Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (Oct 6, 2025)
YourStory presents the daily news roundup from the Indian startup ecosystem and beyond. Here's the roundup for Monday, Oct 6, 2025.
From Dhan's parent company, Raise Financial Services, joining the unicorn club to Nykaa witnessing GMV growth close to the thirties in Q2, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.
Featured stories
How Gomini uses urban fractional ownership to make rural dairy ecosystem viable
Founded by Arjun Sharma and Gauri Shankar Maheshwari, Gomini operates on a decentralised model for cow preservation. The Bihar-based startup bridges the urban-rural divide to create a farmer-centric dairy ecosystem.
Unlike large dairy farms or gaushalas, Gomini empowers farmers to raise small groups of cows within their villages. Each participating family receives five cows, along with feed and capital support until the cattle start lactating. Once 20 families are onboarded, Gomini sets up a local production unit, structured as a farmer-producer organisation (FPO), where the community creates value-added products such as ghee, butter, A2 whey protein, and soaps.
Before incorporating Gomini, the founders onboarded 500 farmers and supported them in building 200+ sustainable gaushalas.
Climate crisis exposes deep gender gaps as women bear the brunt of displacement
Women and girls are more affected by displacement due to climate disasters than men. The impact ranges from safety challenges and poor health to more severe consequences such as violence and even death—due to their assumed roles and responsibilities, burden of care, social norms, and vulnerabilities.
Data from different United Nations (UN) bodies over the years says that women and girls make up about 80% of people displaced by climate-related events globally, and are roughly 14 times more likely than men to suffer severe health consequences or die during climate disasters.
Nykaa sees GMV growth close to thirties in Q2 driven by a renewed surge in fashion
Beauty and fashion omnichannel marketplace Nykaa said it sees consolidated GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) growth close to the thirties in the second quarter of FY26, helped by a renewed push in the fashion vertical and the healthy performance of the beauty segment.
FSN E-Commerce Ventures, the parent company behind Nykaa, said it anticipates consolidated net revenue to grow in the mid-twenties, supported by an early start to the festive season.
For its largest vertical, beauty and personal care, Nykaa said it expects net sales value and net revenue growth of mid-twenties for its core beauty vertical. The platform competes with Reliance-backed Tira, as well as several offline retailers.
Planet Herbs combines Ayurveda and science to build a consumer-centric brand
Founded in 2005, Planet Herbs had spent over two decades as a contract manufacturer, producing Ayurvedic formulations such as tablets, capsules, syrups, gels, and oils for pharmaceutical giants including Sun Pharma and Cipla.
Today, Planet Herbs operates a hybrid model, catering to both consumers and pharmaceutical companies. Its products are listed on Amazon, Flipkart, NetMeds, and 1mg, with onboarding on Blinkit and Zepto underway. Planet Herbs’ products are also stocked offline in Guardian and Apollo pharmacies.
Planet Herbs’ strength lies in end-to-end integration from raw material sourcing to R&D and manufacturing. Its Dehradun facility, supported by a greenhouse and partnerships with local farmers, ensures an ethical and traceable supply.
Latest News
Dhan parent co Raise Financial Services joins unicorn club as it raises $120M from Hornbill, others
Stockbroking platform Dhan’s parent company, Raise Financial Services, has raised $120 million in a Series B funding round led by Hornbill Capital, an India-focused hedge fund. The round also saw participation from Mitsubishi UFG Financial Group, the Japanese banking giant, and existing backer BEENEXT.
The latest investment values the firm at about $1.2 billion, marking its entry into the unicorn club.
The round also included Ramesh Damani, DSP Family Office, JM Financial Family Office, Aashish Somaiyaa, and several other investors.
GreyLabs AI bags Rs 85 Cr to scale its voice AI platform for BFSI clients
BFSI-focused AI startup GreyLabs AI has raised Rs 85 crore in its Series A round led by Elevation Capital, with participation from existing investor Z47 and several angel investors.
The fundraise marks a 3.3X valuation jump from its previous round, as the company expands its AI-powered contact centre platform for the banking and financial services industry (BFSI).
The startup plans to use its Series A fundraise to launch its Voice AI Agent Platform and expand R&D and sales teams as it bets big on autonomous voicebots for BFSI.
Funding news
EcoEx raises $4M to power clean tech expansion; eyes $20M scale & IPO plans
EcoEx has raised $4 million in a strategic funding round led by Dovetail Global Fund PCC, Navbharat Investment Fund, and Narnolia Velox Fund, with participation from domestic and international investors ahead of IPO preparation.
The fresh capital will fuel technology enhancement, talent acquisition, expansion, and strengthening Clean Technology solutions as EcoEx scales its newly launched Waste Commodity App, a first-of-its-kind mobile application enabling fully traceable and compliant digital trade of materials.
“This funding marks a pivotal moment for EcoEx. With the support of global and domestic investors, we are accelerating our mission to build traceable, accountable, and profitable solutions for industries,” said Nimit Aggarwal, Founder & Director, EcoEx. “We are on track to cross $20 million in transaction value in FY 25–26, transforming waste into both a climate and economic opportunity,” he added.
Nimit Aggarwal, Founder & Managing Director (Left) Akshaya Rath, Co-Founder & CEO (Right), EcoEx
DecorTwist raises $200,000 in bridge pre-Series A round to scale home decor offerings
D2C home décor brand DecorTwist has raised $200,000 in a bridge pre-Series A round, led by angel investor Tejas Paresh Lodaya. The funding will help the brand improve its inventory to meet the growing demand among consumers, introduce new products, and expand to quick commerce platforms.
With this funding, DecorTwist aims to make stylish and eco-friendly decor more accessible and affordable to homes across the country.
Finarkein announces $1.5M funding round led by DSP
Finarkein today announced the successful extension of its pre-Series A funding round, securing $1.5 million in primary and secondary investments. This round of funding was led by DSP Group Family Office with participation from existing investors.
The investment round saw fresh investment from marquee investors like DSP, while select existing investors like Capital 2B doubled down, reflecting strong confidence in Finarkein's vision and technology. The Indian fintech infrastructure story is gaining momentum, and Finarkein continues to be an innovative leader in the space, attracting marquee clients and investors alike.
"Our platform continues to be a market leader in the Account Aggregator space, offering best-in-class experience combined with privacy-preserving technologies, which is vital in the data space," said Nikhil Kurhe, CEO of Finarkein. "Patient capital allows us to further invest in data privacy, security and compliance as Finarkeinʼs data products further power Indiaʼs financial markets. DSP is a premier Asset Manager and has a track record of investing in and incubating fintech businesses, and we are glad to have them onboard team Finarkein.”
EV fleet startup Battwheelz raises fresh capital from Finvolve & India Accelerator
Multi-stage VC fund Finvolve has recently announced its strategic investment in Battwheelz, an Electric-Mobility-as-a-Service (EMAAS) provider primarily focused on last-mile delivery. The Rs 2 crore seed funding round, raised at a valuation of Rs 60 crore, also saw participation from other marquee angel investors. The funds will be utilised to expand geographic operations in Bengaluru and strengthen EV fleet presence in Chennai and Pune.
Founded in 2022, Battwheelz has successfully launched its operations in Pune, Chennai and Bengaluru. It is recognised as an “EV” centric 3PL provider with a 100% electric fleet size of 450+ vehicles deployed on 3PL logistics. Through this investment, Finvolve is playing a pivotal role in driving its growth in last-mile delivery and 3PL logistics while contributing to building a sustainable logistics ecosystem.
Other news
Swiggy launches mobile pandal serving Pujo bhog to street dogs in Kolkata
Swiggy, an on-demand convenience platform, has launched ‘Bhog Elo Char Chakay’, a mobile Durga Puja pandal that travelled across Kolkata to serve dog-friendly Pujo bhog to street dogs. The campaign was executed in collaboration with Havas Play India, the sports, entertainment, and content arm of Havas Media Network India.
Over the course of two days, the mobile pandal visited multiple shelters and neighbourhoods, distributing nutritious offerings to over 400 street dogs. Designed in the likeness of a traditional pandal, the mobile installation was adorned with festive décor, complete with Maa Durga’s idol and dhak beats.
Paytm introduces ‘Playback’ to make monthly spends history interactive
Paytm has introduced Playback, an AI-powered experience that turns last month’s spends history into a personalised rap recap. With this first-of-its-kind innovation, Paytm brings a playful twist to financial insights, making expense tracking engaging and relatable.
Playback appears in the ‘Balance & History’ section of the Paytm app, where AI transforms spending data into custom rap verses. The rap lyrics creatively narrate spending across categories such as shopping, food, travel, and utilities, turning monthly expenses into an engaging and interactive experience. Currently being rolled out to select high-transacting Paytm customers, Playback is in its Beta phase, and the company will continue to enhance the experience based on user feedback as part of its ongoing AI innovation journey.
Flytta partners with Kalyani Powertrain & Dalmia Cement to drive industrial decarbonization
Flytta today announced the launch of India’s first retrofitted 13-ton payload capacity electric truck, purpose-built for cement bag transportation across challenging ghat roads and industrial terrains. The truck has been custom-developed by Kalyani Powertrain Limited (KPTL), the electric mobility subsidiary of the Kalyani Group, and is being introduced into operations with Dalmia Cement on the Yadwad–Goa corridor.
With this milestone, Flytta has evolved into a fully integrated medium and heavy-duty EV trucking platform, offering payload capacities from 13 tons to 40 tons across trucks, dumpers, and trailers for industries spanning cement, steel, coal, metals, and minerals.
Ather Energy crosses 5,00,000th electric scooter production milestone
Ather Energy Limited today announced a significant production milestone with the roll-out of its 5,00,000th vehicle from its manufacturing plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The milestone vehicle was Ather’s flagship family scooter, Rizta, which has rapidly emerged as one of the strongest growth drivers for the brand since its launch last year.
Speaking on the milestone, Swapnil Jain, Co-founder and CTO, Ather Energy, said, “Crossing 5,00,000 scooters is a major milestone for Ather. From our very first prototype to today, our journey has been about building not just vehicles, but a scalable, reliable, and consistent manufacturing ecosystem. This achievement reflects years of focused engineering, rigorous testing, and meticulous attention to quality at every stage of production. It also highlights the dedication of teams across the company and the trust and support of our owner community, who have been with us throughout this journey.”
Within just a year of its launch, the Rizta has become a core pillar of Ather’s growth, accounting for over one-third of total production volumes and accelerating the company’s expansion.
LEAD Group and Mahesh Shetty launch BOARD ACE
LEAD Group, a School Learning Systems company, has introduced BOARD ACE, a first-of-its-kind, in-school system designed to help students succeed in board exams without the need for tuition. Developed in collaboration with Mahesh Shetty, Founder and ex-CEO of Mahesh Tutorials, the learning system includes comprehensive academic support systems for teachers and students, and predictive tools and remedials.
BOARD ACE delivers specialised board exam preparation within regular school hours, aiming to double high performers in classrooms and raise class averages by 10%.
Students of BOARD ACE
Ola Electric becomes India’s first automotive OEM to get government certification
Ola Electric, an EV company, today announced that it became the first two-wheeler EV manufacturer to receive government certification for its in-house developed rare-earth-free ferrite motor. This marks a breakthrough milestone that eliminates reliance on imported rare-earth motors with permanent magnets.
This certification has been granted by the Global Automotive Research Centre, Tamil Nadu, after Ola Electric’s ferrite motor underwent rigorous performance verification and mandatory motor power tests as per AIS 041, which is notified by the Ministry of Road Transport, Government of India.
The tests showed that Ola Electric’s in-house developed ferrite motor’s performance matched that of the motors with rare-earth permanent magnet motors in terms of net power for 7kW and 11 kW variants.
Thrustworks Dynetics secures strategic investment to advance next-generation rocket propulsion systems
Thrustworks Dynetics, a propulsion systems company that designs and develops advanced rocket engine systems and subsystems for commercialisation, today announced that it has raised Rs 7 crore in its latest funding round. The round is being led by Jamwant Ventures, co-lead by Piper Serica, SINE-IIT Bombay, and other notable investors.
Founded in 2023 by Manan Joshi, Kalyani Shinde, and Vinith Shenoy, Thrustworks Dynetics emerged after the trio successfully led a special project group in rocket engine development at Bharat Forge Aerospace. The company is incubated at SINE-IIT Bombay and operates a facility in Pune.
Thrustworks Dynetics is developing ANYA, a liquid rocket engine platform, along with proprietary software and testing infrastructure. Notably, the company has built India's first Mobile Rocket Engine Test Bed, enabling rapid and flexible hot-fire testing capabilities.
PhonePe, Utkarsh Small Finance Bank partner to launch the Wish Credit Card
Digital payments platform PhonePe has partnered with Utkarsh Small Finance Bank to introduce the Wish Credit Card, a product aimed at expanding access to formal credit across India.
The card, which can be applied for digitally via the PhonePe app, links to a fixed deposit (FD) and is designed to help users—particularly those new to credit—build their credit history. With deposits starting at Rs 2,000, the product targets self-employed individuals, homemakers, and Gen Z users in Tier II and III cities, where credit card adoption remains relatively low.
Being a RuPay Credit Card, it also supports UPI-based payments and offers rewards on everyday transactions. The FD component provides users with the added benefit of earning interest while acting as collateral for the card.
Through this collaboration, PhonePe and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank aim to tap into India’s growing base of digital-first consumers, offering a low-risk, entry-level credit option integrated within a familiar digital ecosystem.
DSW launches agenticAI platform for BFSI
Data Science Wizard has commercially launched DSW AgenticAI, a production-grade agentic AI platform targeting the banking, financial services, and insurance sector. Built on DSW UnifyAI, the platform enables enterprises to deploy governed, explainable, and auditable AI agents in hours rather than months.
Key modules include DataOps for real-time data management, AgenticAI Studio for development and fine-tuning, and Workflow Builder for orchestration. Early adopters are testing vertical solutions like insurAInce for claims processing and bankAI for lending decisions. The platform offers audit-first governance, human-in-the-loop oversight, and flexible deployment options to meet regulatory requirements.
HCLTech partners with MIT Media Lab on AI research
HCLTech has joined MIT Media Lab to collaborate on next-generation AI research and emerging technologies, including quantum computing. The partnership provides HCLTech access to MIT's research networks, faculty, and innovators to co-develop projects translating AI innovation into scalable solutions.
The collaboration aims to advance responsible, human-centred AI innovation. HCLTech, which employs over 223,000 people across 60 countries and reported $14 billion in consolidated revenues for the 12 months ending June 2025, will deepen its engagement in applied AI research. The partnership reflects the company's commitment to shaping AI's future through collaborative innovation with world-renowned research institutions.
Arrcus expands India operations for AI networking
Arrcus is significantly expanding its India operations to meet growing demand for AI, data centre, and mobile networks. The hyperscale networking software company appointed Vikram Anand as Managing Director for India sales and is growing its engineering team led by Ashutosh Sharma. Arrcus' ACE-AI Networking fabric connects xPUs and AI workloads across datacenters, cloud, and mobile networks, reducing latency and optimising power usage. The company is expanding partnerships with Fujitsu, UfiSpace, and Edgecore to deliver open, disaggregated networking solutions.
Edited by Jyoti Narayan