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Ola Strengthens War Chest: In Talks With Temasek For Investment

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Ola Strengthens War Chest,Ola Talks With Temasek For Investment,Startup Stories,2018 Latest Business News,Sovereign Wealth Fund Temasek,India Largest Cab Aggregator Ola News,Ola and Temasek Business Updates,Ola Business News 2018,Temasek Funding

Ola, India’s largest cab aggregator company is in talks with Singapore based sovereign wealth fund Temasek to add $500 million-$1 billion to its war chest. This round will also see participation from other investors, according to sources close to the development.

This move comes after rumors surfaced regarding a potential investment by SoftBank in the Indian ride hailing major. This deal will value Ola at $ 6-7 billion and would also include a secondary sale of shares by a slew of investors. According to sources, investors who were given Ola stock after Ola’s acquisition of Taxiforsure will be selling their shares along with angel investor Rehan Yar Khan.

The Economic Times reported venture firms Accel India, Bessemer Venture Partners, Helion Venture Partners and the Taxiforsure founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Raghunandan G., will be selling their stock as well. A local investment firm has been mandated for the sale with the secondary sale pegged at $150 million for a 5% stake. However, sources add, both the primary and secondary sales will be conducted parallelly so that the incoming investor would gain a sizable stake in the company.

Currently, Ola holds a market share of close to 65% – 70% and is locked in an intense battle against global cab aggregator Uber. In 2017, Ola raised $1.1 billion in a funding round led by Tencent Holdings Ltd., and existing investor SoftBank. The company was also in advanced talks to raise an additional $1 billion as a part of the same financing round.  Both the spokespersons for Ola and Temasek said they “do not comment on market speculation.” Interestingly, Temasek, along with SoftBank have invested in Southeast Asia based cab hailing startup Grab.

At present, India’s ride hailing market is currently pegged to be valued at $ 10 billion. Founded in 2011, Ola currently has a presence in 110 cities in India and recently launched its services in Australia as well.

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ZILO Raises $4.5M to Boost Quick Fashion Delivery

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Mumbai-based fashion tech startup ZILO has raised $4.5 million in seed funding, with Info Edge Ventures and Chiratae Ventures co-leading the round. Founded in 2025 by ex-Flipkart and Myntra executive Padmakumar Pal and entrepreneur Bhavik Jhaveri, ZILO aims to transform urban fashion retail by delivering products from over 250 brands—including Levi’s, Louis Philippe, and Puma—within 60 minutes of order placement. The new capital will be used to strengthen ZILO’s hybrid supply chain, deepen brand partnerships, and expand operations beyond Mumbai into other major metro cities by year-end.

ZILO’s quick commerce model stands out by combining the convenience of online shopping with the efficiency of offline retail. The platform operates through a network of dark stores and brand outlets to ensure fast delivery of fresh, in-season fashion items. Customers benefit from scheduled home trials, allowing them to try multiple sizes upon delivery with the option for instant returns, and receive AI-powered style recommendations for a more personalized shopping experience.

The funding comes amid surging investor interest in ultra-fast fashion delivery startups, as rapid fulfillment becomes a key differentiator in India’s competitive ecommerce landscape. With plans to expand its product range to include footwear, bags, and accessories by the festive season and scale up to nearly 100,000 styles, ZILO is positioning itself to meet the growing demand for speed, personalization, and reliability in fashion retail.

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Meta in Advanced Talks to Acquire Voice Cloning Startup PlayAI to Boost AI Capabilities

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Meta Platform is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire PlayAI, a Palo Alto-based startup renowned for its cutting-edge voice cloning technology powered by artificial intelligence. While the deal is not yet finalized, sources indicate that Meta aims to acquire both PlayAI’s proprietary technology and a significant portion of its staff. Though financial details remain confidential, industry insiders estimate the acquisition could be worth between $300 million and $500 million.

PlayAI has made a name for itself by developing tools that generate highly realistic voice clones, with applications spanning customer service, virtual assistants, and conversational AI agents. A key differentiator for PlayAI is its low-latency, edge-computing architecture, allowing for near-instant, natural-sounding voice responses. The startup has attracted over $23 million in funding from notable investors such as 500 Startups and Kindred Ventures, positioning itself as a leader in the rapidly growing field of voice AI.

For Meta, this potential acquisition fits squarely within CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s broader strategy to make artificial intelligence central to the company’s future. Integrating PlayAI’s advanced voice technology could significantly enhance Meta’s AI assistant, smartglasses, and other hands-free devices, helping the company keep pace with competitors like Google and OpenAI. The move also follows Meta’s recent multi-billion dollar investment in Scale AI and its aggressive recruitment of top AI talent, signaling Zuckerberg’s commitment to leading in the next wave of AI innovation. Both Meta and PlayAI have declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations.

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Elon Musk Bans Hashtags from X Ads, Ushering in a New Era of AI-Driven Marketing

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Hashtag on X

Elon Musk has announced that, starting June 27, 2025, hashtags will be banned from all promoted posts on X (formerly Twitter). This policy applies exclusively to paid advertisements, meaning regular users can still include hashtags in their personal posts. Musk described hashtags in ads as an “esthetic nightmare,” emphasizing that the change is intended to create a cleaner, less cluttered feed where advertisements blend more seamlessly with organic content. 

The ban reflects Musk’s long-standing criticism of hashtags, which he has called “ugly” and unnecessary. He argues that with the platform’s advanced AI tools, such as the Grok chatbot, hashtags are no longer essential for content discovery or categorization. Instead, X’s algorithms can now surface and organize relevant content and ads without relying on manual tags, signaling a broader industry shift toward AI-driven content curation.

For advertisers, this marks a significant departure from traditional social media marketing strategies, where hashtags have been key for engagement and campaign tracking. Brands will now need to adapt by focusing on compelling visuals, concise copy, and leveraging X’s AI-powered targeting. The move has sparked debate among marketers and users, with some supporting the cleaner look and others lamenting the loss of a familiar engagement tool.

 

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