Food delivery platforms get festive orders; Digitising local garages

Hello,

Major business reshuffling is underway at Paytm.

To meet new RBI rules, the Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led fintech giant is transferring its offline merchant payments arm—which handles QR codes, soundboxes, and card machines—into its payments subsidiary, Paytm Payments Services. Under the plan, Paytm will sell the offline payments unit to PPSL through a slump sale.

Meanwhile, Pune-based real estate company TCC Concept will acquire online furniture marketplace Pepperfry in a share swap deal to strengthen its presence in the ecommerce and digital marketplace space, while complementing its focus on technology-driven consumer platforms.

Also, Coinbase is doubling down on CoinDCX with a new investment at a post-money valuation of $2.45 billion.

Moving on to some tech updates. Chinese company Honor is giving smartphone makers a run for their money by developing a smartphone with a camera that folds out of the device using a robotic arm. 

The “robot phone” will also incorporate AI, and the company plans to share more details at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona early next year.

Lastly, we at YourStory have gathered the heavyweights from the Indian and global tech ecosystem at TechSparks 2025 to bring you all the latest happenings from the world of AI. 

Are you ready for TechSparks 2025? Here’s your chance to attend.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Food delivery platforms get festive orders
• Digitising local garages
• How culture drives GCC growth

Here’s your trivia for today: What is a group of apes called?

Insight

Food delivery platforms get festive orders

Despite the fee hike on delivery platforms and the government’s new GST levy on delivery services, online food ordering has surged during the festive season. Food delivery platforms are seeing one of their strongest festive sales in recent years, driven by social gatherings and the overall spirit of the season.

Festive demand:

• Durga Puja celebrations drove order volumes in Kolkata. Swiggy reported an 11.26% rise during Ashtami—day 8 of Navratri, a significant period during the festivities—over the same period last year.
• With the festive season peaking through Diwali and beyond, the company sees food delivery volumes surpassing last year’s record highs, Anshoo Sharma, CEO and Co-founder, magicpin, told YourStory.
• The surge in orders comes despite the hike in platform fees and other charges. Swiggy and Eternal (formerly Zomato) recently increased platform fees to Rs 15 and Rs 12, respectively, across key metros.

Startup

Digitising local garages

Across India, small neighbourhood garages quietly keep the country’s estimated 27 crore two-wheelers and 7 crore four-wheelers moving. However, despite being the backbone of India’s unorganised vehicle service economy, these workshops often face a fragmented market, find it difficult to source spare parts, and are slow to adopt technology.

Delhi-based startup Partnr aims to address these inefficiencies through its tech platform. 

Business model:

• It enables mechanics to order genuine spare parts via the Partnr app, delivered within two hours from hyperlocal dark stores, circumventing traditional distributors.
• The startup is also building a system to connect mechanics directly with vehicle owners. It also offers BNPL facilities in partnership with an undisclosed NBFC, alongside credit and insurance products.
• Partnr’s roadmap includes expanding into the four-wheeler aftermarket and launching its own private-label spare parts brand. The company also plans to pilot D2C doorstep servicing for bikes and cars.

GCC

How culture drives GCC growth

GCCs in India score high marks on the culture index, according to the India GCC Culture Sensing report by Deloitte India. An inclusive workplace with a focus on employee well-being goes a long way in setting the right culture for the GCCs.

The technology, as well as media and communication sectors, maintain a relatively high and consistent culture score, showing relatively less variability and a positive work culture.

News & updates

• At the top: Hyundai Motor India Limited has appointed Tarun Garg as the next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company. Garg becomes the first Indian national to take on this leadership role since the company’s establishment 29 years ago.
• Maxxing: OpenAI plans to allow a wider range of content, including erotica, on its popular chatbot ChatGPT as part of its push to “treat adult users like adults”, says its boss Sam Altman.
• AI deal: An investor group, including BlackRock and Nvidia, will buy Aligned Data Centers from Macquarie Asset Management in a deal worth $40 billion as AI infrastructure expansion powers on. Nvidia stock rose 1% in Wednesday trading.

What is a group of apes called?

Answer: A shrewdness.

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