Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (September 29, 2025)

From Zoho’s messaging platform Arattai’s surge in downloads to the skill gap haunting the electric vehicle ecosystem, YourStory brings today’s headlines spotlighting bold bets in the sector.

Featured

Zoho’s Arattai sparks sudden interest but can it rival competition and lead to sustained usage?

Arattai, a cross platform instant messaging and voice over IP service created by Zoho Corporation, is creating quite a buzz.

The app, which offers one-to-one and group chats, voice and video calling, file sharing, stories and channels, is presented as an Indian alternative to global messaging platforms, and is available for Android and iOS users and on desktop operating systems.

While Arattai's homegrown has led to a surge in downloads, it remains to be seen if it can lead to sustained usage. The app also faces an uphill battle against competitors such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.

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As India’s EV adoption grows, charging firms look to bridge talent shortage

The Government of India has set an ambitious target of 30% EV (electric vehicle) penetration by 2030. But if the country has to meet this target, it has to address the talent shortage in the sector. 

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers forecasts that India will require between 1 lakh and 2 lakh skilled professions to meet the 30% target. This includes engineers, scientists and technicians. 

But for now, the availability of skilled labour in the EV charging ecosystem seems to have hit a road-bump.

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Funding

Dharana Capital leads Rs 137 Cr funding round in Petpooja

Restaurant management software startup Petpooja on Monday raised Rs 137 crore in a new funding round led by growth-stage investment firm Dharana Capital. 

The funding round, which was a mix of primary and secondary capital, also saw participation from Ashish Gupta, Co-founder of Helion Ventures; Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, Raghav Chandra, Founders of Urban Company; and Mukund Kulashekaran, Chief Business Officer at Urban Company.

The Ahmedabad-based startup will use the funds to improve its product portfolio, accelerate AI-driven automation, and bolster customer support.

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Akashalabdhi closes $1.2M in pre-seed round

Space-tech startup Akashalabdhi on Monday raised $1.2 million in a pre-seed round from investors including Riceberg Ventures, 1Crowd, and LVX, among others.

The newly raised funds are expected to help speed up the firm’s ongoing projects, including inflatable solar arrays, analogue studies, and the orbital launch of its MVP and building necessary infrastructure for advanced habitation research and development.

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Media agency Wit & Chai closes seed round

Creative media agency Wit & Chai has closed its seed funding round for an undisclosed amount at a valuation of Rs 40 crore.

The equity round saw participation from marquee investors, including Rohan Vijay Mantri, Promoter of Mantri Landmarks, Sanjay Katkar (MD, Quickheal Technologies), Monish Darda, CTO and Co-founder of Icertis and Satyen Patel, MD at Sahyadri Industries.

Wit & Chai will use the newly raised funds to strengthen its team in Mumbai, scale operations at their London office, and set up its footprint in the UAE. The firm is also looking to foray into service-based client verticals, expanding its offerings to include tailored solutions for B2B SaaS companies and large enterprises

The group is also evaluating acquisitions that will accelerate its global expansion and strengthen its presence in new service categories. 

Venture Catalysts leads $400,000 pre-seed round in Vaani AI Research

Early-stage investment firm Venture Catalysts has led a $400,000 pre-seed round in voice agent platform Vaani AI Research.

The round also drew participation from Dr Abhishek Sharma of Meta’s SuperIntelligence team and Apple, Dr Viveka Kulharia of MoonValley, Shashikant Chaudhary, former MD of GlobalLogic, Ejaz Ahmed of Meta Reality Labs, Nikhil Tripathi of Bijak, Uday Sodhi, former Business Head at Sony Pictures India, KK Venkata of Oliver Wyman, Swapnil Sheth of IndigoEdge, Michele Barbazza of VAT Group, Switzerland and others.

According to the firm, it intends to use the newly raised funds to scale its voice stack, deepen its models and IP, and partner with enterprises that are ready to move beyond demos and into real-world deployments.

iGo raises Rs 8.2 Cr in pre-seed funding

Smart electric trike developer iGo has raised Rs 8.2 crore in pre-seed funding from ISB Angels, 888VC, and Guptaji VC.

The firm will use the newly raised funds to fuel tooling and automation to cut production costs, expand customer experience, and after-sales channels, drive further research and development and new variants, as well as strengthen working capital to fulfil the current order book.

Bartronics India to invest Rs 50 Cr in Huwel Life Sciences

Bartronics India Limited (BIL) has announced an investment of up to Rs 50 crore in Huwel Life Sciences, a molecular diagnostics innovator based in Hyderabad. Under this MoU, BIL will acquire a 15% equity stake in Huwel, bringing together its scaling expertise with Huwel’s innovation capabilities. BIL also holds an option to increase its equity stake by an additional 15%. 

Huwel Life Sciences, led by founder and CEO Rachana Tripathi, has developed more than 100 validated diagnostic products across TB, infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, viral threats, genetic disorders, and cancer. Under this strategic partnership with Huwel, BIL will assume end-to-end responsibility for driving market growth, delivering technology support, managing digital outreach, and developing customised applications, portals, and digital platforms.

Other news

Zomato launches Healthy Mode in Gurugram

Food delivery platform Zomato has launched “Healthy Mode”—a feature that aims to address the growing demand for healthy food options. The feature is currently live in Gurugram, and the company plans to expand in other markets as well.

The feature provides nutritional data that was previously not accessible across online food discovery and delivery platforms.

To assist the restaurant partners, Zomato has leveraged advanced AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) in building detailed macronutrient profiles for their dishes and added a Healthy Score for each dish to rank them from Low to Super, based on the information provided by the restaurant partners.

Agnikul unveils reusable rocket plans

Spacetech startup Agnikul has committed to full rocket reusability, aiming to ensure that no part of its rockets is fully expended or left behind.

Following a controlled-ascent launch using Agnikul’s proprietary autopilot algorithms and software, the company is accelerating development to validate commercially valuable reusable spaceflight technologies.

“Our newly-planned strategy enables cost efficiencies at scale, allowing us to deliver launch services at globally competitive prices for all small satellite missions,” said Moin SPM, Co-founder and COO of Agnikul Cosmos. 

PhonePe, Mastercard collaborate to launch contactless payments

PhonePe and Mastercard have partnered to launch an exclusive feature for Mastercard cardholders in India.

The new feature will enable Mastercard cardholders to make in-store payments by tapping their NFC-enabled smartphones at payment terminals using the PhonePe app.

This partnership will combine Mastercard’s global expertise in tokenisation with PhonePe’s vast base of 618 million registered users. The new feature will begin rolling out to Mastercard cardholders on the PhonePe app in a phased manner.

Tulips launches adult diapers, appoints actor Boman Irani as brand ambassador

Personal hygiene brand Tulips has launched adult diapers, marking its entry into the adult hygiene category. The firm has also roped in actor Boman Irani as the brand ambassador to build awareness and to break the stigma around the adoption of adult diapers.

“I am extremely happy to partner with TULIPS in starting a conversation that matters. Age should not mean limitation. TULIPS Adult Diaper Pants are here to ensure all seniors affected by urinary incontinence are able to lead their lives with comfort, independence, and self-respect,” Irani said in a statement.

Magenta Mobility rejigs top-level management, appoints new CEO

Commercial EV logistics firm Magenta Mobility said current CEO and Director, Maxson Lewis, will transition to the role of founder and chairman.

Sujit Cherian has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In his new role, Cherian will lead the firm’s strategic vision, commercial partnerships, and market expansion, while Lewis will focus on long-term strategy, technology, and dialogue with industry bodies and the government on accelerating clean mobility.

Blue Dart marks up shipment price in line with annual practice

Logistics firm Blue Dart, as part of its annual practice, will implement a General Price Increase (GPI), effective January 1, 2026. The average shipment price is set to increase in the range of 9% to 12%, depending on product viability and the customer’s shipping profile.

To support new customers and encourage business growth, those signing up between October 1 and December 31, 2025, will not be impacted by the upcoming GPI.

In line with its annual practice, the firm undertakes a review of its pricing structure, and this adjustment is essential to the firm’s standards of speed, reliability, and customer-centric solution, it said, while also addressing the impacts of inflationary pressures, escalating or time costs, and complexities of global supply chains.

Tekion sets up AI innovation lab at Anna University

SaaS automotive company Tekion has set up AU-Tekion Physical AI Innovation Lab at Anna University’s Department of Computer Technology, MIT campus in Chennai.

This initiative is part of the "Tekion for Good" programme, which is executed in partnership with Rehoboth Trust. Tekion will provide the lab with cutting-edge computer systems, technology, and industry expertise to foster hands-on learning and innovation. Tekion’s industrial training programmes will upskill faculty, ensuring the curriculum remains at the forefront of technology. The partnership will also extend to mentoring and supporting entrepreneurial ventures. Students will gain direct exposure to the latest tools and work on advanced AI technologies, with skill enhancement sessions also offered in areas such as software testing and quality, as well as lean implementation.

ServiceNow University launched in India for AI skills

ServiceNow has launched ServiceNow University, which aims to close critical skills gaps in an AI-driven world. The launch was unveiled at the first-ever ServiceNow AI Skills Summit in Hyderabad, which brought together 1,200 students in person and over 20,000 participants virtually across the country.

ServiceNow aims to upskill 1 million learners in India by 2027, contributing to its global ambition of reaching 3 million learners worldwide. Currently, the platform has 318,000 active learners, 116,000 certified professionals, and programs that help university students become job-ready and placed through early career hiring to support partner and customer demand.

Dhillon Freight Carrier IPO opens

The initial public offering (IPO) of Dhillon Freight Carrier opened on September 29 and will close on October 1. This bookbuilding issue comprises 14,00,000 shares, aggregating to Rs 10.08 crore at the offer price of Rs 72 per share (face value Rs 10). The IPO represents an entirely fresh issue aimed at raising growth capital for fleet expansion, acquisitions, and general corporate purposes. 

DFCL operates with an in-house fleet of 62 vehicles across a wide logistics network covering West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. Over the last fiscal year, revenue grew from Rs 24.73 crore to Rs 25.22 crore, while profit after tax surged from Rs 1.09 crore to Rs 1.73 crore, a year-on-year growth of 58%.

IIT(ISM) Dhanbad gets recognition for National Critical Mineral Mission

IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, along with its research park, TEXMiN (Technology Innovation in Exploration & Mining Foundation), received a Letter of Recognition as part of the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM). This recognition officially designates them as one of the seven Centres of Excellence (CoEs) tasked with driving cutting-edge research, technology translation, and innovation across India’s critical minerals sector.

The seven CoEs, comprising four IITs and three premier R&D laboratories, are set to lead research and translational initiatives spanning the entire critical minerals value chain.  TEXMiN has already initiated collaborations with global partners, including the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), University of Cambridge, to establish satellite campuses at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad. These initiatives are focused on strengthening digital infrastructure and research capabilities in the critical minerals domain, positioning India as a global observatory hub for strategic mineral innovation.