Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (June 4, 2026)

YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.

Featured stories

The next decade will be focused on deep technologies, says Dr Manjula N, Govt of K’taka

From deeptech and quantum computing to women-led startups, Dr Manjula N, Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, discusses the state’s vision for the next decade of innovation.

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Quick commerce app FirstClub bags $55M in Series B round led by Peak XV, Sofina

FirstClub, the quick commerce app founded by former Flipkart executive Ayyappan R, has raised $55 million in a Series B round of funding led by Peak XV Partners and Sofina, with participation from existing investors Accel, RTP Global, and Paramark Ventures.

The company said the fresh funding will be used to expand into new cities, strengthen its quality-first grocery ecosystem, introduce new categories such as beauty & personal care, home essentials, and pet care. The capital will also be used for deepening its technology and supply chain capabilities.

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AI video generation startup TrueFan AI raises $10M Series A funding

AI video generation startup TrueFan AI has raised $10 million in a Series A round of funding led by Baring Private Equity Partners India and Z3Partners, with participation from IAN Alpha Fund and 3Lines Venture Capital. The Gurugram-headquartered startup builds AI generated video content for enterprises spanning industries such as banking, FMCG, retail, healthcare, and hospitality. It plans to use the funds on overseas expansion, AI infrastructure, and enterprise deployment.

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Other news

The Sweet Change raises Rs 1.7 Cr pre-seed funding

Gut-friendly sweetener startup The Sweet Change has raised ₹1.7 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Rebalance. Founded in 2024 by Manvi Agnihotri and Sheen Hitaishi, the company offers monk fruit-based sweeteners formulated without erythritol, artificial ingredients, or fillers.

The startup reported a revenue of over ₹1.69 crore within a year, fulfilling more than 15,000 orders and achieving 84% month-on-month compounded growth over the last three months.

The funds will be used to expand distribution, launch new products, and accelerate adoption of healthier sugar alternatives. Rebalance said the company is well positioned to capitalise on the growing consumer demand for preventive health and natural sugar substitutes.

Cadence and IIT Delhi launch semiconductor innovation lab

Cadence and IIT Delhi have launched the IIT Delhi–Cadence Innovation Lab, a multidisciplinary centre designed to strengthen semiconductor research, workforce development, and startup innovation. The facility provides access to more than 200 industry-grade electronic design automation tools across chip design, verification, analog design, and system analysis.

The lab integrates AI-driven workflows into semiconductor design education and research, helping students and researchers gain hands-on experience with industry-standard technologies. IIT Delhi has also adopted Cadence-developed courses featuring practical projects and assessments. The initiative aligns with India’s Semiconductor Mission and Design-Linked Incentive scheme, supporting the country’s ambition to become a global semiconductor design and innovation hub.

TVS Supply Chain forms aerospace JV with Italy’s ALA Group

TVS Supply Chain Solutions has formed a joint venture with Italy-based ALA Group to tap the opportunities in India’s growing aerospace and defence sectors. TVS SCS will hold a 51% stake in the venture, while ALA Group will own 49%. The companies expect cumulative revenues from the venture to exceed ₹2,000 crore by 2031.

The partnership will provide integrated supply chain services including sourcing, procurement, inventory management, warehousing, imports, and delivery of aerospace and defence components. The move follows strong interest from industry participants after an earlier memorandum of understanding. The venture aims to benefit from India’s expanding defence logistics market, which is projected to grow at a robust pace in the coming years.

Raise launches Millions, an investing App for Gen Z

Raise Financial Services has launched Millions, an investing app aimed at helping Gen Z and first-time investors build long-term wealth. The platform allows users to invest in mutual funds, stocks, SIPs, and IPOs through a goal-based and intuitive experience.

The company says many young Indians remain hesitant to start investing due to limited familiarity with financial products. Millions seek to bridge this gap by aligning investment decisions with personal aspirations such as entrepreneurship, financial security, and income generation. Built around the theme 'Your Journey to Millions', the app simplifies investing and makes financial planning more accessible to a new generation of retail investors entering India’s rapidly expanding investment ecosystem.

NBFC AMU reports 35% revenue growth on EV financing demand

AMU Accelerated Money for U, an RBI-registered NBFC focused on green mobility financing, has reported a revenue of nearly ₹40 crore in FY26, reflecting 35% year-on-year growth. The company has also recorded around 25% growth in loan disbursements and nearly 45% growth in assets under management over the past two years.

AMU has served more than 25,000 borrowers and expanded its network through over 50 strategic partnerships and 125 dealer additions. Strong demand came from electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi NCR, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar. The company is targeting a revenue of around ₹60 crore in FY27 as India’s EV financing market continues to expand.

Supply chain company Prozo expands Maharashtra network with Bhiwandi facility

Supply chain company Prozo has strengthened its Maharashtra presence with the launch of a new fulfillment centre in Bhiwandi spanning over 50,000 square feet. The addition increases Prozo’s network in the state to seven fulfillment centres covering a combined area of 4.1 lakh square feet.

Strategically located near the Mumbai-Nashik Expressway and JNPT, the facility offers seamless access to key freight and retail distribution corridors. Prozo said the expansion supports rising logistics demand from brands operating high-volume, multi-channel businesses in Maharashtra. Bhiwandi remains one of India’s leading warehousing hubs, and the new centre is expected to enhance supply chain efficiency and strengthen Prozo’s capabilities across western and central India.

Launch of Zone a premium activewear brand for children

Entrepreneurs Archana Khosla Burman and Niharika Khosla Sehgal have launched ZONE, a premium activewear brand exclusively designed for children aged 4–14 years. Positioned as India’s first dedicated kids’ activewear label, the brand aims to address a growing demand for functional apparel that supports sports, fitness, and active lifestyles.

ZONE’s collections feature lightweight, breathable, and stretch-performance fabrics designed for unrestricted movement, comfort, and durability. The founders said children’s apparel has traditionally focused on casual and occasion wear, leaving a gap in performance-focused clothing. The brand seeks to encourage movement and healthy lifestyles among children while creating a new category within India’s growing activewear and youth fashion market.

Google and Yatri partner for real-time train updates in Mumbai

Google has partnered with Yatri, Indian Railways’ official partner for Mumbai local trains, to provide real-time suburban train updates on Google Maps and the Where Is My Train app. The integration will use Yatri’s GPS-based systems and direct railway control room connections to deliver live train locations, ETAs, delay alerts, cancellations, schedule changes, and platform updates. Covering Mumbai’s entire suburban rail network, the service aims to improve commuting convenience and reduce uncertainty for passengers. Additional features include user incident reporting and Yatri Chat for crowdsourced on-ground information. The rollout marks a significant step in enhancing public transport navigation and real-time travel information for millions of daily commuters.

Zendesk appoints Tifenn Dano Kwan as chief marketing officer

Zendesk has appointed Tifenn Dano Kwan as its new chief marketing officer as the company accelerates efforts to build an autonomous service workforce powered by AI. Dano Kwan joins from Amplitude, where she served as CMO and led the company’s transition into an AI-native analytics platform.

During her tenure, Amplitude reported a 52% increase in website traffic and significant growth in marketing-driven pipeline generation.

At Zendesk, she will oversee the global marketing organization, focusing on market differentiation, demand generation, and growth. Her previous leadership roles include senior marketing positions at SAP, Collibra, and Dropbox. She brings with her extensive experience in enterprise technology and go-to-market strategy.

Studio Blo Partners with ALLEN Online for educational films

AI-powered film studio Studio Blo has partnered with ALLEN Online to create an immersive educational entertainment universe for students enrolled in the Eureka course on the ALLEN App. Under the collaboration, Studio Blo has produced 10 animated feature films spanning 60–90 minutes each, covering Class 10 Science and Mathematics concepts.

The films transform topics such as physics, biology, chemistry, and mathematics into engaging storytelling experiences featuring recurring characters and shared narratives. Together, the productions deliver more than 600 minutes of animated content integrated with quizzes, visual guides, and learning modules. The initiative aims to enhance student engagement and make complex academic concepts easier to understand through cinematic learning experiences.

Healthcare company Emids evolves into forward-deployed context engineering model

Healthcare and life sciences technology company Emids has announced its evolution into a forward-deployed context engineering model aimed at accelerating enterprise AI adoption. The company said the new approach is designed to help healthcare organisations modernise critical platforms, build custom AI agents, and generate measurable operational outcomes.

Central to the strategy is Pacca AI Foundry, which serves as a control layer for managing, governing, and scaling AI systems. Emids said the model replaces lengthy development cycles with AI agents that can deliver results within weeks across areas such as claims processing, prior authorization, care management, and member engagement. The company emphasised that outcomes will be measured directly within business operations through continuous performance improvement.

Financial infrastructure platform TransBnk rebrands as TBX

Corporate banking and financial infrastructure platform TransBnk has rebranded itself as TBX, marking its transition from a transaction banking infrastructure provider to a broader connected ecosystem for enterprises, banks, NBFCs, fintechs, and financial institutions. The company said the rebranding includes a refreshed identity, positioning framework, brand language, and digital presence.

TBX now offers a comprehensive suite of services spanning treasury management, cash management, payments, collections, escrow, reconciliation, banking platforms, API marketplace capabilities, and connected financial workflows. Delivered through API-first and SaaS models, the expanded platform reflects the company’s strategic response to evolving opportunities in enterprise financial operations and corporate banking infrastructure.

Construction fintech startup Powerplay crosses $10M annualised gross run rate

Construction fintech startup Powerplay has crossed an annualised gross run rate of $10 million as of March 2026, driven by growth in supply-chain financing and AI-powered workforce solutions. The company’s credit business enables mid-market contractors to finance material purchases directly within procurement workflows, while its AI tools support estimation, procurement, project management, and finance functions.

Powerplay primarily serves construction firms involved in housing, commercial, energy, and data-centre projects, segments that account for nearly 60% of India’s construction activity. The startup estimates its addressable market at around $360 billion currently and expects it to expand to nearly $900 billion by 2033, highlighting significant growth opportunities in the sector.

DEPT launches AI-powered content capability in India

Global marketing and technology services company DEPT® has launched DEPT® Studios in India, a new enterprise content capability developed in partnership with Adobe. The offering combines AI automation, performance analytics, engineering expertise, and creative services to help enterprises deliver personalized content at scale.

Built on Adobe’s technology suite, the platform is designed to address content production challenges across India’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.

DEPT® Studios currently supports more than 25 enterprise brands globally, including eBay, Uber, and Google, through a network of over 500 specialists across 10 locations. The company plans to add 50 new roles through 2026 as demand for scalable, AI-enabled content solutions continues to rise.

Privacy sector in India may Create 60,000 new jobs by 2027: Report

GoTrust, in collaboration with DPO Club, has released the India Privacy Salary Report, a comprehensive study of compensation, certifications, and career progression in the privacy and data protection sector.

The report projects the creation of over 60,000 new privacy and data protection roles by May 2027 as organisations align with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. It found that 71% of privacy professionals receive fixed salaries with no performance-linked incentives, while 66% work in teams of five or fewer members. The report also highlights growing demand for AI governance expertise, with AIGP (Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional) certification emerging as a key credential for career advancement in the sector.