Google’s AI Hub in Visakhapatnam; Building the missing pipeline for women founders

Hello,

The instant home services market is heating up. 

Just six months after its previous round, quick home services startup Snabbit has raised funding again—$56 million in a Series D round, as it doubles down on a fast-growing category that’s bringing largely fragmented services onto an on-demand app-driven model. 

Urban Company and Pronto are the other key players in a market that’s gaining traction among urban consumers. Reports say India’s instant home services segment has crossed 10 million monthly active users. 

Meanwhile, in the world of food delivery and quick commerce, Eternal is hogging the limelight. Its Q4 revenue surged sharply to Rs 17,292 crore, from Rs 5,833 crore a year earlier. Its net profit also improved considerably from Rs 39 crore a year ago to Rs 174 crore. The growth was driven by Blinkit, with net order value rising over 95% year-on-year.

Here are two reports that indicate a promising future for India. 

First, the country’s DPI (digital public infrastructure) initiatives may contribute 4% of GDP by 2030, up from around 1% now, according to a report by NITI Aayog. Second, a Nasscom report shows the patent ecosystem in India is on a strong upward trajectory, with filings rising 30% in FY26. 

Lastly, SpaceX has linked founder Elon Musk’s compensation plan to futuristic goals: colonisation of Mars and running data centres in space. Is the company dangling lofty, but conditional, rewards as it vies for the entrepreneur’s attention?

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Google’s AI Hub in Visakhapatnam
• Building the missing pipeline for women founders

Here’s your trivia for today: What vegetable’s name in French translates to ‘earth apple’?

Digital infrastructure

Google’s AI hub in Visakhapatnam

Google broke ground on an AI hub in Visakhapatnam, marking what executives and policymakers described as a pivotal step in India’s bid to build large-scale digital infrastructure to power its next phase of economic growth. The project is developed in partnership with AdaniConneX and Nxtra by Airtel. 

The groundbreaking marks a significant milestone in the company's $15 billion investment over five years (2026-2030) to establish a comprehensive gigawatt-scale AI ecosystem in India. 

What the project entails: 

• “This is an inflection point for India’s AI-native future,” said Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud CEO, adding that the project reflects a deepening alignment between Big Tech investment and the government's ambitions under the 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision.
• The facility will anchor a broader industrial corridor, linking subsea cable infrastructure, fibre connectivity, and renewable energy supply, positioning India as a competitive destination for global AI infrastructure.
• The company plans to prioritise local procurement and integrate small and medium enterprises into global operational frameworks. 

Funding Alert

Startup: Battery Smart 

Amount: $15M

Round: Debt

Startup: HyugaLife

Amount: Rs 100 Cr 

Round: Series A

In-focus

Building the missing pipeline for women founders

There has never been a shortage of capable women founders; the issue has always been about shortage of access: access to networks, investors, mentors, and the rooms where early-stage decisions get made.

In 2019, Aishwarya Malhi and Vikas Kumar set out to close this gap, launching Rebalance, India’s first accelerator and angel community focused on women and diverse founders, building the missing pipeline rather than waiting for the ecosystem to change.

How the accelerator works: 

• Gurugram-based Rebalance supports women-led startups with mentorship, investor access, and no-fee, no-equity support. 
• Rebalance runs a structured 15-week accelerator twice a year, in summer and winter, and accepts 10-15 companies per cohort. The programme requires at least one active woman founder, early traction, and scalable tech ideas.
• Support includes weekly growth sessions, one-on-one mentoring, expert bootcamps, wellness support, and introductions to more than 180 VC partners across India, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States. 

News & updates

• OPEC exit: The United Arab Emirates has announced that it will exit OPEC on May 1, in a big blow to the cartel that coordinates production among many of the world’s largest oil producers.
• Trademark moves: Pop superstar Taylor Swift has filed trademark applications for two audio clips and an image of ‌herself in what a trademark attorney said is an attempt to protect her voice and likeness from deepfake videos and audio created by AI.

What vegetable’s name in French translates to ‘earth apple’?

Answer: Potato

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