Transforming home diagnostics in India; Women report salary increase in AI-driven jobs

Hello,

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, questions around safety and accountability are taking centre stage. At the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for stronger global AI safeguards, warning that unchecked AI could expose children to misinformation, deepfakes, and exploitation. While emphasising AI’s potential to transform education and innovation, he urged countries to develop common standards that keep the technology human-centric and inclusive. 

The rapid rise of AI is also reshaping the semiconductor industry. US President Donald Trump said Apple has agreed to collaborate with Intel to design and manufacture chips in the United States. If realised, the partnership could help Apple diversify its supply chain and secure additional chip capacity at a time when demand for advanced semiconductors is surging.

Meanwhile, the race to Mars is heating up. Relativity Space, the rocket startup backed by former Google executive chair Eric Schmidt, has secured a NASA contract to build and launch the Aeolus mission in 2028. The project highlights NASA’s growing reliance on commercial space companies and could even see Relativity reach Mars before SpaceX.

And finally, a breakthrough in public health: a landmark study has found that girls vaccinated against HPV at ages 12–13 face an almost negligible risk of dying from cervical cancer before age 30. Researchers say cervical cancer deaths have fallen sharply in England since the vaccine was introduced in 2008, with no deaths recorded among women aged 20–24 between 2020 and 2024—a first in the country’s history.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Transforming home diagnostics in India
• Women report 145% salary increase in AI-driven jobs

Here’s your trivia for today: What was Snapchat originally called when it launched in July 2011?

In-focus

Transforming home diagnostics in India

Founded in 2020 by Dhruv Gupta and Tarun Bhambra, Orange Health Labs is reimagining diagnostic testing in India through a tech-driven model that offers at-home sample collection and rapid report delivery. The startup, born out of Gupta’s personal experience during a family health emergency, aims to make diagnostics faster, more reliable, and more convenient.

Key takeaways: 

• Orange Health Labs owns and operates the entire diagnostics chain—from home sample collection to testing and report delivery. The company claims to deliver reports within six hours for 98% of orders, with most arriving in about four hours.
• The startup uses AI to optimise eMedic allocation, logistics, and report processing. It has completed over 3 million orders; operates across Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, and works with more than 2,000 clinics and 150 enterprise partners.
• Backed by investors including Y Combinator, Accel, and General Catalyst, Orange Health has raised $50 million to date. The company reported Rs 138 crore revenue in FY26 and plans to expand into new cities, personalised diagnostics, genetic testing, and AI-powered preventive healthcare recommendations.

<Funding alert>

Startup: Vetic

Amount: $40M

Round: Undisclosed

Startup: Karo Sambhav

Amount: Rs 56 Cr

Round: pre-Series A

Startup: Rusk Media

Amount: Rs 100 Cr

Round: pre-Series C

Report

Women report 145% salary increase in AI-driven jobs

Scaler’s India AI Workforce Report 2026 highlights how AI is reshaping career opportunities across industries, extending well beyond traditional technology roles. Based on insights from over 11,000 professionals, the report finds that AI upskilling is driving significant salary growth, increasing participation from women and non-technical professionals, and creating new opportunities in Tier-II cities.

Key takeaways: 

• Women moving into AI-enabled roles report an average salary increase of 145%, while female QA engineers record the highest jump at 574%, underscoring AI’s growing role in expanding career opportunities beyond conventional tech positions.
• Nearly half of AI-related career outcomes are in non-engineering functions such as leadership, consulting, HR, marketing, finance, and academia, indicating that AI is becoming a core workplace skill across sectors.
• Professionals who are skilled in AI report an average salary increase of 147%, while nearly one in five AI learners now come from Tier-II cities. The report also shows growing participation from non-technical professionals, who account for nearly 25% of learners.

News & updates

• Oil prices: Oil prices fell more than 1% on Thursday to ‌their lowest since the first trading day of the Iran war, as a US-Iran interim deal to end the conflict, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease sanctions on Tehran boosted the global supply outlook.
• Apple: Apple plans to raise product prices as soaring memory chip costs increase manufacturing expenses, CEO Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal. He said price hikes are “unavoidable” but did not specify when they would take effect or which products would be affected. 

What was Snapchat originally called when it launched in July 2011?

Answer: Picaboo

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