July, August & September 2019
July 2019 / August 2019 / September 2019
India’s startup news:
July 2019
- India: MX Player video streaming service reportedly to gain $100M backing from Tencent and Paytm
- India: MPs accuse China’s TikTok short-video app of redirecting user data into China, alongside spreading fake news and malicious content in India
- India: Reserve Bank preps for introduction of officials-only blockchain-powered banking platform
- India’s ShipKart and Loktra startups win Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus pitch, gaining office space and Dubai company setup
- India: A brief intro to Happy, digital lending startup that has disbursed over $20M to Indian micro-enterprises
- India: A look at Recko, fintech startup enabling AI-powered reconciliation of digital transactions for client companies
- Japan’s AET Fund’s brief take on the opportunities in India’s entertainment tech sector
- India: A look at how Smartiply IoT startup uses combined-device ‘fog computing’ to solve internet bandwidth problems
- GRAFT AUS-IND AgTech Market Access Program launched by India and Australia, seeking agritech startups
- India: NiYO neo-bank secures $35M to aid blue-collar workers in accessing financial services and company benefits
- India: Nasscom IT industry lobby launches Xperience AI programme to accelerate artificial intelligence adoption among Indian enterprises
- India: Toch gains backing with AI and deep learning tech that identifies objects, people, emotion, location and activity in video content in real-time
- India: The challenges and opportunities around digital payments – 1BN credit and debit cards, only 95K POS terminals
- India: A look at the government’s move to remove bank charges on e-payments for businesses with an annual turnover of $7.4M
- Samsung Venture Investment Corp makes India debut with $8.5M backing across 4 startups
- India: New A91 Partners VC fund closes $351M maiden fund aiming for investments in the consumer, tech, financial services and healthcare sectors
- India: An intro to TraWork, aiming to provide travelers with access to co-working spaces, networking opportunities and more
- Samsung Ventures Investment Corp backs 4 of India’s startups to a total of US$8.5M
- Unicorn India Ventures launches $58.3M fund focused on A series and pre-A tech startups
- ByteDance planning to replicate its China playbook in India by investing in local content startups, creating a suite of everyday apps
- Facebook moves closer to long-delayed launch of WhatsApp payments service in India
- An overview of Japan’s collaborations with, and investments in, India’s startups
- India: An intro to the 5 shortlisted entrants in the Woman Ahead category for The Economic Times Startup Awards 2019
- India: Zeta fintech startup’s valuation climbs to $300M on the strength of full-stack neo-banking platform and enterprise payments solutions
- India: WinZO gaming platform backed for $5M with vernacular approach
- India: Finnable fintech startup aims to make credit available to SME employees in 1-minute process
- India joins race towards drone swarms for military use
- India: A look at how the Kerala government promotes entrepreneurship at different levels, from schools to startups, with Kerala Startup Mission
- India’s OYO Hotels and Homes to launch with 90 franchised hotels across 6 cities in Vietnam
- A brief look at how robotics startups from China and India are capitalizing on Japan’s labor and logistics challenges in responding to online shopping’s growth
India’s startup news:
August 2019
- India-Africa Entrepreneurship and Investment Summit preps to discuss startup ‘investment corridor’ in Mauritius
- India: Gov’t launches Meghdoot, vernacular agriculture app providing temperature, rainfall, humidity info and more, with Facebook and WhatsApp integration
- India: A brief intro to the government’s Optimisation of Crop Cutting Experiments, tech trials recently run in several states
- India: Doxper raises $4M with AI-powered data capture for doctors across 16K private clinics and 3K doctors
- India: Uniphore secures $51M using AI to deliver faster, personalized customer call centre support for corporate clients
- India: BlackBuck online freight booking and trucking services company partnered by Maersk to launch digital marketplace for containerized trucking logistics
- India: Maharashtra state gov’t to use blockchain in vehicle registration, agriculture marketing, supply chains, and document management systems in efficiency move
- India: Awfis Space Solutions coworking provider secures $30M to expand footprint to over 400 centres and 200K seats in 3 years
- India: Meesho social commerce platform secures $125M, in part from Facebook
- India: redBus online bus ticketing platform preps for overseas expansion into Vietnam, Thailand and Turkey
- India: Goverment plans launch of Bharatcraft portal, taking cue from Alibaba and Amazon to provide a platform for MSMEs to market and sell
- India: AdmitKard university admissions startup raises $1M to strengthen its AI-driven counselling algorithms, blockchain-managed partner contracts and more
- India: Vedantu tutoring startup secures $30M based on 30% month-on-month growth
- China’s Xiaomi mobile phone giant to enter India’s consumer lending space with launch of Mi Credit instant personal loan service
- India: A brief intro to the 11 tech startup winners from the recent SuperStartUps Asia 2019 Awards
- India: Progcap fintech startup raises $5M with focus on ‘sub-dealers’ and retailers
- India: Cred fintech reportedly close to $125M fundraise, country’s largest Series-A, with incentivized credit card payments using reward points
- India: Lendingkart lending-tech startup raises $2.95M on the back of 60K loans to over 55K MSMEs in over 1300 cities
- India: 50% dip in fintech investments across H1 2019 compared with H1 2018, according to KPMG report
- India: BalleBaazi online fantasy gaming startup secures $4M with 3M-strong user base
- Research shows India leading in adoption of digital health technology with 76% of healthcare professionals using digital health records in their practice
- India: An intro to the 4 Indian startups shortlisted for South Korea’s K-Startup Grand Challenge 2019
- India Post Payments Bank to be transformed into a small finance bank, enabling it to offer small-loan micro-credit to customers
- Uber preps to launch bus service in India with optimised stops and seat reservations
- India: ShopKirana retail tech startup raises $10M to focus on tier-2 cities
- India: WhatsApp faces court case push for ID linking in Tamil Nadu, potentially ending the anonymity of millions of users
- India: ShareChat social media platform serving vernacular language audiences secures $100M in round led by Twitter
- India: Vogo scooter rental platform reportedly in talks around $40-50M fundraise
- India: MyPetrolPump on-demand fuel delivery service platform raises $1.62M, in part from Y Combinator
- India: A broad collection of July’s tech startup news, as covered online
- India: A look at how the online vernacular market is set to become the next battleground for tech companies
- India: Lazy Co launches Aina AI-powered smart ring, the One Ring, aiming for catch-all use – voice assistant, fitness tracker, smart home controller and beyond
- A look at Y Combinator’s growing interest in India’s startups
- India: Ninjacart fresh produce supply chain startup secures $50M backing from Walmart
- India: Venture Catalysts incubator unveils $43M 9Unicorns Fund, aiming to identify high-potential early-stage startups
- India: VC firms Accel Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital expected to both boost existing funds and create new funds this year
- India: ULink AgriTech startup sets sights on 10M users in nationwide expansion, with app-based data on seeds, cultivation and agricultural chemicals for farmers
- India: SastaSundar digital healthcare platform gains near $14M funding from Japan’s Mitsubishi
- Australia’s University of New South Wales Sydney to partner India’s The George Institute for Global Health medical research institute on Health10x accelerator
- BlockApps enterprise blockchain platform provider partners India’s Tech Mahindra IT services giant to push adoption of blockchain in business
- Cashless payment booms in China and India likely to spell the end of the ATM
India’s startup news:
September 2019
- India: Telecom Minister announces that 5G spectrum auction will be conducted this year-end or early next year
- India: Government launches CHC Farm Machinery app to aid farmers with connecting to machinery available to hire within 50km of their location
- ICYMI: The 10 shortlisted Indian AI startups selected for the Facebook India Innovation Accelerator
- India: Google to expand AI-driven flood prediction to cover more than 11000 square kilometers along the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers
- India: Google to establish AI research hub in Bengaluru, focusing on educatino, agriculture and healthcare sectors
- China’s UCWeb to launch e-commerce service in India, focusing on content platforms to build on browser’s 120K bloggers and 700 media outlet partners
- India: AttainU online platform offering live tuition courses gains angel investment focusing on the post-college tuition market
- India: A look at AWS EdStart program, aiming to help build the next generation of online learning, analytics, and campus management solutions on AWS Cloud
- Indian government outlines ambitious targets to push electric vehicles adoption: By 2023, all 3-wheelers to run on batteries; by 2025, most 2-wheelers
- India: 11 ways technology is transforming the country’s dairy industry
- India: LenDenClub online P2P lender raises $1M pre-A with focus on small-ticket loans and coverage of 150 cities
- India: BharatPe raises $50M to help merchants accept digital payments, and to provide access to working capital
- India: An intro to ToneTag, backed by Amazon and using sound waves to drive digital payments for nearly 52M customers to date
- India: Groww, investment app aimed at millennial, raises $21.4M, offering every fund currently available in the country
- India: An intro to 4 women entrepreneurs in India’s burgeoning online gaming space
- India: Dream11 online fantasy gaming startup reportedly in talks around $500M fundraise, aiming for 100M platform users by year-end
- India: SoStronk e-sports gaming startup gains funding with platform approach
- India: A brief intro to 6 of Delhi’s startups, working on health-tech, transport, co-living and more
- India: Digi-Prex online subscription pharmacy secures $5.5M serving patients with chronic diseases via WhatsApp
- India: Advantage Club employee rewards and recognition platform raises $1M pre-A funding
- India: An intro to 5 of Hyderabad’s startups, working on robotics, CX, HR tech and more
- India’s Aquaconnect wins Indonesian award for AI-driven shrimp farming tool used to identify disease
- India: Bharti Airtel, telecoms major with 18-country presence, sets sights on building Internet of Things ecosystem, initially focusing on the auto sector
- India installed more mobile apps in 2019 than any other country, accounting for 4.5BN app installs in the first quarter alone…
- India: Qdesq gains funding with digital platform allowing companies to transact workspaces and offices, currently listing 500K desk in real-time in 35 cities
- India: An intro to 5 of Delhi’s startups which raised funding from angel investors via the recent India Accelerator Demo Day
- India: A quick intro to 5 startups from Pune, working on blockchain, wellbeing, the sharing economy and more
- India: Zomato app-based food delivery startup launches Zomato Originals video streaming
- India: An overview of Vizag’s startup ecosystem and its moves to compete with other regional hubs
- India: Karnataka Government to boost startups in the state’s tier 2 and tier 3 cities, aiming to also involve industry and academia
- India: Karnataka Innovation Authority to be launched by State Gov’t to focus technology and startup efforts on Tier 2 cities
- India: A collection of just some of the country’s tech startup funding news from the month past, via Startup News Asia
- India: An intro to 7 of Mumbai’s tech startups, working on edtech, IoT, e-commerce and more
- India: Global Startup Awards to run India leg for the first time, building on 60-country presence
- An overview of Surge, Sequoia India’s rapid scale-up program for early-stage startups in India and Southeast Asia
- India: “Even if the Automated Facial Recognition System is perfectly accurate, it is still…contrary to our fundamental rights and principles of criminal justice”
- India: Government to open bidding to build a system to centralize facial recognition data drawn from surveillance cameras, raising alarm due to lack of data privacy laws
- India today has the lowest data prices worldwide, the highest monthly data usage per smartphone, the lowest cost payments rails and the lowest cost of KYC
- India: Huddle Kerala tech startup conference set for 27-28 September, featuring expo, pitch event and more
- India: Bengaluru Tech Summit set for November 18-20, featuring conference, expo, awards and more
- Thailand’s Whizdom Club enters India to build ‘inspiration hubs’ aimed at startups, students and young professionals
- India: T-Hub startup incubator partners LetsVenture early-stage venture capital firm to launch 3-month T-Angel funding and acceleration program
- $1BN Addition fund preps for launch, to focus on startups in India and in South-East Asia
- India: Kae Capital seed-stage investor in talks to raise up to $60M for 3rd fund, aiming for cheque sizes of around $1M
- All India Council for Robotics and Automation launches new initiative, AICRA Tech Startup Programme, aiming to boost sector entrepreneurship
- A quick look at how women entrepreneurs are changing Indian society
- India: An overview of the 10th edition of YourStory TechSparks startup conference, set for October 11-12 in Bengaluru
- India: Onco online aggregator for cancer care raises $7M
- India: China’s Oppo signs MoU with Kerala Gov’t to boost startup and mobile tech ecosystems
- India: Facebook eyes investments in India’s tech startups, with Twitter also considering
- India: An intro to PayNearby, hyperlocal fintech enabling retailers at the first mile to provided financial and non-financial services digitally
- India: An intro to 10 speakers presenting at the YourStory TechSparks conference in Bengaluru, October 11-12
