuit schematics and internal tools at the AI company. Apple claims Liu and a colleague attempted to destroy evidence during an investigation. While OpenAI attributes the data access to Apple's poor system management, Apple asserts Liu exploited a bug. Apple seeks an injunction to block OpenAI's hardware development.

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Polymarket reportedly raises $300 million from Donald Trump Jr.’s investment fund

Startups

"Polymarket has raised $300 million from 1789 Capital, a fund partnered with Donald Trump Jr., as part of a larger $1 billion funding round. This investment comes amid significant regulatory tension between state governments and federal authorities over the oversight of prediction markets. While many states are litigating against these sites, the federal government and Trump Jr. argue that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission should be the sole regulator.".

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BNP Paribas, Societe Generale & Millennium Sell Lenskart Shares Via ₹2,670 Cr Block Deals

Business

BNP Paribas, Societe Generale, and Millennium Management offloaded Lenskart shares totaling ₹2,670.2 crore to book profits following a surge in stock prices. Conversely, BlackRock emerged as a major institutional investor, acquiring shares worth over ₹1,896 crore. This activity follows Lenskart's inclusion in the MSCI global standard index and a strong Q1 FY27 performance, where net profit surged 273% to ₹228.4 crore amid rising operating revenues.

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a16z brings growth fund to $8.5B days after launching new $1.1B fund

Startups

"Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has expanded its fifth growth fund to $8.5 billion and launched a new $1.1 billion "Machine Age Fund" targeting AI hardware. The growth fund supports scaling startups across enterprise AI, defense, robotics, and health tech. These moves reflect the rapid acceleration of AI companies. The firm, which manages $90 billion in assets, is also increasing its investments in politics and lobbying.".

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A group funded by Andreessen, Horowitz, and Brockman plan data center ads to sway midterms

Startups

Build American AI, a group affiliated with the super PAC Leading the Future, plans to spend millions on ads promoting data centers in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Funded by figures like Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, LTF supports pro-AI candidates. Despite this, OpenAI has distanced itself from LTF, citing concerns over transparency and astroturfing. Andreessen Horowitz remains a top political donor, investing heavily in AI and crypto.

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FTC accuses Amazon of running a ‘secret ad surcharge scheme’ in new lawsuit

Startups

"The FTC and 22 states have sued Amazon, alleging the company secretly inflated advertising costs for over one million businesses. The lawsuit claims Amazon manipulated its auction system by introducing hidden surcharges and fake bidders, effectively charging advertisers their full winning bids instead of the promised second-price rate. Amazon has denied these allegations, calling the lawsuit misguided and arguing that the FTC misunderstands how its advertising auctions operate.".

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The Pentagon now has its own version of ChatGPT and Grok

Startups

The Pentagon has integrated custom versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok into its secure GenAI.mil portal, providing 3 million personnel with generative AI tools tailored for military needs. These secure versions prevent sensitive data leaks common in consumer products. While ChatGPT Mil focuses on administrative tasks, Grok aims to enhance mission precision. This expansion follows a dispute with Anthropic and reflects broader efforts to maintain a technological edge.

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BlackRock Buys Ather Shares Worth ₹445 Cr

Business

BlackRock Global Funds acquired nearly 26 lakh shares of Ather Energy for ₹445.3 crore, signaling strong institutional confidence. This investment coincides with Ather's addition to the MSCI India small cap index and the launch of its mass-market Konarc e-scooter. Supported by Hero MotoCorp's recent stake increase and significantly improved Q1 FY27 financials, Ather's stock has surged 127.6% year-to-date, reflecting positive market sentiment and growth.

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BNP Paribas & Millennium Sell 10 Cr Eternal Shares In ₹3,265 Cr Block Deals

Business

BNP Paribas and Millennium Management sold over 9.9 crore shares of foodtech giant Eternal in block deals totaling ₹3,264.8 crore. The sales occurred ahead of an MSCI index rejig expected to increase the stock's weightage. Eternal has seen a 30.9% share price surge over three months, driven by strong Q1 FY27 financial results, including a consolidated net profit of ₹92 crore and significant revenue growth.

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Instagram puts new limits on undisclosed AI profiles

Startups

Instagram is renaming its "AI creator" label to "AI-generated profile" to clearly identify accounts featuring AI-created people. To prevent user deception, the platform will limit the reach of accounts that fail to disclose AI-generated subjects. However, those using AI for minor edits or graphics remain exempt. This move follows growing concerns over deceptive AI influencers and health personalities, alongside Meta's broader regulatory challenges and settlements.

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Apple’s top App Store exec, Phil Schiller, follows wave of exits as CEO Tim Cook steps down

Startups

Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple's CEO, with John Ternus taking over the leadership role. This transition coincides with a wave of executive departures, including Phil Schiller, who is leaving his App Store leadership position to become an Apple Fellow. Other retiring executives include Jeff Williams and Jennifer Bailey. Ternus now faces the challenge of rebuilding the company's leadership team amidst these significant organizational changes.

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Microsoft tests fix for latest hours-long Outlook outage

Startups

"Microsoft confirmed a widespread, multi-hour outage on Monday affecting its Exchange Online service, which caused significant disruptions for Outlook users. The issue, stemming from an authentication component, led to email delays, delivery failures, and authentication errors. Microsoft identified the source of the problem and is currently testing a remediation strategy on a portion of its infrastructure before implementing a broader solution to restore full functionality.".

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Kalshi bans George Santos for life over State of the Union bets

Startups

Prediction market Kalshi has issued a lifetime ban to former Republican Representative George Santos, marking the first such action by the company. Santos was fined $71,356 for betting on his own attendance at President Trump’s State of the Union address. Kalshi also suspended several other political candidates for wagering on their own races. This follows a separate $35,000 settlement Santos reached with the CFTC over similar conduct.

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Harvard Law dropout raises $6M for Blue Voice to build a “Harvey for police officers”

Startups

Blue Voice, a Boston-based AI startup, has emerged from stealth with $6 million in funding to provide police officers with real-time policy guidance. Founded by David Lawrence, Amit Patankar, and Michael Gropman, the tool is used by 225 agencies across 25 states. By offering instant access to department-specific laws and protocols, Blue Voice helps officers make informed decisions, reducing operational errors and improving public safety.

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Hackers claim millions of patient records stolen during data breach at healthcare giant McKesson

Startups

"The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on pharmaceutical distributor McKesson, stealing millions of rows of sensitive patient and employee data. Using phishing and social engineering, the group accessed cloud-hosted Snowflake and Salesforce environments. The stolen information includes Social Security numbers and medical records. The hackers demanded a $55 million ransom, marking the latest in a series of high-profile breaches targeting the American healthcare sector.".

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Ryan Breslow is raising up to $27M in pay-to-play bridge funding to save Bolt

Startups

Ryan Breslow, the reinstated CEO of checkout startup Bolt, is raising a bridge round of up to $27 million to sustain the company. After its valuation plummeted from $11 billion to $300 million, Bolt is seeking funds from existing investors via a convertible note with a pay-to-play provision. Breslow is personally contributing $5 million, aiming for profitability and a full Series E2 round while leveraging AI efficiency.

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