Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (March 25, 2026)

Deeptech has come into the spotlight in India as venture capitalists scout for such entrepreneurs and global technology companies betting bit on quantum technology, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.

Featured stories

Tech to the rescue for antibiotic sensitivity

Attox Research Lab, a Chennai-based healthtech startup has developed a rapid antibiotic sensitivity analysis device that can determine which antibiotic will effectively kill a specific bacteria in a patient’s sample. With AI, it achieves that in just two hours as opposed to the traditional 24-78-hour window.

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IBM’s bet on quantum computing in India

India can be a top four quantum player, but the country needs deployment-ready workforce, according to IBM India & South Asia CTO Amith Singhee. At the same time this global technology company is building the ecosystem to enhance the reach of quantum computing in real life use cases

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The deeptech push by VCs in India

Two leading venture capitalists - Accel and Prosus have now joined hands to nurture deeptech startups in India with specific focus on segments such as climate, space and health. This could potentially expand the scope of the Indian startup ecosystem to have a much more impactful play.

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Other news

Canvaloop raises $1.5M to scale sustainable fibre platform

Biomaterials startup Canvaloop has secured $1.5 million in funding from Gujarat Venture Finance Limited (GVFL) and Rockstud Capital to scale its alternative fibre platform. The company focuses on converting agricultural waste into textile-grade fibres, targeting sustainable innovation in the textile industry.

The funding will support capacity expansion, improved supply readiness, and faster delivery timelines, while accelerating commercialisation efforts. Canvaloop is also advancing next-generation materials, including regenerative fibres, to meet evolving industry demands. As sustainability becomes a key priority for textile manufacturers, the company aims to bridge the gap between innovation and large-scale adoption of eco-friendly materials.

Proxgy gets Rs 2 Cr investment from Riyan Parag

Indian cricketer Riyan Parag has invested Rs 2 crore in Proxgy, reinforcing growing confidence from the sports fraternity in the innovation-led ‘Make in India’ technology company. He joins a cohort of cricketing backers, including Ajinkya Rahane, signaling strong alignment between high-performance leadership and Proxgy’s vision. Founded in 2020 by Pulkit Ahuja, Proxgy is building an integrated ecosystem combining patented IoT hardware, proprietary software, and its AI-driven SaaS layer, Chanakya AI.

The company aims to transform industrial operations through scalable, real-world applications. This investment further strengthens Proxgy’s positioning at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and culture, as it continues to expand its footprint in India’s deep-tech innovation landscape.

RN Kids Raises Rs 7.1 Cr in pre-Seed funding round

Pediatric wellness startup RN Kids has raised Rs 7.1 crore in a pre-seed funding round, with participation from investors including Ashish Kacholia, Lashit Sanghvi, and several angel investors. Founded in September 2025, the company focuses on clean-label, clinically backed wellness products for children.

The startup plans to launch six products by July across e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart, along with its direct-to-consumer website, followed by expansion into quick commerce and offline retail. RN Kids aims to address everyday health needs in children through science-backed formulations, positioning itself in the growing pediatric wellness and nutrition segment in India.

Simplilearn strengthens leadership team amid global expansion

Digital upskilling platform Simplilearn has appointed three senior leaders to support its global growth strategy. Harish Rawat joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, Nikhil Sinha as Vice President – Business, and Saurabh Jain as Finance Controller. Rawat will focus on enhancing brand visibility and scaling performance marketing initiatives worldwide.

Sinha will lead commercial operations, with an emphasis on enterprise partnerships and learner engagement. Jain will oversee financial planning and governance to ensure sustainable growth. Backed by Blackstone, Simplilearn continues to invest in leadership capabilities as it expands its footprint across global markets and strengthens its position in the competitive edtech sector.

Saviynt launches identity security solution for AI agents

Saviynt has introduced its Identity Security for AI solution, aimed at managing and securing AI agents alongside human and non-human identities. The platform provides continuous visibility, lifecycle governance, and runtime authorization, addressing a growing enterprise risk landscape where 91% of organizations face AI-related identity blind spots.

It supports real-time discovery and monitoring across major ecosystems, including Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Google Vertex AI, ServiceNow AI, and Salesforce Agentforce. By closing critical gaps in identity governance, Saviynt aims to enable enterprises to safely deploy autonomous AI systems at scale while maintaining robust security and compliance frameworks in increasingly AI-driven environments.

Nawgati launches Aaveg Pro to digitise fuel retail operations

Fuel-tech startup Nawgati has launched Aaveg Pro, a comprehensive operations platform for petroleum dealers, at the PDAP Annual General Meeting 2026 in Pune. The platform addresses persistent challenges such as manual reconciliation, stock tracking, and credit management by integrating key functions into a unified digital system. Aaveg Pro enables real-time inventory tracking, shift management, invoicing, and compliance with VAT, GST, and other levies. Designed specifically for India’s fuel retail ecosystem, the platform enhances operational efficiency and financial transparency. The launch marks a significant step in Nawgati’s mission to modernize fuel station operations through technology-driven solutions.

CRED Enables Biometric Authentication for UPI Payments

CRED has introduced biometric authentication for UPI payments, allowing users to authorise transactions using fingerprint or facial recognition. Available for transactions up to Rs 5,000 on both iOS and Android, the feature supports all UPI use cases, including bill payments, merchant transactions, and peer-to-peer transfers.

Developed in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the feature enhances security by reducing reliance on PIN-based authentication and minimizing fraud risks. It also streamlines the payment experience, enabling faster and more reliable transactions. This move reflects CRED’s focus on improving user convenience while strengthening payment security in India’s rapidly evolving digital payments ecosystem.

Great Learning launches Agentic AI programme with Johns Hopkins

Great Learning has introduced a 16-week Certificate Program in Agentic AI in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. The program is designed for STEM professionals and technology leaders to build autonomous AI agents capable of reasoning and decision-making in dynamic environments. It covers large language models, frameworks such as ReAct and Chain-of-Thought, and multi-agent collaboration. Participants will also learn about human-AI interaction and responsible deployment practices. With hands-on projects and a structured Python prework module, the program aims to equip learners with practical skills to design and deploy AI agents, aligning with the growing demand for advanced AI capabilities across industries.

Agora Integrates Murf AI to Enhance Conversational AI Capabilities

Agora, Inc. has integrated Murf AI’s text-to-speech (TTS) technology into its Conversational AI Engine, expanding its ecosystem of AI providers. The integration enables developers to build more natural, responsive, and scalable voice agents using production-grade voice generation.

Agora’s platform acts as a unified orchestration layer, connecting Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Large Language Models (LLMs), and TTS providers on its Software-Defined Real-Time Network. This architecture allows enterprises to combine best-in-class AI models while maintaining ultra-low latency. With Murf AI’s expressive voice capabilities, developers can deliver more engaging and human-like conversational experiences, particularly in latency-sensitive applications such as customer service and real-time interactions.

BEL Partners with RRP Group for Advanced Defence Technologies

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with RRP Electronics and RRP Defense Limited to jointly develop advanced defence and semiconductor technologies. The collaboration will focus on domains such as electro-optics, unmanned systems, and strategic defence applications. The partnership aims to leverage the combined expertise of BEL and the RRP Group to design and develop high-quality, reliable solutions while strengthening India’s technological capabilities. It is also expected to unlock export opportunities in alignment with the Ministry of Defence’s export promotion initiatives. This move underscores India’s push toward self-reliance and innovation in critical defence technologies.

Navi UPI Expands Presence Through T20 Franchise Partnerships

Navi UPI has announced partnerships with multiple T20 franchises, including Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, as part of its strategy to deepen consumer engagement. As the ‘Official Payments Partner’ across teams, Navi aims to integrate its payment solutions into high-engagement cricketing moments. The initiative includes team-linked integrations and on-ground activations designed to showcase seamless and fast payment experiences. This move builds on Navi UPI’s growing adoption and reflects its broader focus on embedding payments into everyday, high-frequency use cases. By leveraging the popularity of cricket, the company aims to strengthen brand visibility and drive user adoption across India.

Enlight Metals enters into contract manufacturing

Enlight Metals has announced its entry into contract manufacturing as part of its strategy to move into value-added production. The company is launching with an initial capacity of 25,000 tonnes per annum across Faridabad, Raipur, and Pune. This expansion aims to address inefficiencies in the steel supply chain by offering end-to-end solutions, from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished structural components. Leveraging an asset-light model, Enlight Metals will collaborate with fabrication partners while maintaining control over quality and sourcing. The company plans to expand into pre-engineered building components and heavy fabrication, targeting sectors such as real estate, warehousing, and logistics infrastructure.

Shunya Labs Launches Real-Time Voice AI Platform for Contact Centres

Shunya Labs has introduced a real-time voice AI platform designed for contact centres, enabling organizations to process live interactions and generate actionable insights instantly. The platform supports transcription in over 120 languages and handles accents, code-switching, and background noise, ensuring consistent performance across diverse environments. It provides real-time assistance to agents through contextual prompts and suggested responses, while automating routine workflows and routing complex queries efficiently. By improving accuracy, efficiency, and customer experience, the platform addresses key challenges in contact centre operations and reflects the growing adoption of AI-driven solutions in customer engagement.

NetApp and Commvault partner to strengthen cyber resilience

NetApp and Commvault have announced a strategic alliance to deliver an integrated solution for enterprise data protection and cyber resilience. The collaboration combines NetApp’s AI-powered data infrastructure with Commvault’s recovery and protection capabilities to provide end-to-end ransomware detection and recovery.

The solution enables organisations to ensure data availability, immutability, and rapid recovery across on-premises and cloud environments. With features such as automated recovery workflows and early threat detection, the partnership aims to reduce downtime, minimise data loss, and enhance operational resilience. This alliance addresses growing enterprise concerns around cyber threats and data security in increasingly complex IT environments.

Zomato scales AI-Powered customer experience platform with MongoDB

Zomato has leveraged MongoDB Atlas to scale its AI-native customer experience platform, Nugget, which automates high-volume customer support across channels. Originally built for internal use, Nugget has evolved into an enterprise offering, enabling businesses to manage voice, chat, and social interactions through a unified system. Powered by real-time data pipelines and contextual intelligence, the platform allows AI agents to resolve complex queries autonomously. Zomato reports a 55% reduction in support costs while maintaining service quality. The system also includes a co-pilot for human agents, enhancing productivity and decision-making. This highlights Zomato’s continued investment in AI-driven innovation.

Porter Partners with Incognia to Combat Multi-Account Fraud

Porter has partnered with Incognia to address multi-account fraud among driver-partners on its platform. The issue, where drivers operate multiple accounts simultaneously, had led to unfair order distribution, inefficiencies, and increased emissions. With Incognia’s identity solutions, Porter has significantly reduced fraudulent overlapping orders, eliminating approximately 4,200 such instances daily.

This has improved fairness for genuine drivers, enhanced operational efficiency, and reduced unnecessary vehicle trips. The partnership supports Porter’s broader goals of transparency, sustainability, and equitable earning opportunities for its driver-partners, while strengthening trust across its logistics ecosystem.

Stratbeans Partners with Finrysk Advisors to Expand in UAE

Stratbeans Learning Solutions has partnered with Finrysk Advisors to expand its presence in the United Arab Emirates. The collaboration combines Stratbeans’ expertise in AI-powered digital learning with Finrysk’s regional market knowledge to deliver scalable enterprise learning solutions.

Finrysk will support market entry, client engagement, and regulatory alignment, helping Stratbeans build a strong pipeline in the region. The partnership will target L&D leaders and HR teams with data-driven learning platforms and capability-building programs. This move reflects Stratbeans’ strategy to grow its international footprint while accelerating digital learning adoption and workforce performance across global markets.

LS Digital launches QuarkAssist data platform

LS Digital has launched QuarkAssist, a modular data platform under its DataQuark vertical, aimed at helping enterprises unify fragmented data ecosystems. As organisations increasingly operate across multiple digital channels, data often remains siloed across analytics tools, CRM systems, and operational databases, limiting its effective use. QuarkAssist addresses this challenge by integrating data across systems without requiring replacement of existing infrastructure. It creates a unified, reliable single source of truth, enabling teams to collect, organise, and activate data across marketing, analytics, and operations. Built with a modular architecture, the platform allows businesses to adopt capabilities incrementally—ranging from data consolidation to segmentation and workflow management—based on their specific needs, reducing disruption while enhancing operational efficiency.

Infosys extends partnership with University of Nottingham

Infosys has extended its strategic collaboration with the University of Nottingham to enhance the performance, security, and compliance of the institution’s student management systems. Building on a partnership that began in 2017, Infosys previously supported the digital transformation of the university’s student information system, delivering significant improvements including reduced incident volumes, enhanced system availability, and lower infrastructure costs.

Under the renewed engagement, Infosys will manage and maintain NottinghamHub while further modernising the university’s technology infrastructure. The collaboration will focus on improving student lifecycle processes and strengthening web security through measures such as multi-factor authentication. The initiative aims to deliver a more seamless, secure, and efficient digital experience for students, faculty, and administrative stakeholders.

UPES Dehradun becomes AI-First university with OpenAI collaboration

UPES Dehradun has announced its transition to an AI-First university through a collaboration with OpenAI, marking a significant step in integrating artificial intelligence into higher education. As part of this initiative, UPES will deploy ChatGPT Edu across its campus, providing students, faculty, and staff with governed and equitable access to generative AI tools.

The move is designed to embed AI into teaching, learning, research, and administrative processes, enabling students to build practical, discipline-specific AI capabilities as part of their academic journey. With enterprise-grade security and institutional controls, the deployment aims to enhance learning outcomes, improve research capabilities, and better prepare students for emerging job markets where AI proficiency is increasingly critical.

DeHaat launches grape cluster development program in Nashik

DeHaat, in partnership with the National Horticulture Board (NHB), has launched a Grapes Cluster Development Program in Nashik to strengthen India’s position in global horticulture markets. The initiative comes at a time when international demand is shifting toward premium, licensed grape varieties, while Indian production remains dominated by traditional varieties such as Thompson Seedless.

The program aims to support farmers in adopting export-oriented, high-value grape varieties, improving quality consistency, traceability, and market access. By enabling early adoption of next-generation varieties, the initiative is expected to help growers achieve better price realisation and meet evolving global standards. The program also reinforces the importance of varietal innovation in enhancing India’s competitiveness in high-value agricultural exports.

Nasscom announces SME Inspire Awards 2026 winners

Nasscom has announced the winners of the 4th edition of the SME Inspire Awards 2026, recognising excellence, innovation, and resilience across India’s technology SME ecosystem. The awards honoured 25 organisations across categories such as Business Excellence, Technology Excellence, and Special Recognition, along with new sector-specific awards for manufacturing and services. This year’s edition received over 475 nominations across 23 categories, reflecting the growing depth and maturity of India’s SME landscape. The evaluation process, conducted over four months, assessed entries based on business impact, domain expertise, and readiness for disruption. The awards highlighted companies driving transformation across sectors including BFSI, healthcare, retail, and GovTech, while also emphasising the increasing role of AI-led innovation in shaping the future of SMEs.

embedded world India to co-locate with Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026

The Government of Karnataka and NuernbergMesse India have announced that embedded world India will be co-located with the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026, scheduled for November 17–19 at BIEC. The move comes amid rapid growth in India’s embedded systems and semiconductor sectors, driven by initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission. The combined event is expected to attract thousands of exhibitors, startups, and global participants across sectors including deep tech, AI, electric mobility, and digital infrastructure. Karnataka, which contributes significantly to India’s electronics output and semiconductor design ecosystem, will serve as a key hub for collaboration. The co-location aims to create a unified platform for innovation, fostering partnerships across hardware, software, and emerging technology domains.

IIT Mandi to host HIVE 3.0 AI conclave

IIT Mandi, along with its Technology Innovation Hub, will host HIVE 3.0 from March 30 to April 1, 2026, focusing on human-centered AI and collaborative intelligence. The international conclave is expected to bring together over 500 participants, including startups, researchers, and industry leaders, to explore advancements in multimodal AI.

The event will highlight how AI systems are evolving beyond isolated data processing to integrate inputs such as speech, vision, and sensor data, enabling more holistic decision-making. With applications spanning healthcare, manufacturing, mobility, and education, the discussions will centre on real-world use cases and the role of collaborative intelligence in solving complex challenges. HIVE 3.0 aims to foster innovation and dialogue at the intersection of research and industry.

(The copy will be updated with the latest news through the day)