Square Yards turns unicorn; A father-daughter duo fights period poverty

Hello,

AI capable of launching crippling cyber attacks that could overwhelm government infrastructure is months–and not years–away, according to an international alliance of intelligence agencies.

The Five Eyes, which comprises the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, has said governments and corporations need to act now to shore up defences against sophisticated cyber attacks, CNN reports. The warning comes weeks after the US government’s directive against Anthropic’s Mythos 5 and Fable 5 models over security issues.

Speaking of cybersecurity, Tata Electronics has confirmed a data breach weeks after files allegedly obtained from the company appeared on a hacker forum.

Tata Electronics is a key supplier to tech giants like Apple and Tesla. The leak reportedly includes data linked to the companies, raising concerns about cybersecurity at a time when India is trying to become a tech hub. 

Meanwhile, cybersecurity startup Mitigata has raised $15 million in a Series B round of funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Founded in 2023, Mitigate is an AI-native startup that aims to build the country’s largest sovereign, indigenous AI security infrastructure.

ICYMI: A story of houses in Kerala that were designed for women. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Square Yards turns unicorn
• A father-daughter duo fights period poverty

Here’s your trivia for today: Which board game inspired the creation of QR codes?

Funding

Square Yards turns unicorn

Real estate and mortgage platform Square Yards has raised Rs 900 crore ($95 million approx.) in a mix of debt and equity transactions.

The funding was anchored by EAAA Alternatives with participation from global corporate credit manager Muzinich & Co, according to a press release.

Key takeaways:

• The funding was done at a valuation of $1 billion, turning the company into a unicorn.
• Square Yards is also planning towards an initial public offering but hasn't shared timeline yet.
• It is also looking to close another $50-60 million over the next quarter as part of its ongoing capital strategy.

<Funding Alert>

Startup: Mitigata

Amount: $15M

Round: Series B

Startup: Unnati Agri

Amount: Rs 17 Cr

Round: Growth

Startup: Sherlocks AI

Amount: Rs 7.5 Cr

Round: Pre-seed

Social impact

A father-daughter duo fights period poverty

Founded in 2017 by Arun and Khyati Gupta, Pinkishe Foundation combines awareness, technology, and community partnerships to make menstrual health more accessible across India. Its impact is unmistakable: over 7,00,000 menstruators reached, 5,000+ awareness sessions conducted, 1,000+ schools covered, and 4.12 million sanitary pads distributed across 150 districts in all 29 states and union territories.

Key takeaways:

• When Kerala was ravaged by floods in August 2018, pads were collected from across India and sent in truckloads to Kerala. During the pandemic, they sought help from the police department to distribute pads.
• Alongside pad distribution, Pinkshe developed educational materials by learning from doctors, researchers, and eco-feminist organisations.
• Pinkishe’s flagship intervention, Shakti Shala, is a three-year district transformation programme that operates across six districts in four states: Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan.

News & updates

• Shrinking workforce: Oracle's total workforce shrank 13%, or about 21,000 employees, in fiscal 2026, as the cloud computing giant adopted artificial intelligence (AI) across its operations.
• Unique hunter: A new species of spider that weaves a catapult-like silk trap to catch its prey has been discovered in the remote rainforests of northern Australia. Yet to be formally named, scientists currently call the unusual spider "ballista", after the ancient weapon used to hurl stones in battle.

Which board game inspired the creation of QR codes?

Answer: A Japanese board game called Go.

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