Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (June 19, 2025)

From Freshworks doubling down on AI to Mahaveer Finance raising Rs 200 crore for NBFC expansion, and Corel Lifecare transforming aquaculture with tech, YourStory brings you today’s headlines across innovation and enterprise.

Freshworks doubles down on AI, targets mid-market with agentic push

In his first year as CEO, Dennis Woodside has repositioned Freshworks as an AI-first company, consolidating product and engineering into a unified AI team and pushing deeper into the mid-market with purpose-built AI agents.

With 2,700 customers using its Freddy Copilot and 1,600 on its AI Agent product, Freshworks is betting big on automation that works out of the box, unlike heavyweight rivals like Salesforce.

“Every customer conversation I am a part of starts with AI,” says Woodside.

By offering pre-built, low-friction agents for tasks like credit checks or order returns, Freshworks aims to make AI adoption seamless for growing businesses—and keep its lead as incumbents chase innovation. Read more.

Corel Lifecare builds a smarter future for India’s fish farmers

Corel Lifecare is revolutionising India’s aquaculture sector with tech-enabled, affordable solutions tailored for fish and shrimp farmers.

Founded by fisheries expert Abhijeet Naohate, the Navi Mumbai-based startup focuses on AI-driven diagnostics, IoT-based water quality monitoring, and science-backed bio-formulations like Mintamix and PondTrust.

It serves over 3,000 farmers monthly across seven states and aims to hit Rs 12 crore in revenue by FY25.

“Solving for Indian aquaculture isn’t just about products—it’s about context, ecosystems, and sustained R&D,” says Naohate.

By putting ethics, education, and efficacy first, Corel is challenging global giants and aiming to uplift over 1 lakh farmers annually while staying rooted in science and sustainability. Read more.

Funding news

Mahaveer Finance raises Rs 200 Cr to expand credit access for small entrepreneurs

Chennai-based Mahaveer Finance has secured Rs 200 crore in Series C funding led by Elevation Capital, with continued backing from BanyanTree and First Bridge.

The 44-year-old NBFC plans to use the funds to deepen its footprint across South India, upgrade its tech infrastructure, and boost formal credit access for underserved small entrepreneurs.

“This funding milestone validates our four-decade journey of serving the underbanked segments of India’s economy,” said Deepak Dugar, MD & CEO.

Known for financing used vehicles in Tier II–V towns, Mahaveer now boasts a Rs 1,000-crore AUM and over 20,000 active customers. Its tech stack, including a proprietary credit engine, has helped keep credit costs low and improved operational efficiency. Read more.

Other news

VDart partners with Cloud Supply Chain Solutions

Trichy-based VDart has partnered with and invested in Atlanta’s Cloud Supply Chain Solutions (CSCS) to deliver AI-driven, end-to-end supply chain solutions. The move strengthens VDart’s global ambitions as it eyes $500 million in revenue by 2027.

With CSCS’s intelligent platform and VDart’s expertise in digital transformation, the duo aims to transform traditional logistics into strategic profit engines.

“Today’s supply chains demand agility, transparency and intelligence like never before,” said Sidd Ahmed, VDart’s CEO.

The collaboration will also enhance access to platforms like SAP, Oracle, and Blue Yonder, offering real-time visibility and optimisation to clients worldwide.

Freshworks appoints Ian Tickle as chief of global field operations

Freshworks has appointed Ian Tickle as the chief of global field operations, cementing his transition from interim to permanent after a year of high-impact leadership.

Tickle, a seasoned enterprise software executive, played a key role in Q1 2025’s strong 19% revenue growth. CEO Dennis Woodside praised Tickle as “a customer champion and exceptional leader.”

In his new role, based out of London, Tickle will drive global expansion and new business growth, continuing to align sales strategy with Freshworks’ mission to deliver intuitive IT and customer service software.

“This new role gives me the opportunity to extend that impact more broadly,” said Tickle.

Nikhil Kamath invests in creative agency One Hand Clap

Investor Nikhil Kamath has backed One Hand Clap Media, a creative agency founded by ex-AIB leaders Aakash Shah and Naveed Manakkodan.

The agency is known for its fast, bold storytelling across campaigns for brands such as Swiggy, Netflix, and Prime Video India. Kamath’s investment supports the agency’s vision of building culturally resonant and disruptive digital-first campaigns.

“Nikhil gets our DNA, and our visions align,” said co-founder Aakash Shah.

Manakkodan said, “This partnership fuels our ambition to redefine the agency model.”

GalaxEye to launch second satellite with 0.5m resolution

Space-tech startup GalaxEye has announced its second satellite project, featuring a 0.5-metre resolution and reduced revisit times.

Scheduled for launch in late 2026 or early 2027, the satellite is being developed entirely in-house and targets critical defence markets globally.

“Our second satellite marks a significant leap in unlocking richer, more detailed analytical intelligence,” said CEO Suyash Singh.

The satellite builds on the upcoming launch of Mission Drishti and leverages GalaxEye’s proprietary SAR-Optical sensor stack. The company plans to expand operations and facilities, with a strategic focus on markets in the United States, West Asia, and Europe.

Auric, ISAK, Fix My Curls win Amazon Propel season 4; season 5 launched

Amazon India has named Auric, ISAK Fragrances, and Fix My Curls the winners of its Propel Global Business Accelerator Season 4, awarding them a combined $100,000 equity-free grant.

The initiative, aimed at supporting Indian D2C brands in global expansion, has helped 120+ brands launch internationally since inception. Season 5 is now open for applications until July 15, 2025.

“Propel helped us navigate every aspect of global selling,” said ISAK founder Vidushi Vijayvergiya.

The programme offers mentorship, VC access, and demo-day opportunities.

Amazon aims to support up to 100 brands in Season 5 as part of its $80-billion export goal by 2030.

ZOFF Foods enters ready-to-cook segment in partnership with Reliance Retail

ZOFF Foods has launched its ready-to-cook ‘Quick Homestyle Food’ line in partnership with Reliance Retail, expanding its offline presence.

The new offerings—5-Minute Gravies and 1-Minute Marinades—claim to be preservative-free and priced between Rs 75 and Rs 150.

The rollout will span 400+ Reliance stores by July 2025.

“We are introducing a convenient solution for today’s fast-paced lifestyles without compromising on flavour,” said ZOFF Foods Co-founder Akash Agrawalla.

ZOFF Foods, which is known for clean-label spices, sees this as a natural extension into full kitchen solutions.

Maruti Suzuki selects 9 winners for 9th startup accelerator cohort

Maruti Suzuki India has announced nine winners—six from India and three from Germany—for the 9th cohort of its Accelerator programme.

The selected startups will now run proof-of-concept pilots with Maruti Suzuki, exploring applications in cybersecurity, road safety, EV infrastructure, and more.

This marks the first cohort with global participation.

“Startups bring fresh thinking and new ideas,” said Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO. “We welcome the winning startups to join us in our mission to offer ‘Joy of Mobility’ to as many people as possible.”

Since 2019, the Accelerator has engaged over 150 startups, with 25 integrated into Maruti’s operations.

Bhindi AI partners with WarpSpeed Hackathon to advance conversational AI

Bhindi AI is partnering with WarpSpeed 2025, a major AI hackathon organised by Lightspeed and others, to promote development in agentic AI.

The event will take place on June 21 and 22 in Bengaluru and invites top talent to build solutions in autonomous agents and task automation. Bhindi AI will engage with participants to further its mission of human-centric technology.

“We are at an inflection point,” said Sowmay Jain, Founder of Bhindi AI. “The future is going to be those systems that can think like a machine but communicate like a human.”

WarpSpeed expects over 1,000 applicants across top institutions.

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