From OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 bringing smarter reasoning and warmer conversational styles to Piyush Goyal unveiling India’s plan to globalise tribal products, YourStory brings the latest developments across sectors.
Featured stories
How India’s women Kho Kho World Cup champions are redefining the game
When India lifted the first Women’s Kho Kho World Cup trophy in January this year, they didn’t just make sporting history, it was the fulfilment of a dream nurtured by countless women who believed in the game’s potential.
Meet Nirmala Bhati, Priyanka Ingle, and Magai Majhi, members of India’s women’s Kho Kho World Cup winning team. From humble beginnings to achieving global success, their stories reflect courage, determination, and change. Read more
How a Delhi startup is turning everyday ACs into affordable air purifiers
Founded by Ravi Kaushik, Delhi-based Airth has built patented filters that convert air conditioners into efficient purifiers.
Airth’s journey began in 2020 when Kaushik, as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Social Alpha, an incubator and innovation platform, started developing affordable air purification tech. The first product line, anti-microbial air purifiers, was launched during the pandemic and tested against the COVID-19 virus in biosafety labs, including CSIR-IMTech.
Kaushik soon realised that traditional purifiers were costly, bulky, and rarely used. “People spend Rs 20,000 on a purifier, but it just sits in a corner,” he says. So he decided to build purification into air conditioners—something people use daily. Read more
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh lead India’s MSME boom
According to Deloitte’s MSME Ecosystem Index 2025, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh have emerged as the strongest engines of MSME growth. Each has built distinct ecosystems rooted in industrial diversity, innovation, and policy support.
Maharashtra leads the pack, with 3.71 million MSMEs thriving on the back of Mumbai’s financial influence, Pune’s manufacturing strength, and a well-connected logistics network, as per IndiaDataMap. Tamil Nadu follows closely with 2.17 million enterprises, bolstered by its traditional manufacturing base in textiles, automotive, and agri-processing.
Karnataka’s ecosystem draws its energy from Bengaluru’s digital edge. The state ranks among India’s top five for digital maturity, enabling a new generation of tech-led MSMEs across SaaS, electronics, and exports.
Funding news
Mirova invests $30M in Varaha’s Kheti soil carbon project
Mirova, the sustainable investment arm of asset management firm Natixis Investment Managers, has invested $30 million in carbon removal project developer Varaha.
The investment is a mix of project financing and an offtake agreement, which means Varaha will use the money to expand the Kheti soil project by 10X to 337,000 smallholder farmers across states of Haryana and Punjab in the next four years. The firm currently works with 25,000 farmers. Read more
Brandworks Technologies closes Series A round at $11M
Brandworks Technologies Private Limited, a design-driven, R&D-led electronics manufacturing powerhouse, has closed its Series A funding round at $11 million after bagging an additional $4 million (₹38.12 crore) from the Roha Family Office.
Harsh Vardhan Bhandari from MGB Advisors acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the transaction.
The company will deploy the funds to accelerate advanced R&D initiatives in AI hardware, IoT platforms, and connected device ecosystems. Brandworks also plans to strengthen its R&D by setting up a design centre in Taiwan and scale its design, engineering, and operations teams to support innovation-led growth.
This funding is an addition to the Rs 61 crore ($7 million) Series A investment in August 2025 led by Cactus Partners with participation from GVFL and some family offices. With this latest infusion, Brandworks’ total funding now stands at $11 million (around ₹100 crore), which will be used to accelerate its global expansion and strengthen R&D leadership.
EV charging platform ACS Energy raises Rs 1.1 Cr in pre-seed round
ACS Energy Systems has raised Rs 1.1 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The Mumbai-based startup focuses on developing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for high-rise buildings and large residential townships.
Founded in 2022, ACS Energy (Ayka Control Systems Pvt. Ltd.) has developed universally compatible chargers for two-, three-, and four-wheelers, along with a UPI-enabled payment platform for EV charging. The company also uses AI-based systems for load management and payment monitoring.
With the new investment, ACS plans to deploy over 5,000 UPI-enabled EV charging stations across Maharashtra and Gujarat and develop its energy management systems for large buildings, aimed at improving power distribution and load balancing in urban environments.
K J Somaiya Institute of Management launches Rs 1 Cr fund to power experiential learning
K J Somaiya Institute of Management has launched the New Venture Investment Project—an experiential learning programme designed to equip MBA students with hands-on exposure to the startup investment process.
Developed in collaboration with Somaiya Vidyavihar University‘s incubator, RiiDL, the initiative seeks to bridge the gap between academia and the entrepreneurial ecosystem by enabling students to assess, value, and recommend real startups for potential investment consideration.
Nia.one secures $2.4M seed funding from Elevar Equity
Nia.one, a full-stack platform for India’s gig and blue-collar workforce, has secured $2.4 million from Elevar Equity in a seed funding round.
The investment will accelerate Nia.one’s vision of building Niadel hubs across major employment corridors, enabling workers to live closer to their workplaces, access fair jobs, and meet their daily needs within a single trusted phygital ecosystem.
“At Nia.one, we are building the missing physical layer between the road and the rented bed,” said Lt Col Pushkar Raj (Retd), Co-Founder and COO, Nia.one. “Every Niadel hub is designed so that a worker can walk to work, return to a safe, affordable bed, access hot meals, and upgrade their life without debt traps or brokers. Elevar’s partnership strengthens our ability to build this infrastructure with discipline, speed, and long-term intent.”
Kotak Alts invests Rs 400M in Mediversal Healthcare
Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited (Kotak Alts), through its Kotak Life Science Fund I, has made an investment of Rs 400 million in Mediversal Healthcare. The round also attracted additional funding from Asha Ventures, an impact focused fund.
Kotak Life Science Fund I invests in early- to growth-stage life sciences and healthcare businesses.
The funding will enable Mediversal to undertake both organic and inorganic expansion in Eastern India.
Headquartered in Patna, the multi-speciality hospital chain currently operates a 200+ bed facility and is eyeing expansion in neighboring districts.
Alive raises Rs 6 Cr to expand curated experiences platform
Alive, a Bengaluru-based startup offering curated lifestyle and leisure experiences, has raised ₹6 crore in funding from Powerhouse Ventures and a group of angel investors and operators. The company plans to use the capital to expand its footprint across Indian cities and strengthen its technology platform.
Founded by Vivek Kumar, a former investor and serial entrepreneur, Alive operates as a platform that aggregates and curates urban experiences across categories such as adventure, art, wellness, and food. The company is currently active in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and plans to launch in Goa next.
Alive has grown its catalogue to over 125 experiences. The company aims to reach an annual recurring revenue of ₹100 crore by March 2027.
Ochre Spirits raises seed funding in a round led by Ah! Ventures
Goa-based beverage startup Ochre Spirits has raised an undisclosed amount in a seed funding round led by Ah! Ventures through its First Gear platform. The round also saw participation from Mukesh Singh (Founder, RoboCapital; former President, IIFL Finance) and Probir Roy (MD, Alize Capital; Independent Director, Nazara Technologies; Co-founder, PayMate), who will also serve as a strategic advisor to the company.
Founded with a focus on small-batch, design-led spirits, Ochre Spirits is developing a portfolio that includes whisky, gin, agave-based products, and non-alcoholic mixers. The company plans to use the funding to strengthen its production capabilities, expand its portfolio, and deepen its presence across South and West India.
Trishul Space Raises Rs 4 Cr in pre-seed funding round led by IAN Angel Fund
Trishul Space, a propulsion technology startup focused on next-generation liquid rocket engines, has raised Rs 4 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by IAN Angel Fund, with participation from 8X Ventures and ITEL. The funds will support ongoing research and testing of turbopump technology and accelerate work on Harpy-1, the company’s liquid rocket engine designed for small satellite launch vehicles.
Founded by Aditya Singh, Divyam, and Rajat Choudhary, Trishul Space develops propulsion systems based on staged combustion cycles and integrates AI-driven failure detection. The startup aims to address the high cost and technical complexity associated with building rocket engines, an area that continues to be a key challenge for launch vehicle manufacturers in both the private and public sectors.
Trishul Team(L-R) Rajat, Aditya, Divyam Choudhary
Other news
upGrad scales hybrid learning footprint; targets 40 Learning Support Centres by March’26
upGrad has announced the expansion of its Learning Support Centre network across India to strengthen its hybrid learning model. The initiative aims to improve access to job-oriented education for students and early professionals.
Following a pilot phase, the company has set up 11 operational centres in cities including Pune, Kolkata, Indore, Bhopal, and Bengaluru. It now plans to expand the network to 40 centres by March 2026, extending its reach across metros and Tier II cities.
Each centre will offer short-term courses, typically four to six months long, in areas such as data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and full-stack development. The expansion aligns with upGrad’s goal of making skill-based learning more accessible and aligned with industry needs.
PhonePe enters into collaboration with OpenAI to ramp up adoption of ChatGPT
PhonePe has entered into a collaboration with OpenAI to accelerate consumer adoption of ChatGPT in India and foster mutual business growth. This collaboration will enable PhonePe users to explore ChatGPT’s features on the PhonePe platform.
According to a statement, the collaboration can enhance user experience on the PhonePe platform by offering smarter and relevant information on everyday needs, from travel planning to shopping. It will also make ChatGPT discoverable across PhonePe’s consumer app and the PhonePe For Business app.
