75 years since freedom, India truly goes global

As we mark our 75th Independence Day on August 15, it is time to acknowledge that Indian startups are now going global by the hordes. From deeptech to agritech to mobile gaming to healthtech, many companies have carved a niche for themselves and are ramping up their presence globally.

Homegrown startups like Safe Security (earlier Lucideus) helps worldwide organisations prevent cyberattacks; others like Gameberry Labs is building India-flavoured mobile games for world; the likes of CropIn, an agritech startup founded by Jharkhand-born entrepreneurs, has expanded to 52 countries. And many more.

One of the sectors vital for the realisation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat dream is defence. According to a report by Maier+Vidorno, India’s aerospace and defence industry is strategically important, and is expected to reach $70 billion by 2030.

India has around 194 startups building innovative solutions to empower and support the country’s defence efforts. ideaForge, Tonbo Imaging, CM Envirosystems, and VizExperts are among the prominent players in this space. The sector has also received a boost from the central government’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.    

Check out YourStory's complete coverage as India marks its 75th Independence Day here.

Read all about how the Indian startup ecosystem is battling the second wave of COVID-19 here.

Here are some useful tools to help you find the nearest vaccine centres in real-time.

You can also share a tribute to COVID-19 warriors, saviours, and survivors here.

The Interview

With increasing internet usage, D2C brands are taking off in a big way in India. 

In order to help small brands make a mark in the space, Rishi Vasudev used his experience in online and offline fashion to start G.O.A.T Brand Labs. The company recently raised a $36 million round to help D2C brands reinvent themselves in a growing market.

Editor’s Pick: The Turning Point

In 2016, Asish Mohapatra, Vasant Sridhar, Ruchi Kalra, Bhuvan Gupta, and Nitin Jain wanted to build a B2B platform to cater to small and medium enterprises across sectors like manufacturing, construction, etc. So, they started OfBusiness as a tech-enabled platform that facilitates raw material procurement and credit for SMEs with a focus on the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. 

Last month, the Gurugram-based startup entered the coveted unicorn club by raising a $160 million round led by SoftBank's Vision Fund 2. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

Solving for skilling, mentoring and hiring needs

IIM Calcutta alumni Savita Srivastava and Satish Dadi founded Xcelero as an aggregator platform that offers professional courses for engineers and techies, and also matches them with suitable placements. 

The Hyderabad-based startup targets both candidates and recruiters and aims to address the massive skill gap and employability challenges in India’s tech industry. Read more.

News & Updates

• As Ola gears up for the launch of electric vehicles under Ola Electric, the company has piloted the launch of a new segment — Ola Cars, marking its entry into the used car retailing space. The company is also providing maintenance and servicing options for its customers.

• Zeta founder Bhavin Turakhia has joined the ongoing Series H round of Unacademy, founder Gaurav Munjal announced in a tweet. This is Bhavin's maiden investment in a startup. Incidentally, he's been on the board of Unacademy since 2017.

• Fresh meat and seafood brand Licious said it has opened its maiden ESOP monetisation option worth Rs 30 crore that is expected to benefit close to 600 of its staff members. Last month, the startup had raised $192 million from a clutch of investors, including Temasek.

• Ugro Capital, the mid-scale non-banking lender focused on supply-side financing for small businesses, is nearly trebling its headcount to 1,000 to drive both footprint and balance-sheet expansion by March when it expects loan book to sniff at Rs 3,500 crore.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“It is the freedom to say, ask, and express myself without the fear of being judged.”

— Priti Rathi Gupta, Founder, LXME

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