January, February & March 2021
India’s tech startup news
India’s Q1 2021 tech and startup news summary gathers the country’s technology news headlines from across January, February and March of 2021.
Technology headlines from India in Q1 2021 brought to light items including developments in retail-tech and the growth of e-commerce, artificial intelligence in health, changes in cryptocurrency regulation, wide-ranging developments in agritech, and many more.
Headlines are bullet-pointed and hyperlinked without accompanying text, providing a quick-glance overview of India’s tech news across Q1 2021 along with one-click access to the India tech news articles behind each headline.
January 2021 | February 2021 | March 2021
India’s Startup news: March 2021
- India: A month-end round-up of India’s tech, startup and funding news headlines from February 2021
- Cybercrime & cybersec: “Ransomware was the biggest threat, making up 40% of all attacks in India” with Asia Pacific region experiencing 25% of global attacks
- India: Pepper Content marketplace launches AI-driven content generator, PepperTypeAI, to generate short-form content for businesses across a range of uses
- India: Clover agri-tech startup launches Deep Rooted, direct-to-consumer sales app, aiming to tap into estimated $100BN market for vegetables and fruits sales
- India: Cashify raises $15M with second-hand smartphone-focused business, combining online and bricks-and-mortar stores and kiosks
- India: Outplay $2M investment from Sequoia Capital India’s Surge program for early-stage startups with platform automating and tracking sales team tasks
- Amazon India unveils 10 startups selected for Amazon Global Selling Propel Accelerator programme
- India: Facial recognition systems installed in gov’t-funded schools in Delhi, raising children’s privacy concerns amid lack of regulation around data collection and use
- India: NASSCOM partners with Microsoft to launch AI Gamechangers programme, aiming to boost AI adoption and awareness by showcasing India’s innovators
- India: Dubai’s FD7 Ventures crypto investment fund opens Bengaluru office, launching $250M micro-fund to invest in altcoin projects
- India: Stylework co-working aggregator platform raises $545K, aiming to unlock commercial co-working real estate by making it available in a flexible way
- India: Women Angel Network launched by LetsVenture angel investing platform, aiming to also launch at least five investment syndicates led by women
- “India’s government has threatened to jail employees of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter…as it seeks to quash political protests and gain far-reaching powers over discourse…”
- ICYMI: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Jay-Z partnering for ₿Trust, an endowment to fund bitcoin development focused on India and Africa
- India: Paytm rolls out Smart POS, turning NFC-enabled Android smartphones into point-of-sale machines
- India: Flipkart e-commerce marketplace launches 3rd edition of Girls Wanna Code initiative, aiming to encourage the next generation of women coders
- India: E-commerce market projected to grow 84% by 2024 to $111BN, with ‘buy now, pay later’ services the fastest-growing online payment method
- A brief overview of India’s online gaming industry, projected to reach $2.2BN in value in 2022
- India: Wysa artificial-intelligence based mental health app gains backing from Google Assistant fund
- India: A video discussion of draft guidelines from the Advertising Standards Council, requiring social media influencers to run due diligence on claims made by advertisers
- India: GetMega real-money gaming startup launches on back of $9M fundraise with 5M registered users and target of 50M by year-end
- India: Procurement rules set for June likely to block the country’s mobile carriers from using equipment made by Huawei, citing national security concerns
- India: Eximius Ventures micro venture capital firm’s maiden $10M fund marks first close, focusing on pre-seed investments across edtech, healthtech, fintech and more
- India: An overview of the growth in the country’s micro venture capital funds, numbering 88 by year-end 2020
- India: Asian Development Bank’s ADB Ventures VC arm makes inaugural investments in EV maker Euler Motors and Smart Joules energy systems retrofitter
- India: An intro to Dunzo Digital, motorbike errand-running and deliveries startup using AI-based supply-and-demand management, and e-commerce merchant platform
- India: Ministry of Road Transport advises associated bodies and auto makers to boost IT security systems in response to possible cyber attacks targeting the transport sector
- India: National Strategy on Blockchain available to download in pdf format
- Download: Mapping India’s Artificial Intelligence Potential, a briefing from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (pdf)
- India: Gov’t, Indian Institute of Technology partner NXP India to launch Semiconductor Startup Incubation and Acceleration Programme
- India: An intro to Aqgromalin, helping farmers diversify and increase viability by adding mono-cropping with animal husbandry and aquaculture ‘micro farms’
India’s Startup news: February 2021
- India: A look at Spektacom’s IoT stickers for cricket bats, allowing users and coaches to track the power of shots and focus improvements
- India: A look at Agribazaar, agritech startup connecting farmers, traders, banks, enterprises and governments to facilitate sales and logistics
- India: Legislation coming to ‘prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India’ but allow ‘for certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses’
- India: “If the bill becomes law, India would become the only major Asian economy to ban private cryptocurrencies rather than regulating them like corporate stocks.”
- India: A brief intro to StanceBeam, bringing AI and IoT to cricket to improve performance with data
- India: A round-up of the past month’s tech, startup and funding news headlines from Startup News Asia
- India: MediBuddy healthtech startup gains Series B funding with platform offering doctor consultations, home-based test bookings, medicine delivery and more
- The 6 startups from Asia on Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 batch, from India, Singapore and The Philippines
- India: Gov’t threatens fines and jail for Twitter employees following company restoring hundreds of accounts gov’t had ordered blocked
- India: 30 recent tech, startup and funding news headlines from India, drawn from Startup News Asia’s daily feeds
- India: InnerHour raises $5.2M Series A with tech focus on mental health, aiming to address lack of service access and awareness, affordability and variable quality of providers
- ICYMI: PayPal to shut down domestic payments business in India, less than 4 years after launching locally
- India: Earth Energy EV startup launches 3 electric 2-wheelers, incorporating app providing navigation, calls/message alerts and more, and 3rd party usage model
- India: Finals of Global Student Entrepreneur Awards 2021 for student entrepreneurs to be held from February 11 to 13
- India: Koo microblogging app raises $4M with Twitter-like platform operating in 13 Indian languages
- India: 2021 Budget includes provisions to extend social security benefits to gig workers and platform workers, along with capital gains exemption increase for startups
- India: Phable health-tech startup raises $12M with full-stack solution focusing on patients dealing with chronic illnesses
- Download: India’s Innovation Ecosystem – Mapping the Trends, via Observer Research Foundation
- India: Dunzo hyperlocal courier startup raises $40M from Google and others with focus on nearby stores and pick-up-and-drop-off errands
- India: India Quotient early-stage investor launches 4th fund, targeting at least $80M and looking at a range of tech spaces
- India: Eupheus Learning raises $4.1M Series B with subscription-based curriculum and homework tracking services for schools and Learn2Code home learning system
- India: An intro to SynqFit, offering a cycling workout-from-home with a high-end indoor cycle and on-demand classes
- India: Pencil content platform raises $1M pre-Series A with online publishing for book authors, providing data insights and potential to convert to video content
- India: Lobby groups Global Impact FinTech and Government Blockchain Association press for a light touch from gov’t on blockchain industry regulation
- India: A video snapshot of 16 recent tech, startup and VC news headlines from India, QR coded to connect to the articles behind each headline
- India: An intro to 5 urban farming startups, working in hydroponics, vertical farming and more
- India: Researchers testing 30 mobile health apps for clinicians found all had vulnerable APIs, potentially leaving 23M app users vulnerable
- India: A brief intro to Saankhya Labs, heading for launch of an open architecture chip in push into Open RAN – Open Radio Access Networks – for 5G
- India: Startup Weekend Online Chennai set for February 26-28
- India: 35 B2B startups gain shortlisting for the Startup Bridge Canada program, landing a 6-week market access program and a 3-months market bootcamp
- India: An intro to Vegandukan, online aggregator focused on plant-based food, mock meats, and dairy alternatives for vegan consumers
- Download: Internet of Things – The rise of the connected world, from Deloitte and focusing on India (pdf)
- Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association survey reckons micro VC firms invested $341M in 566 startups across 730 deals between 2018 and 2020
- India: Kalamint, blockchain-based digital art marketplace, gains backing from Tim Draper’s DGH and others with Tezos-based Non-Fungible Token platform
- ICYMI: Sweden-India Mobility Hackathon to run February 26-28, aiming to design, test and execute ideas for the future of mobility
- An overview of how Indian crypto businesses are coordinating in an effort to convince the government that regulation is better than the all-out ban proposed
- India: An overview of the recent Innopreneurs Startup Contest and the startups and ideas that won
- Download: The Startup Environment And Funding Activity In India, from the Asian Development Bank Institute (pdf)
- A brief overview of India’s strict new rules for policing social media and streaming platforms
- An intro to India’s Zolve, neobank and branchless digital banking service provider, bridging financial systems for people moving to a difference country
- ICYMI: Indian Newspaper Society asks Google to raise publisher share in ad revenue to 85%, stating content generated by newspapers is proprietary
- India: Government-owned State Bank of India becomes the first Indian bank to join JPMorgan’s blockchain network, Liink, for cross-border payments
- ICYMI: A brief mention for the 25 winners of the recent UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition, including startups from Malaysia, Singapore, India and Hong Kong
India’s Startup news: January 2021
- A brief overview of the government’s UMANG app, providing access to over 2K services on a single platform and boasting 25M registered users
- Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and SAP Labs India partner to boost digital literacy and entrepreneurship nationally, with sights on educating 30,000 students
- Qzense raises $613K with IoT-based quality control and fresh produce management system
- Gov’t launches eKhadiIndia e-commerce platform, aiming to boost micro, small and medium entreprizes in the locally-made and village industry economies
- Kyt edtech startup raises $5M Series A, focusing on combining live classes with video-based material for children between 5 and 15 years
- South Korea’s Mirae Asset group to launch $35M India-dedicated fund focusing on investments in early-stage tech startups
- Report finds regional internet shutdowns by government in 2020 cost the Indian economy approximately $2.8BN
- Startup India International Summit’s Australia Startup Ecosystem Outreach online event set for January 13th, aiming to develop connections and explore synergies
- Reserve Bank operationalises Payments Infrastructure Development Fund to create 3M new touchpoints yearly for digital payments in Tier-3 to Tier-6 cities
- Recent tech, startup and funding news headlines, linked to each online news source and QR coded for scanning and reading from print
- An intro to MindPeers, mental health software-as-a-service tool for individuals and employers
- A look at Fasal, using AI, IoT and analytics to remove guesswork from farming, providing farmers with actionable insights on crops, soil, pests, weather and more
- A brief intro to the SEA and India startups selected for the Lightspeed Extreme Entrepreneurs 2021 winter cohort
- Government to launch $150M Startup India Seed Fund aiming to help startups with initial capital needed for growth and operations
- Atmanirbhar Digital India Foundation launched by entrepreneurs and investors to advise gov’t around policy to promote local digital entities
- Lohum Cleantech EV-focused battery startup raises $7M, aiming for US growth and expansion of manufacturing and recycling capacities
- Amazon partners Startup India, Sequoia Capital India, Fireside Ventures for Amazon Global Selling Propel program to aid early-stage startups reach global audiences
- Antler, Singapore-based early-stage VC firm, to invest $100M in Indian startups over the next 4 years
- Fashinza gains $2M funding with B2B manufacturing marketplace focusing on apparel and fashion supply chain challenges, connecting brands to manufacturers
- MFine raises $16M in new funding to grow AI-driven, on-demand and app-delivered healthcare services
- Bolo Indya social media firm looks to raise around $6M, capitalizing on TikTok ban
- Furlenco furniture rental startup raises $2.7M with online platform and a presence in 8 major cities
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology makes permanent bans on TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps
- Pine Labs launches AllTap App solution to help MSMEs, street vendors and drivers take NFC-based digital payments, partnering with Visa, Mastercard and others
- Elucidata biomedical firm raises $5M pre-A with focus on drug discovery
- MFine AI-powered healthcare platform partnered by Vodafone Idea to connect patients with doctors via instant chat and video consultation
- Startup India Seed Fund Scheme to be operational from April 1st 2021, rolling to 2025, with applications taken via the Startup India portal
- A brief intro to 6 of the country’s women-led startups that have recently raised funds
- Australia: A brief overview of the recently-completed Victoria India Smart Energy Exchange and the tech startups that took part
Asia’s startup news, today
Ongoing, all-day news updates on the technology, VC and startup news coming out of South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, delivered by mobile app and on social media.
