Startup news and updates: daily roundup (August 18, 2026)
YourStory presents the daily news roundup from the Indian startup ecosystem and beyond. Here's the roundup for Tuesday, August 18, 2026
YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.
Featured stories
ProgShakti is bridging the credit gap for women entrepreneurs
Progcap launched ProgShakti to address the persistent credit gap faced by women entrepreneurs, many of whom struggle with collateral requirements, thin credit histories and the need for male co-applicants.
The initiative focuses on identifying women who are genuinely running businesses rather than merely being named as borrowers. Women certified as owner-operators can access loans of up to Rs 10 lakh without a male co-applicant, while the programme also provides financial and business education and a peer community.
Milkvilla is building a 12-hour supply chain for fresh raw milk
Milkvilla, a Bengaluru-based dairytech startup founded by brothers Mannu Jee and Aman Jee in 2021, is building a shorter, hyperlocal supply chain to deliver fresh raw milk from farmers to consumers within 12 hours. The company’s model involves collecting milk directly from farmers using specialised vehicles equipped with cooling and testing infrastructure.
The milk is turbo-cooled to 4°C, transported to a delivery hub for quality checks, and then delivered in refrigerated vans. Milkvilla currently has more than 10,000 active customers and works with around 350 dairy farmers.
The company says its model also aims to improve farmer economics, with 60-70% of its revenue going to its dairy-farmer network. Milkvilla currently operates in Muzaffarpur and Bengaluru, sourcing milk locally around each market.
Funding news
Lissun Raises Rs 48 Cr in Series A to expand child development centres
Lissun, a speciality health-tech company focused on children with special needs and developmental delays, has raised ₹48 crore in a Series A funding round led by Colossa Ventures.
The round also saw participation from Physis Capital and existing investors RPSG Capital Ventures, Ivycap Ventures, Rainmatter, Multiply Ventures and SucSEED Ventures. New investors New Age India Fund and Beyond Capital Ventures also participated.
The fresh capital will fund expansion of Sunshine by LISSUN centres across key Indian cities, develop AI-led solutions, and strengthen clinical processes across its network.
The company said the investment will support its efforts to build an integrated model combining physical child development centres with technology-enabled tools for children with special needs and developmental delays.
Ezolv Raises $12.5M Series A led by Norwest to scale AI-led lending platform
Ezolv, an AI-native lending technology platform founded by former Kissht executives Karan Mehta and Sonali Jindal, has raised $12.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Norwest.
The round also saw participation from Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India and existing investor 3one4 Capital.
The Mumbai-based company plans to use the fresh capital to strengthen its artificial intelligence capabilities across sales, risk assessment, underwriting and debt collection, while accelerating its push towards end-to-end automation of lending workflows.
Other news
Tripura launches T-RISE Portal to power next generation of startups
The Directorate of Information Technology (DIT), Government of Tripura, in collaboration with T-Hub, Hyderabad, has launched the T-RISE (Tripura Registry & Integration for Startup Ecosystem) Portal, an integrated digital platform that connects startups with mentors, investors, corporates, incubators, academic institutions, and government departments.
The T-RISE Portal will serve as a single-window digital platform for Tripura’s startup ecosystem, providing access to a growing network of 20+ mentors, 10+ investors, 10+ corporates, incubators, and domain experts across technology, finance, marketing, legal, and business strategy. It will offer structured, on-demand support at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey.
LightMetrics launches ΦFP in India to reduce false driver safety alerts
LightMetrics, an AI-powered video telematics and driver safety technology company, today announced the availability of ΦFP™ (Zero False Positives) in India, a cloud-based AI layer designed to reduce false driver safety alerts before they reach fleet managers.
False positives remain a key challenge in adopting driver monitoring technology. When drivers are flagged for events that do not represent genuine safety risks, repeated inaccurate alerts can undermine confidence in the system. For fleet managers, reviewing such alerts also increases manual workload and can dilute the effectiveness of driver coaching programmes.
ΦFP addresses this challenge by adding a second layer of cloud-based AI intelligence. Safety events initially detected by in-vehicle camera systems are re-evaluated by a more powerful AI model before being sent to a fleet manager’s coaching queue.
Montra Electric signs MoU with Perpetuity Capital to expand EV financing access
Montra Electric has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Perpetuity Capital to expand financing access for customers purchasing its electric passenger and cargo three-wheelers.
The partnership aims to make electric mobility more affordable and accessible by offering customer-centric financing solutions and reducing financial barriers to EV adoption.
Under the agreement, customers purchasing Montra Electric’s electric passenger and cargo three-wheelers will have access to flexible financing options tailored to different ownership and business needs.
The solutions are expected to support individual drivers, entrepreneurs, fleet operators, and small businesses by helping them access EVs with financing options designed around their requirements.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)