Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (December 8, 2025)

From pickleball and protein foods to faster messaging tech, sustainable dairy, rising crypto taxes, fresh healthcare and fintech funding, and buzzy D2C and QSR bets, YourStory brings you the latest shifts shaping India’s startup and consumer economy.

Featured stories

Year in Review: The great Indian consumer reset powered by protein, pickleball and micro-dramas

2025 marked a sharp shift in Indian consumer behaviour as fitness, entertainment, food, convenience and luxury went faster, shorter and more functional.

Pickleball exploded from a niche sport into a commercial ecosystem, with courts rising from about 200 in early 2024 to 1,200 by mid-2025 and growing institutional and celebrity backing.

Short-form video and micro-dramas dominated attention, driving brand engagement and attracting heavy VC funding, especially in Tier II and III cities. Protein became a mainstream obsession, moving from supplements to everyday foods, backed by strong startup funding and quick commerce demand.

Quick services stretched beyond groceries into hyper-fast food, home services and fashion. Lab-grown diamonds gained acceptance, drawing rising investments and adoption by major jewellery brands. Read more.

How broken customer communication pushed this founder to rebuild the messaging stack from scratch

Bengaluru-based Fyno was founded by Aniketh Jain in 2022 to fix fragmented enterprise messaging across BFSI, where SMS, email and WhatsApp run on disconnected systems.

After previously building Kaleyra, Jain teamed up with CTO Ashish Agarwal to create a unified communication layer that integrates over 100 providers and connects with internal banking and fintech systems. Fyno offers compliance-ready template management, intelligent message routing, and full audit trails to meet regulatory needs.

The company serves around 60 clients, including banks, NBFCs and fintechs, and operates on a SaaS and on-premise model. Backed by $4 million in seed funding, Fyno reported $2 million in revenue in FY25 and is targeting $5 million next year. Read more.

How Nova Dairy built a vast supply network and modern processing units with a focus on sustainable practices

Nova Dairy, the consumer arm of Sterling Agro Industries, has grown from a small shop in Old Delhi to a large dairy processor handling 2.6 million litres of milk daily.

It sources milk from a network of 1.5 lakh farmers and sells a wide range of products across B2B and B2C channels, generating about Rs 1,500 crore in annual revenue. The company operates three major plants across Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, using European-grade machinery and automated lines to control wastage.

It serves clients such as Indian Railways, Nestlé, ITC and Air India, and exports to over 30 countries. The company also claims carbon-negative operations, focusing on renewable energy, biogas, and methane-reduction initiatives while expanding products and exports. Read more.

Latest news

Crypto TDS crosses Rs 500 Cr as Maharashtra, Karnataka drive collections

India collected Rs 511.83 crore in tax deducted at source (TDS) from crypto transactions in FY24-25, up sharply from Rs 362.70 crore in FY23-24 and Rs 221.27 crore in FY22-23, government data showed.

Often called punitive by traders, a 1% TDS is levied on the sale, transfer, and spending of virtual digital assets, applying to all transactions where the income is taxable in India, including those involving offshore platforms.

Maharashtra remained the largest contributor, with TDS collections rising 30.63% to Rs 293.40 crore in FY24-25 from Rs 224.60 crore a year earlier.

Funding news

Speciality surgical oncology secures $2.8M from Everhope Oncology

Speciality Surgical Oncology Hospital (SSO) secured $2.8 million in funding from Everhope Oncology, backed by Narayana Health, W Health Ventures, and 2070 Health.

The funding will be used to launch new cancer surgery centres and strengthen clinical infrastructure.

Founded in 2021 by Dr Sanket Mehta, along with a team of seven cancer surgeons, SSO operates a chain of surgical oncology hospitals in Western India. The hospital network has expanded to five centres and a team of 20 surgeons, completing over 20,000 oncology procedures. The company plans to open three new centres in Mumbai and expand further across Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Conscious Chemist raises Rs 15 Cr bridge round led by Atomic Capital

D2C skincare brand Conscious Chemist has raised Rs 15 crore in a bridge round led by Atomic Capital, with participation from First Port Capital Fund B and IPV International.

The fresh capital will be used to hire talent, scale inventory and marketing, and invest in product innovation and R&D.

Founded in 2021 by Robin Gupta and Prakher Mathur, the company said it recorded 3x revenue growth over the last 12 months and turned profitable at the CM3 level. It plans to scale quick commerce sales further and expand into new categories such as scalp and hair care. Conscious Chemist aims to reach an ARR of Rs 500 crore in the next 24–36 months.

Lumov Health raises $1.2M seed round led by Incubate Fund Asia

Bengaluru-based Lumov Health raised $1.2 million in a seed funding round led by Incubate Fund Asia, with participation from QRG Investments and Holdings, IIMA Ventures, SIDBI and multiple angel investors.

Founded by Saumaric Dangwal and Ankit Gupta, the company was incorporated to design and manufacture orthopaedic recovery and rehabilitation products. The funds will be used to expand into Delhi NCR, Hyderabad and Mumbai, scale manufacturing and deepen surgeon partnerships. Lumov focuses on post-surgical orthotics and bracing products tailored for Indian patients, working with hospital chains to co-develop its offerings.

Frex raises Rs 9.5 Cr pre-seed round to build cross-border payments platform

Gurugram-based fintech startup Frex has raised Rs 9.5 crore in a pre-seed funding round jointly led by Zeropearl VC and White Venture Capital. The round also saw participation from several angel investors.

Founded by Aditya Varma, Himanshu Arora and Nikhil Shanker, Frex was incorporated to simplify cross-border money transfers for immigrants and global workers.

The company plans to use the funds to expand its on- and off-ramp infrastructure in North America and India, strengthen compliance systems and scale its engineering capabilities.

Frex offers near real-time settlements and zero-fee international transfers, targeting inefficiencies in traditional remittance channels.

Koriken raises Rs 4 Cr seed round from Rukam Capital

Korean quick service restaurant startup Koriken has raised Rs 4 crore in a seed funding round led by Rukam Capital. The funding will be used for product innovation, retail expansion, backend operations, brand marketing and team building.

Founded by Hasan Patel, Koriken operates in the Korean street food segment, offering products such as Korean fried chicken, ramen and mandu.

The company plans to expand its flagship and high-street outlets across multiple cities and invest in kitchen automation to improve speed and consistency. The startup is positioning itself to capture rising demand for Korean cuisine in India’s QSR market, particularly among Gen Z and urban consumers.

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