Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (January 22, 2026)
YourStory presents the daily news roundup from the Indian startup ecosystem and beyond. Here’s the roundup for Thursday, January 22, 2026.
From decoding fintech major PhonePe's latest IPO documents to diving deep into what India's nascent space industry wants from the upcoming union budget, YourStory brings today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.
Featured Stories
Budget 2026: From experiments to scale, space industry's wishlist
For the founders and investors behind India’s burgeoning space corridor, the thrill of orbital success is increasingly met with the sobering necessity of commercial sustainability. As the nation prepares for its next fiscal roadmap, the conversation has shifted from the mere possibility of private participation to the urgent need for a structured marketplace.
In the Union Budget 2026, founders and investors seek procurement mandates and critical infrastructure status. They advocate for regulatory speed and mission-linked risk-sharing to foster a sustainable and globally competitive ecosystem.
Budget 2026: Manufacturing MSMEs want predictable cash flows, not just new schemes
With Budget 2026 around the corner, manufacturing MSMEs across sectors—from power transmission and consumer durables to drones and home appliances—are striking a common note. They are not asking for flashy announcements or short-term incentives.
In fact, they want the government to fix bottlenecks that slow them down every day: weak infrastructure, delayed payments, high input costs, and policy timelines that do not match the realities of building manufacturing businesses in India.
While schemes like Make in India and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) have helped set the direction. Now, manufacturing MSMEs are calling for faster payments, better infrastructure, and long-term policy support to help them scale without constant cash-flow stress.
Skilling, healthcare investment, growth capital, early-stage tax relief: What women entrepreneurs want from Budget 2026
Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said that around 76,000 startups in India are women-led, many of them founded outside the metros. As the Union Budget 2026 approaches, HerStory spoke to women founders and leaders to understand what they want.
Women entrepreneurs leading growth-oriented businesses expect not just access to credit but also scale capital, simplified compliance, market integration, and policy continuity. They want the upcoming Union Budget to prioritise access to credit and capital, simplified compliance, market integration, tax incentives, and policy continuity.
Latest News
PhonePe files updated IPO papers; Walmart, Tiger Global, Microsoft to sell shares
PhonePe, India's largest digital payments platform, has filed an updated draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for what could be one of the most anticipated fintech IPOs.
The offering is structured entirely as an offer for sale, with no fresh capital being raised for the company. According to the filing, the initial public offering (IPO) comprises up to 5.06 crore equity shares being sold by existing shareholders.
PhonePe H1 loss widens 20% to Rs 1,441 Cr
PhonePe's loss grew nearly 20% in the first six months of fiscal year 2026, as the fintech firm's spending on staff and transaction processing far outstripped its revenue gains.
The digital payments firm posted a comprehensive loss, net of taxes, of Rs 1,440.86 crore for the period, compared to Rs 1,201.63 crore in H1 FY25. The bottom line was pressured by a 29.7% surge in total expenses, which grew from Rs 4,680.03 crore a year ago to Rs 6,069.27 crore. Profitability metrics deteriorated significantly at the operating level. The loss before exceptional items and tax widened 56.2% to Rs 1,885.06 crore, compared to Rs 1,206.79 crore in H1 FY25.
Escape Plan raises $25M in Series A round to expand offline footprint
Escape Plan is doubling down on mass-market affordability in travel gear, building a distribution-led platform and scaling physical retail across metros and Tier II cities as it looks to deepen access, widen price points, and consolidate the fragmented luggage category.
To fuel this expansion, the company has raised $25 million in a Series A funding round led by Jungle Ventures. The round also saw participation from existing investor Fireside Venturesand a strategic investment from IndiGo Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of InterGlobe Aviation.
The company, which currently generates approximately 80% of its revenue through digital channels, plans to build its offline retail to capture demand in Tier II markets and beyond, positioning itself as a distribution-first platform rather than just a private label brand.
Funding News
IAN Group backs Chargeup in Rs. 22 Cr funding round
IAN Group announced its investment in Chargeup’s Rs. 22 crore funding round alongside Cap-A and existing investors.
The company plans to use the funds to expand into high-demand markets, scale operations, and strengthen its technology platform for drivers and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
Founded in 2019, Chargeup offers a platform that connects drivers, lenders, and original equipment manufacturers to improve credit access and asset utilisation. The company currently works with over 10,000 drivers and aims to add 20,000 more by fiscal year 2027.
Lorazzo raises Rs 5 Cr in seed funding led by Sprout Venture Partners and First Cheque
Lorazzo, a home improvement brand, said it raised Rs. 5 crore in a seed funding round led by Sprout Venture Partners and First Cheque by India Quotient. Chandigarh Angel Network and angel investors also participated in the round.
The company plans to use the proceeds to accelerate product innovation, enhance its design and technology stack, and expand its omnichannel presence.
Founded in 2024 by Jatin Luthra and Saurabh Gupta, Lorazzo manufactures smart kitchen and bathroom fittings, including bidets, faucets, and sinks. The company sells its products through its website and online retail platforms, targeting the market segment between mass-market goods and premium imports. It currently sells its products through its website and on various online retail platforms
Meine Electric raises $750,000 in pre-seed funding from Antler and Rebalance
Meine Electric, a deep-tech energy storage startup, said it has raised $750,000 (approx. Rs. 6.7 crore) in a pre-seed funding round backed by Antler, Rebalance, and Venture Catalysts.
GradCapital, AIC-AU Incubation Foundation, and angel investors also participated in the round.
The company plans to use the capital to transition from lab-scale prototypes to pilot-ready systems, build a multi-kW grid-connected prototype, and expand its research team.
Founded in 2023, Meine Electric develops iron-air batteries for long-duration energy storage. The technology uses iron, air, and water to store electricity through a reversible rusting process. The startup operates a 5,000 sq ft facility in Chennai and aims to deliver turnkey, containerised battery systems by 2027.
Priyansh Mohan and Stuti Kakkar, Founder, MEINE Electric
Dhun Wellness raises $4M backed by SRF and Havells family offices
Dhun Wellness, a luxury wellness venture founded by Mira Kapoor, said it raised $4 million in a funding round backed by the family offices of SRF Ltd and Havells India.
The round was led by Sanjay Kapoor of Genesis, with participation from Arushi Aayush Agrawal of Inspira Global and individual investors, including Ash Lilani of Saama Capital.
The company plans to use the capital to expand geographically, starting with a new flagship centre in Delhi, followed by launches in Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad.
Opened in May 2025, Dhun Wellness operates a 6,000 sq. ft. facility in Mumbai's Bandra district. The brand combines traditional healing therapies with modern longevity science and has reported 15% month-on-month growth.
Hala Mobility raises Rs. 12.25 crore from Nazara Technologies CEO and Anikarth Ventures
Hala Mobility, an EV-as-a-service platform, said it secured Rs. 12.25 crore in equity and debt funding from investors, including Nazara Technologies CEO Nitish Mittersain and Anikarth Ventures’ Dr. Aarti Gupta.
The funding round, closed following the startup's appearance on the reality series "Bharat Ke Super Founders," also saw participation from Recur Club, Thyrocare’s Dr A. Velumani, All In Capital, and LetsVenture.
The company plans to use the capital to expand its fleet from 3,000 to 9,000 vehicles and increase its operational footprint from six to nine cities.
Hala Mobility projects its revenue will rise to Rs. 92 crore in the 2025-26 fiscal year, up from Rs. 22 crore in the previous year. Founded by Srikanth Reddy Kalakonda and Snehith Reddy Meda, the company operates using a franchise-owned, company-operated model and aims to eventually scale its fleet to 100,000 vehicles.
Other News
Peak XV-backed Care.fi acquires discharge automation platform Aldun
Care.fi, a healthcare-focused fintech startup, said it has acquired Aldun, a platform specialising in hospital discharge automation.
The company plans to scale the combined operations to support 300 hospital units and 1 lakh monthly discharges. Aldun currently facilitates approximately 10,000 discharges per month across networks, including Apollo, Fortis, and Manipal.
Care.fi intends to integrate Aldun’s discharge systems with its own revenue cycle management and financing services to unify the process from admission to settlement.
Fibe partners with Flipkart to offer checkout financing
Fibe, a consumer lending platform, said it partnered with e-commerce marketplace Flipkart to offer Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services at checkout.
The collaboration marks Fibe's entry into the e-commerce lending space, expanding beyond its existing credit solutions for healthcare and education.
Under the partnership, eligible customers can convert cart values of up to Rs. 1 lakh into equated monthly instalments (EMIs). The repayment tenures range from 3 to 12 months. The credit approval process is fully digital and requires minimal documentation.
Blue Dart hires over 200 persons with disabilities for core operations
Blue Dart, an express air and integrated transportation company, said it recruited over 200 persons with disabilities for full-time roles across its operations.
The new hires have been placed in functions including sorting centres, customer experience, warehousing, and last-mile support.
The company collaborated with Sarthak Educational Trust for skill development and infrastructure alignment to facilitate the hiring process. Blue Dart introduced sensitisation workshops, sign language training, and specific workplace adaptations to integrate the new employees. The company expects to hire more people with disabilities in the coming year.
IPV’s new initiative for accreditation to startup angel investors
Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), an early-stage angel investing platform, has launched an initiative to assist investors in getting accredited free of cost following SEBI’s guidelines. Individuals who take IPV’s membership are being facilitated through the accreditation process at no additional cost, a statement said.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India requires investors to be accredited to be able to make startup investments now from a SEBI-recognised agency like NSDL or CVL. Upon successful completion, investors may obtain an Angel Investor Accreditation Certificate valid for a period of two or three years, based on their preference.
Lenovo unveils new offerings for GCCs
Lenovo has unveiled its full-stack offerings for India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) that support across AI, infrastructure, workforce and security. The offerings include an AI infrastructure that enables AI adoption without heavy upfront investment, unifying personal and enterprise AI across devices, infrastructure, and services, addressing compliance and security needs and providing energy-efficient infrastructure.
According to Lenovo, as GCCs evolve from digital transformation to digital orchestration, their tech mandates are becoming more layered, secured and optimised, spanning from edge to cloud and infrastructure to intelligence.
Entri forms partnership with Udemy
Entri, a vernacular learning platform, has announced a partnership with Udemy to expand upskilling opportunities in India. The partnership will bring together Udemy's expert-led courses with Entri's job training programmes in multiple Indian languages.
Through this collaboration, the companies will bring Udemy's content engine to Entri's diverse learner base across India, making it easier for more people to access cutting-edge technical and soft skills training in multiple languages, including regional dialects.
Entri contributes local market expertise and job training capabilities in regional languages, while Udemy provides its global learning platform to expand professional training throughout India. Udemy serves more than 17 million learners and 9,500 instructors in India through its global learning platform.
(The article will be updated throughout the day with the latest developments.)
Edited by Jyoti Narayan