Meta’s Zuck Apologises, PB Fintech Roars In Q1 & More

Source: inc42

Meta’s Zuck Apologises, PB Fintech Roars In Q1 & More

Business

Meta In Choppy Waters After being pulled up by the Centre over content moderation lapses, including the recent removal of.

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6 Books that teach lessons from fictional characters

Startups

Discover 6 books where fictional characters teach powerful lessons about life, emotions, relationships, resilience, and personal growth.

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[Update] Exclusive: HomeRun Raises $12 Mn To Scale Construction Materials Quick Commerce Platform

Business

Update | August 6, 2026, 10:15 IST Quick commerce startup for construction and interior materials HomeRun has raised $12 Mn.

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Meta apologises for temporarily removing PM Modi's Facebook post

Startups

Meta executives met with Indian Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to apologize for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook post. During the meetings, Meta admitted to failures regarding deepfakes, child sexual abuse material, and paid promotion of illegal content. The Indian government warned that Meta's safe harbour immunity under the Information Technology Act could be revoked due to its active content curation and algorithmic bias.

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Shiprocket IPO To Open On August 12, Issue Size Cut To ₹1,617 Cr

Business

Logistics major Shiprocket has filed the RHP to raise ₹1,617 Cr (about $170 Mn) via its IPO, a 30% reduction.

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Building a startup ecosystem in the mountains: How Jammu & Kashmir laid its foundation

Startups

Jammu and Kashmir is steadily building its startup ecosystem through policy support, incubators, funding and local entrepreneurs driving innovation.

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Freshworks turns profitable in Q2; Navigating the AI shift

Startups

The electric vehicle sector is projected to create up to 40 million jobs by 2030, while River Mobility secured $120 million in funding. Freshworks achieved Q2 profitability driven by AI demand, and Air India appointed Tewolde Gebremariam as CEO. Meanwhile, the New York Times saw a drop in shares due to slow subscriber growth, and a SpaceX rocket section crashed into the moon, raising space debris concerns.

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Cresa's fix for India's 12-billion sanitary pad disposal problem

Startups

Pune-based startup Cresa, founded by Sarika Pathak, has developed a 100% biodegradable, plastic-free sanitary pad to combat the environmental impact of conventional menstrual products. These pads dissolve in hot water within 80 seconds, reducing landfill waste and health risks for waste pickers. Sold via e-commerce and CSR partnerships, Cresa is now developing a fully water-soluble pad and exploring sustainable diapers to further improve menstrual hygiene.

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Govt Disburses ₹276 Cr To Set Up Four AI Centres Of Excellence

Business

The Indian government has disbursed ₹276.1 crore to establish four national centres of excellence in artificial intelligence at IIT Ropar, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, and IIT Madras. These centres focus on agriculture, sustainable cities, healthcare, and education to build an indigenous AI ecosystem. Part of the ₹10,370 crore IndiaAI Mission, the initiative aims to develop local large language models, support startups, and expand computing infrastructure across India.

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Get up to $400 off your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass until Friday

Startups

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place from October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, gathering over 10,000 tech innovators and investors. The event features specialized stages covering AI, finance, and scaling, alongside the Startup Battlefield competition. A limited-time flash sale is currently available, offering an additional $100 discount on passes until Friday, August 7, before pricing increases further on August 21.

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Skyroot Invites Bids To Raise $200 Mn At A Valuation Of $2 Bn

Business

Skyroot Aerospace is seeking $200 million in new funding at a $2 billion valuation, an 80% increase from its May valuation. The spacetech unicorn is inviting investors to submit bids, with the round expected to close within two months. This follows Skyroot's milestone as the first private Indian company to reach Earth's orbit with its Vikram-1 rocket, as it aims to expand its launch vehicle portfolio.

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Govt Operationalises New Framework To Spur Ecommerce Exports

Business

The Indian government has introduced a new framework for inventory-based cross-border ecommerce to boost exports to $200-$300 billion by 2030. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade now allows online marketplaces to procure goods directly from Indian sellers for export, exempting them from certain FDI rules. The policy prohibits stockpiling, mandates DGFT registration, and requires strict digital traceability and compliance with international laws to ensure transparency.

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Nikita Bier steps down as X’s head of product

Startups

"Nikita Bier has stepped down as head of product at Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, after serving for just over a year. Bier, who oversaw the launch of 30 new products, will transition to an advisory role. His tenure was marked by significant controversies involving the chatbot Grok, including the generation of offensive content and illegal imagery, which led to legal challenges for the platform.".

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Travis Kalanick’s robotics startup Atoms taps former Uber finance chief as CFO

Startups

Former Uber finance chief Gautam Gupta has joined Travis Kalanick’s robotics and industrial AI startup, Atoms, as chief financial officer. This move follows a $1.7 billion funding round that included a $100 million investment from Uber. Kalanick is increasingly reuniting former Uber colleagues at Atoms, which targets the mining, food, and transportation sectors. Gupta leaves his venture capital firm, A.

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Meta launches Muse Code, an AI agent for large code bases

Startups

"Meta has launched Muse Code, a beta terminal coding agent designed to help programmers manage complex tasks across large software repositories. Powered by the Muse Spark model, the tool utilizes parallel sub-agents to plan, write, and validate code without affecting the main working copy. Meta aims to compete with OpenAI and Anthropic by offering a cost-effective solution as it expands its enterprise AI capabilities.".

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Trump’s DOJ gains oversight of OpenAI’s green-card employee sponsorships

Startups

"OpenAI and Statsig have settled with the Justice Department over allegations that they bypassed U.S. citizens when hiring for roles sponsored for permanent residency. The companies will pay $3.2 million, including a $1.2 million fine and $2 million for potential restitution. While not admitting wrongdoing, both firms agreed to three years of DOJ oversight and reporting to ensure compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act.".

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Moove raises $250M to become the backbone of the robotaxi industry

Startups

Moove, a vehicle financing and ride-hailing company, has raised $250 million in Series C funding at a $2.1 billion valuation to expand its autonomous vehicle operations. Led by Mubadala Investment Company, the funding will support scaling its AV fleet management, hiring 350 employees, and developing automated "Nest" depots. Moove currently operates as a fleet partner for Waymo and aims to eventually own hundreds of thousands of robotaxis.

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How Lightspeed found their newest hire… via Instagram DM

Startups

Lightspeed venture firm has hired tech content creator Claire Zau to expand its social media presence and launch the "Lightwork" podcast with CMO Josh Machiz. By leveraging platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the firm aims to reach future founders and provide portfolio companies with storytelling opportunities. This strategy allows Lightspeed to gather real-time feedback on emerging technologies and make the venture ecosystem more accessible to diverse audiences.

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Why Lightspeed is going all-in on creator-led venture capital

Startups

"Venture capital firms are increasingly hiring creators to establish trust with the next generation of founders. Following moves by a16z and OpenAI, Lightspeed Venture Partners has recruited seed investor and social media influencer Claire Zau to source deals and co-host the firm's new show, Lightwork. This trend highlights the emergence of the 'creator-investor' role, a strategy currently being explored and discussed on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast.".

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Klaviyo acquires Elias Torres’ Agency in full-circle reunion for tech founders

Startups

Klaviyo, an e-commerce marketing automation platform, has acquired AI-powered customer success startup Agency. Agency founder Elias Torres will join Klaviyo as chief product officer, leading a 25-person team to enhance AI agents like Composer and Customer Agent. The acquisition reunites Torres and Klaviyo CEO Andrew Bialecki, who previously worked together at Performable. This move aims to leverage Klaviyo's extensive customer data to compete in the AI agent market.

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