Women entrepreneurs reimagining rural livelihoods; How Sarvam AI’s funding boosted VC inflow
Meet the women founders building businesses that are transforming livelihoods and communities. Meanwhile, total funding for the week (June 13-19) was $393 million across 18 deals. Sarvam AI accounted for nearly 60% of the funding.
Hello,
India’s data-centre capacity is witnessing a massive build-up.
The total development pipeline across major markets of the country is estimated at 8.33 GW, according to property consultancy Knight Frank India. This is more than five times the current live operational capacity of 1.6 GW.
The factors driving this growth include increasing AI adoption, rise of cloud computing, digital transformation, and data localisation needs. India is well positioned to emerge as a leading global hub for hyperscale, cloud and AI infrastructure over the coming decade, says Knight Frank India.
As data centres expand, concerns over water consumption intensify. Global tech giants are under immense pressure to address the environmental impact of data centres.
Amid the scrutiny, Amazon says it turned water positive in India this year. This means it gives back more water to communities than it consumes across its operations, including data centres, warehouses, and offices.
Moving on, in June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union. Ten years on, here are five symbols that sum up the Brexit referendum.
Elsewhere, in Finland, libraries are not just for borrowing books, they are also bringing people together and promoting social inclusion. The country’s libraries are spaces for people to meet, study, hold political discussions, or make music, and they offer everything from podcast studios and 3D printing to tennis racquets and swimming pool passes.
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- Women entrepreneurs reimagining rural livelihoods
- How Sarvam AI’s funding boosted VC inflow
Here’s your trivia for today: The opening sequence of which TV series was recreated with 2,750 Oreos to promote the cookies?
Listicle
Women entrepreneurs reimagining rural livelihoods
Across India's rural landscapes, women entrepreneurs are turning local challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth. Meet the founders building businesses that are transforming livelihoods and communities.
From the Thar Desert to the hills of Kerala, a growing number of women entrepreneurs are building businesses rooted in sustainability and transforming village economies. Their businesses are taking rural produce to global markets and creating income opportunities for farmers, artisans, and pastoral communities.
Transforming communities:
- Women entrepreneurs are building businesses using diverse resources—from camel milk and waste milk to coconut shells, indigenous spices, and traditional crafts.
- For instance, Aakriti Srivastava founded Bahula Naturals to transform livelihoods in Rajasthan's Thar Desert by turning traditional pastoralism into a sustainable enterprise. While Megha Phansalkar is working to build a more resilient and future-ready artisan ecosystem, through Tisser Artisan Trust.
- Annu Sunny and Bhavesh Sawariya’s Graamya works with smallholder farmers in Kerala's Idukki district to source indigenous spices directly, eliminating intermediaries and ensuring better returns for growers.
Weekly funding
How Sarvam AI’s funding boosted VC inflow
The total funding for the week (June 13-19) stood at $393 million across 18 deals. In comparison, the previous week saw $246 million. Sarvam AI accounted for nearly 60% of the total funding raised this week.
Despite the turbulent few weeks earlier this year, investors seem to be backing startups.
Key takeaways:
- Sarvam AI’s $234 million fundraise provided the momentum to this week’s venture capital inflow.
- During this week, startups from the segments of solar energy and pet care also raised funding in the $40 million to $50 million range. This shows that investors are betting on spaces that normally are not on their radar.
- However, the challenges for the Indian startup ecosystem in terms of raising large amounts of capital continue to persist. The expectation is that the second half of the year will be a better period for Indian startups.
News & updates
- Acquisition: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries will acquire 100% of Innovcare Lifesciences in a deal valued at about Rs 271 crore ($28.73 million).
- Brexit effects: The UK economy has taken a 6% hit from the effects of Brexit, according to economists’ analysis of internal Bank of England data about the decisions, views and financial results of thousands of British companies since the referendum a decade ago.
The opening sequence of which TV series was recreated with 2,750 Oreos to promote the cookies?
Answer: Game of Thrones
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