Latest News
30-10-2017 to 04-11-2017
The month of October passed by in a string of acquisitions, investments, surprise announcements and major technology updates. The month of November also started out with a bang news regarding major food tech companies, female entrepreneurs in the startup industry and all time high revenues. If you missed the major news of this week, here’s our weekly wrap up.
1. OLA FLEET TO RECEIVE $ 7.7 MILLION FROM ANI TECHNOLOGIES
Ola Fleet Technologies Pvt., Ltd., received $7.7 million in fresh funds from its parent company ANI Technologies Pvt., Ltd. The company already raised Rs. 50 crores and Rs. 100 crores from Ola in July this year. Close to 50 million equity shares were allocated at a subscription price of Rs. 10 apiece. Despite facing multiple loan defaults and other setbacks, the company posted a net sale of Rs. 5.6 crores for the financial year 2015-2016.
2. 75 STARTUPS RECEIVE SUPPORT FROM DIPP’S FUNDS OF FUNDS
75 startups in India received financial support from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP,) of India under the Funds of Funds Initiative. These 75 startups would receive the investment through 17 Alternative Investment Funds registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI.) Established by the Indian Government in association with the Small Industries Development Bank of India, the Funds Of Funds for Startups (FFS) aims to extend funding support to the startups identified based on criteria listed in line with the Startup India initiative. So far over Rs. 300 crores has been invested in startups by the Fund.
3. NOKIA MOBILE LAUNCHES NEW NOKIA 2
Technology major Nokia finally launched their much awaited flagship smartphone Nokia 2 at the Sector 55-56 Metro station in Gurgaon. One of Nokia’s most affordable phones, Nokia 2, is expected to hit the shelves mid November, this year. With a 4100 mAh battery that will last for 2 days, the Nokia 2 will pack a 5 inch LTPS HD (720×1280 pixels) resolution display. The phone packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 SoC processor but will come with just 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Available in three color variants namely Copper Black, Pewter Black, and Pewter White, the handset will hold a 5 MP front camera and an 8 MP primary camera.
4. SWIGGY TO MERGE WITH ZOMATO?
India’s two biggest food tech startups, Zomato and Swiggy, are reportedly in talks for a stock based merger. According to sources, restaurant discovery platform, Zomato, offered a 1:4 share swap ratio to Swiggy, which would reduce the valuation of the online food ordering platform at $225 million. 2016 saw an exponential growth in the food delivery industry. While Swiggy claimed to complete close to 4- 4.5 million orders a month, Zomato dominated the restaurant discovery business with 3- 3.2 million online orders per month. Zomato and Swiggy’s merger will be among the most significant moves made towards consolidating a lucrative sector, after the failed acquisition talks between Flipkart and Snapdeal.
5. ZONE STARTUPS INDIA SELECTS 15 STARTUPS FOR EMPOWER ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
In an attempt to encourage female entrepreneurs, Zone Startups India has selected 15 women for the second edition of its empoWer Accelerator Program. Selected by a panel comprising of 12 mentors and noted industry experts, the startups will compete for a chance to attend a week long business development and personal mentorship programme in Quebec, Canada. The startups represent industries like healthcare, smart cities and enterprise solutions across various technology themes including Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and deep learning, across industries like healthcare, smart cities and enterprise solutions. The shortlisted startups will get to network in the industry, attend valuable mentoring sessions and workshops during a six week community programme.
6. ONE97 COMMUNICATION POSTS $ 126 MILLION IN REVENUE
One97 Communication, the parent company of Paytm, posted a total revenue of $ 126 million and net worth of Rs. 2,376.6 crores for the fiscal year 2016 – 2017. Founded in 2010 by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm is India’s leading digital payments platform backed by China’s ecommerce giant Alibaba and Japan’s venture capital firm Softbank. The company witnessed a 65% rise in offline payments resulting in transactions worth $ 1.6 billion, post Demonetization last year. The company also claims to have over 218 million customers in India and a few other parts of the world and aims to increase their customer count to 50 crores by the end of 2020.
7. PAYTM LAUNCHES ITS IN HOUSE MESSAGING APP – INBOX
A day after posting their record high revenue, Paytm announced the launch of their brand new in house messaging service, Inox. In an attempt to create a separate path in the fierce world of ecommerce, Inbox lets users send and receive images and text messages. The messaging service will be embedded with digital transaction features as an additional advantage against other messaging apps. Furthermore, Inbox will also have a recall option that lets users delete messages once sent.
That’s all for this week! Subscribe to our portal to never miss updates from the startup world! If your startup has an exciting announcement coming up, you can even write to us at [email protected]. Catch up with the highlights of the week with our The News This Week section.
Kuku FM’s parent company, Mebigo Labs, has hired leading investment banks to prepare for a 200 million dollar IPO in India, marking a major milestone for the country’s digital audio ecosystem. The Mumbai-based company has reportedly appointed Kotak Mahindra Capital, Axis Bank and Morgan Stanley’s India unit to manage the proposed share sale, which is likely to be launched on Indian stock exchanges once key regulatory steps are completed. This move signals strong intent to tap public markets and test investor appetite for subscription-led regional audio platforms in India.
The planned IPO proceeds are expected to help Kuku FM expand its content library, strengthen its regional language offerings and invest in technology to enhance user experience. With a focus on Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and other Indian languages, Kuku FM aims to capture the fast-growing audience in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities seeking affordable audiobooks, courses and storytelling content. The funds could also provide additional firepower for marketing, partnerships and product innovation, helping the platform compete more aggressively in India’s crowded digital entertainment and creator economy landscape.
Founded in 2018, Kuku FM has built a subscription-driven business model and has reportedly scaled to millions of paying users, backed by multiple funding rounds from prominent investors. Its decision to pursue a 200 million dollar IPO positions it as one of the first major Indian audio platforms to attempt a public listing, potentially paving the way for other podcast and niche content startups to follow. As the IPO process moves forward, Kuku FM’s performance in the public markets will be closely watched as a key indicator of how investors value regional, knowledge-first audio platforms in India’s booming digital economy.
Zerodha experienced a challenging FY25, as its revenue fell 11.5% to ₹8,847 crore and net profit dropped 22.9% to ₹4,237 crore. This decline reflects tougher regulatory conditions, lower trading volumes, and increased operational costs in the brokerage market, all of which impacted core earning segments for the company.
Despite these headwinds, Zerodha improved its operating margin to 63.78% and built up significant cash reserves, reporting ₹22,679 crore in bank balances. Salary expenses and director remuneration increased, but disciplined cost controls helped the company maintain profitability and a debt-free balance sheet. The drop in active clients and increased compliance costs further contributed to the profit contraction.
Looking ahead, Zerodha’s resilience is supported by its robust cash position and operational efficiency. Maintaining steady margins, diversifying product offerings, and investing in technology positions the company to withstand future regulatory fluctuations and changing market sentiment reinforcing its status as one of India’s leading brokerage firms.
Zoho Corporation has expanded its fintech portfolio with the launch of Zoho Pay, a UPI-based payments app built to challenge India’s top digital payment giants such as PhonePe, Paytm, and Google Pay. The new app supports peer-to-peer transfers, bill payments, QR-based transactions, and merchant settlements in a streamlined interface. Available as both a standalone app and an integrated feature inside Zoho’s privacy-driven messenger Arattai, Zoho Pay enables users to handle chats and payments in one platform, emphasizing data privacy and Made-in-India innovation.
Through seamless integration with Arattai, Zoho Pay allows users to send or request payments, split expenses, and conduct UPI-based transactions directly in their chat windows. Users can link bank accounts, scan dynamic QR codes, and receive audio confirmations of payments, ensuring speed and security. This design mirrors the simplicity of India’s leading UPI apps but is powered by Zoho’s non-advertising, privacy-first model. The integration aligns with Zoho’s mission to build a self-reliant digital ecosystem, where messaging and money management coexist securely.
In the competitive digital payments market, Zoho Pay differentiates itself through its tight business software integration with apps like Zoho Books, Zoho Payroll, and Zoho Commerce, offering small businesses unified access to payments, billing, and accounting. The company is also expanding its reach with POS devices for merchants featuring UPI QR, card payments, and instant reconciliation tools. With founder Sridhar Vembu’s vision of a ‘Chat + Pay’ ecosystem, Zoho Pay reflects a bold step toward redefining India’s fintech scene with a secure, ad-free, and locally developed alternative to global payment platforms.
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