Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (May 5, 2025)

From edtech Vedantu’s revival to developments between smart ring maker Ultrahuman’s and Oura ring’s legal tussle—YourStory brings you the key headlines driving change across industries today.

Featured news

Vedantu is charting a phoenix-like recovery, says CEO, but it’s not all smooth sailing ahead

Vedantu’s founder believes the phoenix is a fitting analogy to his edtech firm, which many had given up on. But, in the last few years, the K-12-focused edtech firm has found its bearings and worked its way back to growth, says Vamsi Krishna, Vedantu’s Co-founder and CEO, in an interview with YourStory.

“It’s been a classical phoenix moment for Vedantu—everyone had written us off,” says Krishna, leaning back and reflecting on the company’s “disciplined execution” to get onto the path to profitability. 

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Also Read

Vedantu’s core revenue falls below FY21 level; losses narrow in FY24

Latest news

Oura gets initial win against Ultrahuman in patent infringement case

India-based smart ring maker Ultrahuman received an unfavourable initial determination in an ongoing case with Oura ring from the United States International Trade Commission.

The ruling, made on April 26 by Administrative Law Judge, found both Ultrahuman and Chinese rival RingConn had violated patents related to Oura's smart ring technology, as per a blog post shared by Oura.

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Funding news:

Volt14 raises $1.87M led by Blume Ventures

Battery-tech startup Volt14 on Monday bagged $1.87 million in a pre-Series A round led by Blume Ventures.

The round also saw participation from Beyond Next Ventures, Spectrum Impact, Supermorpheus and previous investor Cocoon Capital. This round brings the total funding raised by the company to $4.02 million.

Volt14 will use the newly raised funds to scale up its manufacturing of its anodes and to strengthen the team.

Store My Goods raises Rs 4 Cr in a growth funding round

Tech-enabled store solutions startup raised Rs 4 crore in a growth funding round led by JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF) and family offices.

The company will use the newly raised funds to expand across new geographies, improve its technology infrastructure, and strengthen its leadership team.

This infusion is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to close $1 million round, with participation from prominent family offices.

Lifechart bags $360K from Unichem Labs‘ family office

Health-tech startup Lifechart secured $360,000 in an extended seed round for its gut health brand Guttify.

The round was led by Prajay Advisors, the family office of the founders of Unichem Labs, Prakash Mody and Jayendra Shah. 

This new round follows a $500,000 seed round in October 2024 that was backed by Expert Dojo, Agility Ventures, Sunn91 Ventures, government seed schemes, and angel investors like Nitish Mittersain and Ahana Gautam—bringing Lifechart’s total funding to over $1 million.

Lifechart will use the newly raised funds to expand diagnostic R&D, grow distribution, and scale both Guttify and Lifechart’s product portfolio.

Finvolve invests in SaleAssist.ai’s new funding round

Multi-stage VC firm Finvolve on Monday said it has invested in AI-powered live video commerce SaaS startup, SaleAssist.ai.

The $300,000 round was co-led with ASICS Ventures Corporation and is expected to fund the company’s goal to strengthen its product suite with deeper AI integrations and automation capabilities.

Other news:

Zillion partners with PayU to improve loyalty redemption experience

Multi-brand loyalty programme company Zillion on Monday partnered with financial services provider PayU to allow customers to earn and redeem Zillion Coins across PayU’s merchant network.

The integration is set to expand the Zillion ecosystem and offers customers opportunities to accumulate and utilise Zillion Coins across an expanded lineup of brands.

Zillion customers will now be able to automatically earn coins a qualified merchant transactions on the PayU checkout page.

Marico board approved re-appointment of Saugata Gupta as MD and CEO

FMCG company Marico on Monday said its board has approved the re-appointment of Saugata Gupta as the Managing Director and CEO for a period of two years from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2028.

Gupta, who joined the company in 2004 as the Head of Marketing, was elevated to the CEO of India Business in 2007. Since 2017, Saugata has been the MD and CEO of the company.

Veranda Learning appoints new CFO

Education company Veranda Learning has appointed Mohasin Khan as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Khan, who joined the firm in 2022, will take over the role from Saradha Govindarajan, who stepped down to pursue personal interests and commitments.

Additionally, the firm also appointed Abinaya Kalpathi as Assistant General Manager – Marketing.

These appointments are expected to drive innovation, brand growth, and operational excellence, the company said.

(The copy will be updated with the latest news)