Zepto is racing to catch Blinkit but the numbers tell a humbling story👇 Blinkit commands ₹37,779 Cr in revenue with 2,243 dark stores and 25.1 Lakh orders per day as of FY26. Zepto, in comparison, operates 1,139 dark stores, clocks 17.5 Lakh orders daily and carries a net loss of ₹5,095 Cr with an AOV of just ₹387 vs Blinkit's ₹665 to ₹669. Zepto's advertising revenue skyrocketed from ₹49 Cr in FY24 to ₹1,636 Cr in FY26, and this ad engine is now its biggest bet to fund the path to profitability. With a ₹8,010 Cr IPO on the table and Amazon and Flipkart aggressively expanding, Zepto's window to close the gap is narrowing fast. #QuickCommerce #Zepto #Blinkit #IPO2026 #swiggyinstamart #revenue

AI startup Sarvam has become India’s 130th unicorn after raising $234 Mn (about ₹2,210 Cr) as part of its $300 Mn Series B funding round at a post-money valuation of $1.5 Bn.👇 The funding round was led by HCLTech, and also saw participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures and Peak XV Partners. HCLTech will invest $150 Mn as part of the round. The startup will use the fresh capital for its research efforts, including the development of next-generation AI models focused on agentic AI, coding and cybersecurity applications. Sarvam also plans to expand its compute infrastructure and scale deployments across sectors. Founded in 2023 by Pratyush Kumar and Vivek Raghavan, Bengaluru-based Sarvam builds AI models, infrastructure and enterprise products. The startup operates across language, speech, vision and document AI, serving customers in sectors such as banking, insurance, government and defence 🔗Read the full article here- 4-2.co/4awoACG #news #Inc42 #AI #unicorn #startupnews #startups #funding #PeakXV

India’s cookware market is projected to reach $2.85 Bn by 2031. @_TheIndusValley's founder Jagadeesh Kumar says, "Health is the primary trigger... people relate to the materials and cooking practices of earlier generations." Read more inc42.com/features/jagadeesh…

Fintech major Razorpay has filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for an IPO through the confidential route, as per a newspaper advertisement👇 The Peak XV Partners-backed fintech unicorn is expected to raise $500-$600 Mn through the issue, a MoneyControl report said, citing sources. In April, it was reported that Razorpay was looking to raise $600-$700 Mn through the IPO at a valuation of $5-$6 Bn, lower than its last private valuation of $7.5 Bn. The startup appointed investment bankers including Axis Capital, Kotak Mahindra Capital, JP Morgan and Citi earlier this year for the IPO. Founded in 2014 by Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, Razorpay offers a full-stack payments and financial services platform, offering payment acceptance, disbursals, lending and business banking solutions 🔗Read the full article here- 4-2.co/4g4Aibx #news #Inc42 #DRHP #IPO #funding #fintech #tech

India’s cookware market is projected to reach $2.85 Bn by 2031. @_TheIndusValley's founder Jagadeesh Kumar says, "Health is the primary trigger... people relate to the materials and cooking practices of earlier generations." Read more inc42.com/features/jagadeesh…

New-age tech stocks saw stock-specific movement this week amid the ongoing market volatility. Thirty one out of the 57 new-age tech stocks under Inc42’s coverage gained in a range of 0.05% to close to 24% this week, while 25 stocks fell in a range of 0.30% to close to 15%👇 EaseMyTrip was the biggest gainer this week, ending 23.7% higher at ₹8.35. Shares of Kissht, Ather Energy, Honasa Consumer, Shadowfax, ideaForge, SEDEMAC and MobAvenue touched fresh highs this week. However, only SEDEMAC, Yudiz and Shadowfax ended the week in the green from them. Meanwhile, the list of losers was topped by NSE SME-listed Yudiz, with its shares plunging 14.81% to end at a fresh low of ₹22.15. Profit booking created pressure on shares of BlueStone, ideaForge and Aequs, resulting in them closing the week in the red Powered by Stockgro #Inc42 #trending #stockmarket #tech #AI #startups #stocks

Delhi has officially overtaken Bengaluru in the D2C race 👀 For years, Bengaluru was seen as India's startup capital. But when it comes to consumer brands, Delhi NCR is pulling ahead. 📈 $3.5 Bn funding raised 🤝 434 D2C startup deals 🏆 Home to brands like boAt, Mamaearth, Lenskart, Country Delight & more Meanwhile, Bengaluru isn't far behind with $3.4 Bn backing brands like Wakefit, Mokobara, Snitch and Licious. The bigger question: Is Delhi becoming the default launchpad for India's next consumer giants? 🇮🇳 🛍️ The D2C & Retail Summit 2026 | Aug 2026, Gurugram 🎯 600 Modern Retail Leaders. Invite-only. Comment 'DRS' and we'll send the application to your DM. #D2C #Startups #Ecommerce #DRS2026 #DelhiNCR #Bengaluru #Retail #Inc42 #D2CSummit2026 #trending

The next Mamaearth, boAt or Licious might already be on this list.👀 These emerging D2C brands are raising capital, scaling communities and building in categories where consumer demand is exploding. Save this list 🛒 You'll probably see some of these names everywhere in the next few years. 🚀 🛍️ The D2C & Retail Summit 2026 | Aug 2026, Gurugram 🎯 600 Modern Retail Leaders. Invite-only. Comment 'DRS' and we'll send the application to your DM. #D2CSummit2026 #DRS2026 #BuildToLastBuildToList #trending #Inc42 #D2C #retail

"We started interviewing astrologers like developers" That's how AstroTalk built its early moat Instead of becoming another astrology content platform, it focused on recreating the offline consultation experience online with vetted experts, live chats and pay-per-minute calls A small product decision that changed everything 🎙️ Puneet Gupta, Founder & CEO, AstroTalk at Griffin Retreat 2026 #Inc42 #reels #video #fyp #GriffinRetreat #astrology

Investments in the Indian startup ecosystem continued to pick up momentum in the second week of June. Twenty five startups raised $242.6 Mn between June 8 and June 12, marking a near 30% uptick from $187.4 Mn raised across 21 deals last week. 👇 The top six startups on this week’s funding scoreboard raised more than ₹100 Cr ($10 Mn) each in new investments, indicating an improvement in investor appetite for innovations in the homegrown new-age tech ecosystem - With GPS Renewables closing its Series C round at $66.4 Mn, cleantech emerged as the most funded startup sector this week. In total, two startups in the segment raised $87.5 Mn this week. - Advanced hardware & technology saw the highest number of deals materialise at five this week, raising a total of $42.3 Mn. - Peak XV Partners and Finvolve emerged as the most active investors this week, backing three startups each. Rainmatter and 3one4 Capital also backed two startups apiece #Inc42 #trending #startups #funding #investment #growth #D2C

Listed electric vehicle (EV) maker Ather Energy’s board has approved a proposal to raise up to ₹2,500 Cr via a qualified institutional placement (QIP) and other equity-linked instruments. 👇 In a filing with the exchanges, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) said that it plans to issue securities totalling up to ₹1,500 Cr via a QIP, while the remaining ₹1,000 Cr would be raised through a preferential issue, rights issue, equity shares or foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs). As part of this, the listed EV major’s board has constituted a committee to deal with all matters related to the proposed fund raise. This comes days after Ather informed the bourses that its board would consider a proposal to raise fresh funds as the OEM looks to fuel its next phase of growth. If the plans materialise, this will be Ather’s first fundraise post its listing last year. 🔗Read the full article here- 4-2.co/4ggr3oq #news #Inc42 #AtherEnergy #EV #auto #investment

Ecommerce major Meesho will acquire B2B commerce startup Kirana Club in an all-cash deal worth ₹202.08 Cr (about $21.2 Mn). The company said the transaction is expected to be completed in three tranches on or before March 31, 2027.👇 The deal would see Meesho buy 100% of the share capital of Kirana Club’s Singapore entity, Kirana Club Pte Ltd, and 0.41% of the share capital of its Indian entity, Retail Pulse Labs Pvt Ltd, via the acquisition of 41 CCPS from its identified selling shareholders. The remaining 99.59% stake of RPLPL will be acquired by the company indirectly via Kirana Club. The acquisition comes as Meesho seeks to deepen its presence across the ecommerce value chain amid strong business momentum. The company said the deal aligns with its strategic objectives and is expected to strengthen its presence and capabilities across the ecommerce ecosystem. 🔗Read the full article here- 4-2.co/4eAj5oZ #news #Inc42 #Meesho #ecommerce #B2B #acquisition #retail #D2C #ecomemrce