Inside Lightbox’s investment blueprints; Real-time insights for road repairs

Hello,

Healthcare in India needs healing, believes Yashish Dahiya, Co-founder of PolicyBazaar and Group CEO of PB Fintech.

He has just raised $218 million in seed funding for the newly minted PB Healthcare Services to build what he believes will help build trust in India’s healthcare sector. In an interview with YourStory's Shradha Sharma, Dahiya outlines his plans.

Meanwhile, WhiteHat Jr co-founder Karan Bajaj-owned healthtech startup Complement 1 is out of stealth mode. Focused on cancer care through personalised lifestyle medicine, the startup has raised $16 million in a seed funding round led by Owl Ventures and Blume Ventures. 

Complement 1 has launched what it describes as the first tech-enabled, clinically validated lifestyle modification platform tailored for cancer patients and high-risk individuals. 

Speaking of changing times in the healthcare industry, AI has been considered a death knell for radiologists. However, the technology has only made them more efficient, and is unlikely to replace human specialists any time soon, The New York Times reports. 

In other news, strong domestic and international travel is boosting revenue for online platforms MakeMyTrip and ixigo.

ICYMI: An ode to cricketing legend Virat Kohli.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Lightbox’s focus on unique startup bets
• Real-time insights for road repairs
• How TAP is closing the learning gap

Here’s your trivia for today: In which country was a method for making rust-resistant iron discovered in the fifth century BC?

Interview

Lightbox’s focus on unique startup bets

Amid a rising demand for capital, new and old venture capital firms are deploying India-focused funds to feed the new-age companies that are coming up today.  However, VC firms are increasingly focusing on one aspect while looking for their next big bet—product differentiation. 

According to Lightbox’s Managing Director and Partner, Sandeep Murthy, this is the company’s core focus while looking to write cheques. In an interview with YourStory, Murthy talks about how the firm is looking at the funding landscape, the need for core differentiation amongst startups, and its investment playbook as it prepares to launch its new fund. 

Need for differentiation:

• According to Murthy, retail businesses need sharp, micro-market execution—winning locally over scaling fast everywhere. Moreover, product businesses need real operational moats, which help act as differentiators against similar or bigger competitors in the market. 
• Lightbox’s next fund won't be about providing liquidity to its limited partners, according to Murthy. Rather, the firm has already sold part of its Rebel Foods position when Temasek and KKR invested, and is in talks with other secondary funds about providing liquidity. 
• Within the firm’s portfolio, Rebel Foods, Droom, and Furlenco are all trending in the right direction, Murthy adds. While Rebel Foods’ IPO timeline is uncertain, Droom is already looking at a potential September IPO. Furlenco could also look towards a market debut, owing to its profitable rental model.

<Funding Alert>

Startup: VFlowTech

Amount: $20.5M

Round: Undisclosed

Startup: ContraVault AI

Amount: $5.1 Cr

Round: Seed

Startup: Third Bracket

Amount: Rs 5 Cr

Round: Seed

Startup

Real-time insights for road repairs

Traditional road inspection methods rely on manual, on-ground assessments wherein inspectors walk or drive slowly over the roads to identify issues such as cracks, potholes, and fading markings. They use basic tools such as measuring tapes, straightedges, and GPS devices, recording data in notebooks or simple digital forms that are later transcribed.

RoadVision AI hopes to transform the above scenario with a data-driven solution that automates road asset management and safety audits.

Automated surveys:

• RoadVision AI uses computer vision, generative AI, digital twins, GIS technology and foundational AI models to automate road asset management. The platform’s workflow consists of three processes: data collection through satellite imagery and footage, processing, and visualisation on a smart map interface.
• RoadVision AI operates on a B2B and B2G SaaS model and offers subscription-based access to its platform. It charges about Rs 1,000 per kilometre for data processing. The subscription offers features such as road condition maps, safety audit visuals, and predictive maintenance planning.
• Currently, RoadVision AI operates in India, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and the UK. In India, the startup has completed pilot projects in Jaipur, Raipur, and Gandhinagar. It is currently working with five state governments and several civic bodies including in Raipur and Jalandhar.

Social Impact

How TAP is closing the learning gap

TAP 2.0, a bold education reimagining by The Apprentice Project, started with a few classrooms in Pune and a vision to equip students from low-income communities with 21st-century skills.

With TAP Buddy—an AI-powered chatbot that could run on WhatsApp, the team has helped equip children in remote towns and underserved communities with skills in STEM, visual and performing arts, financial literacy, and coding through YouTube videos, gamified quizzes, and creative challenges. 

Fostering potential:

• Founded in 2016 by Anand Gopakumar and Prashant Kumar—alumni of Teach For India, with Monica Pesswani also bringing experience from Harvard University—TAP began by embedding itself in public schools in Pune and Mumbai. Their in-school model focused on electives like STEM, performing arts, and life skills.
• Through TAP Buddy, children can choose one elective and progress through lessons that adapt to their pace. They submit voice notes, photos, and videos as evidence of learning, which are then assessed using structured rubrics based on the UNICEF Life Skills Framework and the UK’s Skills Builder Framework.
• From 800 students in five Pune schools in 2016, TAP has reached over 72,000 students in 462 schools across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Delhi. With state partnerships active in four states, and a target of 250,000 students by 2026, TAP aims to embed its models directly into public education systems.

News & updates

• Cloudy outlook: Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker, downgraded its full-year outlook on Wednesday citing recent appreciation of the Taiwan dollar, even as it struck an upbeat note about booming demand for AI servers.
• Blockbuster listing: Contemporary Amperex Technology is set to raise at least $4 billion in its Hong Kong share listing by pricing it at the top end of what it indicated, Bloomberg reported, thanks to strong demand for the stock.
• Cautiously optimistic: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries trimmed its economic growth outlook but struck a cautiously optimistic tone on trade developments, keeping its oil demand forecast steady as it prepares to accelerate production.

In which country was a method for making rust-resistant iron discovered in the fifth century BC?

Answer: India. 

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