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How a personal fertility experience inspired Veena Reddy to launch Oval Fertility
Veena Reddy's own fertility journey inspired the launch of Oval Fertility. Her experience navigating treatment highlighted the need for fertility care that is not only clinically advanced but also more empathetic, transparent, and patient-centric, leading her to co-found the startup with fertility expert Dr Brian Levine.
Based in Hyderabad, Oval Fertility aims to combine advanced reproductive technologies with personalised care for individuals and couples seeking fertility treatment.
Anthropic moves closer to public listing
Anthropic has submitted a confidential S-1 prospectus to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), taking a key step towards a potential initial public offering (IPO).
The Claude AI maker, which is valued at nearly $1 trillion, has taken the lead over rival OpenAI in the race to become a publicly traded company.
The development comes a few days after Anthropic leapfrogged OpenAI in valuation for the first time after securing $65 billion in Series H funding at a post-money valuation of $965 billion.
Funding news
IAN Alpha Fund co-leads Rs 45 cr investment in Aquapulse
Left to Right _ Abhishek Dwivedy & Abhilash Dwivedy, Co-founders, Aquapulse
IAN Group, through IAN Alpha Fund, has participated in the closure of a Rs 45 crore funding round for Odisha-based aquaculture startup Aquapulse. The round was led by NABVENTURES through its AgriSURE Fund.
Founded in 2023 by brothers Abhishek and Abhilash Dwivedy, Aquapulse works with small shrimp farmers through a hub-and-spoke model that helps improve farm productivity, resulting in higher yields and better incomes.
The fresh capital will be used to strengthen farm-level technology and disease management systems, expand the company's farmer procurement network across eastern India, scale up processing and export operations, and build working capital infrastructure to support its growing international business.
Shilpa Shetty Kundra invests in kids' lifestyle brand Rosada
Co-Founders of Rosada _ Shalu and Bhupesh Agarwal with Shilpa Shetty Kundra
Premium kids' lifestyle brand, Rosada, has announced an undisclosed strategic investment from Shilpa Shetty Kundra.
According to a press release, this announcement marks the start of a strategic partnership to accelerate the brand's expansion and strengthen its presence in the premium children's market.
Founded by husband-wife duo Shalu and Bhupesh Agarwal, Rosada's portfolio spans bags, bedding, travel accessories, décor, and everyday utility products for babies and young children.
Rosada has attracted a long line of celebrity customers, including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Neha Dhupia, Soundarya Rajinikanth, Mira Kapoor, and the Ambani family.
The brand secured a three-shark deal on Shark Tank India Season 5.
The fresh capital will be used for geographic expansion, deepening the product portfolio, and strategic talent acquisition in design, marketing, and operations.
ProLearn raises Rs 30 Cr in pre-seed round
AI-native learning platform ProLearn has raised Rs 30 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by BEENEXT, with participation from Eximius Ventures, Antler, and a group of prominent founders and operators as angel investors.
The startup will use the fresh capital to accelerate product and engineering development, strengthen its AI and reasoning infrastructure, expand curriculum-aligned content, hire senior talent across AI/ML, product and growth functions, and scale go-to-market efforts ahead of its public launch.
Founded in April 2026 by former Vedantu technology leader Ravneet Singh, ProLearn is reimagining online education through an AI-powered learning companion that delivers personalised, interactive, and adaptive learning experiences. The platform's conversational tutor is designed to explain concepts, ask questions, respond to student inputs in real time, and adapt to individual learning styles and pace, encouraging active learning rather than passive consumption of recorded lectures.
Other news
BharatPe launches BharatPe Flex, a credit-on-UPI solution powered by YES BANK
Financial services and UPI payments company has launched BharatPe Flex, a Credit-on-UPI offering powered by YES BANK that enables customers to make everyday UPI payments while accessing a pre-approved credit line.
The product allows users to continue transacting within the existing UPI ecosystem, including QR code payments at stores, online purchases, bill payments, recharges, travel bookings, fuel purchases, and other daily expenses, without changing their payment habits.
With BharatPe Flex, users can access instant credit for routine and unexpected expenses, bringing greater flexibility and control to their spending.
SAP Labs India unveils Startup Studio Cohort 2026
SAP Labs India has launched the SAP Startup Studio Cohort 2026, marking 10 years of its open-innovation accelerator programme. The six-month initiative supports startups in enterprise AI, agentic systems, robotics, cloud infrastructure, industrial intelligence, and quantum-safe security.
The programme provides access to SAP leaders, enterprise customers, and global commercialisation opportunities. Selected startups include ANSCER Robotics, Drishya AI, QNu Labs, Pulse Energy, and Perceptory AI Labs, among others.
Netradyne to power AI safety layer for NHEV e-highways
AI-powered fleet technology company Netradyne has partnered with National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) to deploy AI-driven intelligence and safety solutions across India's emerging electronic highway network.
The phased rollout will provide real-time fleet visibility, predictive risk detection, driver behaviour analytics, and operational monitoring for commercial EVs. The collaboration aims to enhance safety, connectivity, and operational reliability across national EV corridors while supporting the growth of long-distance electric mobility.
AHEAD opens Bengaluru office, expands India presence
Chicago-headquartered IT services firm AHEAD has opened an office in Bengaluru, marking its third location in India after Gurugram and Hyderabad. The expansion strengthens AHEAD's global delivery model and engineering capabilities in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, platform engineering, and IT outsourcing.
The company now employs over 700 professionals across its India Centre of Excellence and plans to leverage Bengaluru's deep technology talent pool to support enterprise transformation projects worldwide.
Juspay joins Mastercard Engage network
Payments technology firm Juspay has joined the Mastercard Engage partner network as a certified third-party partner for Click to Pay. Following a successful rollout in Brazil, Juspay will now enable the solution globally, helping merchants offer faster and more secure online payments.
The integration combines biometric passkey authentication, card tokenisation, and frictionless checkout capabilities to improve transaction security, reduce cart abandonment, and enhance digital payment experiences for consumers and businesses.
FulcrumQ enters India market
Global strategy and human capital advisory firm FulcrumQ has entered India, bringing its Science of Talent to Value framework to organisations undergoing growth and transformation.
The firm focuses on aligning talent decisions with business performance by identifying high-impact roles and deploying talent strategically. Its India expansion comes as companies increasingly seek measurable returns from workforce investments amid growing concerns about the effectiveness of large-scale skilling initiatives.
Alpino crosses Rs 100 crore revenue mark
Surat-based health food brand Alpino has surpassed Rs 100 crore in annual revenue, achieving 2.5 times year-on-year growth and fivefold growth over the last two years. The company scaled from ₹20 crore in FY24 to ₹100 crore in FY26, driven by rising demand for nutritious, clean-label food products. Backed by entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast Shilpa Shetty, Alpino has expanded its product portfolio and strengthened its presence across digital and retail channels, catering to consumers seeking healthier lifestyle choices.
CBIZ acquires India-based BINDZ Consulting
Professional services advisor CBIZ has acquired India-based BINDZ Consulting, advancing its global growth strategy. The transaction brings more than 250 professionals and an experienced leadership team into CBIZ's network. BINDZ, previously a dedicated service provider under a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement, has supported CBIZ's accounting and tax services. The acquisition will strengthen the company's delivery capabilities and enable closer collaboration between its U.S. and India teams.
SalarySe launches AI-powered SmartPerks platform
Employee financial benefits platform SalarySe has launched SalarySe SmartPerks, introducing Flexi Benefits and Device Benefits solutions powered by AI and UPI infrastructure. The company has also appointed veteran HR leader Sunita Cherian as advisor. The platform enables tax-efficient salary structuring, automated benefit categorisation, and seamless employee experiences, helping organisations deliver flexible and compliance-ready financial benefits while improving employees' take-home pay.
Avio Smart Market Stack reports strong FY26 growth
Avio Smart Market Stack Limited reported revenue of Rs 103.96 crore in FY26, up 160% from Rs 40.04 crore in FY25. Profit after tax rose over 240% to Rs 5.94 crore. The company also achieved a positive net worth during the year. Growth was driven by expansion across financial inclusion, digital services, agri-tech, and healthcare segments, alongside stronger ecosystem partnerships and focused execution of its long-term strategy.
Scripbox acquires Bluechip Capital's MF distribution business
Wealth management firm Scripbox has acquired the mutual fund distribution business of Delhi-NCR-based Bluechip Capital. Founded by Ravi Kohli, Bluechip Capital has served clients for over three decades.
The acquisition will provide clients access to Scripbox's research, asset allocation expertise, and digital wealth management capabilities while ensuring continuity for employees and customers. The move aligns with Scripbox's strategy of partnering with independent wealth management firms across India.
Excitel Broadband posts Rs 40 Cr net profit for FY26
Excitel Broadband, a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband network has reported a profit of Rs 40 crore for FY26 and revenue of Rs 530 crore. This was due to growth in its fibre broadband and IPTV subscriber base along with improved operational efficiencies.
In FY25, Excitel Broadband had registered a revenue of Rs 517 crore with an EBITDA of Rs 35 crore. Excitel CEO Varun Pasricha said, "This has been a dramatic shift in the earnings profile of the company, from losses in 2023, to becoming EBITDA positive in early 2025, and now being both EBITDA and PAT positive."
Looking ahead, Excitel expects to maintain growth momentum in FY'27 through deeper market penetration, stronger operational efficiency, and increased adoption of value-added services.