Startup news and updates: daily roundup (August 17, 2026)

Companies are focused on becoming debt free as the semiconductor industry in India continues to march onwards, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.

Featured news

API Holdings is debt-free, repays Rs 1,050 Cr

Digital healthcare platform API Holdings, the parent company of businesses such as PharmEasy, Thyrocare and Docon, has turned debt-free following the repayment of outstanding debts worth Rs 1,050 crore. This was funded through proceeds from a recent sale of a portion of its stake in Thyrocare Technologies and internal accruals.

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QpiAI opens ‘Asia’s largest’ quantum chip foundry, targets 10,000-qubit processors

Quantum computing startup QpiAI inaugurated an eight-inch quantum processing unit manufacturing facility at Jakkur in Bengaluru. The company said the second phase of the facility, described as a quantum foundry, has been completed. It can fabricate flip-chip superconducting processors with up to 128 qubits.

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Other news

Swiggy launches 24x7 AI assistant for restaurant partners

Swiggy has launched Guru, a 24x7 AI Business Partner designed to help restaurant partners make data-driven decisions, optimise sales funnels and resolve operational queries through a conversational interface. Available in more than 20 vernacular languages, including Hindi, Kannada and Telugu, Guru enables restaurants to manage advertising and discount campaigns and access detailed payout information, including tax reports and summaries.

Restaurant partners can start, review and modify campaigns through a single chat prompt. The platform also provides funnel analysis covering gross merchandise value and orders, identifies areas of weakness and recommends corrective actions. Guru evaluates metrics including sales, orders and average order value, along with more than 30 other performance indicators, giving restaurant partners an AI-powered tool for day-to-day business management.

Per Annum AUM rises over 400% to Rs 1,400 crore

Technology-led wealth platform Per Annum has grown its assets under management from around Rs 360 crore to more than Rs 1,400 crore over the past 12 months, representing growth of over 400%. Around Rs 670 crore of its current AUM comes from peer-to-peer lending, its original business, while approximately Rs 740 crore is contributed by Estates, its fractional real estate platform launched in early 2025.

The company said the two businesses have helped create a diversified investment platform. Per Annum’s investor base has also expanded, with more than 5.4 lakh registered investors and a distribution network of over 1,400 channel partners across India. The company said its partner network provides geographically distributed, relationship-based distribution beyond digital customer acquisition.

Aum Ventures launches DeepSpark 2.0

Early-stage venture capital firm Aum Ventures has launched the second edition of India DeepSpark, its initiative to identify and back the next generation of Indian DeepTech founders. DeepSpark 2.0 is inviting applications from startups developing technologies across SpaceTech, semiconductors, DefenceTech, AI, robotics, quantum computing, energy, advanced manufacturing and other frontier sectors.

Selected startups can receive up to $1 million in investment, along with strategic and financial mentorship, investor-readiness support and access to Aum Ventures’ networks across the US, Israel and the Middle East. The programme will also feature a DeepSpark Roadshow with founder office hours, investor-readiness sessions and interactions with industry experts. The first edition received more than 500 applications, engaged with over 20 startups and invested $625,000.

VSURE crosses Rs 300 Cr portfolio exposure

VSURE Investment Affairs has crossed Rs 300 crore in portfolio value exposure across more than 40 startups and small and medium enterprises. The firm has also facilitated over Rs 125 crore in capital and built relationships with more than 150 investors. Its portfolio includes five companies that have appeared on Shark Tank India and three companies preparing for SME initial public offerings. Hurrey Tech has a portfolio valuation of more than Rs 1,000 crore, while Hoora Technologies, VSURE’s largest consumer portfolio company, is valued at over Rs 200 crore. Anvex AI has delivered the firm’s highest stated investment return at 45X.

VSURE is targeting more than Rs 500 crore in annual capital facilitation, 12 strategic startup investments and 10 SME IPO mandates.

Atravelq raises funding from individual investors

Chandigarh-based personalised international travel company Atravelq has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from individual investors. The company said the fresh capital will be used to strengthen its technology, enhance customer experience, expand its destination portfolio and improve operations across selected growth markets in India. Atravelq offers customised international travel services, including holiday packages, visa assistance, flights, hotels, transfers and concierge services across more than 180 destinations.

Snabbit appoints Pradeep Yadav as Head of Operations

Quick home services platform Snabbit has appointed Pradeep Yadav as its Head of Operations as the company strengthens its leadership team for its next phase of growth. Yadav brings 15 years of experience spanning supply chain, operations and consumer internet businesses.

Before joining Snabbit, he co-founded quick fashion commerce platform Klydo and held leadership positions at Udaan and Flipkart. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Delhi, Yadav will focus on strengthening execution, developing scalable operating systems and ensuring reliable fulfilment as Snabbit expands. He succeeds Vikas Choudhary, who led operations during the company’s rapid growth over the past 18 months. Choudhary will now take on a new mandate within Snabbit, focusing on new businesses and innovation across emerging opportunities.

Paramotor partners with NSDL Payments Bank

Financial technology company Paramotor Digital Technology has entered into a co-branded partnership agreement with NSDL Payments Bank to issue prepaid cards across India. The partnership is expected to strengthen Paramotor’s SpendPro consumer spend management platform, Yayyy.shop digital gifting platform and RewardOn rewards and loyalty offering.

Under the agreement, Paramotor will be able to offer industry-specific prepaid card programmes for enterprises and consumers across multiple use cases. NSDL Payments Bank will provide prepaid card issuance services, banking infrastructure and its regulatory framework to support the launch of secure, RBI-compliant payment solutions across payment networks. Paramotor said the partnership will expand its capabilities across consumer spend management, digital gifting, rewards and loyalty, while strengthening its value proposition for both businesses and consumers.

Cognizant launches Talent Accelerator for 489 graduates

Cognizant has launched its Talent Accelerator programme with 489 newly hired graduates from 58 business schools across 37 Indian cities. The cohort includes graduates from institutions such as IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, ISB Hyderabad, SPJIMR Mumbai, FMS Delhi and XLRI Jamshedpur. The two-week immersive onboarding programme is being conducted across Cognizant facilities in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.

It combines training in functional areas, sales and marketing with interactions with business and leadership teams. Cognizant is also expanding its hiring of non-STEM talent to develop interdisciplinary capabilities for the AI era. More than 37% of the new cohort comes from non-STEM backgrounds, while over 42% are women, reflecting the company’s focus on inclusion and diverse talent.

Sarvam BuildIn’ Hours showcases AI projects in Bengaluru

Zo House hosted Sarvam BuildIn’ Hours, Sarvam AI’s 12-hour in-person hackathon, along with the Bengaluru leg of Elevation Capital’s Basecamp Week. Selected developers built projects across four tracks—Voice AI, Document Intelligence, Multilingual AI and AI Agents—using the Sarvam technology stack. Participants received Rs 5,000 in Sarvam credits and mentorship from professionals across Sarvam AI, IBM, Qdrant, Razorpay and Google for Startups Accelerator.

A Rs 5 lakh prize pool was distributed among the top three teams selected by an expert jury. Winning projects included a government tender discovery and application tool for MSMEs, an interactive storytelling platform for children in Indic languages and Setu, a tool designed to help people who cannot speak and communicate visually.

Ather expands 450X range in Nepal

Electric scooter maker Ather Energy has introduced its new 450X Overtones Series in Nepal, expanding its product portfolio in the company’s first international market. Alongside the new model, Ather is bringing features including Magic Twist, Infinite Cruise and Voice on Ather to the 450 Series in Nepal. Ather entered the Nepalese market in November 2023 and has since expanded its presence to 14 experience centres and 31 fast-charging points through national distributor Vaidya Energy. The company added the Rizta to its Nepal portfolio in 2025. The 450X Overtones features a tone-on-tone design across three colour options—Still White, Space Grey and Lunar Grey. The new model further expands Ather’s 450 Series offering in the market.

Voltas, Atomberg plan AC compressor joint venture

Tata Group company Voltas has signed a Binding Term Sheet with Atomberg Innovation to establish a joint venture for manufacturing high-efficiency room air-conditioner compressors and related components in India. The proposed venture will focus on developing, manufacturing and supplying AC compressors, with emphasis on energy efficiency, operational reliability, cost competitiveness and increasing localisation.

The partnership will combine Voltas’ understanding of India’s room air-conditioner market, product expertise, manufacturing ecosystem, supply chain capabilities and scale with Atomberg Innovation’s proprietary compressor technology, engineering and product design capabilities. Atomberg has a track record in developing energy-efficient motors and control drives. The proposed joint venture is aimed at creating capabilities for locally manufactured, high-efficiency compressor technology while supporting India’s growing air-conditioning market.

(The copy will be updated with the latest news throughout the day)