Startup news and updates: daily roundup (June 25, 2026)

From Amazon’s multi-billion dollar investment in India to Nekko unveiling new AI innovation, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.

Featured news

Amazon to invest $13B in India's AI and cloud infrastructure by 2030

Amazon continues to pour billions into India as it looks to expand its AI and cloud technology offerings in the country. This fresh announcement takes the cumulative investment by the company to $48 billion and these will be invested from 2026 to 2030.

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AI services to agentic AI: Nekko is building its next growth engine for business process transformation

Bengaluru-based startup Nekko began as an AI services company but is increasingly betting on proprietary products, including computer vision systems and agentic AI solutions.

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Funding news

SuperLiving raises $7M in Series A led by Lightspeed

SuperLiving, a wellness & preventive health platform focused on India's Tier II and beyond cities, has raised $7 million in a Series A round of funding led by Lightspeed, with participation from existing investors, Kae Capital and All-in Capital.

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Bodycraft raises Rs 120 crore to expand beauty and wellness network

Integrated beauty, wellness and medical aesthetics platform Bodycraft has raised Rs 120 crore from Mumbai-based private equity firm Singularity AMC to accelerate its nationwide expansion. The company plans to add 30 new clinics and salons to its existing network of 67 locations while investing in advanced clinical technology, AI-driven operational efficiencies and enhanced customer experience. The fresh capital will also strengthen management capabilities and improve operational efficiency. Bodycraft is looking to tap into India's rapidly expanding beauty and aesthetic care market, which is expected to witness robust growth over the coming years. The company said the investment will support its next phase of growth as demand for organised beauty, wellness and medical aesthetic services continues to rise across the country.

Other news

EXL to acquire AI data specialist iMerit in $310 million deal

Data and AI company EXL has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AI model training and reinforcement learning specialist iMerit in a transaction valued at up to $310 million. The deal includes an upfront payment of $170 million, with an additional $140 million linked to performance milestones over two years. Expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, the acquisition strengthens EXL's AI capabilities by adding iMerit's Ango platform and global network of domain experts. The move is aimed at helping enterprises improve the accuracy and effectiveness of large language and multimodal AI models while expanding EXL's presence across fast-growing AI technology sectors.

Pegasystems opens new Bengaluru office

Enterprise AI software company Pegasystems has inaugurated a new office at EcoWorld Tech Park in Bengaluru with an investment exceeding Rs 60 crore. The facility houses the Bengaluru Executive Briefing Center, designed to host executive meetings, product demonstrations, partner engagements and strategic advisory sessions. The expansion reinforces Bengaluru's role as a key engineering and innovation hub within Pega's global operations.

Karnataka IT and Biotechnology Minister Priyank M. Kharge inaugurated the facility alongside company leaders. Pega said the investment reflects its long-term commitment to India as a strategic centre for technology innovation, engineering excellence and customer engagement across the Asia-Pacific region.

PayU unveils AI-powered developer tools for payment integration

Fintech platform PayU has launched two developer-focused tools - PayU CLI and Builder MCP - to simplify payment integration and payment operations. Builder MCP enables developers to generate production-ready payment gateway integration code using AI coding assistants across multiple programming languages. Meanwhile, PayU CLI allows developers and operations teams to manage payment workflows, refunds, settlements and reports directly through the command line without relying on dashboards. The company said the tools are designed to reduce integration time from days to hours while improving operational efficiency. The launch reflects PayU's continued focus on building AI-native infrastructure for developers and businesses managing digital payment systems.

Singularity-led investors infuse Rs 50 crore into Steamhouse India

Singularity Large Value Fund III, Singularity Equity Fund I and Niveshaay Sambhav Fund have collectively invested Rs 49.99 crore in Steamhouse India through a pre-IPO placement. The investors acquired over 68 lakh equity shares at Rs 73 apiece, together holding nearly 2.94% of the company's pre-offer equity capital. Steamhouse India operates one of the country's largest industrial steam distribution networks, serving more than 167 industrial customers across sectors including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and food processing. The company said the pre-IPO funding will support its growth plans ahead of its proposed public issue, with the IPO's fresh issue size expected to be adjusted accordingly.

GEMS Education to invest $30 million in India expansion

Dubai-based GEMS Education has announced an ambitious India expansion strategy backed by an initial investment of up to $30 million over the next three to five years. The plan includes opening more than 30 GEMS-operated schools, creating a network of over 1,000 partner schools, and establishing a dedicated School of Education for teacher training and educational research. The initiative aims to benefit over three million learners and create career opportunities for more than 200,000 educators. GEMS has already identified 21 school projects, with the first five set to open from the 2026 academic year across Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Rajasthan, offering CBSE, ICSE, Cambridge and International Baccalaureate curricula.

NLB Services unveils integrated AI-led transformation strategy

NLB Services has announced a strategic evolution of its business to address growing enterprise demand for integrated AI-driven transformation solutions. The company will bring together expertise across talent, technology, operations, marketing and risk management to help organisations accelerate business outcomes. NLB said many enterprises continue to manage workforce transformation, technology modernisation and operational excellence as separate initiatives, resulting in slower execution and reduced value. Through its unified approach, the company aims to align strategy with execution while enabling organisations to improve resilience and competitiveness. The repositioning reinforces NLB Services' focus on becoming a strategic transformation partner as enterprises increasingly adopt artificial intelligence across business functions.

ACI Worldwide flags rising fraud risks during FIFA World Cup

Payments technology company ACI Worldwide has warned that fraud attempts linked to the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup are already rising, exposing both fans and ticket sellers to increased risks. Based on analysis of 24.5 million transactions across 61 live-event merchants, the company found fraud patterns similar to those seen during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Copa America 2024. ACI said it monitors billions of payment transactions globally, enabling it to detect coordinated fraud activity before it becomes visible to individual merchants or financial institutions. The company expects fraud pressure to remain elevated throughout the tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Lentra launches growth alliance programme for NBFCs

Digital lending technology platform Lentra has launched its Growth Alliance Program (G.A.P.) to help emerging and mid-sized non-banking financial companies scale their lending operations. The initiative provides affordable digital lending infrastructure covering loan origination, underwriting, disbursement and servicing, while also ensuring compliance with RBI regulations and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. The programme is targeted at NBFCs with strong lending potential that are aiming to build assets under management exceeding Rs 1,000 crore. Lentra said the platform will enable lenders to improve operational efficiency, reduce risk and strengthen regulatory readiness, allowing them to expand sustainably in an increasingly competitive lending environment.

HCLFoundation, Pearson open STEM learning centre in Bengaluru

HCLFoundation and education company Pearson have launched a Discovery Science Center in Bengaluru to provide underserved students with hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The facility will offer immersive learning experiences through STEM clubs, workshops and competitions, benefiting more than 1,500 students annually. The initiative builds on a similar centre established in Noida and expands the partnership between HCLTech and Pearson to promote AI-enabled learning and digital education. Earlier this year, the two organisations also collaborated to provide smart classrooms equipped with digital learning tools and assistive devices for children with special needs, supporting inclusive education across underserved communities.

Figma expands AI capabilities with new design and coding tools

Figma has announced a suite of AI-powered product updates aimed at transforming its collaborative design platform into a full-stack digital creation workspace. The new features include Code Layers, allowing developers to work directly with code within the design canvas, Motion for creating animations and 3D transitions, and Shaders for generating advanced visual effects using AI. The company also introduced Figma Weave workflows, which simplify complex AI-powered creative processes through more than 20 integrated tools. Figma said the updates will help designers and developers collaborate more efficiently while enabling AI agents to automate repetitive tasks, explore creative possibilities and accelerate product development from concept to deployment.

KLAY appoints Abhishek Joshi as CEO

Early childhood education and care provider KLAY has appointed Abhishek Joshi as its Chief Executive Officer. Joshi will lead the company's next phase of growth, focusing on expanding KLAY's integrated offerings across early learning, childcare and parenting support. He will also work towards making high-quality early childhood education more accessible across India. Joshi brings more than two decades of leadership experience from consumer brands including Licious, Jubilant FoodWorks, Hindustan Unilever and Amul. KLAY said the appointment reflects its ambition to build a comprehensive early childhood ecosystem and establish new benchmarks in learning, care and family engagement as demand for organised childcare services continues to grow.

Simplilearn launches AI training programme for agentic workflows

Digital upskilling platform Simplilearn has launched the AI Accelerator Program—From Prompts to Agentic Workflows—an eight-week course designed to equip learners with practical artificial intelligence skills. The blended learning programme combines live virtual sessions with self-paced coursework spanning over 60 hours. Participants will learn Python programming, prompt engineering, AI-assisted coding, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), LangChain, workflow automation using n8n and the fundamentals of agentic AI. The course culminates in a capstone project where learners build and deploy an AI application. Simplilearn said the curriculum has been designed to address industry demand for AI talent by providing hands-on experience with real-world AI tools and workflows.

NxtWave learners to access IIT Kharagpur micro-specialisation courses

Edtech startup NxtWave has announced that learners enrolling in its NIAT programme from 2026 will gain access to IIT Kharagpur's micro-specialisation courses through the institute's Outreach Course Network. As an official partner, NxtWave will integrate advanced technology courses from IIT Kharagpur with its regular curriculum. Eligible learners will receive an IIT Kharagpur OCN Micro-Specialisation Certificate upon successful completion, along with an institute email ID, student identity card and alumni status, subject to institute policies. The collaboration is aimed at strengthening learners' industry readiness by combining practical technology education with academic certification from one of India's leading engineering institutions.

CRED introduces AI-powered credit coaching for members

Fintech platform CRED has launched an AI-powered credit coaching feature that provides members with personalised guidance to help them understand and improve their credit health. The tool enables users to ask questions about their credit score, such as reasons for score fluctuations and ways to improve their credit profile, while offering contextual recommendations based on their CIBIL report.

CRED has also introduced real-time alerts to notify members of changes to their credit reports, helping them detect fraudulent or inaccurate entries early. The company said the feature builds on its credit score product, which has grown to 3.6 million monthly active users within a year, while ensuring member data remains private during AI interactions.

Addverb announces humanoid robot push as it marks 10 years

Industrial robotics company Addverb has marked its tenth anniversary by announcing a major expansion into humanoid robotics and Physical AI. The company plans to launch Elixis, its next-generation walking humanoid robot, later this year for industrial applications including logistics and manufacturing. Addverb aims to deploy 3,000 humanoid robots in industrial facilities by 2030 as part of its strategy to expand Physical AI adoption. Earlier this year, it introduced Elixis-W, India's first domestically manufactured wheeled humanoid robot for industrial use. Operating across India, the US, the UK and Europe, Addverb currently has the capacity to manufacture up to one lakh robots annually and is targeting revenue of over Rs 1,400 crore by FY27.

Shaan Patel Asset Management launches Rs 250 crore IPO fund

Shaan Patel Asset Management has launched its Quant IPO Opportunity Fund, a Category III Alternative Investment Fund targeting a corpus of Rs 250 crore. The fund will invest in mainboard and SME public offerings through Anchor Investor and Qualified Institutional Buyer allocations using a proprietary quantitative investment framework. Beginning with an initial commitment of Rs 20 crore, the fund will focus on sectors including artificial intelligence, fintech, defence, renewable energy, electric vehicles and semiconductors. The company said the strategy combines quantitative models with fundamental research to identify high-growth businesses while generating long-term, risk-adjusted returns for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, corporates and institutional investors.

Zo House builds founder community for India's startup ecosystem

Zo House, which describes itself as India's first permanent hacker house network, is expanding its founder-focused residential ecosystem as more entrepreneurs gain global recognition. The community recently saw residents Savio Martin and Harish Ashok secure admission into Y Combinator's Spring and Summer 2026 batches, while founders of Agnost AI also joined the accelerator. Zo House provides long-term living spaces where startup founders can collaborate, build products and learn from peers. Founded under the Zo World ecosystem by Zostel CEO Aviral Gupta, the initiative aims to create dedicated infrastructure for entrepreneurs beyond traditional co-working spaces. The company plans to build a nationwide network of founder communities across India.