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Alibaba On A Funding Spree!

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Alibaba On A Funding Spree,Startup Stories,2018 Latest Business News,2018 Best Motivational Stories,Alibaba China Alibaba Business News 2018,Alibaba Funding Updates,Startup Funding India,China Biggest e commerce Platform Alibaba,Online Food Delivery Platform Zomato,Indian Online Grocer BigBasket

Alibaba, China’s biggest e commerce platform, just announced a 56 % increase in the third quarter revenue, shutting down the trade analysts who were all saying that the e commerce platform’s revenues are slowing down. Alibaba saw its shares double up from its original value based on the back of the strong sales system it has been following.

In an attempt at showing the world that it is here to stay, Alibaba just made a host of really interesting investments. Online food delivery platform, Zomato Media Pvt., is going to receive a whopping $ 200 million from Alibaba on the basis of a stock exchange format. This move proves the fact that Alibaba is ready to expand its interests into other areas as well.

InfoEdge, a 45% stake holder in Alibaba, has decided to divest 6.66% for $ 50 million in Zomato either directly or through its wholly owned subsidiary, Naukri Internet Services Pvt Ltd. This would value the Gurgaon-headquartered Zomato at around $ 760 million. The Jack Ma led Alibaba has signalled a strong interest in increasing its hold on the e commerce front.

At the moment, Alibaba is already a leading investor in online payments facilitator platform, Paytm. Apart from professing an interest in investing in Zomato, the Jack Ma led Alibaba led a $ 300 million investment round in online grocer, BigBasket. India’s online retail grocery platform is already quite huge and stands at a valuation of $ 900 million, with BigBasket making up for around $ 700 million of the total.

Through this funding, BigBasket aims at squashing its competitors (Flipkart Online Services Pvt. and Grofers.) The company will deploy the funds into building farmer networks, warehouses and delivery infrastructure with a goal to penetrate deeper into the more than two dozen cities it currently operates in.

On the other hand, Zomata has one major food delivery platform as its rival, Swiggy. Through this round of investment from Alibaba, Zomata firmly places itself at the higher end of the spectrum and has a valuation that far exceeds the valuation of Swiggy.  Alibaba is expected to own around 26% stake in Zomato after the $200 million sale via primary and second transactions. InfoEdge’s stake would come down to 31%.

 

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Artificial Intelligence

Adopt AI Secures $6 Million to Power No-Code AI Agents for Business Automation

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Adopt AI

Adopt AI, a San Jose and Bengaluru-based agentic AI startup, has raised $6 million in seed funding led by Elevation Capital, with participation from Foster Ventures, Powerhouse Ventures, Darkmode Ventures, and angel investors. The funding will be used to expand the company’s engineering and product teams and to scale enterprise deployments of its automation platform.

 

Founded by Deepak Anchala, Rahul Bhattacharya, and Anirudh Badam, Adopt AI offers a platform that lets businesses automate workflows and execute complex actions using natural language commands, without needing to rebuild existing systems. Its core products include a no-code Agent Builder, which allows companies to quickly create and deploy AI-driven conversational interfaces, and Agentic Experience, which replaces traditional user interfaces with text-based commands.

The startup’s technology is aimed at SaaS and B2C companies in sectors like banking and healthcare, helping them rapidly integrate intelligent agent capabilities into their applications. Adopt AI’s team includes engineers from Microsoft and Google, with Chief AI Officer Anirudh Badam bringing over a decade of AI experience from Microsoft.

The company has also launched an Early Access Program to let businesses pilot its automation solution and collaborate on new use cases.

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PayU Gets Final RBI Nod to Operate as Payment Aggregator Ahead of 2025 IPO

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PayU

PayU India, owned by Prosus, has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator, a year after getting in-principle approval in April 2024. This authorization allows PayU to onboard new merchants and offer digital payment solutions, joining other major players like Razorpay, CCAvenue, and BillDesk.

The RBI’s nod comes as PayU prepares for its planned IPO in the second half of 2025, following a delay from its original 2024 timeline due to market conditions. The company, which serves over 450,000 merchants, reported $319 million in revenue from its core payments and credit business in the first half of FY25.

PayU stated that the approval will help it build a resilient, compliant, and innovation-driven institution, supporting merchants of all sizes and advancing the Digital India vision. The company has also strengthened its risk management and expanded its presence in real-time payments through a strategic stake in Mindgate Solutions.

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Funding

Flam Secures $14M Series A to Revolutionize Mixed Reality Marketing with AI

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AI infrastructure startup Flam has raised $14 million in a Series A round led by RTP Global, with participation from Dovetail and existing investors, bringing its total funding to $22 million. Founded in 2021, Flam enables brands to create and deliver high-fidelity mixed reality (MR) and generative AI experiences without the need for app downloads, allowing consumers to access immersive content via QR codes or links in under 300 milliseconds.

Flam’s platform is already used by over 100 global brands-including Google, Samsung, and Netflix-reaching more than 380 million users. The new funding will accelerate product innovation, expand operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and launch a full-stack enterprise suite for MR and GenAI-driven marketing. The company currently has over 120 employees and plans to grow to 180 by the end of 2025, aiming to transform every brand touchpoint into an interactive digital experience.

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