Cheerio AI, an AI-powered customer engagement platform, has raised Rs 8 crore in seed funding to build multi-modal AI capabilities and expand its platform.
AI firm Pramaana Labs, with a significant Indian workforce, has successfully raised $27 million in seed funding led by Khosla Ventures. The company aims to use these funds to advance its unique technology that converts complex knowledge into machine-verifiable truth, addressing the accountability gap in AI across regulated sectors like tax, healthcare, and financial compliance.
Indian startup funding plummeted by 43 per cent year-on-year to $7.81 billion between March 1 and June 15, 2026, largely due to the West Asia conflict, which has amplified global risk perceptions, tightened liquidity, and led to rupee depreciation, making global investors cautious.
The University of Liverpool and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have established a joint seed fund to promote research and innovation collaborations in areas such as AI, biomedicine, quantum technology, and space.
A farmer in Maharashtra received a message indicating a one-paisa credit instead of the expected Rs 2,000 under the PM-Kisan scheme, causing confusion. The Agriculture Department later clarified it was a technical error and the full instalment had been successfully processed.
Haryana is revamping its 2015 Sports Policy to focus on long-term talent development for future Olympians, moving beyond just prize money and jobs. Key initiatives include 'Mission Olympics-2036 Vijayee Bhavah' for young athletes and the 'Khelo Haryana App' for integrated athlete services. The state aims to strengthen athlete welfare, infrastructure, and institutional support.
Accel and Google's AI Futures Fund have announced the five startups selected for the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, focusing on enterprise, voice, and industrial AI solutions, with each startup receiving significant investment and resources.
World Bank President Ajay Banga has advocated for the deployment of 'Small AI' locally deployed artificial intelligence running on inexpensive hardware to address daily problems faced by farmers and rural communities in emerging markets.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will soon allow subscribers to withdraw their EPF and transfer it directly to their bank accounts through the UPI payment gateway. Testing of the facility has been completed, according to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
A special court has granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) permission to arrest self-styled godman Ashok Kharat in connection with a Rs 70 crore money laundering case. Kharat, already facing rape and fraud charges, was produced before the Special PMLA Court on a production warrant from Nashik jail.
Self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, already jailed for alleged rape and fraud, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a Rs 70-crore money laundering case. The arrest follows court approval and is part of an ongoing investigation into a large-scale extortion racket.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has uncovered a smuggling operation at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai, seizing 132 containers of restricted watermelon seeds and green peas worth Rs 139 crore.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against three individuals, including a doctor, for their alleged involvement in an ISIS-linked conspiracy to carry out mass poisoning in public spaces using a biological toxin.
The Indian men's table tennis team began their World Team Table Tennis Championships campaign with a 3-0 victory over Tunisia, while the women's team received a walkover.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached a special PMLA court in Mumbai seeking a production warrant against Ashok Kharat, a self-styled godman and astrologer, in connection with a money laundering case linked to rape and fraud allegations.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has requested a special PMLA court in Mumbai to issue a production warrant against Ashok Kharat, a self-styled godman-cum-astrologer, who is accused of rape and fraud and is currently in police custody in Nashik district, in connection with a money laundering case.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the central government of providing 'VIP treatment' to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, criticising perceived double standards in dealing with crime.
Company to invest in 30 companies in the next three months and wants a portfolio of 70 firms by the end of FY17
Within weeks of announcing his exit as executive chairman of the global software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Freshworks, its founder Girish Mathrubootham appears to be on an investment spree.
The government has infused over Rs 3,100 crore into women-led startups over the past six years, through its three schemes including the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) to boost female entrepreneurship across the country, according to an update shared by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the central government of providing special treatment to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Mann's criticism comes after Union Minister Amit Shah spoke about gang activities in Punjab.
'There are certain sovereign AI domains where we must build capabilities using our own data, our own language models, and make our own attempts at global models.'
Delhi is preparing for its first artificial rain through cloud seeding to combat air pollution. A trial run was successful, and the first rainfall is expected on October 29 if weather conditions are favorable.
Country's startups are carving a unique path by prioritising local, application-led innovation over the global pursuit of scale.
'When a technology is this fundamental, a country should have its own version of it, rather than relying on whether someone else chooses to build it for you.'
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed concerns about discriminatory fund allocation and reports of a rift with Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, dismissing both as unfounded.
'There is a fortune in stolen money, counterfeit notes floating around, and political skullduggery afoot, along with treachery, double dealing, kidnapping and all manner of wickedness packing the series so densely that the pace never flags and a profusion of twists keeps the story engaging even when it strains credibility,' notes Deepa Gahlot.
'Our goal here is to become a small catalyst in humanity's journey of conscious evolution. To lead us into the Post-Darwin era.'
As the quick commerce (qcom) race hots up, a new model - vertical qcom - is gaining investor attention. Unlike horizontal players such as Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart, which stock everything from groceries to gifts and gadgets, vertical platforms focus on depth over breadth.
The $1.2 billion in-space manufacturing market is expected to grow and be worth more than $20 billion by 2033.
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.
After a gap of more than three years, the central government has agreed to resume the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) works in West Bengal with immediate effect, but subject to mandatory adherence to stringent conditions. These include a prohibition on any work valued at more than 20 lakh, compulsory 100 per cent electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) verification of all workers, and mandatory pre-estimation field visits for all works before they are undertaken.
Investment proposals for around Rs 1.88 trillion through 35 major agreements, spread across deep tech, green energy, and aerospace, were the hallmark moment of the first day of the two-day "Telangana Rising Global Summit", which started on Monday.
Trade unions have decided to launch a phased, consistent struggle to press for the withdrawal of the labour codes and go on a countrywide general strike in February next year, a statement said on Tuesday. The date of the strike will be announced on 22nd December 2025 in the next meeting of the joint forum of central trade unions, a statement said.
The FIDE World Cup will be held at a resort in North Goa from October 31 to November 27, 2025, offering a total prize fund of US$2 million.
'Our problem is not a budget deficit but a trust deficit. We need to trust our institutions and industries to innovate and lead. That is the way forward for India.'
So far, VCs used to fund start-ups which either had product prototypes ready or had some customers on board.
'Most pollution boards across the country have unused funds. There is practically no reason why pollution should not be a political priority.'
Venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) funds had, in 2024, taken bets on traditional businesses rather than tech-first domains like consumer tech, software as a service (SaaS) and software. According to data from Bain & Co, Pitchbook, Venture Intelligence, VCC Edge and AVCJ, prominent VC funds like PeakXV saw their share in this traditional space go up sharply from 14 per cent in 2023 to 23 per cent in 2024.
If they act now, they can reshape the strategic map of Asia without firing a shot. If they wait, the next opportunity will come only after a serious Taiwan Strait incident -- by which time the price will be far higher, and the room for boldness far smaller -- the opportunity may well be lost by then. The question is no longer whether this can or should be done, points out Varun Arya.
