Ruchi Kumar 
January 2026 | Washington, D.C. / San Francisco: AI-powered cybersecurity startup Dam Secure has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Paladin Capital Group, a leading Washington D.C.–based investor specializing in cyber and AI technologies. The funding aims to address the rising security risks of AI-generated code entering production systems at scale. … Read more
Bengaluru | January 2026: In a move to recognize and reward employee contribution, Cashfree Payments has launched an Employee Stock Option (ESOP) buyback program, benefitting more than 400 current and former employees, according to a report by The Hindu Business Line. The initiative, announced as the company celebrates a decade of operations, includes 175 former … Read more
Pune, India | January 2026: Indian deeptech startup Raana Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd. (RSPL) has raised $3 million (approximately ₹25 crore) in a seed funding round led by Equirus Innovatex Fund and Artha Venture Fund, with participation from IvyCap Ventures, PointOne Capital, CIIE Initiatives (IIMA Ventures), and angel investor Garimella Laxminarayana. The latest investment marks Raana … Read more
Mumbai, India | January 2026: AI-powered analytics platform FireAI has successfully raised a total of ₹6.2 crore (approximately $800,000) across its pre-seed and seed funding rounds. The investment was backed by leading venture capital firms including Inflection Point Ventures, Venture Catalyst, and SucSEED Indovation Fund, with SucSEED contributing ₹1 crore to the round. The fresh … Read more
Bengaluru, India | January 2026: AI-powered software creation platform Emergent has raised $70 million in a Series B funding round led by Khosla Ventures and SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from Prosus, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Together, and Y Combinator. This latest round brings Emergent’s total funding to $100 million within just seven months of … Read more
Gurugram, India | January 2026: Healthy snacking brand Troovy has raised $5 million (approx. ₹41 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Fireside Ventures and Sharrp Ventures, marking a significant milestone in India’s fast-growing clean-label food sector. Existing investors Spring Marketing Capital and Veltis Capital also participated in the round. This latest funding … Read more
Gurugram, India | January 2026: Experiential travel and adventure brand WanderOn has raised ₹54 crore ($6.5 million) in a Series A funding round co-led by DSG Consumer Partners and CAAF. The fresh capital will be used to expand its destination portfolio, strengthen adventure, sports-led, and wellness travel categories, and invest in travel technology to create … Read more
Bengaluru, India – January 2026: Materials science-based manufacturing startup Whizzo has raised $15 million (approximately ₹125 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Fundamentum Partnership, with participation from Korea-based deep-tech investor LB Investment and existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners and BEENEXT. The latest funding marks LB Investment’s first direct investment in India, highlighting … Read more
Ahmedabad, India — January 2026: Venture capital firm GVFL Ltd. has led a ₹6 crore pre-Series A funding round in insideFPV, a Gujarat-based defence drone technology startup specializing in indigenous, battlefield-ready unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for India’s armed forces. The funding marks a major milestone for India’s growing defence-tech and aerospace innovation ecosystem, as the … Read more
The rapid ascent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a present-day reality profoundly reshaping the global job market. From sophisticated algorithms to intuitive chatbots, AI technologies are integrating into nearly every sector, sparking both excitement about innovation and apprehension about job displacement. While the narrative often swings between utopian efficiency … Read more
Bengaluru, Karnataka, January, 20 – In the lush arecanut heartlands of Dharmasthala in Mangaluru, a quiet revolution is changing how the world thinks about sustainability. What was once seen as agricultural waste — fallen areca leaves left to decompose or burn — is now becoming a multi-crore global business opportunity. Enter Agrileaf, a visionary circular … Read more
San Jose, California, January 2026: Zscaler, a global leader in cloud security and zero trust solutions, has appointed Swamy Kocherlakota to head its newly established Agentic AI Security Engineering division. This strategic appointment underscores Zscaler’s commitment to strengthening its AI-driven cybersecurity capabilities as enterprises increasingly adopt autonomous and agentic AI systems across their digital ecosystems. … Read more
San Francisco, January 2026: Real-time data analytics and AI infrastructure leader ClickHouse has secured $400 million in Series D funding, marking one of the largest global investments in data infrastructure this year. The round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, with participation from top-tier investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, GIC, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed … Read more
Hong Kong, January 2026: Fintech giant WeLab has announced that it has raised $220 million in its Series D funding round, marking the largest digital banking fundraise in Asia in 2025. The round includes a combination of debt and equity, backed by prominent global and regional investors including Prudential Hong Kong, Fubon Bank (Hong Kong), … Read more
New Delhi, India — Direct-to-consumer (D2C) fashion and accessories brand Salty has raised ₹30.1 crore (approximately $3.3 million) in a new funding round led by MG Investment, with participation from existing backers Anicut Capital, All In Capital, and JK Group, as well as several new angel investors. The fresh infusion of capital will help Salty … Read more
Hyderabad, India — Social networking startup Culture has raised ₹2 crore in a seed funding round led by Acuvest Infra, marking an important milestone in its mission to reshape how people connect and communicate online. The newly raised capital will be used to accelerate product development, expand community-driven initiatives, and enhance platform safety infrastructure, the … Read more
