Indian Startup News

National Stock Exchange (NSE) Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ashish Chauhan, while speaking at ET NOW Leaders of Tomorrow Awards Season 12, said listing on the NSE can be a game-changer for entrepreneurs aiming to become billionaires, citing Ratan Tata and N.R. Narayana Murthy as prime examples. Chauhan stressed that small and medium-sized enterprises can rely on capital markets to raise funds more easily now than they could two decades ago. “It’s a great situation for people who want to become entrepreneurs,” he said. “Today it is much easier to list compared to 20 years ago. But you need to comply because you are taking money from people who are unknown to you.” He pointed out that leading Indian business figures — including Dhirubhai Ambani, Tata, Murthy, and Nandan Nilekani — made their fortunes through public listings. “It’s important that if you have a plan, you want to grow, and you want to become a billionaire, come and list,” he said. #nse #ratantata #billionaire #company #business #entrepreneur #startup #indianstartupnews

American ride-hailing giant Uber has announced a partnership with Refex Green Mobility to deploy 1,000 electric vehicles in major Indian cities by 2026. The move is part of Uber’s global plan to provide 100% emission-free rides by 2040 and strengthen its local effort to promote cleaner, more sustainable transportation. Read the full story here:👇 https://lnkd.in/dkGV9HHz #uber #electricvehicles #ev #india #traveling #taxi #cars #company #startup #indianstartupnews

Apple is moving forward with its retail expansion in India, preparing to open four new stores in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, and Pune. The tech giant has begun hiring staff for the upcoming locations, according to a recent LinkedIn post by John Taffe, an Apple Store leader. “Apple’s journey in India has been incredible, and we’re thrilled to continue growing in these vibrant cities,” Taffe wrote, adding that the company is seeking “passionate and talented individuals” to help launch the new stores. Notably, Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier announced plans to establish additional physical outlets in India, following the 2023 openings of Apple Saket in Delhi and Apple BKC in Mumbai. Those locations quickly drew large crowds, especially around new iPhone launches, highlighting India’s growing appetite for Apple products. #apple #iphone #delhincr #mumbai #bengaluru #pune #indianstartupnews

Kuhoo Finance, a fintech platform specializing in student loans, has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). The license allows the firm to offer education loans of up to Rs 2 crore for a range of courses, including management, engineering and medical programs, as well as executive education and upskilling initiatives. Read the full story here:👇 https://lnkd.in/dVhhs8mw #finance #fintech #students #education #loan #payments #rbi #nbfc #startup #indianstartupnews

B2B SaaS fintech firm Zaggle Prepaid Ocean Services has partnered with Strada, an end-to-end provider of payroll, human capital management and financial management solutions, to launch a unified payroll and spend management platform for employers in India. The company said the integrated offering will help businesses save time and reduce costs by digitizing employee expenses, reimbursements and benefits, all while ensuring strict compliance with Indian regulations. Read the full story here:👇 https://lnkd.in/d6eQH8r9 #b2b #saas #fintech #payments #partnership #management #startup #indianstartupnews

AI-powered admissions startup Ambitio has raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by BLinC Invest, with participation from Ritu Bapna (Co-founder, Impetus), along with a few soonicorn founders and angel investors from the UK and India. Founded in 2022 by IIT-BHU graduates Dirghayu Kaushik and Vikrant Shivalik, Ambitio claims to be India’s first AI-driven admissions platform. It combines intelligence from past applicants with insights from alumni experts to offer students a highly personalized admissions experience. Read the full story here:👇 https://lnkd.in/dqMDJ7zG #ai #funding #investors #investment #education #university #learning #students #startup #indianstartupnews

Le Travenues Technology, which operates ixigo, announced that its board of directors has approved a new Employees Stock Option Scheme 2025. The plan involves granting up to 1.2 crore stock options, each convertible into one equity share of the company. The exercise price under ESOS 2025 is set at Rs 93 per option, matching the issue price from the company’s initial public offer. Read the full story here:👇 https://lnkd.in/d7FDeX3p #traveltech #technology #investors #ixigo #company #startup #indianstartupnews

The Indian government is considering a proposal to reintroduce merchant discount rate (MDR) charges on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and RuPay debit card transactions, specifically targeting larger merchants, according to a recent ET report. MDR is a fee merchants pay to banks for processing real-time digital payments. At present, no MDR applies to UPI or RuPay debit card transactions. However, banking industry representatives have formally submitted a request to the Union government, recommending that these charges be reinstated for businesses with an annual Goods and Services Tax (GST)-linked turnover exceeding Rs 40 lakh. Under the proposal, the government would adopt a tiered pricing system, with higher charges for larger merchants and continued zero fees for smaller players. Businesses with an annual turnover below Rs 40 lakh would remain exempt from MDR charges, the report said. #upi #rupay #payments #banks #government #indianstartupnews

Namita Thapar-led Emcure Pharmaceuticals has entered the daily supplements market with an expansion of its Arth range. Arth offers supplements that combine Indian herbs like Brahmi with modern science to address key health concerns. The company has onboarded Bollywood actress Vidya Balan as a brand ambassador for Arth. Vidya Balan will raise awareness on topics like intimate care and sleep issues, encouraging women to prioritise their health. #vidyabalan #actress #pharma #namitathapar #brand #indianstartupnews

Between March 03 and March 08, 2025, as many as 19 startups from diverse sectors raised over $352 million in funding from investors. These sectors include SaaS, HRtech, Beauty, Deeptech, Real Estate, Fintech, Spacetech, Fintech, D2C, Climatetech, Insurtech, AI, and Enterprise Tech. Last week, Indian startups raised over $93 million, with Geniemode raising $50 million alone. The period also witnessed strategic mergers and acquisitions. M2P Fintech to acquire AI startup Mad Street Den, Mintoak has acquired fintech startup Digiledge, and GaragePlug buys review management platform Freshreview. #hyderabad #funding #investors #telangana #technology #ai #innovation #startup #indianstartupnews