HCLTech Announces $1.5 Bn Investment To Build Maiden AI Data Centre In Odisha

Source: Startup

HCLTech Announces $1.5 Bn Investment To Build Maiden AI Data Centre In Odisha

Business • via Startup • Anne Florentyna

HCLTech has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sarvam AI and the Odisha government to establish an AI data centre in Bhubaneswar. With a planned investment of ₹14,257 crore, the facility will develop sector-specific applications for government and enterprise clients. This move aligns with HCLTech's full-stack AI strategy and follows similar initiatives by Reliance and Adani as India's AI data centre market continues its rapid expansion.

Read Full Story

TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 roundtables: Go deeper on the challenges founders are solving right now

Startups

TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 is coming to SoWa Power Station in Boston on November 4, bringing founders, investors, and operators together for a full day of candid conversations, practical sessions, live pitching, networking, and smaller roundtables built for deeper discussion.

Read Full Story

From Toast to Bessemer: Who founders will hear from at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026

Startups

Hosted by TechCrunch in partnership with Fidelity Private Shares, the full-day event goes beyond fundraising and AI to explore the realities of finding customers, building teams, sharpening a pitch, developing founder leadership, and scaling companies both inside and outside traditional startup hubs.

Read Full Story

Lab testing giant Quest Diagnostics confirms patients’ personal and health data was compromised during breach

Startups

Medical lab testing giant Quest Diagnostics confirmed a cyberattack and data breach affecting sensitive patient information stored in its Quanum lab testing system. The company disclosed to U.S. regulators that "certain patient records" were accessed. Quest has notified law enforcement and is investigating the incident, which marks the latest major cyberattack on the healthcare industry this year. This is Quest's second significant data breach in a decade, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities in medical tech.

Read Full Story

Unicommerce Q2: Profit Rises 11% YoY To ₹6.4 Cr, Revenue Up 15%

Business

Unicommerce reported a consolidated net profit of ₹6.4 crore for Q2 FY27, an 11% year-on-year increase. Operating revenue rose 15% to ₹59.1 crore, though expenses grew faster at 19%. Profit growth was primarily supported by lower tax expenses. The company added 121 enterprise clients and launched its DNA AI product. Management expects profitability to improve in the second half of the year as planned investments moderate.

Read Full Story

Deeptech startups in India must have global ambitions, concur panellists at TechSparks

Startups

Experts at TechSparks discussed the rise of India's deeptech sector, highlighting government support through policies and a Rs 1 lakh crore innovation fund. While the environment is improving, challenges remain, including talent shortages and a lack of patient capital for larger funding rounds. Panellists emphasized the need for sovereign technological capabilities and urged startups to target global markets to ensure sustainable growth and competitiveness.

Read Full Story

Y Combinator-Backed Firstwork Nets $15 Mn To Expand Footprint Across US And Europe

Business

Firstwork, a US-based HR tech startup, secured $15 million in Series A funding led by Earlybird Venture Capital, bringing its total to $20 million. The capital will expand its AI, engineering, and go-to-market teams, and deepen its presence in the US and.

Read Full Story

5 Lessons from Prithvi Raj Banerjee’s Mindful Thinking

Startups

<summary>Prithvi Raj Banerjee's "Mindful Thinking" offers practical strategies to manage anxiety, distraction, and overthinking. The book, by the technologist and mindfulness coach, presents mindfulness as a skill, not an abstract concept. Drawing on cognitive science, it provides exercises to train attention, observe thoughts without belief, and respond consciously to life's challenges. Banerjee's approach helps readers improve focus,.

Read Full Story

Ola Electric Slides Over 7% After Bearish Call From Goldman Sachs

Business

Ola Electric shares plunged 7.6% to ₹29 on October 23 after Goldman Sachs downgraded its outlook to "Sell," citing high interest costs and capex for its E2W business, making cash flow positive challenging. This occurred a day after Ola opened its ₹1,000 Cr rights issue, aimed at debt reduction and business expansion. Founder Bhavish Aggarwal pledged a stake to participate.

Read Full Story

Autonomy and control are not opposites, they go together: EY GDS at DevSparks Chennai

Startups

Strapline: At DevSparks Chennai 2026, Arvind Purushothaman of EY GDS made the case that moving agents into production is an engineering problem, not a model problem. Gayatri Guha Ask a room of developers about agents today and you will get plenty of answers. Almost everyone has built one, and m.

Read Full Story

Building a New Foundation for Education: Anshu Kumar’s Neev Ki Eent Foundation for Children of Bihar’s Brick Kiln Workers

Startups

"Anshu Kumar Jaiswal founded the Neev Ki Eent Foundation to support migrant brick kiln workers in Bihar. Through Project Swabhimaan, the NGO provides education via Akshar Learning Centres, assists families in obtaining essential government documents, and connects them with welfare schemes. By collaborating with district administration and training local youth leaders, the foundation ensures that children's education and social security are maintained despite the families' migratory nature.".

Read Full Story

Sebi cautions investors against fraudulent stock-tip WhatsApp groups

Startups

Markets regulator Sebi has warned investors against fraudulent WhatsApp stock-tip groups using "astroturfing" to create fake credibility through false profit claims. These unregistered operators often use overseas numbers and lure victims with free education. Sebi advises against joining invitation-only groups, sharing account details, or using recommended trading platforms. Instead, investors should only deal with Sebi-registered intermediaries and verify their registration status on the official website.

Read Full Story

From Three Products To 450 SKUs: How R for Rabbit Built A ₹250 Cr Baby Care Brand Around Parents’ Concerns

Business

Founded in 2014, R for Rabbit has evolved from three baby-gear products into a ₹250 Cr parenting brand with over 450 SKUs. The company expanded into diapers, personal care, and apparel, supported by a $27 million Series B funding round. To scale toward a ₹1,000 Cr target, the brand is leveraging 3,000 offline touchpoints and a partnership with Shadowfax to enhance last-mile delivery across India.

Read Full Story

Apple iPhone Duo's entire first week stock pre-booked in India

Startups

"Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has already sold out its first week's stock in India ahead of its October 23 launch. High pre-booking numbers were recorded at stores in Mumbai and New Delhi. Priced between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4.5 lakh, the device competes with Samsung's Z Fold 8. Analysts expect the Duo to capture 24% of the foldable market, expanding the segment's overall value.".

Read Full Story

Tonbo Imaging Makes Strong Market Debut, Lists At 66% Premium To IPO Price

Business

"Defence tech startup Tonbo Imaging made a strong stock market debut, listing at ₹1,162 on the BSE and ₹1,160 on the NSE, representing premiums of 66% and 65.71% over its ₹700 issue price. The ₹852 crore IPO, consisting entirely of an offer for sale, was subscribed 135.9 times. With a BSE market capitalization of ₹6,656.18 crore, the company received no proceeds from the public offering.".

Read Full Story

Mark Zuckerberg’s creative plan to pay California’s proposed billionaire tax without losing control of Meta

Startups

"Meta has introduced a new class of non-voting Class C common stock to facilitate capital raising and AI investments. However, SEC filings and reports suggest the move also helps CEO Mark Zuckerberg potentially pay California’s proposed Proposition 40 billionaire tax without relinquishing his majority voting control. The wealth tax could cost Zuckerberg $11 billion, while proponents argue the revenue would fund essential state healthcare and education services.".

Read Full Story

Warhound raises $200M to engineer war dogs and arm them with Anduril gear

Startups

Warhound, a new startup funded with $200 million and valued at $1.2 billion, aims to genetically engineer high-performance working dogs for the U.S. military and law enforcement. Founded by Ben Lamm and Palmer Luckey, the company will use gene editing to improve health and agility while integrating advanced hardware from Anduril. The first cloned dogs are expected early next year to reduce reliance on foreign imports.

Read Full Story

Rivian buys world model startup to accelerate self-driving ambitions

Startups

EV maker Rivian has acquired Third Dimension, a UK-based AI startup specializing in creating lifelike 3D worlds from images and videos. Rivian intends to use this technology to enhance its autonomous driving systems and robotaxi development for Uber. By integrating real-world data into simulations, Rivian can better train its vehicles for complex driving scenarios, expanding its AI capabilities and its presence in London.

Read Full Story

Former OpenAI science lead launches Warp Science to automate wet labs with robots

Startups

"Former OpenAI science lead Kevin Weil has launched Warp Sciences, an AI startup automating lab work for drug discovery. The company raised $215 million at an $865 million valuation, led by Lightspeed. By training robots to synthesize and test compounds, Warp Sciences aims to accelerate drug development and reshore critical processes from China to reduce geopolitical supply-chain risks, enabling continuous, around-the-clock laboratory operations.".

Read Full Story

Elon Musk made a $1 billion investment in Skydance, report says

Startups

"Elon Musk has invested approximately $1 billion in Skydance, a media company currently integrating Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. This financial injection joins contributions from other investors, including Laurene Powell Jobs, to support Skydance's goal of reducing costs by $6 billion over three years. The company aims to merge streaming platforms Paramount+ and HBO Max while managing a vast portfolio of networks under Co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz.".

Read Full Story

eMudhra to exit global website security certificate business

Startups

Bengaluru-based eMudhra is exiting its global SSL/TLS certificate business following a security incident involving weak cryptographic keys that prompted action from Google and Mozilla. The company cited rising compliance costs and diminishing commercial returns as additional factors for the withdrawal. While SSL/TLS represents only 1% of its revenue, eMudhra will provide free replacement certificates to affected customers while focusing on its core enterprise digital trust services.

Read Full Story

Categories