Featured stories
AI has altered the way users search for products: Target India’s Swapnasarit Sahu
Artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining many aspects of everyday life, and shopping, especially online, is no exception, as retail corporations are delivering newer, personalised experiences for shoppers that are simple and intuitive.
This shift is driven by changing consumer behaviour. Shoppers are no longer relying on just text-based searches as voice and image-based searches are equally becoming important. To meet these evolving expectations, retailers are turning to AI to create an environment where shoppers get what they need.
Target in India (TII), the global capability centre (GCC) of US headquartered retailer Target, is leveraging AI to deliver these experiences by redefining the world of search.
In an e-mail interview with EnterpriseStory, Swapnasarit Sahu, Sr. Director, Data Sciences, TII, explains how AI is enabling them to provide highly specific recommendations based on the products that shoppers are interested in.
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How Asha Jha and her five daughters are taking Madhubani art to the world
Growing up in Madhubani, home to the celebrated Mithila (also known as Madhubani) painting tradition, Asha Jha was surrounded by art from a young age. She watched her mother and grandmother bring stories to life on canvas and practised it herself.
After marriage, Jha chose to focus on her education, going on to complete a master’s degree in Home Science.
It wasn’t until life presented her with a series of challenges that she considered Madhubani art as a means of livelihood.
She and her husband both worked as lecturers in government-aided colleges, but were not paid for months on end. With five daughters to educate, all on loans, the financial pressure mounted. “I wanted them to study in English medium schools. At that time, we couldn’t study English in the village,” says Jha.
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Year in review: Startups that raised big from VCs in 2025
In 2025, venture capital (VC) firms were loading up ammunition, with major players like Accel and Nexus Venture Partners closing new funds. However, the overall funding activity remained subdued during the year, weighed down by a slowdown in growth-and late-stage investments. Despite the dip, 22 companies managed to raise funding above $100 million this year, data from Tracxn shows.
This figure, however, is less compared to 2024 when around 35 startups crossed the $100 million mark, boosted by Zepto’s $1.3 billion funding spree. Zepto continued to raise funds this year as well, bagging millions in a series of rounds that saw its valuation touch $7 billion.
Despite thinning deal flow in the climate-tech sector, electric vehicle (EV) companies continued to attract significant capital from VC firms in 2025. Electric vehicle manufacturer Erisha E Mobility walked away with a $1 billion cheque in Series D funding in March from an undisclosed UAE-based industrial investor.
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Immediate tax, uncertain returns: Unravelling the Unacademy ESOP shock
Edtech firm Unacademy has asked exited employees to exercise vested Employee Stock Ownership Plan or ESOP options within a short window because the company is in talks for an all-stock merger or acquisition at a valuation well below the capital it raised. ESOPs give employees the right to buy company shares at a fixed price.
The firm’s management said exercising these options will convert them into common shares and keep open the chance of receiving equity in the merged company.
Experts and employees point out that exercising forces an immediate tax bill on illiquid shares and may still leave former employees with nothing once investor protections are honoured.
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What India’s best-and worst-performing startup stocks of 2025 reveal
If 2021 was the year Indian startups sold ambition to private markets, 2025 was when public markets demanded answers. After years of valuation excesses, capital tightened, IPO scrutiny intensified, and listed markets emerged as the ultimate judge of business quality and durability.
The performance of India’s most prominent listed internet and new-age technology companies this year reflects a decisive shift away from flashy, growth-at-all-costs narratives towards operational clarity, consistent unit economics, and category leadership.
Every strong performer in 2025 offered either visible profitability or a credible, time-bound path to it. Also, focused businesses consistently outperformed those chasing multiple adjacent opportunities.
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Funding news
Prosperr.io raises $4M seed round led by Jungle Ventures
Bengaluru-based fintech SaaS startup Prosperr.io has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Jungle Ventures, with participation from Yatra Angel Network, Sadev Ventures, and other strategic investors. With this round, the company has raised $5.55 million since its founding in 2022.
Founded by Manas Gond and Dev Kumar, Prosperr.io is building AI-powered tax management infrastructure for individuals and enterprises, addressing compliance complexity across multiple income sources and jurisdictions. The startup offers subscription-based tax solutions for salaried individuals, alongside enterprise tools for employee reimbursements and tax-saving allowances.
The company plans to use the funding to accelerate product development, strengthen its B2B sales infrastructure, and expand into adjacent segments such as wealth management.
Other news
Garuda Aerospace partners with Salesforce to streamline customer operations
Chennai-based drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace has partnered with Salesforce to transform its customer lifecycle management as it expands into new business verticals and global markets. The collaboration will see Garuda deploy Salesforce’s Agentforce Sales and Agentforce to create a unified, cloud-based platform spanning marketing, sales, and service functions.
The implementation will impact over 90% of Garuda Aerospace’s client base in India, strengthening B2G, B2B, and B2C operations, while supporting expansion into Southeast Asia and Africa.
As the company expands into sectors such as agriculture, defence and infrastructure, the platform is expected to break down data silos, improve coordination across teams and support faster decision-making. The move supports Garuda Aerospace’s goal of building a full-stack drone ecosystem with scalable, personalised customer engagement.
StartupTN invites applications for Tamil Nadu Space Tech Fund
The Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (StartupTN) has invited applications for the Tamil Nadu Space Tech Fund, a dedicated 1:1 matching equity fund for space-tech startups registered in the state. Launched on December 22, 2025, the scheme will support startups with up to Rs 50 lakh in matching funds.
The fund aims to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s space technology ecosystem by supporting research, technology validation, and commercialisation. Funding will be provided as equity in stages, based on milestones approved by an expert committee. Eligible startups must be recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and work in space-technology areas such as satellite systems, launch technologies, space data analytics, propulsion and robotics. The state has allocated Rs 10 crore for the fund in F 2025–26.
(The article will be updated throughout the day with the latest developments and news)
