Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (January 7, 2026)

From Mufin Green Finance investing Rs 17.5 million in Dream Road Technologies Pvt Ltd to Practo expanding to the US, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.

Featured Stories

Where India will spend next: Consumer trends that will define 2026

Rising purchasing power, greater willingness to trade up, and wider access to aspirational lifestyles are expanding the opportunity for consumer brands in India. This shift is supported by macro trends, with private consumption expected to drive GDP growth and per capita income projected to reach $3.5K–$4K by 2030.

As consumers steadily move from unbranded to branded products, branded goods are expected to account for about 45% of India’s retail market by FY30—representing a $730 billion opportunity, nearly double today’s size, according to Fireside Ventures.

Against this backdrop, YourStory examines the consumer trends shaping 2026, from rising spend on petcare and premium babycare to agentic AI in retail and the next phase of quick commerce beyond speed.

Read more here

How a village craft became a livelihood for hundreds of women in West Bengal

In Nanoor, a small village near Santiniketan, kantha embroidery was once a domestic practice shaped by reuse and necessity. Tajkira Begum transformed it into a women-led enterprise carrying memory, dignity and income far beyond the household.

For Begum, the work also opened up a world she had never imagined. “At first, it was very difficult,” she says. “I had never travelled much before, even within India.” Through exhibitions and markets, she found herself travelling across the country, and then abroad to Paris and Japan. The journeys were new and daunting, but also exciting. Read more here

From Starbucks to Everest Spices: How LabelBlind is automating food labelling across India

For decades, labelling remained a slow and error-prone manual process, even as India’s packaged-food market boomed. That is, until 2018, when nutrition expert Rashida Vapiwala decided to start LabelBlind.

The startup began as a food-rating website that scored products based on their healthiness. However, real momentum came when the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recognised its work, appointing LabelBlind as the principal investigator for a nutrient-threshold study that would later inform India’s front-of-pack labelling rules. Read more here

Funding news

Prop-tech Startup Flent raises Rs 21 Cr to scale premium, full-stack living

Flent, an Indian proptech startup focused on the urban rental market, has raised Rs 21 crore in a Pre-Series A round, comprising Rs 17 crore in equity and Rs 4 crore in debt. The round was led by Incubate Fund Asia, with participation from existing investor WEH Ventures, Twin & Bull Family Office, Stride Ventures, 91Ventures, Untitled VC, and a group of angel investors, including BlackBuck Co-founder and CEO Rajesh Yabaji. About 40 of Flent’s landlords and tenants also participated, investing a combined Rs 1 crore.

Founded to address inefficiencies in India’s rental housing market, Flent operates a full-stack model that offers fully furnished rental homes with flexible leasing options. The company manages property onboarding, design, and operations, aiming to reduce brokerage dependence and upfront deposits for tenants, while providing homeowners with predictable rental income and operational support.

Flent is currently focused on serving white-collar professionals across India’s major metros, targeting a segment it estimates at around 20 lakh potential renters. The company plans to use the capital to expand its housing inventory, strengthen operations, and scale across key urban markets.

White Whale invests in supply chain technology startup Stackbox

White Whale Venture Fund, an early- and growth-stage venture capital firm, has participated in Stackbox’s $4 million Series A funding round, which was led by Enrission India Capital.

Stackbox is a supply chain technology company that develops software for warehouse and transportation management, with a focus on supporting automated and complex logistics operations. Its platform includes an AI-enabled warehouse management system and a transportation management system used for planning and execution across supply chains.

The company works with FMCG clients and is expanding into food and beverage, manufacturing, and industrial logistics. Stackbox is also building its presence in Southeast Asia to support enterprises with regional and cross-border supply chain operations.

The funding will be used to develop the product further, expand its customer base, and support growth across India and selected international markets.

RoadGrid secures pre-Series A funding led by Venture Catalysts

RoadGrid, a company developing electric vehicle charging infrastructure, has raised Rs 12 crore in a pre-Series A funding round led by Venture Catalysts.

The round also saw participation from a group of strategic and angel investors, including Kamal Puri of Skyline Group, IPV, FAAD Network, LetsVenture, Vrinda Goyal of Pace Group, Haresh Patel of Arthanomics, and Maneesh Shrivastav of Alpha Value.

Founded to address gaps in EV charging accessibility, RoadGrid is working on universal charging solutions designed to support multiple vehicle types and use cases.

Be Clinical Raises Rs 6 Cr in seed funding led by Arjun Vaidya’s V3 Ventures

Be Clinical, a skincare brand focused on clinically tested products for ageing-related concerns, has raised Rs 6 crore in seed funding. The round was led by V3 Ventures, with participation from Titan Capital.

Founded by Hemangi Dhir, Be Clinical positions itself around science-led product development and clinical validation, targeting gaps in the Indian skincare market where many offerings rely on marketing-led claims or are limited to clinic-based treatments. The company develops its formulations through in-house research and manufacturing, with an emphasis on in-vivo testing and ingredient transparency.

The seed capital will be used to expand research and development, including clinical testing and new product development across face, body, and scalp categories. Funds will also support upgrades to manufacturing capacity and packaging, aimed at improving consistency, quality control, and product stability.

Mufin Green Finance invests Rs 17.5M in Dream Road Technologies

Mufin Green Finance Limited has invested Rs 17.5 million in Dream Road Technologies Private Limited as part of the company’s Pre-Series A4 funding round. The investment was made through the subscription of 10,340 compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS).

Dream Road Technologies operates in the electric mobility solutions space. Mufin Green Finance said the investment aligns with its focus on financial services linked to electric mobility and clean transportation.

The capital will be used to support Dream Road Technologies’ operations and expansion as it works to scale its technology-led mobility offerings.

Arrowhead raises $3M led by Stellaris to build human-like voice AI for BFSI

Arrowhead, a Voice AI platform focused on sales automation for financial services, has raised $3 million in a seed round led by Stellaris Venture Partners, with participation from angel investors including Kunal Shah (CRED), Madhusudanan R (M2P), and fintech executives from Turtlemint and Kissht. The capital will be used to strengthen its AI models and expand technology and go-to-market teams.

Founded by Devyani Gupta and Vengadanathan Srinivasan, Arrowhead works with banks, NBFCs, and fintechs to deploy voice-based AI agents for sales conversations at scale.

Antinorm raises Rs 28 Cr seed funding led by Fireside Ventures

Antinorm, an intentional beauty brand, has raised ₹28 crore in a seed funding round led by Fireside Ventures, with existing investors V3 Ventures and Rukam Capital also participating. Founded to address the needs of time-constrained consumers, the brand focuses on high-performance products designed to simplify daily beauty routines.

The fresh capital will be used to expand product development and R&D, strengthen its digital and offline distribution, and build internal teams across product, growth, and operations. Part of the funding will also go towards working capital to support growing demand and ensure consistent availability of key products.

Other news

Innovartan Technologies appoints Anwar Sheikh as Head of Operations

Innovartan Technologies has appointed Anwar Sheikh as Head of Operations as it scales its school-integrated, technology-led learning solutions across India’s K–12 segment.

Sheikh brings over two decades of experience in EdTech and K–12 education and will oversee academic delivery, product execution, and operational scale. He was previously a founding team member at Embibe, where he led academic strategy and multiple functions during the company’s growth phase following its $180 million fundraising.

Anwar Sheikh said, “I am looking forward to building systems that combine academic rigour with scalable execution. Innovartan Technologies is addressing a core structural gap in school education, delivering competitive readiness without external dependencies. I’m excited to work on building robust operational and academic frameworks that help schools consistently improve learning outcomes.”

PayNearby digitises SHG cash withdrawals and deposits with dual authentication

PayNearby has introduced a dual-authentication-based system to digitise cash withdrawals and deposits for Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across its PayNearby and Digital Naari platforms.

The solution is aimed at addressing operational challenges in SHG–bank linkages by allowing compliant access to group funds without requiring multiple in-person visits to bank branches. According to the company, the service could be used by up to one crore SHG members.

Traditionally, SHG withdrawals require the physical presence of two authorised signatories at a bank branch, a process that often leads to delays and higher transaction costs. These constraints can limit participation and result in funds remaining unused or being held informally, affecting timely deployment for livelihood and micro-enterprise activities.

QuiD Cash appoints Paytm ex-president and COO Bhavesh Gupta as Senior Advisor and Chief Mentor

QuiD Cash has appointed Bhavesh Gupta, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Paytm, as Senior Advisor and Chief Mentor. In this role, Gupta will work with the company’s leadership team as it builds technology-led credit and payments solutions for MSMEs.

Gupta brings over two decades of experience across payments, lending, and financial services. During his tenure at Paytm, he oversaw operations across payments, lending, commerce, and other financial services businesses. His previous roles include CEO and founding member at Clix Capital, SME and Business Banking Head at IDFC Bank, and General Manager and Head of Business Banking at ICICI Bank.

QuiD Cash operates as a B2B fintech focused on supply-chain-linked payments and credit solutions for MSMEs. The company said Gupta’s experience in scaling financial platforms and navigating regulated environments will inform its product and operating strategy going forward.

MS Dhoni’s 7Padel merges with PadelPark India to build national padel platform

Cricket legend MS Dhoni has merged his padel venture, 7Padel MS Dhoni, with PadelPark India to form a unified national platform aimed at accelerating the sport’s growth in India. The consolidation brings Dhoni in as a partner alongside PadelPark India, which has been building a courts-to-community padel ecosystem across the country.

Founded by Nikhil Sachdev, Jigar Doshi, Pratik Doshi, and Ronak Daftary, PadelPark India currently operates more than 40 owned and managed courts and has contributed to a nationwide footprint of over 200 courts. The organisation plans to significantly expand infrastructure over the next year as participation rises across metro and emerging cities.

Padel has seen rapid growth in India, with the number of courts increasing sharply over the past two years, reflecting growing interest in the sport.

Practo expands to the US after strong UAE debut

Practo has launched its care navigation platform in the US, marking its largest international expansion after entering the UAE earlier in 2025. Since April, the platform has listed over 200,000 doctors and reached an annualised GMV run-rate of more than $75 million.

US usage has grown nearly sixfold in six months, with over 300,000 monthly active users. Early traction has been strongest in dental and mental health, where more than 500 doctors across 150+ clinics and practices are on paid subscriptions. Read more here

redBus launches NOVA, India’s first integrated B2B online marketplace for the bus industry

redBus has launched NOVA, an integrated B2B online marketplace for India’s intercity bus industry, expanding its portfolio beyond ticketing. The platform connects more than 6,000 bus operators with verified vendors offering products and services across safety, operations, and fleet management.

NOVA enables bus owners to access technologies such as CCTV systems, driver monitoring tools, passenger announcement systems, diagnostics, and training services, often at discounts of 20–40%. By aggregating demand and standardising access, the platform aims to improve operational efficiency, safety standards, and cost structures for small and mid-sized bus operators across the country.

Freshworks appoints Kady Srinivasan as Chief Marketing Officer

Freshworks has appointed Kady Srinivasan as Chief Marketing Officer. With over 15 years of experience, Srinivasan will lead the company’s global marketing strategy to strengthen its positioning around uncomplicated service software. She will report to Chief Integrated Customer Growth Officer Mika Yamamoto.

Srinivasan previously served as CMO at You.com and Lightspeed Commerce, where she helped drive 25% year-on-year growth and the company’s first profitable quarter in two decades. Her earlier roles include senior leadership positions at Klaviyo and Owlet Baby Care.

Pinnacle Blooms Network eyes expansion through fresh funding

Pinnacle Blooms Network, the pediatric-therapy enterprise of Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited, has received multiple investment offers from global institutional investors. 

The company claimed that a leading global healthcare investment fund has offered

$70 million as part of a Series A funding. Pinnacle operates more than 70 multi-disciplinary therapy centres across India. The company's proprietary Pinnacle Child Development Operating System (GPT-OS) is a multi-patent-filed digital-therapeutic platform that measures, forecasts, and personalises every dimension of a child's developmental journey across speech, motor, cognitive, and behavioural domains.

Pinnacle plans to utilise the proposed funding for the expansion of its centres into South East Asia and the Gulf region, which would see an increase in its centres to over 300 across multiple countries.

Cadence completes 20 years in Pune R&D centre

Cadence, a global electronic system design company, has completed 20 years in Pune as a core research and development hub. Established in 2006 by Tensilica, now part of Cadence, this anniversary marks the company’s early belief in Pune’s technology and engineering ecosystem during a period when few multinational technology companies operated there, a statement said.

Starting with a five-member team, Cadence now employs over 300 employees in Pune and continues to scale its talent base. The Pune centre is a key part of the Silicon Solutions Group. The Pune teams develop highly complex digital signal processing (DSP) IP, AI accelerators, DDR, and mixed-signal IP for leading semiconductor and electronics companies worldwide. These technologies enable critical applications across consumer electronics, data centres, and automotive markets.

(The article will be updated throughout the day with the latest developments and news)