Topic
startup
Business Zepto IPO: Can 10-Minute Delivery Sustain Profitability Under Public-Market Scrutiny?
Zepto has filed its draft red herring prospectus for an IPO of up to Rs 80,100 million, revealing revenues of Rs 22,623 crore for FY26 but pre-tax losses of Rs 6,468 crore. The company leads peers on order density per dark store, yet faces declining average order values and negative operating cash flow.
Technology Spacex Acquires AI Coding Startup Cursor For $60bn Days After Bumper IPO
Elon Musk's SpaceX agreed to buy AI coding startup Cursor for $60bn days after Cursor's IPO. The deal, announced in April as an option, will close by September. Cursor's technology automates code generation and is used by Stripe, Adobe, and Nvidia. SpaceX aims to combine Cursor's product with its Colossus supercomputer to build leading AI models.
Technology Malaysia's AI Agent-Powered Messaging Platform Respond.io Raises $62.5M, Targets Acquisitions
Respond.io, a Malaysian AI-powered customer conversation management platform, has raised $62.5M in Series B funding led by Camber Partners. The company has grown to $35M in annual recurring revenue with 169% year-over-year growth and a 30% profit margin. It plans to use the capital for hiring, organic growth, and acquisitions in North America and Europe.
Technology Sarvam AI joins unicorn club with $234 million funding, eyes enterprise AI
India-based AI startup Sarvam has raised $234 million in a funding round led by HCLTech and Bessemer Venture Partners, propelling its valuation to $1.5 billion. The company plans to expand compute infrastructure, hire AI talent, and build an AI-assisted coding platform, while its enterprise AI offerings for voice, document, and agentic AI see growing adoption.
Technology Sarvam AI Raises $234M Led by HCLTech, Becomes India's Newest Unicorn
Sarvam, a Bengaluru-based AI startup, raised $234 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by HCLTech, becoming India's newest AI unicorn. The funding supports sovereign AI development with models tailored for Indian languages, deployed across banking, insurance, government, and defense.
Technology NewCore Emerges with $66M to Give AI Agents Identities as Digital Workers
Cybersecurity startup NewCore emerged from stealth with $66 million in seed funding led by Cyberstarts to provide identity management for AI agents, treating them as first-class digital employees with permissions and lifecycle controls. The company claims existing identity platforms are ill-suited for the growing workforce of human and AI agents.
Technology Orbio raises $21 million to automate hiring and onboarding for frontline workers
Orbio, an enterprise startup using AI agents to automate hiring and onboarding for frontline workers, announced a $21 million Series A led by Dawn Capital. Customers include YUM! Brands and Poke, with one behavioral health provider seeing 20% more candidates hired. The company competes with Paradox and WorkJam and plans to use the funds to develop more AI agents.
E-Commerce & Marketplaces Ex-Anduril Engineer Raises $42M to Build the Amazon of Composite Parts for B2B Manufacturing
Layup Parts, a startup founded by former Anduril engineer Zack Eakin, has raised $42 million in Series A funding to build a digital marketplace for custom composite parts. The company aims to streamline ordering of carbon fiber and fiberglass parts, similar to how Amazon simplifies consumer purchases, targeting B2B customers in motorsports, design, and manufacturing.
Technology Helion, the Sam Altman-backed fusion startup, raises $465M to build a power plant for Microsoft
Helion raised $465M in Series G funding led by Thrive Capital, valuing the company at $15.5B, to build its first fusion power plant Orion, with a target to deliver power to Microsoft by 2028. The startup uses a unique magnet-based approach to directly harvest electricity from fusion.
Technology Focused Energy Raises $240M Series A for Laser-Powered Fusion, One of Largest Early-Stage Rounds
Focused Energy, a Germany-based fusion startup, announced an oversubscribed $240 million Series A round, one of the largest early-stage rounds for a fusion power company. The company is developing a laser-powered inertial confinement reactor inspired by the National Ignition Facility, with plans to build its first demonstration system at a decommissioned nuclear plant in Germany. RWE was the main investor.
Technology Hello Robot's Stretch Home Assistant: Real-World Robotics, Not Lab Fantasies
Hello Robot, a startup based in Martinez, California, released the fourth iteration of its home assistance robot, Stretch. Unlike many robotics firms, Hello Robot focuses on deploying robots in real homes with real people, collecting valuable operational data. The company's approach is highlighted by the story of quadriplegic investor Keith Platt, who uses Stretch to regain independence in daily tasks.
Technology Board, the new game startup from Mirror founder Brynn Putnam, raises $20M, has already sold thousands
Board, a New York-based startup building physical-digital board games, has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Union Square Ventures. The company reports strong traction with tens of thousands of units sold across all 50 states and plans to launch an AI-powered game creation platform later this year.
Technology Quick-commerce FirstClub doubles valuation to $255M in 9 months on quality-first grocery bet
FirstClub, an Indian quick-commerce startup focused on curated quality groceries, raised $55M in Series B funding co-led by Peak XV Partners and Sofina, doubling its valuation to $255M in nine months. The company plans to expand beyond Bengaluru and into new categories.
Finance Zepto Files Updated DRHP for $1 Billion IPO, Targets July Listing at $10 Billion Valuation
Quick-commerce player Zepto on Monday filed its updated draft IPO papers with market regulator Sebi, moving closer to a public listing targeted in July. The startup seeks to raise up to Rs 8,010 crore through fresh shares, while existing investors including Nexus Venture Partners and Contrary will sell up to 11.3 crore shares in the offering. The total issue size is estimated at $1 billion, and the company is targeting a valuation of about $10 billion.
Technology Coralogix raises $200M on bet that someone needs to watch the AI agents
Coralogix has raised $200 million in Series F funding, valuing the observability startup at $1.6 billion. The round, led by Advent and CPPIB, comes as enterprises increasingly deploy AI agents that require new monitoring tools. The company's revenue grew over 60% in the past year, and more than half of enterprise customers now use its AI agent Olly or other AI interfaces.
Technology Supabase Raises $500M at $10B Valuation, Doubling in 8 Months on Vibe-Coding Boom
Supabase, the open-source Postgres database platform, raised $500 million at a $10 billion pre-money valuation, doubling its valuation in eight months. The company attributes its growth to the rise of vibe-coding tools like Claude Code and Codex, which have driven database launches up 600% year-over-year, with over 60% launched by AI tools. Supabase also launched Multigres, an operating system for Postgres, to ease scaling complexity.
Technology Founders from Goldman and Meta build voice AI for Africa and Middle East markets
AethexAI, a startup founded by former Goldman Sachs and Meta employees, has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding to build voice AI for customer service in Africa and the Middle East. The company uses its own small models (Kora series) to handle local dialects of English, French, and Arabic, addressing latency and accuracy issues plaguing larger models in these regions. It currently processes over 17,000 calls per day.
Technology How Linear Achieves Millisecond Response Times: A Technical Breakdown for Enterprise Decision-Makers
Linear's web app updates issues in milliseconds by treating IndexedDB as the primary database, applying mutations locally before syncing via WebSocket. Co-founder Tuomas built the sync engine from day one. For CTOs evaluating performance, this approach eliminates network bottlenecks and loading states.
Technology Former DOGE Members Launch AI Startup Special with a16z Funding
Former Department of Government Efficiency members Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox have launched a startup called Special, aiming to bring an AI-powered operating system to critical American industries. The venture has secured funding from a16z led by Marc Andreessen, along with other high-profile investors. Their first vertical is senior care under FigureHealth.
Technology Microsoft inks 37,000-ton carbon removal deal with Indian startup Alt Carbon
Microsoft signed a three-year agreement to purchase nearly 37,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from Alt Carbon, an Indian startup using enhanced rock weathering. The deal marks Microsoft's first enhanced-rock weathering purchase in Asia and highlights the increasing role of Global South suppliers in the carbon removal market.
Technology Quantum Space's Military SPAC: A Bet on Maneuverable Spacecraft for the US Space
Quantum Space, a startup building maneuverable spacecraft for the US military, announced a $1.2 billion SPAC merger to go public. The company, led by former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, aims to scale production of its Ranger vehicle to meet Space Force demands, competing against True Anomaly and established defense contractors.
Technology Theker Secures $85M to Build Reconfigurable Factory Robots for Generalist Tasks
Theker, an AI robotics startup in Barcelona, raised $85M in a Series A round, claimed to be Europe's largest robotics Series A. The company builds reconfigurable robots for warehouse and factory tasks, with early backing from Inditex (Zara's parent). Investors include CRV, Samsung, and Aglaé Ventures.
Technology Warner Music Acquires Sureel AI for Enhanced IP Control
Warner Music Group has acquired Sureel AI, a startup specializing in AI attribution technology. This acquisition aims to strengthen Warner's ability to track and monetize the use of its artists' work in AI-generated content.
Technology Life Biosciences Begins Human Trials for Vision Restoration
Life Biosciences has initiated human trials for ER-100, a drug aimed at reversing age-related sight loss. The trial will assess safety and side effects in patients with glaucoma and NAION.
Business Evotrex Secures $30M to Launch Hybrid RVs
Evotrex, a startup backed by Anker, has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round to develop its hybrid RVs. The company plans to produce 1,000 units annually, leveraging its unique hybrid system to stand out in the competitive RV market.
Manufacturing Student-Led Crab Aquaculture Startup Boosts Kerala's Blue Economy
A student-led startup at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies is pioneering innovations in crab aquaculture. Supported by the Atal Incubation Centre, the venture aims to enhance sustainability and productivity in the sector.
Business Leamington's 'Library of Things' Revolutionizes Resource Sharing
Leamington Spa's 'Library of Things' is pioneering a new model of resource sharing, allowing community members to borrow rather than buy. This initiative not only promotes sustainability but also offers significant cost savings for users.
Business Lottery Grant Boosts Fenland Paint Recycling Startup
Remo, a paint recycling enterprise in Cambridgeshire, has secured a £400,000 National Lottery grant. This funding will enable the company to expand operations, hire more staff, and increase service availability.
Logistics RPS: The Blueprint for Transportation Startup Success
RPS, now FedEx Ground, revolutionized the parcel delivery industry with its low-cost model, leading to significant growth and market share. Its success story offers valuable insights for logistics professionals.