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Walmart To Buy Controlling Stakes In Flipkart By Next Week

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America’s biggest retail firm Walmart Inc., may buy close to a 51% stake in India’s biggest ecommerce startup Flipkart by the end of next week. Reuters reported, according to two sources close to the matter, Walmart could acquire controlling stakes in Flipkart as early as next week.

The investment talks met a snag when SoftBank was reportedly not ready to sell its shares in the Indian ecommerce firm to Walmart. Currently, the Japan based venture firm owns about one fifth of Flipkart through its Vision Fund. However, sources report the stalemate ended but it is still unclear if SoftBank agreed to sell some of its shares in Flipkart. Sources also revealed, Walmart offered to buy SoftBank shares at a valuation of $12 billion, a price the Japanese tech investor considered to be low. MoneyControl reported Walmart may retain Flipkart’s management team including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kalyan Krishnamurthy. This investment could increase Flipkart’s valuation to about $20 billion, up from $12 billion last year.

India has become ground zero for the ecommerce ecosystem with big global players looking to invest in Indian firms and break into the market. Amazon India has also gone into overdrive in an attempt to emerge as the biggest shareholder of the Indian ecommerce industry which is expected to reach a market capitalization of $ 28 billion by 2020. Flipkart, on the other hand, envisioned as the ‘Amazon of India’ has raised over $6 billion in funding rounds so far and owns India’s largest online fashion retailers Myntra and Jabong.

According to a report by Morgan Stanley, India had up to 60 million online shoppers in 2016, which makes up to only 14% of the internet user base in the country. However, by 2026, these numbers are expected to rise to over 50%. Experts suggest, in the long run, this deal between Walmart and Flipkart could be a win for both the companies. Flipkart could also be the best available option for Walmart to access India’s growing retail market, while Flipkart could leverage Walmart’s enormous funds to battle Amazon. Amazon and Walmart have been bitter competitors in America for over two decades. It will be interesting to see, to say the least, who wins this battle and who wins the war in the Indian ecommerce battleground.

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Amazon India Launches At-Home Diagnostic Service, Expands Healthcare Ecosystem

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Amazon India has expanded its healthcare portfolio with the launch of Amazon Diagnostics, an at-home diagnostic testing service developed in partnership with Orange Health Labs. Now available in six major cities—Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, and Hyderabad—the service covers over 450 PIN codes and offers access to more than 800 diagnostic tests. Customers can book tests via the Amazon app, schedule home sample collection within 60 minutes, and receive digital reports for routine tests in as little as six hours, making healthcare more accessible and convenient than ever before.

This launch completes Amazon’s integrated healthcare suite in India, which already includes Amazon Pharmacy for medicines and Amazon Clinic for virtual doctor consultations. By bringing these services together under the Amazon Medical umbrella, the company enables a seamless outpatient journey—from doctor consultation to lab testing and medicine delivery—all managed through a single digital platform. The partnership with Orange Health Labs ensures high-quality, reliable diagnostics, supported by Amazon’s operational expertise and focus on customer trust.

Amazon’s entry into the $15 billion Indian diagnostics market signals a major shift in the country’s health-tech landscape, introducing new competition for established diagnostic players. Rather than competing solely on price, Amazon is prioritizing a seamless, trustworthy experience, aiming to address the growing demand for digital healthcare solutions and simplify access for millions of users across India.

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Bhavish Aggarwal’s Krutrim Unveils ‘Kruti’ — An Agentic AI Built for Bharat

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Bengaluru, June 2025 – Krutrim, the AI startup founded by Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal, has launched its new agentic AI assistant, Kruti. Unlike traditional virtual assistants, Kruti is designed with an Indian-first approach — combining cultural context, multilingual capabilities, and generative AI to offer a more intuitive, task-oriented experience for users.

Kruti is built to do more than just respond to queries — it can independently perform tasks, make decisions, and integrate across platforms for productivity and communication. Powered by Krutrim’s proprietary Indian-trained language model, it brings a deep understanding of local languages and digital behaviors, catering to both personal and business needs in the Indian ecosystem.

Aggarwal described Kruti as “India’s digital brain,” highlighting its role in redefining AI for Bharat. The assistant will be rolled out in phases, starting with enterprise partners and expanding through apps and APIs. As Kruti integrates into various platforms — including Ola’s services — it marks a significant stride in India’s ambition to lead the global AI race.

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Bankruptcy Forces BYJU’S to Offload Epic and Tynker for a Fraction of Acquisition Cost

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BYJU’S, once India’s most celebrated edtech startup, has sold its major US-based subsidiaries Epic and Tynker for a fraction of their original purchase prices, marking a dramatic reversal in its global expansion strategy. The distressed sales, approved by a US bankruptcy court on May 20, 2025, come amid the company’s ongoing financial and legal turmoil. Tynker, a coding education platform acquired by BYJU’S in 2021 for $200 million, was sold to CodeHS for just $2.2 million in cash, while Epic, a digital reading platform bought for $500 million in 2022, was acquired by China’s TAL Education Group for $95 million.

These fire-sale transactions were part of a broader restructuring effort to address disputes with lenders after BYJU’S defaulted on a $1.2 billion loan, which triggered bankruptcy proceedings for its US entities. The company’s US unit, Byju’s Alpha, became the focal point of legal battles, including allegations of mismanagement and the misappropriation of funds by top executives. Court rulings in the US have highlighted instances of fraudulent transfers and breaches of fiduciary duty by suspended directors, further compounding BYJU’S woes.

As BYJU’S scrambles to stabilize its core operations, several of its other high-profile acquisitions, such as Great Learning and Aakash Institute, have started operating independently and distancing themselves from the parent company. The massive losses from the sales of Epic and Tynker underscore the risks of BYJU’S aggressive acquisition spree and the severe impact of its financial mismanagement, leaving the future of the once high-flying edtech giant in question.

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