India’s startup ecosystem, the world’s third-largest with 195,065 DPIIT-recognized ventures and a $450 billion digital economy, is a tale of meteoric rises and sobering resets—112 unicorns valued at $350 billion, yet marred by governance scandals and markdowns that expose a transparency void. From Byju’s 99% valuation plunge to $250 million amid fraud allegations to Paytm’s …
When Aakrit Vaish and Swapan Rajdev founded Haptik in 2013, artificial intelligence was still an emerging concept in India. Their vision was simple yet transformative — use conversational AI to make interactions between people and businesses more seamless, intelligent, and efficient. What started as a personal assistant chatbot app soon evolved into one of the …
In 2010, Nithin Kamath (26) and Nikhil Kamath (22), two brothers from Bengaluru, set out to disrupt India’s complex, fee-heavy stock trading ecosystem. With just ₹30 lakh from personal savings, they launched Zerodha, a discount brokerage built on one radical promise — simplify investing for everyone. What began in a small bedroom office with basic …
Introduction On September 1, 2025, Elev8 Venture Partners, a Bengaluru-based venture capital firm, announced the successful closure of its inaugural fund at Rs 1,400 crore (approximately $160 million), a landmark achievement for India’s startup ecosystem. Guided by Navin Honagudi, an investor with over 15 years of expertise, Elev8 is committed to supporting high-growth, technology-driven startups …
India’s deep tech ecosystem is surging, with over 3,600 startups leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology to address global challenges. As of 2025, these ventures, often rooted in intellectual property (IP) creation, have raised $10 billion over the past five years, cementing India as the sixth-largest deep tech hub globally. Yet, despite …