The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared two separate deals allowing KDT Venture Holdings, LLC, and MUFG Bank, Ltd., to buy stakes in Shiprocket Private Limited.

MUFG Bank is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group while KDT Venture Holdings is a subsidiary of Koch, Inc., a firm focused on early-stage investments in sectors like healthcare, supply chain, and fintech. The firms will acquire minority stakes in Shiprocket.

The financial details of both transactions remain undisclosed.

Earlier this month the ecommerce enablement platform said it reduced its cash EBITDA burn by about 50% to Rs 100 crore in FY24 from Rs 191 crore a year ago.

The logistics unicorn also said it managed to hit profitability for the first two quarters of the current financial year, and it remains on track to achieve full profitability by FY 2025.

Gaming startup WinZO on Tuesday filed a suit against multiplayer gaming app Zupee, seeking a permanent injunction for alleged unethical and unfair trade practices, corporate espionage, and an attempt to steal confidential information.

In a statement sent to YourStory, Zupee said, “We strongly deny all allegations made by WinZO against us in the matter.”

WinZO said it took legal action after finding evidence of Zupee allegedly inducing WinZO employees and other critical business affiliates to breach confidentiality agreements in an effort to exploit sensitive business data, practices, and trade secrets.

“At WinZO, we uphold zero-tolerance for unethical business practices and remain steadfast in our commitment to protect what we have built. We will pursue and expose anyone who threatens the integrity of our business,” a spokesperson for WinZO said in a statement.

“Innovation is the lifeblood of the startup ecosystem, and we refuse to stand idle while unscrupulous elements and competitors attempt to undermine it with deceitful tactics. This is not just about WinZO—this is about defending the very principles that drive progress and entrepreneurship,” they added.

The company has allegedly found evidence of Zupee reaching out to its employees and business associates through intermediary market research firms such as Data Empiric and Alpha, offering compensation for divulging confidential information.

WinZO alleges that these firms solicited its employees under the pretext of “research exercises” but were attempting to extract details regarding the company including revenue, distribution channels, proprietary algorithms, and insights.

In response to these allegations, Zupee said, “The Hon’ble Court has already taken on record Zupee’s statement that we do not have any confidential information pertaining to WinZo nor do we seek any such confidential information. Despite WinZo’s baseless and superficial claims of even having produced evidence, the fact remains that no prima facie case could be made out by WinZo and the Hon’ble Court did not grant any of the purportedly urgent interim reliefs sought by WinZo.”

WinZO also claimed that Zupee’s COO and chief of staff actively participated in such calls to extract information.

Global early-stage venture capital firm Antler has bolstered its presence in India by investing in 30 startups in 2024, taking its total portfolio in the country to 80 companies.

These investments were made through Antler’s maiden India fund of $75 million.

The startups span sectors such as AI, consumer technology, fintech, deeptech, health, and climate. These portfolio companies were chosen from over 25,000 founders who engaged with Antler’s platform in 2024.

“We’re seeing exceptional founding teams emerge from India’s talent pool, many of whom have deep expertise in AI, and emerging technologies. What’s particularly exciting is that these founders are not just building for India, but are leveraging India’s talent to solve global problems,” said Rajiv Srivatsa, Partner at Antler India.

“Our investment pace reflects both the quality of the founders we’re meeting and our conviction that the next wave of global technology companies will emerge from India. We’ve invested in 30 companies this year, many of which were born in our Residency programme, where founders had the opportunity to validate their ideas, build strong teams, and get early customer traction before raising their first check,” he added.

Notable additions to the portfolio include Bizup, a wholesale marketplace for fashion retail; Cautio, which provides AI-powered dashcam solutions; and Freshcon, which simplifies home cooking with ready-to-cook staples.

Other startups include HireBound, which focuses on AI-driven recruitment and Infer.so, which is developing voice bots for the insurance and lending industries. Meine Electric is pioneering renewable energy through aluminium-air fuel cell technology, while Sustvest is building a fintech-led solar energy platform.

Startups such as Keeper, Maximize Money, and Milo Drive focus on financial innovation and sustainable mobility, while Wonder provides interactive audio solutions for children. Companies like Namma Yatri are working to transform mobility through driver-focused platforms, and TradeFace is fostering hyperlocal marketplaces.

The cohort also includes Proof of Skill, which is reimagining job credentialing, and Storefox.ai, aimed at revolutionising offline retail intelligence. Interface Labs is a workplace automation studio, while Kubo Care offers health monitoring solutions.

According to Antler, some of its portfolio companies are operating in stealth mode.

Antler’s next Residency cohort in India is scheduled to commence in February 2025.

Globally, Antler operates in 30 cities, including Bengaluru, Austin, London, and Tokyo, and has backed over 1,300 startups to date. The firm aims to support more than 6,000 startups by 2030.

Rajiv Srivatsa and Nitin Sharma are general partners at Antler in India and co-founders of the Antler India Fund.