Bullets

It is a B2B food-tech startup that raised ~10.15 Cr. in a round led by Avaana Capital. 

The funds will be utilised to:

• Hire talent

• Build a food R&D team

• Global expansion

• Expand partnerships across India

Aim: To have at least 50 different partnerships in India by the year-end. 

Target market: The HoReCa segment and other food manufacturers. 

It is now headquartered in India, set to drive 25% of its business.

With 70% of India being protein-deficient, will this move help? Or is the future of the Indian food industry in danger?

Google laid off ~200 employees from the global business unit (handles sales and partnerships). 

This follows earlier job cuts in its platforms unit (Android, Pixel, and Chrome).

In 2023, Google’s parent, Alphabet, cut 12,000 jobs (6% of workforce); by the end of 2024, Google had 1,83,323 employees.

Other tech firms are also cutting staff: Meta (5% of lowest performers), Microsoft (650 Xbox jobs), Apple (100 from digital services).

The reason? Shift towards AI. Is sacrificing jobs the new norm for tech advancement?

Also read: The Corporate Profit from Human Extinction

The government has approved a revamped Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS).

The maximum credit cover per borrower has doubled from ₹10 Cr. to ₹20 Cr.

 Credit for loans: 

• 85% guarantee for loans ≤ ₹10 Cr.

• 75% guarantee for loan > ₹10 Cr.

The Annual Guarantee Fee (AGF) for startups in 27 key sectors has been reduced from 2% to 1% per annum.

These changes aim to enhance collateral-free debt funding, enabling startups to undertake research, development and innovation.

Will better credit access fuel Indian startups?

• In FY25, Gujarat contributed 5% of India's total exports of electronic goods and Uttar Pradesh, 15%.
   
• Now, these states are rolling out policies to attract major electronic companies.
   
• Gujarat is attracting chip manufacturers like Micron and Tata Electronics in Dholera and Sanand.
   
• Uttar Pradesh plans to leverage Noida as a key electronics manufacturing centre.
   
• Tamil Nadu, a leader (41%), already offers incentives to stay competitive.
   
• India aims to double its 20% value addition in electronics manufacturing over the next 5 years.

Is this the effect of the Trump tariffs shifting production away from China?

After 3 years of back-and-forth, the UK and India have finally inked a Free Trade Agreement on 6 May 2025.

• The £42.6 billion trade relationship could jump by £25.5 billion a year by 2040.
• India will cut its high tax on UK whisky and gin from 150% to 40%.
• UK cars, chocolate, biscuits, and makeup will also face lower taxes in India.
• And in return, India will get about 100 more UK work visas each year.

While the deal opens doors, it may also fuel India's growing brain drain problem.
 

Fino Payments Bank is anticipating RBI approval to start transitioning into a Small Finance Bank (SFB). 

In Q4 FY24, it reported 23% Y-o-Y growth in revenue at ₹494 Cr. and 18% rise in profit before tax.

The transition aims to:

• Deepen relationships with merchants and account holders
• Diversify revenue streams and ensure long-term sustainability
• Address challenges faced in the payment landscape dominated by UPI

It is the only publicly listed entity in this domain and the only tax-paying payment bank since Q2 FY24.

If the RBI clears Fino’s SFB transition, will the stock rally? Track Fino Payments Bank’s share price.

Elon Musk, a co-founder who sued OpenAI for "drifting from its mission" last year, had criticised its profit ambitions.

And after public pushback, OpenAI (creator of ChatGPT) dropped plans to go fully for-profit.

Now, it is making its biggest move yet—acquiring Windsurf (formerly Codeium) for ~₹25,308 Cr.

Windsurf builds AI tools that write code from natural language, putting OpenAI in direct competition with GitHub and Anthropic.

With AI advancing rapidly, could machines eventually replace human coders?

Cold-chain startup Celcius Logistics raised ₹250 Cr. (equity + debt) in a round co-led by Eurazeo and Omnivore. 

The funding is split: Equity = Expansion, and Debt = Daily Operations.

It plans to:

• Expand its network from 600 to 1,000 cities.

• Enhance its technological platform by the end of this FY.

• Increase its rider count from 250 to ~750-1,000.

Revenue generated in FY24 = ₹100 Cr, with 2.5x Y-o-Y growth. 

With big names like Zomato, Domino's, etc., in its client list, will Celcius lead India's cold-chain transformation?

A BCG report spills the truth about India's seemingly glamorous creator economy:

• India has ~20-25 L active creators, but only ~8%-10% can monetise.
• Most earn under ₹18,000/month, with small YouTubers making about ₹3.8 L/Yr.

Oversupply is the major hurdle. Earnings are skewed toward top-tier influencers, with ad revenue and brand deals concentrated at the top.

This shows that the creator economy is not the sustainable career path it seems.

India's creator economy may be booming, but is “Digital Influence = Economic Power?”

• The Supreme Court ordered BPSL's liquidation, cancelling JSW Steel's ₹19,700 Cr. rescue plan. 
   
• JSW violated IBC rules by funding the deal with a mix of equity and OCDs, and there were also delays in implementing the plan.
   
• Indian banks have exposure worth ₹31,300 Cr. in BPSL and had expected to recover ₹12,400 Cr.—now off the table.
   
• SBI risks 0.9% of its net worth, with PNB, Canara, Union Bank, and Indian Bank also exposed.

Will Indian banks ever get better at dodging billion-rupee bullets?

IBM and TCS are setting up India’s most advanced quantum computer—a 156-qubit IBM Quantum System Two—in Andhra Pradesh.

This breakthrough tech can solve problems that current computers can't, from fraud detection to drug discovery.

It gives local developers access to cutting edge tools that can revolutionise problem solving the fields of finance, healthcare, and logistics.

As quantum power grows, so do cyber risks—startups like QNu Labs (which recently raised ₹60 Cr.) are working on future proofing our data.

Can India lead in quantum while keeping its digital world safe?

• A new BCG report says India's creator economy influences ~$350 billion in annual consumer spending.
   
• It is expected to cross ~$1 trillion by 2030.
   
• Short-form videos, live commerce, and virtual gifting are new ways for creators to earn.
   
• Despite having ~25 L+ active creators, only 8-10% are earning. This highlights massive untapped potential.
   
• Creator marketing is central to brand strategies, and budgets are expected to rise 1.5-3x in the next 2-3 years.

Creators are now shaping not just trends, but wallets.

Can the creator economy boost India's GDP?

Here are the points:

• 25,000 tonnes of gold (worth ₹9 L Cr.) sit in Indian homes.

• However, only 35% of the total is tapped via formal gold loans.

• RBI’s April draft rules aim to fix this and tighten India's gold loan market.

• Startups like Rupeek, Indiagold & Oro Money are looking at co-lending deals with NBFCs and banks.

• Even big lenders like L&T Finance and Poonawalla FinCorp are all interested.

Will these new regulations help fintechs tap into a larger share of India’s gold loan market?

HUL is India’s FMCG giant with:

• Revenue: ₹60,000 Cr.

• Profit: ₹10,650 Cr.

But its volume growth hasn't crossed 5% in the last 15 quarters.

Profit margins dropped from 24.8% to 23.5% in FY25.

This may be due to 900+ D2C brands like SUGAR and Renee.

• SUGAR made ₹505 Cr. in FY24 alone. 

• Renee, earned ₹191 Cr. in FY24 (expected ₹400 Cr. in FY25)

In response, HUL bought Minimalist for ₹3,000 Cr. (₹500 Cr. revenue).

Will this bold move help HUL reclaim its dominance, or is it a step too late?

• IndusInd Bank admitted to a ₹1,959.98 Cr. loss due to incorrect accounting practices in its derivatives book.
   
• These losses are less than 2.5% of the bank's net worth, making it manageable unless further surprises emerge.
   
• The bank has hired EY to audit a ₹600 Cr. discrepancy from its microfinance portfolio.
   
• CEO Sumant Kathpalia resigned 2 days after the disclosure, which raised concerns over internal controls and corporate governance.

With past blow-ups like Yes Bank and RBL, is weak oversight becoming a pattern in private banking?

• Universal is in talks with Bharti Real Estate to launch its 1st Indian amusement park.
   
• This 3 L sq.ft. indoor park will be part of Bharti's 30 L sq.ft. mall near Delhi airport, opening in 2027.
   
• Bharti CEO confirms 10% of the mall is reserved for a global entertainment park.
   
• The Delhi project may generate over ₹5,000 Cr. in annual rental income.
   
• India already has 6.6 L. sq.ft. of indoor amusement centres (expected to grow to 110 L sq.ft. by 2028).

What does this mean for the Indian real estate industry?

Indian banks are largely unprepared to tackle climate-related financial risks.

A report by Climate Risk Horizons evaluated 35 Indian commercial banks, having a combined market cap of ₹45.8 L Cr. (as of March 2024).

The report highlights growing concerns over financial stability.

• Only 7 banks fully disclose their Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
• Green finance portfolios are still missing at many institutions.

A sustainable banking shift is essential for long-term resilience.

How exposed are banking stocks to climate risk? Also, read in-depth about the Indian Banking Sector. 

• Quantum computers could one day crack today's encryption.
• That means no data, including your bank passwords or national defence secrets, is safe. But, QNu Labs is making sure we're ready.
• The IIT-Madras incubated startup raised ₹60 Cr., including ₹25 Cr. from the government's National Quantum Mission.
• It builds tools like quantum key distribution and post-quantum cryptography to keep our data safe from quantum computers.
• It has raised $20 million so far and has already worked with the Indian Defence Forces (BFSI, telecom and healthcare next).

Could this Bengaluru-based startup quantum-proof the internet?

• Paytm's gaming arm, First Games, got slapped with GST notice for taxes from January 2018 to March 2023.
   
• Tax officials claim 28% GST should apply to the total entry fee, not just 18% on the platform earnings.
   
• Many gaming companies are facing similar notices, and the matter is in the Supreme Court.
   
• First Games plans to challenge the notice in court, like others that have already won interim relief.
   
• Luckily for Paytm, it adds ~1% to its overall profits.

Could higher taxes ruin the fun of online gaming for users?

Accel-backed Urban Company has filed its DRHP for a ₹2,000 Cr. IPO.

• The offer includes a fresh issue of ₹500 Cr. and a secondary sale of ~₹1,500 Cr. by investors.

• Founders Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra won't sell their shares.

• The IPO size was cut down from an earlier plan of ₹3,000 Cr.

Kotak Mahindra Capital, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and JM Financial are managing the issue.

For Q1 FY25, the company posted a pre-tax profit.

Will you add this "Urban" stock to your portfolio?