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Inc42
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How Potful Is Spicing Up India’s Biryani Market With Regional Flavours
- Potful, a foodtech startup, is spicing up India's biryani market with regional flavors.
- Potful offers a wide variety of regional-style biriyanis made fresh-on-order in clay pots.
- The brand operates through a cloud kitchen model and partners with delivery platforms like Zomato and Swiggy.
- Potful aims to reach over 100 kitchens across eight cities, with a revenue target of INR 433 Cr.
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Yourstory
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15
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Whitefield Art Collective kicks off 8th edition of its arts festival in Bengaluru
- The Whitefield Art Collective (WAC) has kicked off the eighth edition of its month-long arts festival at VR Bengaluru.
- The theme of this year's festival is 'Future is Now' and it showcases paintings, art installations, sculptures, film, puppetry, photography, and workshops.
- The festival has partnered with UNESCO, British Council, and the New York-based Arts for the Future Festival, and features contributions from globally-recognized institutions as well as grassroots initiatives.
- The festival also includes the exhibition 'A Braided River: The Universe of Indian Women in Science' by UNESCO, which aims to foster equal respect, pay, and opportunities for women in STEM fields.
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Yourstory
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The many troubles at BluSmart; Priyanka K Mohan on Yakshagana dance
- Countries like India are exploring ways to mitigate US tariffs by reviewing demands to cut import duties on various farm goods and considering scrapping the import tax on US LNG to fuel its energy-hungry economy.
- China and Canada are engaging in tariff retaliations against the US, while the world of art and filmmaking is grappling with ethical concerns regarding AI tools training on copyrighted works.
- BluSmart, an EV ride-hailing app, facing funding issues and key executive exits, is deploying electric cabs on Uber's platform amid woes with its leased cabs and liquidity challenges.
- BluSmart previously had an arrangement with Rapido but faced challenges with Gensol, leading to Rapido pulling out; Refex Green Mobility also abandoned plans to take over vehicles from Gensol.
- Priyanka K Mohan, co-founder of Tvarita Arts Collective India, is working to preserve indigenous art forms like Yakshagana, a dance form from coastal Karnataka known for blending storytelling, music, and dance.
- Tvarita Arts Collective India aims to ensure the continuity of art forms like Yakshagana by promoting inclusivity, especially for women artists who have historically faced barriers in the male-dominated art space.
- Code Effort, a startup founded by Naman Gupta, is tackling plastic pollution from cigarette stubs by recycling them into textiles, paper, stationery, and more, working with rag pickers to collect cigarette waste for commercial reuse.
- The startup partners with firms like Reliance Retail, converting cigarette stubs into useful products and addressing waste management while providing additional income to rag pickers involved in the collection process.
- In other news, Ubisoft plans to create a gaming subsidiary with Tencent's $1.25 billion investment, India's infrastructure output grew at a slow pace in February, and a powerful earthquake in Myanmar caused extensive damage and casualties.
- Some African elephants, particularly females in areas with heavy ivory poaching, have evolved to be tuskless as a survival response to intensive poaching.
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Yourstory
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Be brave, bold, benevolent: Kinara Capital’s Hardika Shah’s mantra for navigating workplace challenges
- Hardika Shah, Founder & CEO of Kinara Capital, emphasized the need to be brave, bold and benevolent when navigating workplace challenges.
- Shah shared her personal journey of resilience, highlighting the importance of staying true to oneself and breaking free from stereotypes.
- She reflected on her experience of facing gender-related challenges in the early days of her career and emphasized the lesson she learned about success: breaking free from molds.
- Shah encouraged individuals to be authentic, let go of guilt, and stand for themselves, creating equitable opportunities and paving the way for others to follow.
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Inc42
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How Binny Bansal-Backed PlanetSpark Reached Break-Even And Beat The Edtech Blues
- PlanetSpark, backed by Binny Bansal, focuses on soft skills like communication and language learning to target a large market in India and internationally.
- This edtech startup aims to enter the profit-making league by FY26 after reaching break-even in FY25, standing out among the vast edtech ecosystem in India.
- The company leverages AI for real-time learning, reducing costs, and achieving efficiency in operations.
- PlanetSpark has raised $31.3 Mn in funding and is on track for a public listing within the next 2 years, with a strong performance leading to profitability.
- The startup attained cash flow break-even in FY25 and targets accrual profitability by FY26, emphasizing the importance of communication skills in the tech-driven world.
- Cost-efficiency was enhanced through automation, a SaaS product for teachers, social media presence expansion, and AI integration, contributing to cash flow positivity.
- PlanetSpark's growth strategies focus on product-led growth, personalization through AI, and balancing automation with human touch for effective communication skills development.
- The startup's increasing subscriber base, scalability, and customer demographics indicate a strong market demand for communication skills across various age groups and income levels.
- Amidst the competitive edtech landscape in India, PlanetSpark's long-standing data insights and unique market understanding position it favorably in the language learning segment.
- With a forward-looking approach towards profitability and a commitment to customer needs, PlanetSpark aims to sustain its growth trajectory and navigate the evolving edtech market dynamics.
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Yourstory
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Crafting a smarter semiconductor growth strategy for India
- Semiconductor manufacturing aligns with Industry 4.0 and 5.0, focusing on automation and innovation.
- India aims for self-reliance in semiconductor industry through innovation and collaboration.
- China's semiconductor industry growth faces challenges like foreign tech dependence and rising costs.
- India's semiconductor strategy focuses on infrastructure, talent development, and global partnerships.
- India emphasizes supply chain resilience and diversification to counter global challenges.
- India's semiconductor sector growth aims for innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.
- Challenges for India include high capital costs, technological know-how, and policy hurdles.
- India's journey in semiconductors could make it a key player globally with strategic initiatives.
- India's approach stands out with a focus on green technology and sustainability in semiconductor manufacturing.
- Building semiconductor plants requires substantial investment, technological expertise, and policy support.
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TechCrunch
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Javice found guilty of defrauding JPMorgan in $175M startup purchase
- Charlie Javice, founder of student loan application startup Frank, was found guilty of defrauding JPMorgan in a $175 million startup purchase.
- Javice fabricated the majority of Frank's customer list to deceive JPMorgan into acquiring her company.
- When JPMorgan purchased Frank, it believed the startup had 4 million customers, but the actual customer count was only 300,000.
- Javice could face decades in prison, with the final sentencing expected to take place in August.
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Insider
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Scale AI is seeking a valuation as high as $25 billion in potential tender offer, according to sources
- Startup Scale AI is seeking a valuation as high as $25 billion in a potential tender offer as it seeks to capitalize on investors' voracious demand for AI startups.
- Scale AI, founded in 2016, has become increasingly in demand as companies need to label and sort vast quantities of unstructured data to train machine learning models.
- The company was last valued at $13.8 billion in a funding round led by Accel, and is now aiming for a valuation of $25 billion in a new tender offer.
- Scale AI's customers include OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta, and the company recently announced a contract with the Defense Department for the use of AI agents in operational decision-making.
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Inc42
2d
85
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Pluckk To Raise INR 85 Cr To Sell Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
- D2C fruits and vegetables delivery startup Pluckk is raising INR 85 Cr (around $10 Mn) in its Series A round from Euro Gulf Investment.
- Pluckk plans to deploy the fresh capital to fuel its growth plans and for repayment of inter-corporate deposits (ICDs).
- With over 400 products on its platform, Pluckk sells fresh fruits and vegetables across more than 15 categories, operating in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru.
- India's fruits and vegetables market is estimated at INR 18,000+ Cr, with startups aiming to bridge the gap in the supply chain and quick commerce platforms delivering fresh produce to customers within 10 minutes.
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Inc42
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Kadensa Offloads Stake In Zomato Worth INR 120 Cr
- Kadensa Capital, an asset management company, sold over 60 lakh shares of Zomato in a block deal worth INR 119.84 Cr.
- The shares were sold to Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte-ODI at the rate of INR 199.5 per share.
- BofA Securities downgraded Zomato's shares to 'Neutral' from 'Buy' and lowered the target price to INR 250 per share from INR 300.
- Zomato's net profit decreased by more than 57% in Q3 FY25, mainly due to higher cash burn on quick commerce expansion.
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Inc42
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297
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Paytm Sells 12.75% Stake In Jugnoo For INR 3 Cr
- Paytm has sold its entire 12.75% stake in Jugnoo's parent company Socomo Technologies for INR 3 Cr.
- Jugnoo repurchased Paytm's stake for INR 23.52 Cr to consolidate ownership and enhance operational control.
- Jugnoo plans to undertake an INR 10 Cr rights issue to expand operations and enhance technological capabilities.
- Paytm's stake sale in Jugnoo aligns with its focus on core payments and financial services business for profitability.
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Startup Pedia
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Yuvraj Singh’s Mindful Snacking Brand 'Twiddles' Targets Rs 125 Cr ARR
- Yuvraj Singh's mindful snacking brand Twiddles is targeting Rs 125 crore in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by next year.
- Launched just three months ago, Twiddles is set to cross Rs 2 crore in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) in the upcoming quarter.
- Twiddles is a high-quality snack brand that sells nutritious snacks and spreads made with premium ingredients.
- The company has attracted over 20,000 unique customers, achieved an 8% website conversion rate, and has a 13% repeat purchase rate.
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TechCrunch
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Startups Weekly: Mercury more than doubled its valuation, and other news
- 11x, a startup backed by a16z and Benchmark, used creative ways to calculate annual recurring revenue.
- Cerebras Systems' IPO, the AI chipmaker, has been delayed due to national security review.
- Terrestrial Energy, a US nuclear startup, went public via SPAC and expects to net $280 million.
- Vertical farming company Plenty filed for bankruptcy after raising nearly $1 billion in funding.
- Fintech startup Block, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, laid off 931 people, according to a leaked email.
- Digital banking startup Mercury raised $300 million in funding and its valuation doubled to $3.5 billion.
- Enterprise browser maker Island raised $250 million in a Series E, valuing the company at $4.85 billion.
- Rivian spun out a micromobility startup called Also, which received $105 million in funding.
- Workflow automation startup n8n raised $60 million, with a valuation close to $270 million.
- Mexico City-based Mendel raised a $35 million Series B funding round.
- Generative AI marketplace Arcade announced a $25 million Series A funding round and expansion to home goods.
- Former Outreach CEO Manny Medina launched Paid, a startup that raised $11 million in pre-seed funding.
- San Mateo-based Emergence Capital closed a $1 billion seventh fund to back B2B companies, with a focus on AI.
- French VC firm Daphni secured $215 million in the first closing of its third fund, Daphni Blue.
- Amazon's Alexa Fund expanded its focus on AI investments beyond voice startups.
- A new report highlighted the world's 20 hottest open source startups, with over half having AI at their core.
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Medium
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3 Reasons Why “No” Is the Sweetest Word Any Entrepreneur Should Hear
- No is not a rejection of your idea, but a signal that it's not useful for the prospect at the moment.
- Prospects say 'no' because they are focused on their own interests and don't see value in your product or service.
- A critical review of clients' needs can help you align your offering to save them time or address their core strengths.
- To stand out and convince prospects, your offering must be significantly better than the competition and worth investing resources.
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TechCrunch
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4 days left to lock in $300+ savings for investor and founder tickets for TechCrunch All Stage
- 4 days left to save over $300 on Founder and Investor Passes for TechCrunch All Stage.
- TC All Stage is an event where 1,200 founders and VCs come together to scale from seed to IPO.
- The event offers breakout sessions, roundtables, and networking opportunities for founders.
- The savings offer ends on March 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
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