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

From weight-loss drug risks to aviation-linked ecommerce delays and advances in 3D construction, YourStory brings you the latest shifts shaping India’s startup ecosystem.

Featured stories

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are a disaster waiting to unfold: Fittr CEO Jitendra Chouksey

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have gained immense popularity in recent times, fuelling a boom in clinics, telehealth startups, and even hospitals offering programmes for instant weight loss.

Diagnostic chains are launching weight-loss therapy divisions, hospitals are advertising specific GLP-1 programmes, and influencers are glamourising injectable treatments.

Jitendra Chouksey, CEO of Pune-based healthtech startup Fittr, is cautioning against this craze, calling it a “disaster waiting to unfold.”

GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) is a class of drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes by lowering blood sugar, which boosts insulin, slows digestion, and reduces appetite, leading to weight loss. It mimics the natural gut hormone, promoting satiety and a feeling of fullness. Read more.

Indigo disruption hits ecommerce orders amid Black Friday and year-end sales

The nationwide disruption in air transport caused by Indigo’s pilot shortage has delayed ecommerce shipments across several categories, multiple industry executives told YourStory. The delays come at a critical time, with platforms running Black Friday and year-end sales.

“Most shipments today move through road or rail,” said a senior executive at a leading ecommerce logistics firm. “But several D2C and marketplace clients still rely on air transport. Everyone understands the situation, clients have made adjustments, and customers have been informed.”

The executive estimated that roughly 10% of all ecommerce orders in India are moved by air. Many logistics players have cargo agreements with Indigo and other airlines, while Blue Dart remains one of the country’s largest dedicated air carriers.

Non-flammable beauty and personal care products and personal electronics are the most prominent categories in air freight, according to executives in the logistics space. Read more.

Half of your digital advertisement budget may be buying ghosts

A large portion of advertisements on websites and apps—about 30-40%—are never seen by human eyes, never processed by human minds, and never shown to real users at all.

According to mFilterIt, a digital trust and intelligence company that analysed 342 advertising campaigns in 2024, the industry still treats "viewability" as proof of success. 

Under current standards, an ad counts as "viewable" if at least 50% of its pixels appear on screen for one second (two seconds for video). This threshold determines billing. Advertisers pay when this technical condition is met.

But viewability only measures whether an ad could have been seen—not whether anyone actually looked at it, processed it, or even existed on the other end. Read more.

Heatwaves are getting deadlier for women, and policies aren’t keeping up

India has more than 250 Heat Action Plans, and most of them ignore women almost entirely, treating nearly half of India’s population as a single homogenous category.

For over a decade now, clear evidence has shown that women in high vulnerability districts face higher anaemia, undernutrition, pregnancy loss, menstrual disruptions, and even doubled hysterectomy rates among the poorest. 

A new report released in November 2025 by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), titled The Impact of Heat on the Health of Women in India, pointed out that while the country invests in digital warnings, women are far less likely to own a phone or access the internet, leaving them last in line for life-saving information.

Latest news

3D printing startup Tvasta, CEPT University launch platform for advanced construction technology

Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions has partnered with CEPT University to set up a national platform aimed at advancing 3D construction technology in India. Under the collaboration, CEPT will establish an additive manufacturing workshop on its Ahmedabad campus equipped with a robotic arm supplied by Tvasta, enabling research on concrete 3D printing, structural systems and prototyping.

The initiative will support work on printed facades, integrated structural elements, and off-site components suited for challenging terrains. Faculty and students will participate in joint studio courses and applied research projects focused on design for additive manufacturing, energy-efficient construction and material performance.

The agreement positions CEPT among the few Indian institutions with dedicated infrastructure for large-format 3D printing research. Tvasta, founded by IIT Madras alumni, has previously built India’s first 3D-printed house and develops end-to-end construction printing technology.

(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)