Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (November 12, 2025)

From Groww shares hitting public markets to SoftBank turning its legacy assets to bankroll its AI focus, YourStory brings the latest developments across sectors. 

Featured stories

SoftBank is turning its assets into ammunition for its AI push

Between June and September, Japanese investment conglomerate SoftBank offloaded T-Mobile shares worth $9.17 billion and $2.37 billion in Deutsche Telekom stock. That’s nearly the total worth of Vodafone Idea—India’s third-largest telecom player. 

That was just the beginning. During the Q2 earnings call, SoftBank revealed that it has fully exited American tech giant Nvidia, cashing out $5.83 billion, even as it expanded a margin loan against British semiconductor company Arm to $20 billion, leaving about $11.5 billion in dry powder.

Piece by piece, Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, is monetising trophies, mortgaging crown jewels, and building a war chest for what he sees as the company's next great bet: an AI future he wants to help create with Sam Altman's OpenAI.

Read more here.

India’s traffic congestion might have a complex solution: private-public partnerships

During a recent panel discussion on first- and last-mile mobility involving industry stakeholders in Bengaluru, experts pointed out that partnerships between state transport corporations (STCs) and mobility startups could help unclog India’s cities. 

Such partnerships aren’t without challenges. STCs are worried about competition and ensuring reliable usage and data transfers to these startups, while mobility companies are concerned about the regulatory landscape. 

Read more here.

Funding news

Waaree Group’s battery arm raises Rs 325 Cr led by Niveshaay

Waaree Energy Storage systems, the battery arm of Waaree Group, has raised Rs 325 crore in a funding round led by Niveshaay with co-investments from Vivek Jain, Managing Director at Action Tesa and GrowthSpehere, and Saket Agarwal, former Director, Apollo Pipes and Apollo Tricoat.

According to the company, the newly-raised funds will be used to expand its cell and pack manufacturing, strengthen its engineering and validation, and scale containerised Battery Energy StorageSystems (BESS) across the country and select global markets.

Read more here.

GVFL and Malpani Ventures lead Rs 4.5 Cr pre-seed round in DOCO

Rural distribution-as-a-service platform, DOCO, raised Rs 4.5 crore in a pre-seed funding round from GVFL and Malpani Ventures. The round also saw participation from existing investor Kunwar Asheesh Saxena, Ex-Cofounder and CTO of RedDoorz, and other angel investors.

The newly raised funds will be used to strengthen the company’s technology platform, expand its dark stores network, expand its presence and build operations capabilities to serve a wider range of brands and rural retailers.

Over the next 12 months, the company aims to grow its footprint to 25 dark stores and reach more than 25,000 retailers.

The company’s Rural DaaS platform enables FMCG brands to reach rural and semi-urban markets through tech-driven network of dark stores and local partners, helping bridge the last-mile distribution gap in emerging Indian markets.

FES Cafe raises $1M in pre-Series A round led by 12 Flags

Eggless dessert-led cafe chain FES Cafe raised $1 million in a pre-Series A round led by 12 Flags—a consumer fund founded by Rakesh Kapoor, former Global CEO of Reckitt Benckiser.

Wolfpack Labs, a venture studio and startup lab founded by Aakash Anand and Prerna Gupta, an existing investor of FES Café, is also doubling down as part of this round.

The newly-raised funds will be used to help FES Cafe’s strategic expansion across Delhi NCR, strengthen its delivery and operations through the central production kitchen, and help the brand acquire more top talent.

FES Cafe has also onboarded Amit Nagpal, ex-CFO of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, as Strategic and Financial Advisor to work closely with the management team on cafe expansion and strategic initiatives.

Nyayanidhi raises $2M in seed funding led by 3one4 Capital

Litigation operating system building company Nyayanidhi on Wednesday raised $2 million in seed funding led by 3one4 Capital with participation from  DeVC, PeerCheque, Force Ventures, and angel investors, including Jar’s co-founder, Nishchay Ag.

The newly raised funds will be used to expand Nyayanidhi’s network of advocate partners, strengthen its AI infrastructure, deepen government partnerships, and expand its operations across states.

The company is building the digital infrastructure layer for litigation in India, designed to lower the time and cost of litigation while improving transparency and accessibility.

Coratia Technologies raises Rs 5 Cr from Piper Serica

Deep-tech startup Coratia Technologies on Wednesday raised Rs 5 crore in a funding round from Piper Serica Angel Fund.

The freshly raised capital will be used to strengthen in-house research and development, enhance manufacturing capacity, upgrade existing product lines, and expand into international markets.

In India, Coratia Technologies has already executed projects with the Indian Railways, IOCL Paradip, among others.

& Done raises Rs 6.5 Cr in funding led by All In Capital

Premium haircare brand & Done on Wednesday raised Rs 6.5 crore in pre-Seed funding led by early-stage VC fund All In Capital.

M.G. Investments and several angel investors also participated in the round.

The company intends to use the newly raised capital to expand its team and accelerate new product development.

Since launch, the company has partnered with 1,500 stylists across over 300 premium salons in Tier I cities, combining a salon distribution strategy with a direct-to-consumer line of shampoo and conditioners.

The company plans to expand both in India and internationally over the next three years by introducing new solutions tailored to diverse hair types and concerns.

Other news

UrbanKisaan reports second consecutive year of profitability

UrbanKisaan said its FY25 revenue exceeded Rs 31 crore—recording a 67% year-on-year increase in revenue. The company tripled its net profit during this period to Rs 6.4 crore.

The firm noted that the growth was driven by Gene Rush, the company’s proprietary AI-led seed development platform. The technology has compressed seed development timelines from between 7-15 years to just 2-3 years.

“India needs a faster invention cycle for seeds, not another hype cycle,” said Vihari Kanukollu, Co-founder & CEO, UrbanKisaan. “GeneRush turns breeding into a repeatable, data-driven engine — enabling shorter cycles, smarter selections, and high-value, licensable IP. Our R&D-led approach ensures that growth and profitability scale together, even as many global indoor farming ventures continue to struggle.”