Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (September 4, 2025)

From GST reforms cutting healthcare costs to Swiggy making bets on curated gifting to cash in on festive boom, YourStory brings you stories that highlight significant developments across industries.

Latest news

New GST reforms slash healthcare costs, boost insurance access

India has announced one of the most sweeping resets to its goods and services tax (GST) regime since the system’s introduction in 2017, cutting levies on a wide range of medical devices and drugs while eliminating tax on health and life insurance premiums.

At its 56th meeting on Saturday, the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, unveiled a two-tier rate structure aimed at reducing healthcare costs and correcting long-standing duty distortions. Beginning September 22, 2025, most medical products will fall into the 5% bracket, while certain lifesaving medicines will be made entirely tax-free.

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Good Glamm’s Darpan Sanghvi launches AI-powered startup platform after collapse of his unicorn

Months after the collapse of his beauty and content commerce unicorn, Good Glamm Group’s Darpan Sanghvi is staging a comeback with a new venture. On Wednesday, Sanghvi unveiled 'CoFounder Circle', an AI-native acceleration platform aimed at helping startups and small businesses access the people, tools, and capital needed to grow.

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Samantha Ruth Prabhu joins menstrual wellness brand ZOY as Co-founder

Actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu has become Co-founder of menstrual and feminine health brand ZOY, partnering with founder Maheshwari Moorthy in what the company describes as an effort to “rethink women’s health as a whole”.

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Funding news

FirstClub secures $23M to push quality-first quick commerce platform

Bengaluru-based FirstClub has raised $23 million in Series A funding at a valuation of about $120 million (Rs 1,050 crore), less than three months after its launch. The round was led by Accel and RTP Global, with participation from Blume Founders Fund, 2am VC, Paramark Ventures, and Aditya Birla Ventures.

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Reveal HealthTech raises $7.2M to push AI deeper into US healthcare

Reveal HealthTech, a two-year-old startup specialising in AI solutions for healthcare, has raised $7.2 million in a Series A round led by Leo Capital, with participation from Sanos Capital. 

The company, incubated by W Health Ventures and 2070 Health, is positioning itself as a partner for US hospitals, life sciences firms, and medical device makers seeking to apply artificial intelligence to patient care and operations.

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House of Zelena raises Rs 7 Cr in seed round

Mom-wear brand, House of Zelena, on Thursday said it raised Rs 7 crore in seed funding led by Sprout Venture Partners and M Venture Partners, with participation from GSF and other marquee angels.

This brings the company’s total funds raised to $1.2 million.

The newly raised funds will be used to strengthen the company’s supply chain capabilities, innovate across various maternity apparel offerings, and deepen the company’s ecosystem through community building and technology integrations.

House of Zelena is also looking to expand its product lines in postpartum recovery wear, intimate hygiene and mom-activewear, while also investing in apparel solutions that aid faster recovery and long-term wellbeing. The brand is also preparing to expand its offline engagement.

QuantE Energy raises $500K in seed funding

Clean-tech startup QuantE Energy on Thursday raised $500,000 in seed funding from Trillion Dollar Venture (TDV) along with participation from angel investors, including Amit Lakhotia, Founder of Park+, and Raghunandan G, Founder of TaxiForSure.

The newly raised funds will be used to democratise access to clean, affordable, and smart energy for the residential sector, especially housing societies in Indian metros and beyond.

The seed funding will also support QuantE's ambitious growth plans over the next 6-12 months, including expanding digital onboarding and going deeper into top metro cities, launching community solar pilots, and strengthening financing partnerships with banks, NBFCs, and CSR programmes.

QuantE will also focus on building its proprietary solar+AI hardware/software stack for enhanced monitoring and optimisation.

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AutoDukan raises $1M in pre-Series A funding round

Automobile aftermarket platform AutoDukan on Thursday said it raised $1 million in its pre-Series A funding round led by Choice Group and select HNIs, with continued backing from MetroMax Group's Indian arm and Ankit Sajnani.

The newly raised funds will be used to scale operations across key automotive regions and enhance its AI capabilities in demand prediction, automated procurement, and claims workflow.

AutoDukan will also use a portion of the funds to deepen partnerships with insurers, fleet operators, and OEM suppliers, as well as to expand its AI expertise, operations, and market development.

Kaleidofin Capital Private Limited raises $3M in debt

Kaleidofin Capital Private, the NBFC arm of Kaleidofin Capital Private, has raised $3 million in debt from Netherlands-based Kaleidofin Capital Private.

The funding facility has a tenure of three years with an option to extend it by a further three years.

According to the firm, the funds are to be utilised for KCPL’s target segment, which includes informal sector enterprises, including agriculture and dairy segments.

FlexifyMe raises Rs 20 Cr led by IvyCap Ventures

FlexifyMe, a healthtech startup, has raised Rs 20 crore in a pre-Series A round of funding led by IvyCap Ventures with participation from Signal Ventures and existing investors.

FlexifyMe will use this capital for the expansion of its online and offline centres, the launch of advanced posture and gait analysis labs, and the strengthening of clinical research partnerships. According to this startup, it combines AI-driven diagnostics, physiotherapy, and personalised care plans to tackle chronic pain and mobility issues at scale.

Previously, FlexifyMe raised a $1 million seed round led by Flipkart Ventures, and on Shark Tank India Season 3, it secured investment from Namita Thapar (Emcure).

Other news

Employee healthcare platform Pazcare expands leadership team

Pazcare on Thursday elevated Aditya Malik as the Chief Revenue Officer from his previous role as SVP, Revenue, while also appointing Arpit Rungta as SVP, Customer Success, and bringing on Abhishek Goyal, ex-cofounder of LogiPe, as Director, Growth.

”Over the past two years, Pazcare has grown 5x, serving over 2,000 companies, including enterprises like Mamaearth, Mindtickle, and Chaayos. With strong market tailwinds and rising demand from customers on primary and preventive care for their employees, we are perfectly positioned as the top player in healthcare benefits and insurance,” said Sanchit Malik, Co-founder and CEO of Pazcare.

Flash.co introduces AI shopping assistant

Flash.co has launched an AI shopping assistant, Flash AI, targeted at global ecommerce shoppers. Shoppers can now add flash.co/ before the URL of any product of any merchant, and Flash AI takes over and loads an AI supercharged product page.

It generates an AI summary of the product from multiple sources, including YouTube, Reddit, Expert blogs, and more. It also provides real-time pricing of the product across various online stores, thereby helping users to compare prices and save money on their purchases.

FuelBuddy forays into Zimbabwe and Zambia

FuelBuddy, a on-demand mobile fuel distribution platform, has announced the official launch of its operations in Zimbabwe and Zambia. It is currently present in India, the UAE, and Mozambique.

According to a statement, Zimbabwe and Zambia have a growing demand for reliable fuel solutions, driven by their rapidly expanding industrial and commercial sectors. FuelBuddy aims to provide convenient and dependable fuel delivery that will reduce operational downtime, improve cost efficiencies and support sustainable growth.

(The copy will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)