Startup news and updates: daily roundup (July 23, 2026)

Community agriculture is the way forward for farmers to enhance their livelihoods even as Indian startups continue to raise funding, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors

This woman entrepreneur is helping small farmers earn more through community-supported agriculture

Spudnik Farms, founded by Sumeet Kaur, connects urban consumers with local farmers through a subscription model. The company works with 250 farmers across Karnataka, helping them earn higher incomes while promoting seasonal, indigenous and sustainably grown produce.

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Funding news

Banking tech company BusinessNext raises $40M from ServiceNow

Workplace management software company ServiceNow has announced an investment of $40 million in BusinessNext, a Noida-headquartered technology firm focused on banking and financial services industry. The Series C round has valued BusinessNext at $700 million and is aimed at strengthening the company's efforts to drive autonomous operations and private AI solutions across banking and financial services.

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Tech30 startup CARPL.ai raises $10M in Series A led by IFC

CARPL.ai, a radiology AI marketplace and enterprise platform, has raised $10 million in a Series A round of funding led by International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, with participation from Stellaris Venture Partners and other investors. CARPL.ai was part of the YourStory Tech30 cohort of 2022.

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Farm Watt Innovations raises Rs 32.5 Cr to expand bioenergy network

Farm Watt Innovations has raised Rs 32.5 crore in a funding round co-led by IAN Alpha Fund and Rainmatter to strengthen India's bioenergy supply chain. The climate-focused agribusiness converts agricultural waste into biomass for compressed biogas (CBG) plants and other renewable energy applications, helping reduce stubble burning and greenhouse gas emissions while creating rural livelihoods.

The fresh capital will be used to expand biomass collection networks, establish additional aggregation hubs, invest in machinery and strengthen its workforce. Going forward, the company plans to develop its own portfolio of CBG, bio-pellet and biochar plants, creating an integrated circular bioeconomy platform that delivers environmental, social and economic benefits.

Wiffy secures $3 million Series A funding

Home improvement services platform Wiffy has raised $3 million in a Series A funding round led by Earth Fund, with participation from Persol Holdings of Japan and existing investor Capria Ventures. The company provides post-sales installation and maintenance services for more than 100 brands, including IKEA, Panasonic, Godrej, Hettich and Amazon.

The proceeds will be used to enhance its technology platform, strengthen AI-powered workforce management, expand enterprise partnerships and enter new service categories. Wiffy operates through a network of over 5,000 certified technicians and has served more than one million homes across 100 cities, while maintaining a business model driven primarily by enterprise partnerships.

NeuralKart raises Rs 2.35 Cr in seed funding

AI-powered insurtech startup NeuralKart has raised Rs 2.35 crore in a seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The Bengaluru-based company develops AI-driven decision-making tools that automate insurance underwriting, claims processing and industrial safety assessments. The fresh capital will be used to strengthen product development, expand AI and machine learning capabilities, and accelerate customer acquisition and go-to-market initiatives.

NeuralKart said it has already secured paying enterprise customers and maintains a 100% customer retention rate. The company works with leading insurers and industrial risk services firms and has also entered into a co-development partnership for its FieldSense platform, targeting the growing insurance automation and industrial safety technology markets.

Upkraft secures Rs 1.6 Cr in pre-seed round

AI-powered extracurricular learning platform Upkraft has raised Rs 1.6 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by PedalStart, with participation from angel investors, entrepreneurs and early-stage ecosystem players. Founded by Tejasvi Singh Kushwah, Varun Mangal and Kritika Varandani, the startup offers structured extracurricular learning programmes for students at homes, schools and residential communities.

The company will use the proceeds to develop AI-powered personalised learning tools, expand operations across Bengaluru and Gurugram, strengthen its technology platform and build teams across product, engineering, sales and tutor operations. Over the next 12 to 18 months, Upkraft aims to increase student enrolments and deepen its presence in key markets.

Other news

Utho Cloud to deploy 10,000 GPUs for sovereign AI

Utho Cloud has announced plans to deploy 10,000 GPUs over the next seven to eight quarters to strengthen India's sovereign AI infrastructure. The investment will include NVIDIA's H200, H100, A100, RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell and L4 GPUs, enabling enterprises, startups, researchers and government organisations to access high-performance AI computing hosted entirely within India.

The company said its platform will offer predictable pricing in Indian rupees, guaranteed GPU availability, data residency compliant with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and 24x7 support. With more than 51,000 users, Utho aims to reduce dependence on overseas cloud infrastructure while providing secure AI computing capabilities for domestic organisations.

Google concludes Build with AI parliamentary showcase

Google has concluded the Parliamentary Showcase of its Build with AI: Code for Communities programme, an initiative aimed at connecting AI innovation with public governance. Organised with The Dialogue, the programme saw 12 winning developer teams present AI-powered solutions before Members of Parliament.

More than 7,000 developers from over 18 Indian cities participated, creating over 1,000 open-source projects using Google's Gemini and Gemma AI models. The solutions addressed civic governance, public health, agriculture and environmental challenges. Google said selected projects will now be piloted in parliamentary constituencies, demonstrating how AI can be used to improve public service delivery and community welfare across the country.

Cars24 Labs partners Startup Policy Forum on AI

Cars24 Labs, the AI innovation arm of Cars24, has partnered with the Startup Policy Forum (SPF) to support responsible AI adoption and policy development in India. Under the partnership, Cars24 Labs will contribute to AI policy discussions, founder engagements, industry dialogues and global immersion programmes while sharing practical insights from deploying AI across its business. SPF represents more than 75 new-age companies and works to strengthen India's startup ecosystem. The collaboration aims to bring together founders, policymakers, researchers and technology leaders to exchange ideas and help shape AI policy. Cars24 Labs said the initiative reflects its commitment to supporting India's emergence as a global leader in artificial intelligence.

Cashfree Payments waives gateway fees for new merchants

Cashfree Payments has introduced a limited-period offer waiving payment gateway charges for new businesses on the first Rs 20 lakh of gross merchandise value (GMV) processed through its platform until March 31, 2027. The initiative is aimed at helping small and growing businesses improve cash flow ahead of the festive season. Besides the fee waiver, new merchants will benefit from onboarding within minutes, next-day settlements and dedicated account managers during the peak sales period. Cashfree said the move will allow businesses to reinvest savings into inventory, marketing and logistics while simplifying digital payments and reducing operational costs for small and medium enterprises.

Wipro Consumer Care acquires Good Home and Eva brands

Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting has signed definitive agreements to acquire the Good Home and Eva brands from TTK Healthcare Ltd. for Rs 256 crore. The acquisition strengthens Wipro's presence in the home care and personal care segments. Good Home offers products including air fresheners, scrubbers and drain cleaners, while Eva is among India's established deodorant brands with body sprays, perfumes, roll-ons and talcum powders. Together, the two brands generated Rs 148 crore in revenue during FY26. Wipro said the acquisition aligns with its strategy of expanding into trusted, high-growth consumer categories driven by rising hygiene awareness, premiumisation and evolving lifestyle preferences.

Campus Fund appoints Howard Morgan to advisory board

Campus Fund, a venture capital firm focused on student- and dropout-led startups, has appointed veteran investor Dr. Howard L. Morgan to its Global Advisory Board. Morgan is Chair and General Partner at B Capital and co-founder of First Round Capital, an early investor in companies including Uber, Square, Roblox and Notion. His appointment comes as Campus Fund deploys its third and largest fund— a $100 million corpus announced in June 2025 — to support up to 60 startups over four years. The fund evaluates more than 7,000 startups annually through a network of over 100 student scouts, with investments spanning deeptech, space technology and climate technology.

Quest Global named leader in ISG semiconductor study

Engineering services firm Quest Global has been recognised as a Leader in the ISG Provider Lens Semiconductor Industry Services and Solutions 2026 Study for the US market. The company earned leadership positions in Design, Test and Verification Services and Manufacturing and Engineering Services. ISG highlighted Quest Global's capabilities across silicon engineering, custom SoC and ASIC development, embedded systems and manufacturing engineering. The report also recognised the company's "Silicon to Systems to Cloud" approach and AI-enabled engineering methodologies, which help semiconductor companies reduce design cycles, improve first-pass silicon success and accelerate the development of next-generation semiconductor products.

InCred Asset Management crosses Rs 1,000 crore healthcare AUM

InCred Asset Management has crossed Rs 1,000 crore in investments across listed healthcare companies through its portfolio management services, becoming one of India's largest dedicated healthcare PMS providers. Launched in February 2021, the healthcare strategy has delivered a 18.97% CAGR, outperforming the BSE 500 TRI's 13.27% CAGR, according to the company. The portfolios invest across pharmaceuticals, hospitals, diagnostics, medical technology and contract research businesses. InCred said the milestone reflects growing investor confidence in India's healthcare sector, supported by structural factors such as rising healthcare spending, expanding insurance coverage, favourable demographics and increasing innovation in healthcare services.

Konnect Insights launches AI-powered Research Cloud

Customer experience platform Konnect Insights has launched Konnect Research Cloud (KRC), an AI-powered intelligence platform designed to help enterprises analyse customer data across multiple systems using natural language queries. The platform connects with existing customer-facing technology stacks and delivers evidence-backed insights in seconds to support business decision-making. KRC marks the first step towards the company's vision of building a Front Office Operating System that unifies enterprise technologies through AI. The solution is immediately available to enterprise customers worldwide. Konnect Insights operates cloud infrastructure across India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the US, the UK and Germany to ensure compliance with regional data residency requirements.

PhysicsWallah partners NWWA to support Navy families

Education company PhysicsWallah (PW) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Navy Welfare & Wellness Association (NWWA) to provide educational support to the families of Indian Navy personnel. Under the initiative, families of Navy martyrs and personnel who died during service will receive full scholarships, while serving and retired personnel's families will be eligible for discounts on PW's offline coaching and online courses. The scholarships cover preparation for competitive examinations including JEE, NEET, UPSC, SSC CGL and state public service commissions. Applications will be jointly verified by NWWA and PW, with the programme aimed at making quality education more accessible to defence families across India.

FincFriends reports 43% growth in assets under management

Digital lending NBFC FincFriends reported a 43% year-on-year increase in assets under management to Rs 875 crore in FY26, while revenue rose 33% to Rs 999 crore. Loan disbursements during the year climbed to Rs 3,732 crore, compared with Rs 2,585 crore in the previous fiscal. The company said it has served more than 5.5 million borrowers since inception and currently processes around 3,000 digital loans every day. Looking ahead, FincFriends plans to expand its customer base, strengthen partnerships, improve portfolio quality and grow its near-prime lending business through higher-ticket loans, supported by a profitable business model and strong institutional backing.

Workday launches AI-powered learning platform with Sana

Workday has announced the general availability of Workday Learning, powered by Sana, an AI-driven learning solution designed to deliver personalised employee training. The platform combines Workday's workforce and skills data with Sana's AI capabilities to provide tailored learning recommendations, AI tutoring and automated course creation. Administrators can also use AI to streamline assignments and learning campaigns, reducing manual effort. The integrated solution is now available globally for Workday Human Capital Management customers, while Sana Learn will also be offered as a standalone product for organisations not using Workday's HR or financial management platforms.

StraitsMicro unveils sovereign surveillance chip family

Singapore-based StraitsMicro has unveiled Visora, a sovereign camera System-on-Chip (SoC) family designed as an indigenous alternative for surveillance systems following India's restrictions on Chinese surveillance chips. The new semiconductor platform is aimed at government, defence, smart city and critical infrastructure applications in India and overseas. Developed with Bengaluru-based design partner Proxelera and distributor Aqtronics, Visora features AI acceleration, low-power multicore processors, advanced video compression and edge AI capabilities including facial recognition, crowd analytics and behavioural analysis. The company said the platform supports India's drive towards secure, locally developed semiconductor technologies for surveillance infrastructure.

Bijliride expands student EV rental programme

Electric mobility platform Bijliride has expanded its Project Udaan initiative by launching a student-focused electric two-wheeler rental programme across major Indian cities. The scheme offers flexible, zero-commitment EV rentals while integrating optional micro-gig delivery opportunities that allow students to offset their daily rental costs. The company said the initiative addresses commuting challenges and promotes financial independence without requiring long working hours. Bijliride has reported steady growth in registrations across Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR, with students using the vehicles for internships, examinations and skill development programmes. The company believes the initiative will encourage sustainable mobility and increase electric vehicle adoption among young consumers.

Enmovil appoints Jayaraman Krishnamurthy as global sales head

AI-native supply chain orchestration platform Enmovil Solutions has appointed Jayaraman Krishnamurthy as its Head of Global Sales to drive international expansion across India, the US and the Asia-Pacific region. Krishnamurthy brings over 25 years of experience in enterprise software, manufacturing and supply chain, having held leadership roles at Asian Paints, SAP, Capillary Technologies and o9 Solutions. In his new role, he will lead the company's global sales strategy and strengthen its presence in key international markets. Enmovil said the appointment comes as manufacturers increasingly adopt digital supply chain solutions, positioning the company to capitalise on growing global demand for AI-driven supply chain intelligence platforms.

ePlane, Apollo Hospitals partner on electric air ambulances

The ePlane Company and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce electric air ambulances and medical delivery drones into India's emergency healthcare network. Under the partnership, ePlane's e200X aircraft will be deployed for rapid inter-hospital patient transfers, trauma care, cardiac emergencies and organ transport, while its subsidiary Amber Wings will provide drones for transporting blood, medicines, vaccines and diagnostic samples.

Apollo will explore potential orders for the aircraft and drones and may consider a strategic investment in ePlane. The companies will also work with aviation regulators to develop the infrastructure needed for advanced air mobility in healthcare.

Vertiv names Raghavendra Kale India channel leader

Critical digital infrastructure provider Vertiv has promoted Raghavendra Kale as its Channel Leader for India. In his new role, Kale will lead the company's channel sales strategy, expand its partner ecosystem and strengthen engagement across key reseller and distribution segments. He previously served as Director, West Zone, Channel, where he played a key role in improving operations and driving business growth. With nearly three decades of industry experience, Kale is expected to help scale Vertiv's partner-led business strategy while nurturing strategic accounts and expanding the company's market reach in India amid growing demand for digital infrastructure solutions.

BULLET appoints Apurba Sen as VP, Business Strategy & Sales

Microdrama platform BULLET, backed by ZEE Entertainment Enterprises, has appointed Apurba Sen as Vice President, Business Strategy & Sales. The appointment comes after the launch of Trinetra AI, the company's AI-powered filmmaking and content intelligence platform.

Sen will oversee strategic initiatives across BULLET Microdrama, Trinetra AI and future business ventures, focusing on partnerships, fundraising, commercial expansion and international growth. He brings more than two decades of experience in advertising technology, streaming, connected TV, AI-driven creative technologies and digital platforms. The company said the appointment strengthens its leadership team as it expands its AI-enabled entertainment ecosystem.

The copy will be updated with the latest news