Startup news and updates: daily roundup (February 4, 2026)

From PAC Cosmetics eyeing global expansion to HORIBA setting up research and development hub in India, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors. 

Featured news 

These organisations are leading the fight against human trafficking 

The fight against human trafficking has transformed over the past decade, with organisations expanding beyond rescue operations to address root causes. Prevention, rehabilitation, and economic empowerment now form the core of anti-trafficking interventions, supported by legal aid, counselling, education, and livelihood programmes. Survivors are increasingly leading these efforts as peer mentors and change advocates.

Social Story lists five organisations that stand at the forefront, integrating frontline response with long-term rehabilitation strategies.

Read here. 

PAC Cosmetics eyes global expansion after building a bootstrapped beauty brand 

Founded in 2006, PAC Cosmetics started as a professional makeup tools supplier, later transforming into an omnichannel beauty brand expecting Rs 140-150 crore GMV in FY25 with 20-25% EBITDA margins.

Director Bonish Jain, who joined in 2014, shifted the family-run company from professional-only to mass-premium consumer focus. The brand now operates across 140 retail locations with balanced online-offline sales.

"We want to build a brand that goes global from India," said Jain, announcing plans to enter Dubai, Nepal, and Sri Lanka markets.

The bootstrapped company offers 350 SKUs priced between Rs 600-1,200, contract-manufactured across 60 global labs and adapted for Indian consumers.

Read here. 

Funding news 

Gamepoint raises Rs 7 Cr to expand multi-sport centre network 

Sports startup Gamepoint has raised Rs 7 crore in Pre-Series A funding to expand its multi-sport centre network and strengthen technology capabilities.

The round was led by Raj P Narayanam, Founder of Zaggle, and Aditya Vuchi, General Partner at VCMint, with participation from Praveen Raju, Founder of Suchitra Academy.

Gamepoint operates professionally managed multi-sport centres offering coaching for children, flexible memberships for adults, and corporate event management. The company plans to scale to 300-plus centres across metros and Tier I-II cities over five years.

"This funding marks an important milestone in our mission to transform India from a sports-loving nation into a sports-playing nation," said founders Aditya Reddy and Siddharth Reddy jointly.

Vibrium raises $1M to expand agentic AI deployments globally

Enterprise agentic AI platform Vibrium raised $1 million in a seed funding round backed by global leaders across fintech, enterprise technology, and digital infrastructure. 

The capital will be used to accelerate product development, strengthen its goal-oriented AI agent framework, and scale deployments across BFSI, ecommerce, SaaS, and operations-led enterprises. 

Founded by Akshat Saxena, Vibrium focuses on delivering measurable business outcomes through governance-ready, production-grade AI. Since its inception, the company has onboarded over 25 enterprise clients, crossed one million AI interaction minutes, and helped early customers achieve over 200% ROI.

Krvvy seals Rs 1.2 Cr deal on Shark Tank India at Rs 40 cr valuation

Shapewear startup Krvvy raised Rs 1.2 crore for a 3% equity stake in Shark Tank India, valuing the company at Rs 40 crore. 

Founded in 2023 by Yash Goyal and Anant Bhardwaj, the brand has been backed by Namita Thapar. Krvvy reported Rs 6 crore in revenue within seven months and projected a Rs 15 crore ARR, driven by strong demand from Tier II-III cities. The brand plans to expand its product portfolio and open experience-led stores over the next year.

Nila Spaces invests Rs 6 Cr in Alt DRX to scale real estate tokenisation

Nila Spaces Ltd invested Rs 6 crore to acquire a 1.40% minority stake in Alt DRX, a fintech startup focused on asset and real estate tokenisation in India. 

The strategic investment aims to accelerate the adoption and scaling of tokenised real estate, enabling fractional ownership and wider access to property investment. The funding round also saw participation from global institutions and Indian family offices, signalling growing confidence in the sector. 

The partnership will focus on developing regulatory-compliant, investor-friendly tokenised housing products with institutional-grade governance, aligning with Nila Spaces’ technology-led, inclusive ownership vision and Alt DRX’s goal of reshaping real estate investing in India.

Other news 

HORIBA acquires lab-grown diamond tech firm, sets up India R&D hub

HORIBA India has acquired 100% shares of Pristine Deeptech Private Limited, a company specialising in lab-grown diamond research for semiconductor and quantum applications, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.

The acquisition reinforces HORIBA's expertise in diamond technologies and establishes an R&D hub in India for analytical and measurement solutions.

"This partnership represents a big step towards strengthening our capabilities in advanced materials and semiconductors," said Hideyuki Koishi, Director and General Manager at HORIBA Ltd. Rajeev Gautam, President of HORIBA India, said the move aligns with India's Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, adding: "This marks a new phase in our global innovation journey."

HyKr Venture Studio commits Rs 100 Cr to co-build 20 early-stage startups

HyKr will launch its venture studio in March 2026, committing Rs 100 crore to co-build up to 20 startups across deeptech, health and bio, and construction and proptech sectors by FY27.

HyKr positions itself as an institutional co-founder, deploying Rs 2-4 crore per company with hands-on execution support across product, engineering, and operations. "India is entering a phase where ambition is widespread, but consistent execution is what truly separates enduring companies," said Krishna Dunthoori, Founder of HyKr and CEO of Apty.

The studio has also launched the HyKr Build Challenge, offering Rs 35 lakh in prizes.

All In Capital to fund 20–30 early-stage AI startups through the Golden Ticket Program

All In Capital, a pre-seed and seed-stage VC firm, has announced the first cohort of its Golden Ticket Program to support early-stage Indian founders building AI-led companies. 

Founded by Aditya Singh and Kushal Bhagia, the firm will select 20–30 startups for the cohort, offering pre-seed funding of up to $300,000 per company. The programme targets technical, early-career founders building vertical AI solutions across sectors, such as healthcare and professional services. 

Selected teams will spend 6–12 months in Silicon Valley, culminating in a Demo Day with global investors.

Amazon India partners with IIT Roorkee on sustainable packaging

Amazon India has collaborated with IIT Roorkee to develop recyclable and home-compostable packaging made from agricultural waste such as wheat straw and bagasse. The 15-month research project aims to create non-wood paper technology that reduces stubble burning, lowers dependence on virgin wood pulp, and supports farmer income. Subject to successful trials, the initiative could move to commercial production by mid to late next year.

Dvara E-Dairy crosses Rs 100 Cr in dairy loan disbursements

Dvara E-Dairy has surpassed Rs 100 crore in cumulative loan disbursements, reaching over 11,000 women dairy farmers across 700-plus villages. Powered by its AI-driven Surabhi platform, the company enables cashflow-based dairy lending without traditional collateral, helping farmers scale operations and transition from subsistence to enterprise-level dairy farming.

Infosys to set up GCC for Citizens Financial Group

Infosys has partnered with Citizens Financial Group to support the launch of an AI-first Innovation Hub in Bengaluru. Leveraging Infosys Topaz Fabric, the collaboration aims to accelerate AI-driven transformation across Citizens’ banking operations, product development, and customer experience, strengthening the bank’s technology-led operating model.

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