Making India ‘food wise’; AI lifts VC inflow in startup ecosystem

Hello,

In a move to cut waste, the European Union has enforced a ban on the disposal of unsold clothes and shoes.

Per the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, large companies with more than 250 employees and over 50 million euros in net annual turnover are banned from destroying stocks of unsold clothing, accessories and footwear, DW reports.

Companies must now find ways of selling the products, including via discounts, alternative markets and charity donations. The move is expected to reduce textile waste and lower emissions.

ICYMI: The pen Buzz Aldrin used to fix a broken circuit-breaker and escape from the moon in 1969 was sold at auction in New York for more than $850,000.

Elsewhere, researchers revealed they have discovered an atmosphere around an Earth-like planet 49 light years away that could have liquid water on its surface, The Guardian reports. While atmospheres have previously been discovered on gas exoplanets, this is the first time that researchers have confirmed an atmosphere around a rocky planet. Called LHS 1140b, the planet has a mass 5.6 times that of Earth and its radius is 70% larger.

Back on the Earth, after the enormous success of weight loss drugs, pharma companies are working towards similar medications for pets. Two US biotech companies are reportedly testing experimental GLP-1 weight-loss treatments for overweight cats. The trials are still in the preliminary stage. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Making India ‘food wise’
• AI lifts VC inflow in startup ecosystem

Here’s your trivia for today: Which sea separates Greece from Asia Minor?

Women entrepreneurs

Making India ‘food wise’

“We are what we eat” has never rung truer than now, in the age of ultra-processed foods, climate anxiety, and growing lifestyle diseases.

Founded by Srijata Sengupta and Priya Joshi, Foodwize is a Bengaluru-based social enterprise that helps people build a healthier relationship with food while creating more sustainable food systems. Foodwize works across multiple disciplines, but they all fit together. The first is STHIRA, a youth innovation challenge through which roughly 1,000 students have developed ideas addressing soil health in food systems and food education.

Key takeaways:

• The second front is consumer and corporate education, where the founders are helping people become “food-wise”.
• The company’s B2B segment, Foodwize Ignite, helps chefs, hospitality professionals, and businesses embed sustainability into their food practices.
• As more people eat food prepared outside the home, be it via cloud kitchens or delivery, commercial kitchens carry growing responsibility for how sustainably food is sourced and served.

Funding

AI lifts VC inflow in startup ecosystem

Venture capital funding into Indian startups saw a sharp rise last week after two weeks of subdued inflow as investors spread their bets across sectors, with AI leading the way. The total funding for the third week of July came was $431 million across 23 deals.

Key takeaways:

• The fundraise by AI startup Emergent is a welcome sign, indicating that Indian AI startups have come under the radar of investors.
• Other startups Reo.Dev and Groyyo, which are fundamentally driven by AI, also raised funding this week.
• This sharp increase in funding comes as a big relief for the Indian startup ecosystem, which now expects a brighter future going forward.

News & updates

• Outage: Users of social media company Meta reported outage issues concerning Instagram and Facebook. Per data on Downdetector, complaints were mostly from users in the US. 
• Football: The 2026 FIFA World Cup has sent prediction market trading volumes across platforms soaring.  One such platform, Kalshi, has onboarded three million new users over the course of the tournament, CNBC reported.

What you should watch out for

• Indian IT services major Infosys is likely to report its Q1 FY27 financial results on Thursday, July 23. Other companies to release their earnings for the first quarter include One97 Communications, and ICICI Bank. On the global front, investors will keep an eye on Alphabet and Intel results.
• India's largest mutual fund house, SBI Funds Management, is expected to list on 21 July 2026 after drawing overwhelming demand of Rs 2.98 lakh crore.

Which sea separates Greece from Asia Minor?

Answer: Aegean Sea

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