Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (July 1, 2025)

From Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd demerging its omnichannel pharmacy and digital health business into a standalone entity to AppsForBharat raising $20 million in a Series C funding round, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.

Feature stories

Electrifying food deliveries: Eternal’s sustainability chief on meeting Zomato's EV goal

If you order food through the Zomato app, you may get a notification that reads, “Your food is being delivered on an EV.” This is part of Eternal’s pledge towards fully electrifying its food deliveries by 2030. Behind this transition is a complicated roadmap—one with many moving parts, unlike the electric vehicle itself.

The Zomato parent’s chief sustainability officer, Anjali Ravi Kumar, is spearheading this movement. Under her leadership, Zomato has deployed around 37,000 EVs as part of its delivery fleet. Additionally, Blinkit has deployed 50,000 EVs, and 20% of all HyperPure orders are satisfied using an electric vehicle. Read more.

Shunya Agritech promises dairy farmers greater milk yields

During the pandemic, Vijay Singh spent time in the Indian countryside—away from the chaos in the cities—when he noticed a problem plaguing villagers working in the dairy sector—the lack of green fodder.

“I spent a while trying to figure out how big the problem was. After the pandemic, I travelled to about 15 states across the country, trying to understand our dairy practices, and realised this was a perpetual problem,” Singh tells YourStory.

In 2023, Singh founded Delhi-headquartered Shunya Agritech, a startup that develops and delivers highly nutritious green fodder for cattle to small farmers. The startup has about 25 employees in the Delhi-NCR region, and an operation centre in Gurugram and cultivation units in cities, including Kanpur, Agra, and Gurugram, and some other rural areas (each with seven employees). Read more.

Why spacetech startup SatLeo Labs is betting big on thermal intelligence

When Shravan Bhati was working on implementing a high-stakes agricultural project in 2019, he and his colleagues found that the temperature data available to them was inaccurate. He decided to bring this to the attention of former ISRO scientist Ranendu Ghosh, who headed the committee appointed by the Gujarat state government to look over the project that Bhati’s company was implementing.

“Temperature played a 35% role in the weightage of the model we were testing. I was under the impression that we had incorrect figures, but Ranendu explained that the Indian Meteorological Department was actually estimating temperature data by interpolating the IoT devices,” Bhati says.

The duo discussed some alternatives, but scalability was a recurring issue. They soon realised the right data would only be available if they assessed it through space. That realisation eventually led to the founding of SatLeo Labs in 2023. Its founding team includes CEO and Co-founder Bhati, CTO and Co-founder Ghosh, and CSO and Co-founder and Director Urmil Bakhai—Bhati’s colleague and a member of that agricultural project team. Read more.

Latest news

Swiggy launches Rs 99 store to target value-conscious consumers

Food delivery major Swiggy launched a new in-app section, the ‘99 Store’, which features curated meals at a flat price of Rs 99 with free delivery, as the company looks to deepen penetration among price-conscious users.

The move comes at a time when inflationary pressures and shifting consumption patterns have led to softer growth in India’s food delivery sector, as urban consumers curb discretionary spending.

The offering is available across 175 cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, with quick-prep items such as rolls, biryani, noodles, and burgers from partner restaurants. All items are priced at Rs 99 and will be delivered free of charge via Swiggy’s cost-efficient ‘Eco Saver’ delivery mode. Read more.

Apollo Hospitals to spin off pharmacy, digital health biz into new entity

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd is demerging its omnichannel pharmacy and digital health business—comprising the Apollo 24x7 telehealth platform and its investment in Apollo HealthCo Ltd—into a new standalone entity.

As part of the proposed composite scheme, Apollo will first carve out its digital health and pharmacy operations, including its stake in Apollo HealthCo Ltd, into a newly formed company, NewCo. This will be followed by the merger of AHL into NewCo.

In a parallel move, pharma wholesaler Keimed Pvt Ltd will also be consolidated into the new platform, creating a fully integrated, end-to-end distribution and digital healthcare company. Read more.

TVS Motor’s 2W EV sales hold ground as iQube-maker tops June monthly sales

TVS Motor Company retained its position as India's largest two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer in June, with a market share of about 27% in the country.

This is the third consecutive month that the iQube maker saw demand for its vehicle soar amid intense competition from Bajaj Auto and Ola Electric. The company sold 25,274 units in June, followed by Bajaj Auto, which sold 23,004 units, with a 24.5% market share, according to data from Vahan.

Meanwhile, Ola Electric continued to see its sales plummet YoY. The Bhavish Aggarwal-led company, which was the biggest E2W manufacturer until December last year, saw its sales fall by 45% from June 2024 to 20,189 units this year. Read more.

Funding news

AppsForBharat secures $20M in Series C round led by Susquehanna Asia VC

AppsForBharat—the parent company behind the devotional platform Sri Mandir—has secured Rs 175 crore (about $20 million) in a Series C funding round led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital, with continued support from existing investors Fundamentum, Elevation Capital, and Peak XV Partners.

It will use the funds in over 20 temple towns in India, including Ayodhya, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Haridwar, to strengthen services and commerce verticals and establish fulfilment logistics infrastructure. AppsForBharat also aims to scale temple partnerships, improve digital infrastructure, and enhance AI capabilities for better user service. Read more.

FincFriends raises Rs 98.5 Cr in debt from other NBFCs

NBFC FincFriends secured Rs 98.5 crore in debt funding to expand its operations and introduce new credit offerings for underserved borrowers in India.

The round includes Rs 54.5 crore raised from NBFCs and Rs 44 crore via non-convertible debentures (NCDs), with participation from investors such as IBL Finance, Incred Financial Services, Real Touch Finance, Shine Star Build-Cap, and Western Capital Advisors.

FincFriends last raised $7.8 million in April last year. The funding included $2 million in equity, $2.8 million in external borrowing, and $3 million in debt from InCred Finance and Grow Money Capital. Read more.

Loopworm Secures $3.25M to Expand Insect-Based Protein Production

Biomanufacturing startup Loopworm raised $3.25 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by WaterBridge Ventures and Japan-based Enrission India Capital to increase production capacity and strengthen its compliance and IP frameworks.

Founded by IIT-Roorkee graduates Ankit Alok Bagaria and Abhi Gawri, the Bengaluru startup is developing an unconventional platform for producing recombinant proteins using silkworms instead of traditional bioreactor systems.

It operates a 6,000-tonne insect processing facility in Bengaluru and supplies insect-derived proteins and oils for use in aquaculture and pet food industries across Europe, South America, and ASEAN nations. Loopworm has also filed several patents to protect its proprietary technology.

Astrophel Aerospace raises Rs 6.84 Cr pre-seed funding

Pune deeptech startup Astrophel Aerospace raised Rs 6.84 crore ($800,000) in a pre-seed funding round led by a group of angel investors and VC firms to develop a reusable semi-cryogenic launch vehicle and scale in-house R&D for missile-grade guidance systems and cryogenic components.

Founded in 2022, Astrophel independently built and test-fired a semi-cryogenic engine, Potentia C1U, in August 2023, spending Rs 6 lakh without external funding. The company adopts a modular, systems-first approach inspired by automotive manufacturing and 3D printing to reduce production time and costs.

Astrophel has signed an MoU with ISRO for collaborative R&D and is also partnering with a listed Indian manufacturer to co-produce cryogenic valves for dual-use in space and defence. The startup plans to develop a working prototype within the next 24–36 months and targets full orbital missions using reusable launchers from Indian launchpads.

Garaaz bags Rs 4.55 Cr in seed round

Automotive spare parts aggregator GARAAZ raised Rs 4.55 crore in a seed funding round led by GVFL to expand operations across additional states, strengthen local distribution networks, and enhance its on-ground workforce and partnerships.

Founded in 2019 by Shaleen Agarwal, Garaaz provides a digital platform for multi-brand garages to access over 8 million spare parts across 25 major car brands. The startup has tripled its growth over the past two years and doubled sales in FY24–25 compared to the previous year.

It will also use the funds to support technology upgrades, including the development of backend systems, AI/ML integration for automation and decision intelligence, and enhancements to platform features. Additionally, it plans to streamline procurement and logistics, bolster customer support infrastructure, and invest in tools to improve last-mile delivery, data security, and legal compliance.

Also Read

Oracle signs cloud services deal, eyes over $30B in revenue: Report

Other news

REA Group appoints Praveen Sharma as CEO of REA India

REA Group appointed Praveen Sharma as the new CEO of REA India, effective July. He will also join the company’s executive leadership team and will be based at REA India’s headquarters in Gurugram.

Sharma brings over 25 years of experience across technology, digital, media, and advertising in India and the Asia-Pacific region.

He joins REA India from Paytm, where he led business verticals such as advertising, online payments, and commerce services. He also spent nearly a decade at Google, including as Regional Director, Performance Media – APAC.

Sharma will work closely with outgoing CEO Dhruv Agarwala to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

Glance appoints Amit Bansal as SVP and GM of Roposo

Glance appointed Amit Bansal as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Roposo, the company’s content-led commerce platform. The appointment comes as Glance prepares to scale its AI-driven commerce initiatives through its upcoming platform, Glance AI.

In his new role, Bansal will lead the growth of Roposo into an AI-led commerce ecosystem, integrating content and communities to support digital storefronts. He will also collaborate with Glance and InMobi’s global teams to drive product innovation and market expansion.

Bansal brings over 20 years of experience in digital commerce. He was most recently the Founder and CEO of Solv, a B2B platform serving over 400,000 MSMEs. He also held leadership roles at Flipkart, Reliance Retail, and Ezmall.

EKA Mobility appoints Sanjay Kumar Bohra as Chief Commercial Officer

EKA Mobility has appointed Sanjay Kumar Bohra as the Chief Commercial Officer, where he will lead the financial and commercial strategy for the company and its group entities, focusing on growth, efficiency, and value creation.

With over 37 years of experience in finance, banking, and business process services, Bohra joins EKA Mobility at a time of ongoing expansion in both domestic and international markets.

He previously served as the Group CFO at a leading Indian automotive OEM. He also held senior roles at Citigroup, focusing on global banking operations, and led the commercial banking BPO vertical at Tata Consultancy Services.

AntiNorm launches clean beauty line for daily use in India

AntiNorm, a new personal care brand founded by former Silicon Valley investor Aparna Saxena, launched in India with a focus on simplified, multi-functional products tailored for Indian skin, hair, and climate conditions.

Its debut lineup includes Bye-Bye, Blow-Dry, a leave-in hydrator for frizz control and shine; High & Dry, a seven-ingredient dry shampoo for refreshing and volumising hair; and Fuller without Filler, a lip treatment for plumping and moisture.

The brand is backed by Rs 5 crore in pre-seed funding from Rukam Capital and V3 Ventures, and developed in partnership with design studio Stratedgy.

Wellbeing Nutrition appoints Varun Kandhari as Chief Marketing and Growth Officer

Wellbeing Nutrition appointed Varun Kandhari as its new Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, as the startup aims to double its revenue and expand globally this year.

Kandhari brings over 18 years of marketing and business leadership experience, having worked with companies such as Mars Wrigley, Unilever, and Davide Campari-Milano N.V.

Wellbeing Nutrition, founded by Avnish Chhabria in 2019 with Saurabh Kapoor joining as co-founder in 2021, offers a range of nutraceutical products targeting sleep, gut health, stress, immunity, and more. It last raised $10 million in a Series B funding round led by Hindustan Unilever and Fireside Ventures.

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