'When it comes to enterprise context, there is a big lag between how fast technology is evolving and how it is getting deployed at the end of the day. That is where the challenge is going to be.'
'Other sectors that manage the savings pools of Indians are giving tough competition to life insurance companies.'
The government on Saturday announced a host of measures such as setting up of a new Fund of Funds Scheme (FFS) with Rs 10,000 crore corpus; and extension of period of incorporation by five years with a view to promote growth of budding entrepreneurs.
Investors attribute the revival to the country's strong public markets, which are boosting confidence in initial public offering (IPO)-bound startups offering viable exit opportunities.
Banks are allowed to invest up to 10 per cent of the paid-up or unit capital in Category-I or Category-II Alternative Investment Funds
As the funnel of good-quality early-stage companies are built, mid-stage and growth capital always follows, says Fireside Ventures founder Kanwaljit Singh.
As consumers in India seek variety and innovative products, there's a lot of interest among investors for healthier products.
The fresh meat and seafood delivery startup Licious plans to set up 500 stores nationwide within the next five years as part of an omnichannel strategy. The aim is to attract new users in the offline channel and encourage them to transact online as well. The move would also help the company in its efforts to achieve profitability and go for an initial public offering (IPO) in the next 24 months, according to the sources.
The past few years have seen the first cycle of mergers and acquisitions, exits, and track-records being created.
Funding winter and corporate governance woes separated the men from the boys in the country's startup space in 2023 that saw funds into the segment tapering to just around $8 billion. All said, investors are hopeful of strong growth of the maturing startup ecosystem in the new year. Edtech and health tech segments that grew exponentially during the pandemic plunged into an abyss of financial uncertainties, with several firms shuttering their business, and valuation of prominent players like BYJU'S and PharmEasy plummeting 85-90 per cent.
For a segment that thrives on promise more than performance, the country's start-up ecosystem is refusing to get carried away by the funding this calendar year. This has created the highest level of uninvested venture capital in seven years as investors wait for corrections in the working and - more importantly - valuation of start-ups while looking for cockroaches instead of unicorns. "Investors are now keen to invest in companies that have good top and bottom lines.
At a time when the overall narrative is around India being an attractive investment destination, the two American multinationals are more specific in projecting India as their centrepiece.
Again would offer two variants of double-toned milk with almonds, cashews, dates; and strawberry, chocolate, jaggery - and two variants of double-toned yoghurt - alphonso mango; and carrot, orange, banana.
N R Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, blamed the venture capitalist community for inculcating a culture among entrepreneurs to chase growth at all costs. He said the VC model of investment looked like a ponzi scheme. "I would hold venture capitalists responsible who propounded the theory that only the top-line is important and not the bottom-line. "I think that is completely wrong. In many ways it looks like a ponzi scheme.
'We went from zero to about 10 million users in three months. Paytm came out with the wallet play and we came out with the UPI play.'
Start-ups line up food street with new-age menu.
Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani on Friday India is well-placed on the government and businesses fronts to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in unique ways to solve challenges and tap into opportunities. Nilekani noted that over the last few years, the government has focussed on how to make transactions more efficient and effective, which has driven digitisation across the board. He added that as a byproduct of this, huge data now across systems has been generated and that the time is right to apply AI across the board to India's most challenging issues across areas like healthcare and education.
The Navi lending app, launched in May, provides instant loans of up to Rs 5 lakh, with repayment tenures of up to 36 months.
People in India haven't seen what happens if the environment gets sour, the Softbank vice-chairman said.
Vijay Mallya, who faces prosecution in India, is reportedly in London.
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