Kheyti, an Indian startup based in Hyderabad, has won a prestigious award and a cash prize of $ 42,000 in Israel for developing an affordable modular greenhouse. The aim of the modular greenhouse is to provide farmers with a steady and dependable income. Kheyti, along with Sukriti which developed a smart toilet cabin employing hygiene maintenance systems to enhance user experience in sanitation, were two of the top ten startup finalists in the MassChallenge Israel contest. The contest saw a participation of over 500 companies from 40 different countries.
The agricultural startup Kheyti, provides technology solutions for small farmers using low cost farming solutions to help the farmers increase yield and predictability of produce. After a rigorous three month process, they shared the honor with an Israeli startup as the “diamond winners” of this year’s contest. Both startups were awarded a cash prize of $ 42,850. Speaking about the startup’s success, the Indian Ambassador to Israel, Pavan Kapoor said he hopes Kheyti’s win will motivate and encourage more Indian startups to innovate and work in the social sector and lead to a further collaboration between India and Israel.
Kheyti was started by Sathya Raghu V. Mokkapati and Kaushik K. The startup has 3 other members with strong entrepreneurial backgrounds who design and implement affordable and end to end farming solutions that help farmers increase yield and predictability of produce. The aim of the startup is to offer farmers a seamless path to increase their income by using innovative technological solutions. The team developed a modular greenhouse called the ‘greenhouse-in-a-box’ with full stack services that uses 90% less water and grows seven times more food while protecting the farmers’ crops from wind, rain, hail, heat and pests.
Since its inception, the startup has also won the People’s Choice Award at the Wharton India Startup Competition 2015 in Mumbai and bagged a prize money of $ 5000. Their greenhouse in a box solution was developed over the past eight months and according to co founder Satya Raghu V. Mokkapati, proof of the concept will be ready by the end of this financial year. The startup also plans to develop a model that suits multiple geographies and protocols to meet the farmer’s needs, over the next 2 to 3 years.
The MassChallenge Israel is a startup friendly accelerator that selects startups from multiple countries and works across a range of industries including future mobility and visual technologies, among others. This week, the company awarded $ 143,000 zero equity cash prizes to four of the highest impact startups from its 2017 cohort. The cash prize winners will have the opportunity to take part in the first MassChallenge Israel US Trek in November, which is a curated business trip to the innovation ecosystems in Boston and New York.
Gramik, a Lucknow-based agritech startup, has secured INR 17 crore in a bridge funding round ahead of its upcoming INR 56 crore Series A raise.
The funding round included investments via Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCDs) and Compulsorily Convertible Debentures (CCDs).
Key investors include Sammaan Global Ventures, Money Creeper Investment, and prominent angels such as Balram Yadav (MD & CEO, Godrej Agrovet), Gev Aryaton, Irfan Alam, Nikhil Bhagat, and Salvia Siddiqui.
Gramik’s Unique Peer Commerce Model
Founded in 2021 by Raj Yadav, Gramik empowers over 120 million small and marginal farmers in India through a technology-driven rural commerce platform.
The startup operates a dual-channel distribution network using Village-Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) and rural retailers to deliver high-quality agri-inputs to remote areas.
Gramik’s full-stack platform offers demand aggregation, logistics, embedded credit, and agronomy services, ensuring last-mile delivery and support for farmers.
Expansion Plans and Future Growth
Gramik currently operates in 12 districts, with 1,200+ active VLEs and 250+ rural retail partners, and plans to expand to 3,000 VLEs and reach 1 million+ farmers across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jammu.
The new funds will be used to expand Gramik’s private-label products, enhance agronomy-led farmer engagement, and scale operations in key states.
With a strong focus on supply chain efficiency, technology, and farmer advisory services, Gramik aims to become a leader in India’s $50 billion agri-input and rural commerce market.
Backed by previous seed funding of over INR 25 crore, Gramik is set to drive innovation and inclusive growth for rural communities.
Reliance Jio Platforms, the digital and telecom powerhouse led by Mukesh Ambani, has decided to postpone its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO), shelving plans for a 2025 listing. The IPO, which analysts valued at over $100 billion and expected to be India’s largest-ever stock market debut, will not take place this year. The company has yet to appoint bankers for the process, signaling that preparations for the public offering have not started in earnest.
According to sources close to the matter, Jio Platforms wants to give its business more time to grow before going public. The company is focusing on boosting revenues, expanding its telecom subscriber base, and scaling up its digital services—including apps, connected devices, and AI solutions—so it can achieve a higher valuation when the IPO eventually happens. Nearly 80% of Jio Platforms’ $17.6 billion annual revenue currently comes from its telecom business, Reliance Jio Infocomm, but the company is investing heavily in new digital ventures and partnerships, such as its collaboration with Nvidia on AI infrastructure.
The news of the delay impacted the market, with shares of parent company Reliance Industries falling by up to 1.8% following the announcement. Despite a strong IPO environment in India, Jio’s move is seen as a strategic decision to ensure stronger business fundamentals and a higher valuation before entering the public markets. Major investors, including Google and Meta, are said to support the decision, viewing it as a step toward long-term value creation.
Flick TV, India’s first mobile-focused OTT platform dedicated to micro-dramas, has secured $2.3 million in seed funding led by Stellaris Venture Partners, with participation from Gemba Capital and Titan Capital. Founded in early 2025 by Kushal Singhal, Pratik Anand, and Sanidhya Mittal, the platform aims to address the growing demand for high-quality, short-form storytelling tailored for mobile consumption. Unlike traditional user-generated short video platforms, Flick TV produces professionally shot, under-five-minute dramas across genres such as romance, thrillers, and slice-of-life—each crafted for vertical viewing to suit India’s rapidly expanding mobile internet audience.
The newly raised capital will be used to scale up content production, with plans to launch over 100 original titles, enhance the platform’s streaming technology, and expand offerings into four regional languages. Flick TV is also investing in generative AI and advanced workflows to streamline scripting and production, aiming to combine creative excellence with operational efficiency. The founders bring deep expertise from previous roles at ShareChat, EloElo, Meesho, and Pocket FM, positioning the company to bridge the gap between creator agility and cinematic storytelling in India’s nascent micro-drama ecosystem.
Industry observers see Flick TV as a frontrunner in India’s next entertainment wave, which is expected to be mobile-native, emotionally engaging, and built for short attention spans. With the micro-drama market projected to reach $5 billion in India over the next five years—mirroring the $7 billion success in China—Flick TV is poised to set new standards for premium, binge-worthy short-form content and redefine streaming for the modern Indian viewer.