The global search and tech giant Google has selected 11 startups for their Google Developers’ Launchpad Build mentorship program. These women led startups will be trained under their Launchpad Accelerator Program to achieve rapid progress in a short time. The Developers Launchpad Build event was hosted in Bengaluru and explored the challenges of being a startup leader.
The digital world today is seeing a lot of women stepping out to pursue their dreams and ambitions. This program gives the selected women entrepreneurs a chance to build successful startups through focused, one on one mentorship from Google and other industry experts.
According to the Google Launchpad website, this edition plans to support women entrepreneurs from startups across various stages. Different expert areas including Product Strategy, UX/UI, Marketing with a special focus in Technology covering Android/Firebase, Web and Cloud were taken into consideration for this program.
This program will include leadership workshops driven by Google and was organized in collaboration with Google’s Women Techmakers Initiative and Google’s Women@program.
Here are the 11 entrepreneurs that will receive training from Google and industry experts.
1. Mishipay: A new retail payments startup founded in 2015, Mishipay uses new technology that eliminates queuing from the point of sale. Their technology allows shoppers to pick up a product they wish to buy, scan the bar code with their phone, pay through their phone and simply walk out. The goal of this startup, cofounded by Mustafa Khanwala and Tanvi Bhardwaj is to reduce queue times and facilitate faster checkouts.
2. Guvi Geek Network: Guvi Geek Network was initially started as a YouTube Channel with more than 400 technical videos in vernacular languages. It was incorporated as a startup in 2014, as an online tech skill accelerator in vernacular languages. This startup, incubated in Madras, seeks to help users acquire new skills in vernacular languages, sticking to their motto ‘Learn in your native language.’
3. Evibe Technologies Evibe is an online platform for hassle free party planning service. They offer services ranging from private farm birthdays to themed wedding cakes and even offer drone proposals and chauffeured Audis. This Bengaluru based startup was founded in 2014 by B. Anjaneyulu Reddy and Swathi Bavanaka who aspire to touch millions of lives with their skill and expertise.
4. LetsEndorse This Bengaluru based startup builds holistic ecosystems and acts as a digital market network dedicated to social development. Cofounded by Monika Shukla and Varun Kashyap, this venture enables intelligent knowledge harnessing of practicable social models and builds collaborations for co-creating and scaling up of solutions. The startup, backed by Social Alpha and incubated as part of NASSCOM 10 k Startups, brings together social change makers and mobilizes funds and resources through a mix of crowd funding.
5. Fundamentor Fundamentor is a Bengaluru based edutech startup that uses methods which children enjoy to ensure effective cognitive aptitude development. Founded in 2014 by Bhargavi A.R., it is an innovative product that improves logical reasoning, Maths, English and creative thinking aptitude in children aged 8 to 15. The platform helps develop life skills to bridge the gap between academics and professional success. They claim to have more than 5000 subscribers and 16,000 parents and user community.
6. Talking Street This startup, founded by Maheima Kapur is a ‘local foodie helpline’ which helps travelers and foodies experience and discover the most popular eateries that are frequented by the locals. Their content is created with the help of foodies in the city and so far have a presence in 24 cities.
7. Clinikk Healthcare Founded by Bahvjot Kaur, Clinikk is a personalized health concierge for blue collar workers and their families. The startup provides a centralized, convenient, trustworthy and top notch quality healthcare experience ensured by an internal medical monitoring platform. This health assistant is the single point of contact for an entire subscribed family for any medical need.
8. CampusTime: CampusTime helps universities and colleges set up private social networks that enable students to connect with everyone on the campus. This Bengaluru based startup founded by Amrutha Desai, helps students connect and get access to part time jobs and internships.
9. Omnify: A new age scheduling and ecommerce platform for small businesses, Omnify was founded by Kabandi Saikia and Manik Mehta in 2016. It is a global Saas platform centered around helping businesses manage their schedules, sell omnichannel and improve engagement with their customers.
10. PlexusMD: Online professional network exclusively for medical professionals and healthcare organizations, PlexusMD was founded by IIM alumni Rohan Desai and Binal Doshi along with Kinnar Shah. The startup helps doctors create their professional identity in the web, stay updated on the latest news and developments in their specialty, find and connect with other medical professionals. They claim to be India’s fastest growing online community of healthcare professionals with 75,000 doctors across 25 states and over 300 hospitals across 120 cities.
11. PregBuddy: Week by week pregnancy tracker, PregBuddy is a comprehensive health monitoring and concierge platform for women around the world. Founded by Subhadeep Modal and Sivareena Sarika in 2016, it provides personalized care via health experts and doctors during the years of pre-conceiving to early years of motherhood.
Zepto, the Bengaluru-based quick commerce startup, is preparing for its initial public offering (IPO) by facilitating a secondary share sale worth up to $250 million. This strategic move aims to increase Indian investor ownership from approximately 33% to nearly 50% before the anticipated public listing later this year or early next year.
Funding and Investor Details
The secondary sale will involve private equity firms, including Motilal Oswal Financial Services and Edelweiss Financial Services, allowing existing investors and employees to liquidate their shares. Although Zepto will not raise additional capital through this transaction, it is expected to execute the sale at a valuation of just over $5 billion, consistent with its last funding round in November 2024.
Objectives Behind the Sale
The primary goal of this secondary share sale is to enhance domestic ownership in Zepto, aligning with regulatory preferences and making the IPO more attractive to local institutional investors. Co-founders Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra currently hold about 20% of the company, and increasing Indian shareholder stakes is seen as a way to strengthen governance and influence over the company’s future direction.
Market Context
Zepto operates in India’s competitive grocery delivery market, facing challenges from established players like Amazon India, Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket. Founded in 2021 by Palicha and Vohra after they dropped out of Stanford University, Zepto has quickly gained traction in the quick commerce sector.
Conclusion
As Zepto approaches its IPO, this secondary share sale represents a crucial step in solidifying its position in the Indian market. By boosting domestic investor participation, Zepto aims to enhance its credibility and appeal as it prepares for a public listing amidst a wave of Indian startups entering the stock market.
Regional OTT platform STAGE has successfully raised $12.5 million in its Series B funding round, a move that highlights the increasing demand for regional content in India. The round was co-led by Goodwater Capital and Blume Ventures, with participation from Physis Capital and several angel investors.
The funding includes $10 million in primary capital and $2.5 million from secondary share sales, allowing early investors to partially exit. This capital will enable STAGE to enhance its content offerings, particularly in underserved languages like Bhojpuri, while strengthening its technological capabilities.
Since its launch in 2019, STAGE has quickly established itself as a leader in the regional OTT market, reporting an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of ₹180 crore (approximately $21.7 million) and over 4.4 million paying subscribers. The platform has achieved over 20 million app installs and experienced significant growth, with a 289% increase in revenue and a 286% rise in subscribers over the past year, driven by original series such as Videshi Bahu, Kaand 2010, and Bhawani.
CEO Vinay Singhal emphasized that this funding is not just financial support but a validation of India’s diverse regional cultures. He noted that dialects like Haryanvi and Bhojpuri should be celebrated rather than viewed as liabilities. With this new funding, STAGE plans to further invest in content creation and technology development to enrich its storytelling experience.
As the demand for regional language content continues to grow, STAGE’s strategic investments position it well to expand into more languages and cultural narratives, solidifying its place in the competitive OTT landscape alongside platforms like aha video and Chaupal.
Sunita Williams, the celebrated Indian-American astronaut, recently returned to Earth after an extended nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Initially scheduled for just eight days, her mission was prolonged due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which rendered it unsafe for their return.
On March 19, 2025, Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore safely splashed down off the Florida coast.
Their homecoming was celebrated in Jhulasan village, Gujarat, where special prayers and rituals were held to honor her safe return. Family members expressed their joy and gratitude, emphasizing her strong ties to her ancestral home.
Upon her return, Williams received accolades from Indian officials, including a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed pride in her achievements and resilience. He highlighted the inspiration she provides to future generations of scientists.
While her return marks a moment of celebration, it also signals the start of new challenges. After spending 286 days in space, Williams will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation period to readjust to life on Earth and regain physical strength.
Sunita Williams’ journey serves as an inspiration not only for India but for aspiring scientists worldwide, showcasing the significant contributions of Indian-origin individuals in global space exploration.