Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (January 21, 2025)

Featured news

Starbuzz.ai redefining influencer marketing

Influencer marketing has become a cornerstone of digital advertising, capturing a significant portion of the marketing budgets of brands. However, the industry continues to face challenges, including detecting fake followers, managing campaigns efficiently, and ensuring measurable return on investment (RoI).

To address these issues, Krishna Priya Akella and Aravindha Bollineni co-founded Starbuzz.ai in 2021.

The Hyderabad-based startup uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify and enhance the influencer marketing process for brands. “The influencer marketing industry is growing exponentially, but it’s not without its pitfalls. One of the biggest challenges brands face is ensuring that the influencers they partner with have authentic followers and genuine engagement. This lack of trust in data has been a significant roadblock for many companies looking to invest heavily in this space,” Akella tells YourStory.

The platform automates many aspects of influencer collaboration, making it easier for marketers to discover, manage, and analyse their partnerships.

Click here to read more.

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Satya Nadella tops HSBC Hurun Global Indians List 2024

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, has claimed the top spot in the inaugural HSBC Hurun Global Indians List 2024, which recognises 226 Indian-origin leaders heading some of the world’s most valuable companies.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan secured the second and third positions on the list. Compiled based on a survey of 400 respondents, including notable wealth creators from previous Hurun reports, the list estimates the combined value of companies led by these leaders at $10 trillion.

The list reveals that 57% of the leaders are first-generation entrepreneurs, 41% are professionals, and 2% are inheritors. Prominent first-generation leaders include Aneel Bhusri of Workday and Prem Watsa of Fairfax Financial Holdings. The youngest entrepreneur on the list is 27-year-old Tanay Tandon, Co-founder of healthtech company Commure.

BHIM partners with Fintech Yatra to expand financial inclusion in India

BHIM, India’s flagship digital payments app powered by NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL), has joined hands with The FinTech Yatra 2025 as a Principal Partner. The collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of digital payments, enhance financial inclusion, and promote digital literacy across India.

The Fintech Yatra is a 10,000-kilometer road initiative designed to connect financial innovators with institutions and stakeholders in the ecosystem. Through this partnership, BHIM plans to train over 200 NGO representatives in a “train-the-trainer” model, empowering grassroots leaders to educate communities about digital payments.

Funding News

SamVed launches $50M fund for early-stage Indian tech startups

SamVed, a US-incorporated venture capital firm, has announced the launch of a $50 million fund to support early-stage tech startups in India. Led by individuals with background in prominent companies like LetsVenture, Bridgewater Associates, and Google, SamVed will primarily target startups in their early stages, with investments ranging from $80K–$120K, and will also provide larger investments from $250K–$1M for pre-Series A rounds.

According to a statement from SamVed, with the Indian economy projected to reach the size of $10 trillion in the next decade, there will be an emergence of 400 million middle class population and 750 million aspirational people.

This VC believes it would support those startups which will address the gaps in areas of education, healthcare, finance, and lifestyle.

Bharat Value Fund raises Rs 1,250 Cr in first close of its third fund

Bharat Value Fund on Tuesday raised Rs 1,250 crore as part of its first close of Bharat Value Fund (BVF) Series 3, the asset management firm’s third fund. Managed by The Wealth Company, formerly Pantomath Capital Management, the fund has set a target corpus of Rs 2,500 crore, including a green shoe option of Rs 1,000 crore.

The fund targets mid-market and high-growth enterprises, often rooted in Tier II and III cities, with revenue between Rs 300 crore and Rs 1,000 crore.

According to BVF, this thesis allows the fund to structure exit strategies, including initial public offering, within 30-36 months after investment, while also offering paths such as private equity or mergers and acquisitions.

Snabbit bags $5.5M in Series A funding 

Quick commerce has rushed into new categories, as quick service provider Snabbit bagged $5.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Elevation Capital.

The round also saw participation from existing investor Nexus Venture Partners along with angel investors like Meesho’s Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal, Unacademy's Gaurav Munjal, and Niraj Singhfrom Spinny. The funding will enable Snabbit to add more neighborhoods across Mumbai as well as make key hires across the team.

The funding will enable Snabbit to add more neighborhoods across Mumbai as well as make key hires across the team.

Chelvies Coffee secures $1M investment from Endurance Capital

Chelvies Coffee, a specialty coffee and dining brand, has secured $1 million in funding from Endurance Capital, with an additional $500,000 in debt financing under consideration. The funds will drive the brand’s expansion to 30+ locations across major Indian cities by 2026 and enhance its supply chain and operations.

India's cafe industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15-20% to reach $2.6-3.2 billion by 2028. The coffee café segment growth specifically is driven by evolving consumer preferences and increasing appreciation for premium coffee experiences.

“We are redefining coffee shops from being merely casual spaces to becoming experience-driven destinations where customers feel at home while enjoying exceptional coffee and food. Since our launch, we have rigorously tested and perfected our concept through our presence in Delhi NCR and Ahmedabad. This funding comes right at a time when we are all set to scale aggressively and bring our unique offering to key markets across India,” said Dhruv Singh, Founder and CEO of Chelvies Coffee.

Postudio secures $1M pre-seed funding led by Audacity VC

Cloud-based post-production software company Postudio has raised $1 million funding in a pre-seed round led by media-tech focused Audacity Venture Capital. The company has also crossed a milestone of $1 million ARR within two years of its launch and plans to double the revenues in 2025.

The new capital will be used for rapid scale-up, product development and expansion of the team.

“We’ve scaled quickly in the Indian enterprise segment in a very capital efficient manner. In 2025, we plan to sustain this momentum and expand into the U.S. market in the second half of this year,” said Dhawal Gusain, Co-founder of Postudio.

"At Postudio, our goal has always been to empower creative teams with tools that simplify and enhance their post-production workflows. Our platform already supports key processes like virtual editing, real-time collaboration, and seamless camera-to-edit data transfer. We're now doubling down on innovation, integrating cutting-edge AI and Gen AI workflows to redefine post-production," added Co-founder Harish Prabhu.

JoySpoon reaches ₹1.81 Cr funding led by Dishit Nathwani

JoySpoon, a mouth freshener brand has added Rs 56 lakhs to its ongoing seed round, bringing the total funding to Rs 1.81 crore. The latest round was led by Dishit Nathwani, Director at Gulab Oils, with participation from Prateek Toshniwal of Ivy Growth Associates, Abhinav Jain & Ankit Jain, CFOs at CoinDCX, PharmEasy and a few others.

The investment builds upon the ₹1.25 crore raised by JoySpoon from 100x VC, underscoring strong investor confidence in the brand’s ability to reshape the Indian mouth freshener market with healthier, natural & low sugar alternatives.

With this fresh round of funding, JoySpoon aims to expand its manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad to meet the rising demand for mouth fresheners, paan, and similar products. The brand also plans to utilise the funds to scale its presence across leading quick commerce platforms like Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket in major metros, as well as strengthen its marketplace presence on Amazon and Flipkart.

Vaishali Mehta, Founder of JoySpoon, shared, “As we grow, we are proud to run our manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad entirely by women. Sticking to our central theme of “day deserves little bits of JOY” with this facility we want to spread the goodness of Joyspoon across the chain from our women in the manufacturing unit to the consumers having a bit of our health-focussed curations."

Other News

Dirtcube Interactive launches backend platform to empower game studios

Dirtcube Interactive, a game-tech studio based out of Navi Mumbai has announced the launch of Specter, a backend platform designed to revolutionise the gaming ecosystem. This fully integrated solution combines all essential backend services such as player progression, game economy management, automated achievement and rewards systems, leaderboards, LiveOps, and real-money features into a unified platform that empowers developers and marketers to create immersive and scalable gaming experiences.

Specter’s USP lies in offering customisable backend services to meet the needs of the gaming industry.

“While India’s gaming and esports industry is experiencing rapid growth, significant gaps persist in the game development ecosystem. Specter is designed to bridge these gaps by empowering creators across industries with the tools they need to make game development more accessible, efficient, and rewarding,” says Pravan Parikh, Co-Founder and Product Lead, Dirtcube Interactive LLP.

Skydo gets RBI Authorisation as Payment Aggregator-Cross Border entity

Skydo Technologies, a cross-border payments company, has received in-principle authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Payment Aggregator-Cross Border (PA-CB) entity. Skydo is among the first companies in the cross-border payments space to receive this authorisation.

Skydo started operations in 2022 and currently serves over 12,000 exporters in India, processing over USD 250 million in annual export payments.

“The RBI in-principle authorisation is a testament to our compliance-first culture, secure systems and robust risk controls”, said Awadhesh Ranjan, Head of Risk & Compliance at Skydo.

Skydo partners with leading banks across the world and provides a comprehensive solution to manage their invoicing, payments and reconciliation.

KRAFTON launches ‘programme to empower aspiring Esports athletes

KRAFTON India Esports bas announced the launch of its ‘Rising Star’ Programme, an initiative aimed at identifying and nurturing emerging esports talent across India. Applications for this programme are now live, offering aspiring Esports stars an opportunity to level up their skills and become the next big name in the industry.

The Rising Star Programme offers participants an opportunity to enhance their gaming and content creation skills, mentored by some of the best minds in the industry. It also places equal emphasis on mental well-being and balanced lifestyles, providing participants a strong foundation for long-term success in competitive Esports.

"Our mission goes beyond identifying talent; we aim to nurture a community of passionate players capable of elevating India’s esports landscape to global standards. Through grassroots development and opportunities, this programme aspires to strengthen the foundation of competitive gaming while inspiring a new generation of players and content creators," Karan Pathak, Associate Director of Esports at KRAFTON India.

DigiHaat appoints Rahul Vij as COO

DigiHaat, a buyer app by Nirmit Bharat, and a fully owned subsidiary of ONDC Network, has appointed Rahul Vij as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Vij brings over a decade of experience in driving organisational growth and efficiency. In leadership roles such as Vice President, Zonal Manager, and Marketing Manager with Brands like MagicPin, Reckitt, and Amazon India, he has consistently delivered impactful strategies.

“We warmly welcome Rahul in the company. He will play an integral role at DigiHaat in promoting a convenient and more accessible user experience for consumers," said Kirshan Agarwal, Director, DigiHaat.

Singularity AMC appoints Avnish Anand and Ajay Kumar in leadership roles

Singularity, a provider of capital and differentiated market access for growth assets, has appointed Avnish Anand as Partner for leading Investments in Consumer and Ajay Kumar as Senior Advisor.

As we strengthen our capabilities, it is very clear that building expertise in our focus sectors is crucial for success. Avnish has an excellent understanding of the Indian consumer and a proven ability to build a consumer-centric brand like CaratLane. We have an ambitious vision for our consumer portfolio and Avnish is the perfect person to lead it. Likewise,

As Co-founder and former MD & CEO of CaratLane, Anand played a pivotal role in transforming the company. At Singularity, he will focus on building and scaling the consumer portfolio, leveraging his deep understanding of consumer businesses in India. Having served as India’s longest-tenured Defense Secretary, Kumar will be instrumental in Singularity’s focus on key high-potential sectors such as semiconductors, defense, electronics, and critical energy minerals.

Dentalkart to add 100+ employees to its existing workforce

Dentalkart, an online marketplace for dental supplies, has announced plans to expand its team by adding 100+ talented professionals across leadership and non-leadership roles by the end of March 2025. The announcement follows the company’s continued team expansion spree in 2024, onboarding 75 employees in Q3 and 62 employees in Q4.

Presently, Dentalkart has a total headcount of 500+ employees and is actively hiring leaders in every department.

“This continued team expansion exhibits our commitment to be a transformative force and also solidifies our leadership position in contributing to the dental industry's growth at a macro-level,” said Vikas Agarwal, CEO and Founder of Dentalkart.

Falcon joins NPCI Partner Program to drive next-gen credit card innovations

Falcon, an innovator in banking technology, has joined the NPCI Partner Program (NPP). The collaboration aims at co-creating cutting-edge solutions that empower domestic banks with next-generation credit and payments infrastructure.

As part of the partnership, Falcon and NPCI will focus on co-creating transformative products, enabling joint go-to-market strategies, and driving innovation. These efforts aim to equip domestic banks with tools to redefine customer experiences and compete in a rapidly digitising financial landscape.

Falcon’s suite of products underpins this partnership, including flagship offerings such as Portfolio Maximiser, Credit Card Stack and Credit Line on UPI Stack.

Priyanka Kanwar, Co-founder and CEO of Falcon, said, “NPCI has redefined what’s possible in fintech and built the infrastructure that powers India’s payments revolution. Together, we aim to help banks deliver credit products that not only meet today’s needs but anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities, preparing them for a $10 trillion economy.”

New Relic appoints Simon Lee as Senior VP and Managing Director, Asia-Pacific and Japan

New Relic, an Intelligent Observability company, has announced the appointment of Simon Lee as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ).

With extensive leadership experience in the technology sector, Lee has achieved significant growth for market-leading global companies throughout Asia Pacific. Prior to New Relic, Lee held the position as Vice President, Asia Pacific & Japan at Gigamon, as well as senior leadership positions at Oracle, Fluke Networks, SAP, and Seagate Technology.

“The Asia-Pacific region is culturally diverse and highly customer-centric with endless potential for growth,” said New Relic Chief Revenue Officer Chris Jones. “The depth and breadth of experience Simon brings to our team will propel New Relic’s Asia-Pacific business to new heights as we continue to expand through scaling our high-performing teams, while delivering value to our customers.”

(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)