#StartupIndia news
January, February & March 2019
- India: OxfordCaps student accommodation startup raises $8M Series A funding, in part from 500 Startups
- India: InMobi steps up advertising tech challenge to Google and Facebook, aiming for bigger slice of $140BN online ad market
- Coffee Board of India launches pilot blockchain-based e-marketplace to trial integrating coffee farmers with markets
- India: Future of the banking sector will consist of blockchain, upgraded ATMs, more AI tech and a more secure digital infrastructure
- India: StyleDotMe fashion-tech startup launches augmented reality jewelry try-ons at Delhi and Bangalore airports
- India: Assam state launches The Nest startup incubator
- India: Cred, startup incentivizing credit card payments with reward points, in talks to raise $100M
- India: Peer-to-peer lending platforms face uphill battle attracting investors due to regulatory restrictions
- India’s Federal Bank launches open banking platform
- India: AgroStar secures $27M to give farmers increased crop production with data analytics
- India: Mjunction e-commerce giant partners SHIPNEXT, blockchain startup for the maritime industry
- India: College student the second biggest miners of virtual currencies, at about 22%, due to free on-campus electricity
- India: An intro to MyCrop, agtech using blockchain to track seeds through the entire supply chain
- India: Corporates and banks experimenting with virtual currency as a more transparent treasury management tool
- India: New Street Technologies blockchain startup raises $2M to connect banks, business correspondents and stores to originate and disburse loans
- India: A brief look at the recent Startup Walk in Chennai, showcasing the city’s young entrepreneurs
- India: One Nation One Card launched to provide a mobility card for all transportation payments
- India: DeHaat online marketplace for farm products and services secures $4M pre-A
- India: Xiaomi launches ShareSave, a platform for buying products from China
- India’s mobile data remains the cheapest globally
- India: Byju’s ed-tech firm aiming to acquire 4-5 US-based companies in first half of 2019
- India: Ecourt services to be available to citizens through 200,000 Common Service Centres
- India: oDoc lands $590K grant from GSMA Accelerator for doctor-focused health services platform
- India: Government eNAM – National Agriculture Market – platform completes first inter-state trade, bringing unified market for agricultural commodities closer
- Bahrain invites Indian companies to fintech sandbox aiming to facilitate development of blockchain technology
- India: CoinDCX cryptocurrency trading platform raises seed funding with single-point-of-access to the crypto industry
- India: An overview of the government’s initiatives to boost fintech
- Japan’s Akatsuki VC unit focuses on India, seeking content-focused startups in vernacular languages, gaming, entertainment and media
- India: Dunzo, Google-backed task management app startup, raises $3.1M
- India: Government aiming to use AI tools for better regulations and to protect citizen privacy and data ownership
- India: Niramai healthtech startup gains $6M backing for AI-driven cancer detection
- India: Team Caeli students take win at Microsoft Imagine Cup Asia Regional competition with automated anti-pollution and drug delivery mask
- India: Google launches Verily program to screen diabetics for eye conditions that lead to blindness
- India: IBM looks at 3rd-largest market in APAC for artificial intelligence-powered workforce automation solution
- India: NestAway launches 6-month equity-free incubator for consumer startups
- India: InMobi ad-tech startup to invest near $100M over 3 years in TruFactor
- India: Smallcase online investment platform raises $8M with ready-made portfolios approach
- India: An intro to Happy Milk, AI-managed wearable technology for dairy cows
- India: Smart street-lighting market expected to grow at an annual rate of 42.2% to $1.8BN by 2022
- India: Clairco IoT startup can retrofit your AC unit into acting as a smart air purifier
- India: Tamil Nadu government considers ban of China’s TikTok to stop the spread of ‘harmful content’
- India: Spoon startup aims for near-future launch of mobile app to make micro loans accessible country-wide
- India: Kerala state launches Kerala Technology Innovation Zone, spread over 180K square feet
- India: Country Delight direct-to-home dairy startup raises $10M
- India’s e-commerce market expected to be worth $200BN by 2026; Amazon takes aim
- Growth in app-based delivery staff highlight India’s booming gig economy
- India: An intro to Perpule, self-checkout app startup allowing shoppers to bypass checkout lines
- India: Policy commission discussion paper puts forward uses of AI in smart cities
- Google India launches Bolo app, aiming to help rural students improve their reading and comprehension skills
- India: Satya MicroCapital startup disburses $134M in loans to 200K micro-businesses inside 3 years
- India: Oyo hotel platform closes $1.2BN round backed by SEA’s ridesharing giants Didi Chuxing and Grab
- Google Launchpad India accelerator to maintain prime focus on AI startups
- India: An intro to StoreKing, taking e-commerce to India’s 800M rural consumers
- India: New foreign investment restrictions for e-commerce could reduce online sales by $46BN by 2022
- India: Brahmaputra Fables online shopping portal aims to take Assam’s cultural products to a wider market
- India: A brief look at Instamojo payments and e-commerce startup’s plans for global growth
- Indian consumers have embraced digital technologies. Now India’s companies must follow suit.
- India: E-commerce market projected to reach $84BN value by 2021
- India: 4 startups selected for Y Combinator incubator winter cohort, spanning robotics, e-commerce, edtech and automation
- India: An intro to Avishkaar, education-tech startup with robotics labs and programs in 700 schools
- India: Facebook Hubs set for launch across 20 locations in 9 cities
- India: LoanTap online lending startup raises over $8M with flexible loan products to salaried professionals
- India: Paisadukan peer-to-peer lending platform increases fundraising round to $850K
- India: Open fintech secures $5M with digital neo-banking services for SMEs
- India: MoneyOnClick raises $2.15M with machine-learning based credit underwriting and risk assessment platform
- India: SME Corner digital lending startup secures $12.7M
- India: Dream11 fantasy gaming startup in talks for $100M funding
- India: Happy Marketer digital marketing firm acquired by Japan’s Dentsu advertising agency
- India: Oyo joint venture with Yahoo Japan opens up Japan’s rental market as first overseas expansion
- India: Pratilipi regional language self-publishing platform reportedly raising $15-20M from China’s Qiming Venture Partners
- India: Stanza Living student housing rental startup in talks for up-to-$50M fundraise
- India: Bookmybai domestic helper aggregator raises pre-A funding from Villgro Innovations Foundation social enterprise incubator
- India: NutriTap secures $282K for healthy food options via IoT vending machines
- India: Qwikcilver gift card service provider acquired by competitor Pine Labs for $110M
- India: A brief overview of the recent Airports Authority of India Startup Conclave ‘Innovate for Airports’ initiative
- India estimated to have created 170,000 tech jobs in 2018, with AI, analytics and cybersecurity in demand
- India: Donatekart online charity platform secures $360K in seed funding
- India: Ola cab-hailing firm mulls investing around $4.2M in sRide car-pooling startup
- India: An intro to eBike rental platform for electric bikes
- India: AptEner Mechatronics biker gear maker raises $1.4M with wearable cooler for motorcycle helmets
- India: eShiksa secures funding to digitise admin processes in schools and colleges
- China’s VC investments in India’s startups hit $5.6BN in 2018
- India: SparesHub automobile parts startup lands $510K from Indian Angel Network
- India: StreamCon Asia event for the digital video ecosystem set for March 8 & 9
- India: Venture Catalysts partners Wopreneur to launch female-focused incubator program
- India: Rapido bike taxi startup raises $10M
- Sequoia India takes aim at early-stage investing with launch of Surge accelerator program for India and SE Asia
- India: A brief look at Andhra Pradesh state’s recent StartAP Festival
- India: OYO Hotels and Homes reportedly considering acquisition of FreshMenu ‘cloud kitchen’ startup to standardise meals business-wide
- India: Pickyourtrail travel-tech startup lands $3M
- India: Venture Catalysts investment incubator enters UK with JPIN investment fund, aiming to build Euro-Asian corridor for angel investment
- Quietly and steadily, China’s app factory has been conquering India…
- India: Government issues draft e-commerce policy to regulate cross-border data flow, and requiring online retailers to have a registered local business entity
- India: Uber may experiment with buses, quadricycles and electric 2-and 3-wheelers
- “India: Flipkart establishes $60-100M fund aimed at early-stage companies across fintech, supply chain and SaaS”
- India: Xpressbees ecommerce logistics startup secures $4.9M
- India: HalaPlay online/mobile fantasy sports platform secures $5M
- India’s Venture Catalysts partners UK’s Well Tech for health-tech accelerator, aiming to invest $15-20M across 20-25 startups
- India: Transport Hub logistics technology startup secures $500K seed funding
- India: Prarambh legal-tech startup incubator launches, India’s first
- India: Pratilipi regional language publishing platform in talks to raise up to $20M
- India’s startups participated in 924 rounds, securing $10.5BN in funding in 2018
- India: Xpressbees logistics startup gains $4.9M in venture debt
- India: OpenApp ‘smart locks’ startup raises $1.3M pre-A funding
- India: Vidooly video intelligence and analytics platform secures $2M
- India’s Vymo CRM start-up secures deals in Thailand, Vietnam and UAE
- India: Kerala Startup Mission partners US-based Unity Technologies to launch AR/VR and gaming Centre of Excellence
- India: Virtual Raasta aims to simplify patient care with VR-based doctor-patient interactions
- Myanmar: Alliance for Microfinance partners with India’s Nelito Systems core banking system provider
- The internet, but not as we know it: life online in China, Cuba, India and Russia
