Startup
Championing preventive healthcare; Space: Opportunities abound
Hello,
At last, a unicorn.
Mobility startup Rapido has joined the unicorn club—a term used for companies with $1 billion or more in valuation. The company raised $120 million in a new funding round led by WestBridge Capital.
Rapido is the third startup to become a unicorn this year after fintech platform Perfios and AI company Krutrim.
Up ahead: Ola Electric’s IPO.
The e-scooter manufacturer will offer shares in the price band of Rs 72 to Rs 76 per equity share in its IPO, which will open on August 2. It will include a fresh equity issue of Rs 5,500 crore and an offer for sale of about 8.5 crore shares worth up to Rs 645.56 crore.
With India’s stock market boom leading to more than 150 Indian companies raising nearly $5 billion through public listings between January and July this year, Ola Electric’s IPO will test investors’ appetite for EVs.
Meanwhile, Ather Energy, another Indian e-scooter maker that plans to go public, has raised Rs 60 crore in debt funding from InnoVen Capital India.
Lastly, the Russia-Ukraine war is disrupting mobile signals in India as telecom towers across the country fall prey to heists. The CapTable unearths the story behind stolen radio equipment worth Rs 1,000 crore.
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- Championing preventive healthcare
- Space: Opportunities abound
Here’s your trivia for today: What was the first feature-length motion picture with sound?
Woman Entrepreneur
Championing preventive healthcare
Tanya Khubchandani Vatsa understood the importance of wellness and a preventive healthcare system while working in New York.
In 2022, she founded Elixir Wellness. The Mumbai-based wellness centre offers preventive care, skin care, and anti-ageing solutions, among others, to improve a person’s general quality of life.
Quality of life:
- Elixir Wellness’ services include physiotherapy and pain management, lymphatic drainage, chiropractic adjustments, cryotherapy, and more.
- For its anti-ageing services, it offers a telomere testing service that allows one to gain information about their tissue age, which can play a crucial role in understanding their body’s ageing process.
- The startup has 27 centres across Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. It follows a franchise model for its Delhi and Bengaluru centres.
Funding Alert
Startup: Gruner Renewable Energy
Amount: $60M
Round: Undisclosed
Startup: Simple Energy
Amount: $20M
Round: Series A
Startup: Ather Energy
Amount: Rs 60 Cr
Round: Debt
Space tech
Space: Opportunities abound
Srinath Ravichandran, Co-founder and CEO of Agnikul Cosmos, believes it’s crucial to demystify the perception that space is an exclusive domain for boys and the wealthy.
“I grew up as an aerospace enthusiast… Being able to actually attempt building a real rocket that can go to space from Chennai is a dream come true,” said Ravichandran.
Out and beyond:
- After four failed attempts, Agnikul Cosmos made history this year with a sub-orbital test flight of its launch vehicle, Agnibaan SOrTeD, powered by the Agnilet engine—the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine.
- Ravichandran pointed out that the goal is to develop a framework wherein, with just three inputs (mass destination, and origin), a launch can be scheduled within two weeks.
- According to the Agnikul CEO, the spacetech firm is actively working on having a multi-mission testing plan, so that, within the next 10 missions, the startup will be fully sustainable from a vehicle standpoint.
News & updates
- Crypto push: Shares of New York-listed cryptocurrency firms gained before the open on Monday after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talked up Bitcoin and promised friendlier regulation for the industry.
- Slow quarter: McDonald’s reported a surprise drop in sales worldwide, its first decline in 13 quarters, as the higher cost of Big Macs kept cash-conscious customers away from the burger giant’s outlets.
- No data: China took another step to obscure information about overseas funds going into and out of its sagging stock market, saying it will stop publishing daily flows data in the middle of August.
What was the first feature-length motion picture with sound?
Answer: The Jazz Singer
We would love to hear from you! To let us know what you liked and disliked about our newsletter, please mail [email protected].
If you don’t already get this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. For past editions of the YourStory Buzz, you can check our Daily Capsule page here.
Startup
Juspay cuts losses by 7.7% as revenue surges 49.6% in FY24
Payments startup Juspay Technologies saw its losses narrowing in FY24 as revenue growth outpaced expenditure. It narrowed its total loss for the period to Rs 97.54 crore, down 7.76% from Rs 105.75 crore in FY23.
According to the consolidated financial statements accessed from the Registrar of Companies, the SoftBank-backed fintech firm’s revenue from operations surged 49.64% to Rs 319.32 crore, up from Rs 213.39 crore in FY23.
Juspay’s primary revenue source—payment platform integration fees—brought in Rs 286.52 crore. Additional operating revenue from services like product implementation and support added Rs 32.80 crore.
Total expenses rose by 29.52% to Rs 443.74 crore in FY24, compared to Rs 342.59 crore in the previous year. This increase was largely driven by employee benefit expenses, which saw a 41.73% jump to Rs 303.36 crore, while other expenses increased slightly over 3.56% to Rs 123.76 crore.
Juspay, founded in 2012 by Vimal Kumar and Ramanathan RV in Bengaluru, specialises in developing payment orchestration solutions that act as a technology layer over traditional payment gateways.
The Accel-backed startup has also developed Namma Yatri, a mobility app focusing on ride-hailing services, leveraging Juspay’s strengths in payments and open-source protocols. Namma Yatri is built on the Beckn Protocol and aligns with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), aiming to provide low-cost ride-hailing options and open access to digital mobility services.
Recently, Juspay decided to spin off Namma Yatri as an independent entity to attract separate investors and scale further. In February, the company said it acquired LotusPay in an all-cash deal to strengthen its offerings to the BFSI segment and merchants.
LotusPay, founded in 2016, pioneered NACH Debit technology with cloud-based software for merchants and banks. Using NPCI’s NACH Debit, it facilitates recurring payments for loans, insurance, and subscriptions.
Startup
Flipkart selects five startups for third cohort of Flipkart Leap Innovation Network
Flipkart Leap Innovation Network (FLIN).
has selected five innovative startups for the third cohort of its flagship startup accelerator programme,The cohort is introducing startups that are driving advancements across GenAI, omnichannel, analytics, and video commerce, the company said in a statement.
The selected startups— Intelligence Node, Invenzo Labs, StoryBrain, Phyllo, and D-ID— are set to run pilot programs with Flipkart to develop solutions.
“The selected startups get access to mentorship, resources, and the opportunity to execute pilot projects within the Flipkart ecosystem, scaling their solutions to meet the demands of India’s digital economy and e-commerce growth,” the company said.
Since its launch in 2022, the accelerator programme aims to accelerate the growth of the startup ecosystem in India, driving collaboration, and championing cutting-edge retail innovations.
“Through the FLIN programme, Flipkart continues to expand its role as a catalyst for innovation within India’s startup ecosystem, providing a collaborative platform for startups to test, refine, and deploy solutions that can shape the future of e-commerce in India,” said Naren Ravula, Vice President and Head – Product Strategy and Flipkart Labs.
The programme is designed to engage with startups through commercial partnerships in Flipkart’s areas of interest. Successful startups get the opportunity to scale up to a business partnership.
Over 20 startups from the initial two cohorts have concluded pilots working closely with the Flipkart Product and Engineering teams.
The company added that four startups from the previous cohort— Anagog, Speedsize, Sangti, and Vtion— have recently concluded successful pilot projects with Flipkart.
Startup
Thesys secures $4M funding led by Together Fund
AI startup Thesys bags $4 million funding in a round led by Together Fund. The round also saw participation from 8VC, the company said in a statement.
The startup will use the funding to bridge the gap of user experience with AI agents. As a visual collaboration tool, the company will also provide a platform that will enable businesses to ideate, visualise, and ship intelligent experiences at scale.
“The way we engage with technology is changing faster than ever. Static interfaces simply don’t meet the demands of today’s AI-capabilities…At Thesys, we’re building tools that make it possible for businesses to adapt and thrive in this new era,” said Parikshit Deshmukh, Co-founder, Thesys.
This evolution is about unlocking the full potential of AI-driven interactions and delivering unparalleled user experiences, he added.
“The future of AI relies as much on intuitive, adaptive interfaces as it does on backend capabilities. Thesys’ vision for Generative UI aligns perfectly with Together Fund’s commitment to enabling founders who are redefining the user experience,” said Manav Garg, Co-founder and managing partner of Together Fund.
“By empowering teams to create real-time, personalized interactions, Thesys is setting a new standard for AI-driven interfaces. We’re excited to support their journey in transforming the role of design and development tools for the next generation of AI applications,” he added.
The company, founded by Rabi Shanker Guha and Parikshit Deshmukh this year, emerged from the understanding of the need to provide support in the shift towards AI-driven interfaces, it said.
“Thesys envisions a future where all interfaces dynamically adjust to each user’s behavior, preferences, and needs—driven by what the company calls “Generative UI”. Unlike traditional static interfaces that rely on predefined paths, Generative UI uses AI to create unique, adaptive user interfaces on-the-fly, allowing businesses to provide truly personalized digital experiences,” the company added.
The company plans to launch a UI SDK that is set to enable developers to seamlessly integrate Generative UI into their applications. Additionally, post its closed beta launch, the company plans a general availability (GA) with its product within the next quarter positioning itself as the go-to product toolkit for businesses looking to stay ahead in the AI revolution.
“Thesys is pioneering a transformative shift in UI design workflows by integrating AI-driven adaptability… Their Generative UI approach aligns with our commitment to investing in technologies that drive innovation in user experiences,” said Bhaskar Ghosh, partner at 8VC.
-
Startup Stories1 year ago
Why Millennials, GenZs Are Riding The Investment Tech Wave In India
-
Startup Stories1 year ago
Startups That Caught Our Eyes In September 2023
-
Startup Stories1 year ago
How Raaho Is Using Tech To Transform India’s Fragmented Commercial Trucking
-
Startup Stories12 months ago
Meet The 10 Indian Startup Gems In The Indian Jewellery Industry’s Crown
-
Crptocurrency8 months ago
Lither is Making Crypto Safe, Fun, and Profitable for Everyone!
-
Startup Stories1 year ago
How Volt Money Is Unlocking The Value Of Mutual Funds With Secured Lending
-
Startup Stories1 year ago
Why Moscow-Based Kladana Considers Indian SME Sector As The Next Big Market For Cloud Computing
-
E-commerce1 year ago
Top Online Couponing Trends To Watch Out For In 2016