Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (January 28, 2026)

From Budget expectations of gig workers and the crypto industry to spacetech startup The Guild’s $20.5-million funding round, here are today’s top YourStory headlines.

Featured stories

What the Union Budget is likely and unlikely to offer gig workers

As India’s gig workforce is projected to expand to 23.5 million by 2030, according to NITI Aayog, pressure is mounting on the Centre to move beyond just years of policy announcements and finally deliver tangible welfare measures, particularly at a time when platforms themselves seem ready to comply.

This year’s Budget comes at a moment when gig work has firmly entered mainstream economic and political discourse, driven by the rapid growth of quick commerce, rising worker unrest, and unionisation.

As Shaik Salauddin, Founder President, Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and National General Secretary, Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT), puts it: “All these schemes, data, and social security have been in discussion. But five years have passed now, and there’s still no real benefit.”

Read more here

Budget 2026: Beyond stimulus, India Inc seeks structural reforms to spur consumption

With the Union Budget less than a week away, consumers, retail businesses, and D2C brands are hoping for more announcements to fuel the consumption story further. Apart from stimulus and tax benefits, India Inc is also seeking structural reforms to spur demand and consumption.  

According to NielsenIQ’s second quarter snapshot, the Indian FMCG industry delivered a robust 13.9% value growth in Q2 of 2025 compared to the previous year. This was fuelled by demand from the rural market, which has now outpaced urban markets for the sixth consecutive quarter.

While quick commerce has grown rapidly in urban areas, moving goods is slow, unpredictable, and expensive in the heartland. To bridge this gap, the industry is batting for operationalisation of a National Digital Logistics Grid. 

The digital infrastructure can tap into shipment data, geospatial information, customs and compliance layers, and real-time carrier performance into a secure, interoperable backbone. Private-sector companies and startups can build on top of this network to further provide solutions, especially those that can be powered by AI. Read more here

Meet Renee Noronha, India’s youngest female Ironman, who is chasing a six-continent dream

At 20, India's youngest female Ironman finisher is not just chasing a world record but is also redefining what's possible for young female athletes and encouraging more young girls to step into endurance sports.

Born in Mumbai, Renee Noronha was a gymnast for almost a decade, competing in the school nationals before switching to endurance sport. 

But at 16, she wanted to try something new. Read more here

Crypto industry asks for tax relief and regulatory clarity in Union Budget 2026

As Union Budget 2026 approaches, India's crypto and blockchain debate is no longer about whether innovation should be allowed, but whether policy can keep domestic capital, liquidity, and enterprise adoption onshore.

2025 marked the year crypto went mainstream globally—stablecoins processed $46 trillion in annual transactions, blockchain throughput increased 100-fold, and over $175 billion flowed into Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded products. Read more here

Microsoft Maia 200 and the ongoing evolution of custom AI silicon

Tech giant Microsoft recently introduced the Maia 200, which is a bespoke artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator designed to improve the performance and cost of running large-scale AI models within its Azure cloud.

This chip belongs to a category known as application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, which are processors built for one particular job rather than serving as general-purpose hardware. Specifically, Maia 200 is an inference-first chip. Read more here

Funding news

Semiconductor startup Agrani Labs raises $8M in seed funding round led by Peak XV

Agrani Labs, a new entrant in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor space, has raised $8 million in a seed funding round led by Peak XV Partners.

The Bengaluru-based startup, founded by veterans from Intel and AMD, said it is designing a ground-up, high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) and a full-stack software stack aimed at datacentre workloads.

The Guild raises $20.5M in Series A round led by TDK Ventures, BIG Capital; co's valuation jumps 5.5x

Spacetech startup The Guild, formerly known as EtherealX, has raised $20.5 million in a Series A funding round led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital.

The round also saw participation from Accel, Prosus, Yournest, Campus Fund, BlueHill, and Riceberg.

Following the fundraise, the Bengaluru-based company’s valuation has increased 5.5x to $80.5 million. With this round, The Guild’s total funding to date stands at $25.5 million. Read more here

Zerodha’s Rainmatter leads Rs 12.5 Cr Seed funding in AquaAirX

AquaAirX, a deep-tech startup building amphibious and underwater autonomous platforms, has raised Rs 12.5 crore in a seed funding round led by Rainmatter, the investment arm of Zerodha founded by Nithin Kamath. The round also saw participation from Prime Venture Partners, Wyser, and India Accelerator.

The funds will be used to strengthen AquaAirX’s core technology, including system autonomy, air-to-water transition reliability, sensing and communication capabilities, and to expand its engineering and research teams across robotics, autonomy, controls, and embedded systems. The company will also focus on testing, validation, and certification to defence-grade standards, while preparing for pilot deployments with strategic customers.

SBC LLP raises pre-Series A funding at Rs 100 Cr valuation

SBC LLP, a leading multi-disciplinary tax, consulting, and advisory firm, today announced the successful closure of its pre-Series A funding round at a valuation of Rs 100 crore (approximately $11.2 million).   

The investment was led by Raju Menon, Founder and Chairman of Kreston Menon Group (UAE), and Suresh Katamreddy, Founder and COO of Kastech Group (USA). The capital will be deployed to accelerate international expansion across the India-UAE-US corridor, develop proprietary AI-enabled technology platforms, and strengthen specialized advisory capabilities.

AI Film Studio TakeTwo secures funding at Rs 100 Cr valuation in pre-Seed round 

TakeTwo, an AI-native film studio specialising in high-end visual storytelling, has announced that it has secured fresh capital at a Rs 100 crore valuation in its pre-seed round. The investment round features participation from US-based Afore Capital, recognised as the world’s largest pre-seed venture firm, and Canada’s Inovia VC.

The company’s founders, Rudresh Upadhyaya (CEO) and Raghav Katta (CTO), recently emerged from Y Combinator’s AI Startup School and have quickly established the company as a critical technology partner for India’s film industry. TakeTwo functions as a full-stack studio, assisting directors and production houses in executing complex VFX-heavy sequences, stylized inserts, and surreal environments at a fraction of traditional costs. This puts it far ahead of SaaS in this business, as TakeTwo has deep creative understanding along with AI expertise. 

IAN Alpha Fund Invests Rs 25 Cr in D-Propulse Aerospace

IAN Alpha Fund has invested Rs 25 crore in D-Propulse Aerospace to back the development of indigenous Rotating Detonation Engine-based propulsion systems.

The funding will be used to scale engineering talent, strengthen simulation and testing capabilities, and accelerate AI-led design and validation, as the startup advances next-generation, high-efficiency propulsion technologies for defence applications.

Founded in July 2025, D-Propulse was created to address a long-standing weakness in India’s defence ecosystem: advanced aero-propulsion.

The company is led by an experienced team with strategic insights drawn from India’s defence and research ecosystem. Dr V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and former Chairman of DRDO, serves as Chief Mentor. Founder and CEO Saurav Jha is a defence expert who advises the Indian government and leading Indian companies on strategic technology issues. Co-founder and CTO Dr V. Ramanujachari, a former senior DRDO scientist, led India’s scramjet engine programme and played a key role in the propulsion system used in the Akash missile. Prof. S. Chakravarthy, Head of NCCRD at IIT Madras, is Chief Advisor.

Babai Tiffins raises Rs 15.5 Cr to expand Andhra vegetarian QSR

Babai Tiffins, a Bengaluru-based quick service restaurant chain focused on pure-vegetarian Andhra cuisine, has raised Rs 15.5 crore in funding. The round includes Rs 10.5 crore secured during its appearance on Bharat Ke Super Founders, with equity led by Warmup Ventures and participation from CDM Capital, nX Capital Partners, and individual investors.

Founded by Allu Siva Rama Krishna Reddy and Ravi Morampudi, the brand currently operates three outlets in Bengaluru, serves around 2 lakh monthly orders, and is nearing a Rs 50 crore annual revenue run rate. The fresh capital will be used to expand to 10 outlets over two years and enter packaged foods such as podis, pickles, and sweets.

Shark Tank-Famed ScrapUncle raises Rs 22 Cr pre-Series A Led by Orios, Acumen

ScrapUncle, the on-demand recycling startup that gained visibility on Shark Tank India, has raised ₹22 crore in a pre-Series A round led by Orios Venture Partners, with Acumen Fund coming in as co-lead. The round also saw participation from Upaya Social Ventures, Venture Catalysts, We Founder Circle, Soonicorn Ventures, and angel investor Bharat Jaisinghani.

Founded by Mukul Chhabra, the New Delhi-based company will use the capital to deepen its presence in the Delhi NCR region, scale operations towards ₹100 crore in annual recurring revenue, and prepare for expansion into other metro cities. The funds will also support investments in fulfilment infrastructure, technology, workforce, and the groundwork for an in-house e-waste recycling facility.

ScrapUncle operates a vertically integrated recycling platform offering doorstep collection of recyclables such as e-waste, paper, plastics, metals, and textiles, routed through its own warehouses to authorised recyclers. Since inception, the company has completed over 3 lakh pickups, recycled more than 20 million kg of waste, and built a network of nearly 200 trained collection partners.

The Stack raises Rs 5.5 Cr in first institutional funding round led by OTP Ventures and Huddle Ventures

The Stack, a supplements brand focused on clinically studied ingredients and transparent formulations, has raised Rs 5.5 crore in its first institutional pre-seed funding round. The round was led by OTP Ventures and Huddle Ventures, with participation from a group of angel investors.

“This is a category where the long-term winners will be defined by products that solve real problems. We believe brands that will endure are the ones that don’t chase trends or fads but deliver long-term outcomes. The founding team has spent years deeply focused on research and development with a core pillar to create products that drive genuine, long-term benefits,” said Sanil Sachar from Huddle Ventures.

The funds will be used to invest in research and development, expand the product pipeline, build the early team and improve brand and packaging. Having grown steadily while bootstrapped so far, the founders see this fundraise as the next step in building a high-quality supplements brand from India with long-term focus.

With this round, The Stack aims to build a trusted supplements brand based on science, transparency, and consistent outcomes for consumers.

Staubli to invest $10M to expand B’lore manufacturing facility

Stäubli, a global industrial and mechatronic solutions provider, has announced an expansion of its manufacturing facility in Bengaluru with an investment of $10 million. The expanded facility will house advanced automated assembly lines and enhanced quality assurance systems dedicated to the production of MC4-Evo1 and MC4-Evo2 connectors, critical components that connect solar modules to inverters and balance-of-system equipment. The move strengthens Stäubli’s ability to meet rising domestic demand for high-quality, locally manufactured PV connectors, while also supporting global supply requirements.

The expansion strengthens Stäubli's position in India's rapidly growing solar photovoltaic (PV) sector while reinforcing the company's long-term commitment to the country's industrial growth and the 'Make in India' initiative.

According to a statement from Staubli, India’s solar sector continues to expand at scale, increasing the need for dependable, locally manufactured components. The expanded Bangalore facility addresses this demand by enabling higher production volumes, reduced lead times, and improved supply chain resilience for OEMs, EPC players, and asset owners.

Other news

OpenAI’s Prism integrates GPT-5.2 reasoning into scientific research process

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has introduced Prism—a workspace designed specifically for scientific writing and research collaboration.

The platform integrates the GPT-5.2 model directly into a cloud-based environment that supports native LaTeX. This tool addresses the fragmentation often found in research by bringing together drafting, citation management, and real-time collaboration into one unified system. Read more here

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Swiggy lets users order through ChatGPT, Claude

AUM Ventures partners with Sanyark Space as its first investment from its ‘India DeepSpark’ Deeptech initiative

AUM Ventures has invested in Sanyark Space, a spacetech startup building India’s first multi-mission NAV-COM satellite constellation, marking the first investment under its INDIA DeepSpark Deeptech Program.

Founded by former ISRO scientists, Sanyark is developing an indigenous satellite-based positioning, navigation, timing, and secure IoT communication platform for defence and commercial applications.

The first edition of the program, which was partnered with over 15 incubators, including IIT-backed ecosystems and government-supported institutions, attracted more than 400 applications from deeptech founders from all over India. 

Quest Global Appoints Richard Bergman as Global Business Head of its Semiconductor Division

Quest Global, the world’s largest independent pure-play engineering services company, today announced the appointment of Richard (Rick) Bergman as President & Global Business Head of its Semiconductor vertical.

As the Global Business Head, Rick will focus on shaping the division’s long-term strategy, accelerating revenue growth, and deepening relationships with global customers. His responsibilities include defining a multi-year growth roadmap, supporting clients' success through high-impact and transformational solutions, especially in AI, automotive, and industrial sectors, and fostering a culture of innovation and operational excellence to meet next-generation engineering demands.

Jungle Ventures Appoints Amrit Raj as Partner & Chief Marketing Officer

Jungle Ventures, a leading venture capital firm focused on building enduring businesses in India and Southeast Asia, today announced the appointment of Amrit Raj as its first Partner & Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

In this newly created leadership role, Amrit will join Jungle as a Partner and member of its core leadership team. He will help shape Jungle’s global platform strategy and work closely with portfolio founders as a long-term partner, supporting them through moments of scale, transition, and inflection as they build iconic, enduring companies.

At Jungle, Amrit will be responsible for strengthening the firm’s brand and voice across markets, deepening engagement with founders and the broader startup ecosystem, and building differentiated marketing and communications capabilities that support Jungle’s investment strategy. As Partner, he will work shoulder-to-shoulder with the investment and platform teams, partnering with founders across stages, from early conviction to scale, and bringing an operator’s perspective to growth, complexity, and transformation.

Wadhwani Foundation deepens State and City Execution to create 2.5Mn jobs and enable 6 Mn placements by 2030

Wadhwani Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation working on job creation through entrepreneurship, skilling, innovation, and government digital transformation, is moving into a new phase of operations in India with a sharper focus on execution across 15 priority city ecosystems in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.

The shift emphasises translating national-level programmes into measurable local outcomes, particularly job creation and placements. By working more closely with local employers, skilling institutions, and city-level stakeholders, the Foundation aims to improve coordination, accountability, and on-ground execution.

The expanded focus follows its activities in 2025, when the Foundation invested Rs 300 crore in India, supported around 7,000 businesses, engaged 1.2 lakh entrepreneurship students, and helped make 2.5 lakh youth job-ready through employability-linked skilling programmes. During the year, it also launched an AI-enabled My Career Advisor platform with the Ministry of Education, providing free, personalised career guidance across more than 1,500 career pathways.

Zenith School of AI launches new undergraduate programme

Zenith School of AI has announced the launch of its BTech in Artificial Intelligence programme. This four year undergraduate programme integrates a BTech in AI with an embedded mini-MBA that combines deep technical capability with product thinking, business acumen, and leadership skills. The degree is awarded by KR Mangalam University, a UGC-recognised and NAAC A-Grade accredited institution.

According to Zenith School of AI, today AI professionals cannot be trained through legacy engineering frameworks but must be shaped via continuous building, deployment, and decision-making in real-world situations.

Avinash Pandit, Co-founder, Zenith School of AI, said, “With Zenith School of AI, we are making a long-term ₹100 crore commitment to reimagine how AI talent is built in India, starting at the undergraduate level. This programme is designed to move beyond conventional engineering education and create professionals who can build, deploy, and scale AI systems in the real world.”

Wipro forms partnership with agentic AI company Factory

Wipro Limited and Factory, a agent-native software development platform and a portfolio company of Wipro Ventures, have entered a partnership to help enterprises operationalise agent-native development across their engineering organisations. Wipro Ventures, the corporate investment arm of Wipro Limited, also announced its participation in Factory’s recent funding round.

Factory enables engineering teams to delegate meaningful portions of software development to AI agents, called Droids, across the development lifecycle. Wipro will integrate Factory’s capabilities into its WEGA agent‑native delivery platform to further enhance Wipro Intelligence, the unified suite of AI-powered platforms, solutions, and transformative offerings.

Wipro will offer Factory-enabled solutions to its clients across key industry sectors including banking and financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and technology.

(The story will be updated with news throughout the day)