Category: Startup

Equirus InnovateX Fund (EIF), the early-stage venture arm of the Equirus Group, has officially closed its maiden B2B tech fund at ₹166 crore, following an initial close in February 2024.

The fund primarily focuses on supporting seed and pre-Series A companies in the realms of deep tech, SaaS, and fintech, particularly those in the post-product phase progressing towards product-market fit. EIF seeks partnerships with founders tackling complex challenges with evident distribution and defensibility, aiming for sustainable long-term growth.

Domestic and global investors, including notable figures like Girish Gaitonde, M.R. Jyothy, and Dhimant Bhayani, have backed EIF, contributing not just capital but also operational expertise and market connections.

Managed by Krishna Jha, Sunder Nookala, and Sadhika Agarwal, EIF has already invested a significant portion of its funds in seven startups from Fund I, with plans to reach a portfolio of up to 15 companies. Current investments include Pointo, Datazip, GreenStitch, and others, with the remainder of the capital slated for deployment over the next 12 to 18 months.

EIF collaborates with founders on enterprise access, regulatory challenges, senior recruitment, and fundraising readiness, with a strong focus on governance and sustainable value creation.

With the successful closure of its inaugural fund, EIF will now concentrate on expanding its existing portfolio, selectively adding new ventures, and fostering relationships with founders and long-term investors as it prepares for future funds.

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Fibe, formerly known as EarlySalary, has experienced remarkable financial growth in the fiscal year ending March 2025. The consumer lending firm witnessed a substantial increase in operating revenue, crossing Rs 1,200 crore, and a notable profit spike of 13%. Co-founded in 2015 by Akshay Mehrotra and Ashish Goyal, Fibe offers personal loans, long-term loans, and loans against mutual funds and fixed deposits, catering to sectors like healthcare, education, and solar rooftop installations.

The core of Fibe’s revenue generation stems from interest on loans, contributing over 80% to its total operating revenue. In FY25, this income surged by 46%, surpassing the Rs 1,000 crore mark. Additionally, Fibe earned revenue from servicing fees, guarantee premiums, marketing, commissions, and various other operational sources.

Despite facing significant finance costs, primarily driven by loan write-offs and losses on guarantees invoked, Fibe managed to post a 13% increase in profit, reaching Rs 114 crore. The company’s strategic partnerships with banks and NBFCs have strengthened its position in the consumer lending market, facilitating over 9 million loans and disbursing more than Rs 40,000 crore through a network of 8,500 lenders.

With a focus on operational efficiency and diversification of revenue streams, Fibe’s financial performance in FY25 highlights its resilience and adaptability in the dynamic consumer lending landscape.

Source: Entrackr : Latest Posts

AI consulting firm Navikenz has raised $7.5 million in a recent funding round co-led by Sekar PRC and Sudip Nandy, with additional contributions from existing investors. This funding marks a significant milestone for the company, following a previous $4 million investment led by Sudip Nandy.

The newly acquired funds will be used to expand Navikenz’s team and enhance its technological capabilities, as stated in a press release by the company.

Established in 2020 by Anjan Lahiri and Samit Deb, Navikenz specializes in assisting businesses in integrating AI-powered solutions to optimize their operations and drive digital transformation. The company’s expertise lies in the strategic application of AI to streamline business processes, combining human insight with machine learning technologies. Navikenz offers a range of solutions including RetailBOT, HR Data Analytics, Spend Analytics, and its proprietary NaviKATOR methodology for digital transformation initiatives.

With a workforce of approximately 250 employees and offices in Bengaluru, Noida, and Princeton, New Jersey, Navikenz is poised to further invest in its workforce, clientele, and technological infrastructure. The company has collaborations with leading pharmaceutical, life sciences, insurance, and financial services companies, positioning itself as a key player in the AI consulting sector.

Over the past year, Navikenz has achieved notable profitability on a quarterly basis and has demonstrated substantial revenue growth within the services segment. The company’s strategic vision includes sustaining profitable growth and doubling revenues every 12–18 months in the coming years.

Navikenz delivers a comprehensive suite of consulting, architectural, and implementation services tailored to AI applications using a pod structure.

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CraftifAI, a multi-agent generative AI-powered platform, has secured $3 million in a seed funding round led by Ankur Capital, with participation from IvyCap Ventures, Capital-A, Antler, and others. The funding will support the expansion of CraftifAI’s engineering and go-to-market teams, as well as its global market presence.

Established in 2025 by Pratik Sharda and Yashwant Dagar, CraftifAI focuses on developing generative AI-powered, silicon-agnostic platforms for embedded systems, IoT, and Edge AI. This approach enables quicker and more cost-effective development in areas such as robotics, drones, and automation.

CraftifAI’s core technology revolves around generative AI and agentic AI workflow, which aids in model optimization, quantization, and deployment for Edge AI systems. The company’s tools target industries like IoT, robotics, surveillance, industrial automation, and autonomous systems, facilitating rapid development and reducing time to market for hardware manufacturers.

By consolidating fragmented toolchains into a single AI-driven workflow, CraftifAI streamlines the embedded software lifecycle, supporting end-to-end product design, development, and manufacturing processes. This enables clients to bring their concepts to market-ready hardware more efficiently and accurately.

CraftifAI has already secured pilot projects with Indian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across robotics, drones, IoT, and AI camera sectors, as well as a semiconductor company based in the US.

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Peak XV, a prominent investor in cutting-edge technologies, has announced investments in five early-stage AI companies at the Impact AI PitchFest, a significant event hosted as part of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

The Impact AI PitchFest provided a platform for founders to showcase their innovative ventures to potential investors, industry experts, and key ecosystem stakeholders.

The startups that secured funding from Peak XV include Companion Labs, Kello, Memfold AI, Round1, and Zoop, each offering unique AI solutions to the market.

Companion Labs is developing interactive AI experiences tailored for India’s diverse audiences, allowing users to immerse themselves in AI-driven narratives exploring various life scenarios and aspirations.

Kello leverages real-world data to enhance hiring processes for enterprises, moving beyond conventional metrics to identify talent effectively.

Memfold AI aims to revolutionize knowledge work environments by creating AI-native workspaces that streamline productivity and collaboration.

Round1 specializes in AI-powered interviewing processes, assisting Indian startups with efficient candidate evaluations.

Zoop focuses on developing AI agents tailored to sellers’ operational needs, offering solutions ranging from voice-based cataloging to personalized AI coaching.

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Wealthtech startup Stable Money has secured $25 million in funding at a valuation of $175 million in a pre-Series C round, with Peak XV Partners leading the investment, alongside Z47, RTP Global, and Fundamentum Partnership. This capital injection aims to bolster Stable Money’s core platform, enhance access to savings products, and grow its team, according to a press release.

Founded in 2022 by Saurabh Jain and Harish Reddy, Stable Money offers a digital fixed income investment platform enabling users to earn stable returns through fixed deposits, bonds like Stable Bonds, and other low-risk instruments. The startup plans to deepen collaborations with banks and NBFCs to expand customer options and drive innovation.

With over 40 lakh users investing more than Rs 5,000 crore via its platform, Stable Money reported an operating revenue of Rs 104 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2025, showcasing significant growth from the previous year.

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Asset manager ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has recently surpassed the 5% shareholding mark in Brainbees Solutions, the parent company of FirstCry, through additional share acquisitions. The mutual fund disclosed this development in a regulatory filing.

The purchase, made on February 16, 2026, involved 2,00,210 equity shares valued at approximately Rs 4.6 crore. Following this transaction, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund’s total shares in Brainbees now amount to 2,62,47,897, representing a 5.028% stake in the company.

Prior to this acquisition, the fund held 4.990% of the company’s paid-up capital, indicating an increase of around 0.038% in Brainbees’ equity due to the latest purchase.

In a statement, the fund clarified that this investment was solely driven by an investment perspective and not motivated by any intentions to gain control over the company.

From a financial standpoint, FirstCry, under Brainbees Solutions, reported a revenue growth to Rs 2,424 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 2,172 crore in the previous year. However, the company also faced a 153% increase in losses, reaching Rs 38 crore in the same quarter.

Currently, FirstCry’s share price is trading at Rs 220.25 per share, with a market capitalization of approximately Rs 14,096 crore ($1.2 billion).

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Vervesemi, a fabless semiconductor startup, has secured $10 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Ashish Kacholia and Unicorn India Ventures. This investment aims to accelerate the commercialization of Vervesemi’s machine learning-enhanced analog signal chain IC portfolio and expand its presence in key semiconductor markets globally.

Established in 2017 by Rakesh Malik and Pratap Narayan Singh, Vervesemi specializes in high-performance analog and mixed-signal IP, utilizing proprietary machine learning-enabled architectures to enhance reliability and system-level performance in critical environments.

With a focus on technology maturation, Vervesemi has successfully validated its ML-enabled analog signal chain architecture in silicon, attracting multiple customers and broadening its product pipeline in industrial and smart energy sectors. The startup has also introduced a new motor control product line for efficient applications in electric vehicles, drones, and industrial automation, emphasizing precision sensing and enhanced fault detection for improved performance and safety.

Partnerships with key players in fabrication, packaging, and testing have been strengthened to facilitate scalable production and quicker silicon validation cycles, reinforcing Vervesemi’s position in the semiconductor industry. The company boasts a diverse portfolio of over 140 semiconductor IP blocks and 25 IC product variants serving various sectors such as space, defense, and smart energy, supported by 10 patents and five trade secrets.

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Qualcomm, a prominent US-based semiconductor and telecommunications company, is set to invest $150 million in Indian startups through its venture arm, Qualcomm Ventures. The focus of this investment will be on fostering artificial intelligence (AI) and deep technology startups.

The funding will target startups in various sectors including automotive, IoT, robotics, mobile technologies, and edge computing. Qualcomm aims to support companies developing AI and edge-AI applications for devices, industrial systems, and connected platforms, with an emphasis on on-device processing.

This initiative by Qualcomm aims to boost the creation of AI-centric products tailored for both local and global markets, enhancing the technological landscape. Qualcomm Ventures has a history of investing in Indian startups spanning mobility, enterprise SaaS, consumer internet, and hardware sectors. With this fresh capital injection, the company looks to broaden its investment portfolio in deep technology and semiconductor-related innovations.

This strategic investment comes at a time when India is witnessing increased policy backing for semiconductor manufacturing and AI progression, indicating Qualcomm’s alignment with the evolving tech ecosystem in the country. Qualcomm intends not only to provide financial support but also to collaborate closely with startup founders on product development, market strategies, and global partnerships.

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ValueQuest Investment Advisors has successfully raised a ₹1,500-crore private equity (PE) fund targeting advanced manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, defense, and energy transition. The fund, named ValueQuest Tristar, has exceeded its initial target size and activated a greenshoe option of ₹500 crore. It aims to complete fundraising within the current calendar year.

The Mumbai-based firm plans to invest in 8–12 companies with check sizes ranging from ₹150 crore to ₹400 crore. The focus will be on businesses with established product-market fit, positive unit economics, and strong customer relationships. ValueQuest highlights the current opportune moment for capital deployment in advanced manufacturing sectors, with many companies in this space also exploring initial public offerings (IPOs).

Notable investments already made by the fund include Rangsons Aerospace, a precision manufacturing company catering to aerospace and defense clients, and Waaree Energy Storage Solutions, known for its lithium-ion cells and energy storage systems. In the defense sector, ValueQuest has been an early investor in key public sector undertakings like Mazagon Dock, Cochin Shipyard, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers.

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