Startup in Brief - News in 60 Words

Maharashtra Eyes First State-Level Land Tokenisation Framework: CM Fadnavis

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:07:30 GMT

Maharashtra is working to establish India’s first state-level legal framework for blockchain-based tokenisation of land and other immovable assets, chief.

BharatPe launches Agentic AI and credit coach at Global Fintech Fest 2026

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:50:15 GMT

BharatPe Agentic AI built with Gemini on Google Cloud, brings a 24x7 personal AI assistant to merchants, powered by 60+ live systems.

ESDS Hits Upper Circuit For Fourth Straight Day, Rises To 3.3X IPO Price

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:44:18 GMT

Riding the bulls since listing last Friday, stock of enterprise cloud and AI company ESDS Software Solution hit an upper.

UIDAI Launches SDK, Sandbox To Ease Aadhaar Face Authentication

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:29:24 GMT

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) today launched “Face Auth SDK & Sandbox”, a set of software tools and.

PhonePe, Visa Partner For Cardless Payments In India, 14 Overseas Markets

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:28:15 GMT

PhonePe and Visa have partnered to launch three new payment solutions. These include Tap to Pay for domestic in-store transactions, allowing Android users to pay with tokenized cards. Cross Border Scan to Pay will enable overseas payments in 14 markets using tokenized cards. Additionally, Smart Accept will let small merchants accept contactless card payments directly on their smartphones, expanding PhonePe's card offerings and simplifying transactions for users and businesses.

FIU Issues Notices To 15 Crypto Platforms, Initiates Takedown

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:57:11 GMT

The Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) has issued notices to 15 offshore virtual digital asset (VDA) service providers for non-compliance with.

QNu Labs raises Rs 200 Cr as demand for quantum-safe cybersecurity grows

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:20:07 GMT

The quantum-safe cybersecurity company will use the fresh capital to expand research, sales and technology capabilities as India advances its quantum agenda.

RentoMojo IPO Subscribed 69% So Far On Day 1, NII Portion Booked 90%

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:15:53 GMT

Online furniture and appliance rental platform RentoMojo’s ₹1,256 Cr IPO was subscribed 69% by 12:57 IST on the first day.

India orders takedown of 15 offshore crypto platforms over AML non-compliance

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:08:59 GMT

The platforms were operating in India without registering with FIU-IND and complying with requirements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Fleet Management Startup Carrum Mobility Raises $10 Mn From Uber

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:16:40 GMT

B2B fleet management startup Carrum Mobility has raised $10 Mn (about ₹96 Cr) from ride-hailing major Uber as a part.

CCI Closes WinZO’s Antitrust Case Against Google After Real Money Gaming Ban

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:41:23 GMT

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has closed its antitrust probe into Google over its treatment of real money gaming.

Google DeepMind alumni are building tools to accelerate fusion power for the grid

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:30:00 GMT

Fusionality is developing control systems and simulation environments to help fusion power startups move faster.

Snap CBO Ajit Mohan To Step Down After Four-Year Stint

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:28:36 GMT

Former Meta India head and Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan is stepping down as the CBO of Snapchat parent Snap after.

Indian Fintech Moves Beyond AI Demos

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:00:07 GMT

AI is all set to take centre stage at the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) in Mumbai this week, with product.

CloudNC raises $20M to automate manufacturing’s most pressing bottlenecks

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:31:00 GMT

UK-based manufacturing software startup CloudNC announced Wednesday a $20 million B extension round, bringing its lifetime total raised amount to $128 million.

Ajit Mohan steps down as Snap’s Chief Business Officer

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:28:35 GMT

The former Meta India head is returning to Singapore to spend more time with his family. Snap has named EMEA President Ronan Harris as its Chief Commercial Officer.

Instant Help’s Ground Reality, Shiprocket’s Second Act & More

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:48 GMT

The Cost Of India’s Convenience Economy Fuelled by massive capital and discounting wars, India’s instant service platforms are preparing for.

Tazapay to be acquired by Circle in $400M stock deal; GalaxEye wins US patent for satellite imaging

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:30:00 GMT

US-based Circle Internet Group will strengthen its position in the APAC region following the acquisition of Tazapay; GalaxEye’s US patent for its OptoSAR satellite imaging technology strengthens its intellectual-property position as India’s private Earth-observation sector expands.

Desi Tales is betting on cotton and craft for comfortable kids' festive wear

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:20:00 GMT

Bengaluru's Desi Tales makes 100% cotton ethnic wear and nightwear for kids, priced between mass-market and premium labels.

Shuddh Swad is building a regional snacks brand using traditional household recipes

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Shuddh Swad makes preservative-free Bihari thekua using traditional recipes and crossed Rs 1 crore in revenue in its first year, fully bootstrapped.

Quantum Cybersecurity Startup QNu Labs Nets ₹200 Cr To Scale R&D

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:00:35 GMT

Quantum cybersecurity startup QNu Labs has raised ₹200 Cr (around $21 Mn) in its Series A1 funding round co-led by.

White House takes down ‘Build the Wall’ game after the Tetris Company complains

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:53:23 GMT

The Trump administration removed a Tetris-like video game, "Build the Wall," from its website after the Tetris Company complained about copyright infringement. The game, which tasked players with stacking blocks to.

Hackers are stealing Claude tokens from subscribers

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 02:40:27 GMT

AI consultant Grant de Swardt and other users discovered unauthorized token consumption on their Anthropic Claude accounts. Anthropic attributed the thefts to compromised session keys and infostealer malware used by bad actors to siphon usage. While the company suspended affected accounts and issued some refunds, users criticized the lack of itemized usage tracking. Consequently, de Swardt cancelled his subscription, citing inadequate tools for users to detect misuse.

Cognition hits $48B valuation, signaling investors believe AI coding is far from a winner-take-all market

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 02:34:06 GMT

Cognition, the creator of coding assistant Devin, raised $2 billion at a $48 billion valuation, led by firms including Andreessen Horowitz. The startup's annualized run-rate revenue grew to $900 million, though high Nvidia server costs may lead to an $800 million cash burn this year. To reduce expenses, Cognition is developing its own models. Major enterprise clients include NASA and Goldman Sachs, signaling strong market demand.

The Exploration Company nabs $450 million to challenge SpaceX

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 02:17:34 GMT

"The Exploration Company (TEC) has raised $450 million in a record-breaking Series C round to develop reusable heavy-lift launchers and the Nyx cargo capsule. Aiming to reduce reliance on SpaceX and enhance European space sovereignty, TEC plans to dock Nyx with the International Space Station by November 2028. The company is utilizing advanced full-flow stage combustion engines to meet growing global demand for orbital access.".

PE Giant TPG Sells Shadowfax Shares In A ₹200 Cr Bulk Deal

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:53:43 GMT

Private equity (PE) giant TPG yesterday offloaded Shadowfax shares worth ₹200 Cr via an open-market transaction. According to BSE data,.

Meta debuts its Muse AI agent. Will consumers trust it?

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Meta has launched Muse, a personal AI agent for U.S. users designed to perform everyday tasks like booking travel and sending emails. The tool integrates with various apps and services, offering a free tier and paid subscriptions. While Meta emphasizes security through its Muse Secure VM, the launch comes amid significant privacy concerns and a history of legal settlements regarding the company's handling of consumer data.

IPO-Bound RentoMojo Nets ₹376 Cr From Anchor Investors

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:26:43 GMT

Ahead of the commencement of the bidding for its public issue on September 9, furniture and appliance rental platform RentMojo.

How to watch Apple’s foldable iPhone announcement

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:16:53 GMT

Apple's annual iPhone event will stream live on September 9 at 10 AM PDT, and we're expecting big news.

OpenAI fought dirty on career-making math problem, says NYU mathematician

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:02:15 GMT

There is a $1 million bounty for the first person providing a solution to the Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem.

US-Based Circle To Acquire Peak XV-Backed Tazapay

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 22:00:06 GMT

Existing backer and US-based crypto platform Circle Internet Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Peak XV Partners-backed B2B.

Google Cloud races to catch up in the AI deployment wars with Accenture deal

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:50:31 GMT

Google Cloud expands its enterprise AI push with Accenture, betting on forward-deployed engineers to drive adoption and overcome deployment bottlenecks.

PM Modi Urges Fintechs To Step Up Cybersecurity, Consumer Protection

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:29:14 GMT

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has urged Indian fintech startups to further strengthen cybersecurity and consumer protection as the sector.

Google’s revived nuclear power plant gets $1.9B loan from US government

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:55:35 GMT

Google said it would bring an Iowa nuclear power plant back from the dead. Now, the plant's owner is getting a $1.9B loan from the U.S. Energy Department.

Bajaj Finance acquires 5% stake in TrueFan AI

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:38:14 GMT

Bajaj Finance and TrueFan AI will expand their collaboration across personalised marketing, video generation among other things with the goal of enhancing customer experiences.

Tazapay to be acquired by Circle in $400M stock deal

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:35:22 GMT

US-based Circle Internet Group will strengthen its position in the APAC region following the acquisition of Tazapay.

Chrome is now shipping updates every 2 weeks as AI changes the security landscape

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:34:09 GMT

Google is speeding up Chrome’s release schedule to ship security patches and new features faster.

NCPCR summons Meta India head as inquiry into child abuse ads on Instagram gathers pace

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:01:37 GMT

The child rights body has called the company's Managing Director and Head to appear on 9 September, a month after opening a formal inquiry.

Mistral raises €3B as sovereign AI becomes big business

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:47:48 GMT

The French AI lab has raised €3 billion at a €21 billion valuation in a Series D round led by Samsung, Scaleup Europe and PSG Equity.

A hacker stole $340M in a crypto heist, then returned most of it

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:41:29 GMT

The latest heist is one of the largest thefts of cryptocurrency to date.

Nuclear startup Bluecore Energy raises $50M seed round, just two months after launch

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:40:17 GMT

Bluecore Energy announced Tuesday an oversubscribed $50 million seed round — just months after raising a $10 million pre-seed and coming out of stealth.

Bajaj Finance Picks Up 5% Stake in AI Video Startup TrueFan AI

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:33:52 GMT

Bajaj Finance, the NBFC arm of Bajaj Finserv, has acquired a 5% stake in Delhi NCR-based AI video generation platform.

Poseidon Aerospace lands $60M ahead of first pilotless test flight

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:30:00 GMT

The startup is trying to rethink the economics of cargo aircraft by removing pilots from the equation entirely.

7 Kathryn Stockett quotes with unexpected life lessons

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:20:00 GMT

Discover 7 powerful Kathryn Stockett quotes that reveal unexpected lessons about courage, kindness, resilience, and self-worth.

The authenticity premium: How heritage storytelling turns ordinary products into trusted brands

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:57:49 GMT

How Indian brands are turning nostalgia, regional identity and heritage into an “authenticity premium” that customers are willing to pay for.

Beyond Shipping: Shiprocket’s Emerging Bets Gather Pace

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:10:06 GMT

Gurugram-based ecommerce enablement platform Shiprocket is starting to reap the benefits of business bets it began placing well before its.

SEBI Extends Accredited Investor Compliance Timeline For Angel Funds Till March

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:56:42 GMT

Markets regulator SEBI has extended the deadline for angel funds to comply with the new accredited investor mandate by nearly.

10 Books with tragic endings that stay with you forever

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:20:57 GMT

The article highlights ten novels known for their tragic, yet unforgettable, endings. These books, including "A Little Life" and "The Book Thief," explore complex themes like love, loss, and human endurance. Their devastating conclusions resonate deeply with readers, offering emotional honesty and reflecting life's imperfect resolutions. Such stories provide powerful, lasting literary experiences despite their heartbreak.

Indian Soonicorn Tracker: List Of India’s Unicorns Of Tomorrow

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:15:33 GMT

The days when almost every other fast-growing startup could attract large investor cheques are over. After multiple instances of corporate.

Vara Kumar appointed Whatfix CEO

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:58:49 GMT

Kumar assumes leadership following the death of Co-founder Khadim Batti on September 1, 2026. Batti had served as CEO since the pair established the business in 2014.