Startup Pedia

A recent post by an Uber user has gone viral. While using the ride-sharing app he found out that he was being charged a higher fare for a destination that showed Rs 90 lower in his daughter’s phone. Sharing a screengrab of the different fares on the phones the X user Sudhir (@seriousfunnyguy) wrote, "Same pickup point, destination, and time but two different phones get 2 different rates. It happens with me as I always get higher rates on my Uber as compared to my daughter’s phone. So most of the time, I request her to book my Uber. Does this happen with you also?" However, one of the screengrabs was from an Android phone and the other one was from an iPhone. So, many X users speculated whether the difference in fare was because of models with different operating systems. Some X users said probably Uber charges more to iPhone users. Interestingly, Sudhir clarified in subsequent posts that there was a significant difference in Uber fares even when he tried booking a ride to the same destination using two iPhones. Sudhir replied, "No, my daughter has the same iPhone I use. Bought together." Another X user explained, "Uber incentivises or attracts low users by lower rates [along with] difference of rates on iPhone vs Android. [Also,] at airports, if you walk out 50 meters, the rates would reduce by 10-20 percent for the same destination." Uber has not yet made a statement. #startuppedia #startup #uber #cabservice

OYO has successfully wrapped up the acquisition of G6 Hospitality for a whopping $525 million. This all-cash transaction marks a significant milestone for the Softbank-backed startup, opening doors to wider opportunities and increased market presence across North America. The startup has performed remarkably well, with its first-ever profit after tax of approximately Rs 229 crore in FY24. With a subsequent profit of Rs 132 crore in Q1 FY25, the company has been on a steady trajectory towards sustainable growth and profitability. Moreover, by integrating G6 Hospitality's popular brands, Motel 6 and Studio 6, into its portfolio, OYO aims to utilize the strengths and market presence of these established franchises for accelerated growth and enhanced customer experience. The acquisition is expected to speed up OYO's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to over Rs 2,000 crore in FY26, with Motel 6 contributing a significant EBITDA of Rs 630 crore in the upcoming financial year. Ankit Tandon, Global CBO and Head of M&A at OYO, expressed optimism about the acquisition's potential to drive value creation, citing G6's robust brand franchise in the US as a key asset for synergistic growth. Tandon said the acquisition would be “value accretive” because of G6’s strong brand franchise in the US and potential for growth and synergies. “Our success in Europe, where we nearly tripled EBITDA through strategic synergies for our vacation homes business, has given us a clear roadmap for value creation,” the Global CBO said. Incidentally, the hospitality startup has expanded its European presence through strategic acquisitions under OYO Vacation Homes (OVH). OYO’s portfolio includes DanCenter, a vacation home management company managing 12,000 properties across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Germany. #startuppedia #startup #oyo #blackstone #hotelchain #acquisition

In a recent announcement, Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu congratulated Sriram Krishnan on his appointment as the Senior Policy Advisor for AI at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by US President-elect Donald Trump. Sridhar Vembu expressed his admiration for Sriram's work and talent, mentioning their previous interactions and attempts to recruit him. Vembu recalled coming across Sriram's blog back in 2004, describing it as one of the pioneering programming blogs from India at that time. Despite his interest in recruiting Sriram, Microsoft had already secured his services. "Back in 2004, when Sriram was graduating from SRM University, I came across his blog – one of the early programming blogs from India at the time," Vembu disclosed. "I was so impressed I wanted to recruit him, but Microsoft had already hired him. We have been in touch on and off as he later moved to Silicon Valley and became an entrepreneur.” Vembu praised President Trump's decision to appoint Sriram, stating, "President Trump has found great talent for his technology team!" Sriram Krishnan holds a Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology from SRM Engineering College, Anna University. He co-hosts the podcast, "The Aarthi and Sriram Show" with his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy. Krishnan brings a wealth of experience to his new role as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House. With a background that includes leadership positions at tech giants like Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Snap, Sriram has a proven track record of innovation and strategic thinking. His expertise in AI and deep understanding of the tech industry make him a valuable asset to the White House AI team. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, joined Sridhar Vembu in congratulating Sriram Krishnan on his new role. Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director of Indiaspora, also lauded Sriram's contributions to artificial intelligence citing his expertise in public policy and technology. #startuppedia #startup #donaldtrump #india #zoho

In a recent viral post on Reddit, an Indian startup founder shared his candid thoughts on the challenges of building a successful business in India. The individual, who holds a degree from a premier Indian engineering institute and has experience working in the US, has urged high-salaried employees to consider leaving the country due to what he perceives as “stifling innovation” and a lack of a supportive business environment. The startup founder of a “well-funded business” that employs 30 people with an average salary of ₹ 15 lakh shared on Reddit, “Leave India! It's high time! And I'm saying this as someone who runs a successful business!” One of the major issues he pointed out is the prevalence of "regional hate" that he encounters on a weekly basis. The entrepreneur also criticized India's bureaucratic hurdles, citing an incident where his app faced a fraudulent case that resulted in ongoing legal troubles despite his efforts to resolve the issue. “You have to be a bureaucrat, politician, or celeb to get things done easily,” he lamented. Another major grievance he shared is the high taxes in India, which he believes are not justified by the level of government services provided. The startup founder recounted a discouraging encounter in Goa where he was berated for asking a group of people to use a bin instead of littering, emphasizing the lack of civic sense he observed in the country. Painting a grim picture of India's economy, the entrepreneur warned of a potential "terrible economic collapse" and expressed concern over the depreciating value of the rupee. He suggested that innovators consider relocating to countries like the UAE or Thailand, where he believes the environment is more conducive to groundbreaking work. In his final statement, the entrepreneur urged individuals to consider leaving a country where even popcorn is subject to high taxes, alluding to the recent GST rules that impose up to 18 percent tax on the popular snack. Reddit later removed the post. #startuppedia #startup #business #gst #tax

Aravind Srinivas, the Indian-origin CEO of Perplexity AI is on global news for all the right reasons. To the unawares, Perplexity AI is a conversational search engine tool that uses large language models (LLMs) to answer queries using sources from the web and cites links within the text response. Perplexity, now valued at over $9 billion is on a mission to build the world's most knowledge-centric company. Backed by Jeff Bezos, Elad Gil, Nat Friedman, Tobi Lutke, Jeff Dean, Susan Wojcicki, Yann LeCun, Naval Ravikant, Paul Buchheit, Andrej Karpathy, and several others, the company has built the world's first generally available conversational answer engine that directly answers questions about any topic. Incidentally, AI data cloud firm Snowflake’s Chief Executive Officer Sridhar Ramaswamy shared his confidence in Perplexity’s strategy of Application Programming Interface (API)-driven approach. Ramaswamy said Perplexity was quick on innovation and building a successful product, while California startup Neeva’s focus on creating a search engine from scratch proved unsustainable. After doing B. Tech and M.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Madras, Srinivas completed a PhD in Computer Science from the University of California and has been a research intern in DeepMind and Google. After that, he worked as a Research Scientist in OpenAI, San Fransisco for a year before founding Perplexity. He is an angel investor in several AI startups such as Eleven Labs (AI Voices), Mistral (AI Foundation Models), Cognition Labs (AI Software Engineer), Cursor (AI-first Code Editor), Pika Labs (AI Videos), Suno (AI Music), etc. Interestingly, the Perplexity founder had been waiting for his green card status for three years. The green card or a Permanent Resident Card, allows its holder to live and work permanently in the United States. Recently, Srinivas asked his X followers if he should get a green card, to which billionaire entrepreneur and X owner Elon Musk gave a short affirmative response, “Yes.” #startuppedia #startup #startupfounder #startupnews #aistartup

Zomato, the popular online food delivery and restaurant discovery platform, has recently achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Indian startup to join the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex 30. This remarkable feat comes as Zomato replaces JSW Steel Limited in the prestigious benchmark index of India's top 30 companies. Over the past six months, Zomato's shares have surged by an impressive 45%, outperforming the broader market index. In 2024 alone, the stock has recorded a staggering 133% gain, indicating investors' confidence in the company's prospects. Zomato's financial turnaround has been a key driver of its stock performance and market capitalization. The company achieved profitability in the first quarter of FY24 and has consistently posted net profits in subsequent quarters. In the July-September period, Zomato recorded a 68% increase in consolidated revenue from operations, with its net profit soaring fivefold year-on-year to Rs 176 crore. Brokerage firm Nuvama projects significant fund flows into Zomato as institutional investors adjust their portfolios to align with the updated index composition. The company is expected to attract an estimated $513 million in inflows, reflecting heightened investor interest in tech-driven businesses. On the contrary, JSW Steel, which will exit the index, is likely to witness outflows totaling $252 million. This reshuffling of funds underscores the shifting dynamics within India's stock market ecosystem. In a move aimed at solidifying its financial position, Zomato recently raised Rs 8,500 crore through a qualified institutional placement (QIP), predominantly attracting domestic investors. This infusion of capital will support the company's expansion plans and enable it to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the online food delivery and quick commerce segments. Zomato's quick commerce subsidiary, Blinkit, is currently engaged in a fiercely competitive market landscape, contending with the likes of Swiggy's Instamart, Zepto, BigBasket, and Flipkart. #startuppedia #startup #zomato #bse #fooddelivery

Founded in 2021, Kobsook is a homegrown D2C footwear brand with the mission of creating meaningful opportunities for differently-abled youth. The brand empowers them by developing their skill sets in Photoshop, digital painting, photo editing, inventory management, packaging, and logistics. KobSook was started by Aziz Kapasi who is a management graduate from Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (IIT Bombay). He spent the next two decades of his life in diversified industries like real estate and held leadership roles in FMCG brands. Talking to Startup Pedia in an interview, he says, “I don't want to get into details - but I do know how much a family with a differently-abled child suffers. They're constantly worried about their future and if they'll make anything of their life.” Aziz was always sure that he would one day take the plunge into entrepreneurship and build a brand with the mission of social inclusivity, generating respectable and sustainable employment for differently-abled individuals. Aziz collaborated with AEMP, an Inclusive Accessible TechEd. It’s one of the leading technology-based learning platforms for differently-abled individuals. He recruited a few students from here to build a sneakers brand. The initial two years were full of struggles. Aziz says, “I had a limited amount of funds. To make matters worse, I made some costly mistakes like investing in the wrong team, and working with people who turned out to be unethical vendors.” Another key area that required a lot of relentless work was training and developing the skill sets of his differently-abled team. But he persisted and finally launched the brand. KobSook sneakers are an exclusive fusion of art, fine quality vegan suede, and recyclable canvas, offering a refreshing alternative to mundane, everyday shoes. It’s a brand that combines creativity with the practicality of daily wear, offering something customers won’t find anywhere else. At KobSook, the team of differently-abled youngsters is actually the bedrock upon which the brand stands. They are hired from various institutes across the country. From transforming their imagination into stunning digital pixels or hand-painted artwork to bringing that vision to life in the form of one-of-a-kind sneakers, encapsulating it in a striking photoshoot, making it available on leading e-commerce platforms, and finally reaching out to the end customer — this team of dedicated individuals adds value at every step. The sneakers are available across e-commerce platforms like Myntra and Amazon. The brand also sells through its website. Aziz and his team want to start the hashtag - #iamdifferentbutable. They’re hopeful it will create a community and drive larger participation of people who want to contribute and bring real change, beyond just debating in their drawing rooms. Read More: https://bit.ly/4fvfnu6 Website - https://kobsook.com #startuppedia #startup #d2cbrands #footwear #sneaker #mensshoes #shoes

Rohan Mirchandani, the co-founder of Epigamia, a leading Greek yogurt brand in India, tragically passed away at the young age of 42 due to a sudden cardiac arrest on December 21. The news of his untimely demise was confirmed through an official statement from Drums Food International, the parent company of Epigamia, saddening the startup community. Mirchandani co-founded Drums Food International in 2013, which later evolved into the immensely popular Epigamia brand. A graduate of NYU Stern and The Wharton School, the entrepreneur was known for his innovative mindset and entrepreneurial spirit. Mirchandani's keen business acumen and relentless dedication pushed Epigamia to new heights, transforming it from a niche player in the dairy industry to a household name with over 20,000 retail touchpoints across 30 cities in India. His ambitious vision for the company included expanding into the Middle East by 2025-26 and scaling its revenue to ₹250 crore in FY25. Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency characterized by the sudden cessation of heart function, leading to a lack of blood flow to vital organs. While traditionally associated with older individuals, recent studies have shown a significant rise in cases of sudden cardiac arrest among adults under the age of 50. According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, cases of sudden cardiac arrest in people aged 35–50 have increased by over 13 percent globally in the past decade. The news of Rohan Mirchandani's passing has left his colleagues, friends, and industry peers in mourning. Epigamia's senior leadership includes COO and founding member Ankur Goel and co-founder and director Uday Thakker. In a joint statement, Goel and Thakker said, “Rohan was our mentor, friend, and leader. We are committed to carrying forward his dream with strength and determination." “We will collaborate closely with the leadership to elevate Rohan’s legacy to even greater heights," the statement added. #startuppedia #startup #epigamia #startupfounder

What are your thoughts here? Share in the comments. #startuppedia #startup #kunalshah #cred #businesses #goverment #governmentsupport

At the age of 47, when Kerala’s Brijith Krishna lost his IT job during the pandemic in 2020, he was at a crossroads, unable to find a stable source of income for his family. He came from a family of cashew farmers. However, his small farm was also suffering a loss at the time. Being a vegetarian, Brijith always felt there was a lack of protein in most vegan diets. With this idea and a background in cashew farming, he intended to launch a food startup specializing in protein-rich sprouted cashews for vegans. Brijith officially launched his cashew sprouts venture, eatery Malabarikas LLP, in 2021 to prepare a variety of unique cashew dishes. Now, his startup supplies food items to major food supply companies and hotels in Kerala, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. Initially, a major challenge for Brijith was the limited germination potential of cashews. However, through persistent research, he successfully extended the germination potential to 180-200 days, ensuring year-round availability of sprouted cashews. Coming from a family of cashew farmers at Iritty in Kannur, Brijith was aware of the challenges faced by the farmers. He knew that wet cashew nuts had no buyers. In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, Brijith said, “Rain spoils a year’s effort of a cashew farmer. During heavy rains, the cashew nuts absorb moisture, and because of the moisture content, these cashew nuts are refused by cashew nut processing companies. When I decided to start a venture, I was determined to find a solution to this problem.” The unseasonal rains in March-May affect the pollination process and the harvesting period. As the small farmers don’t have good storage facilities, they keep their harvest out in the open. During this time of the year, their produce gets wet. No cashew factory is ready to purchase this damaged product as the quality becomes poor, the colour gets faded, and the taste is also bad. Brijith did his research to come up with a patented technology that extends the germinability of cashews. Additionally, he received a Rs. 25 Lakh grant from the central government under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) scheme. Today, Eatery Malabarikas offers a wider range of delicious cashew sprout dishes ranging from curries to salads, snacks, and milkshakes. Recently, Eatery Malabarikas received ISO 22000:2018 and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certifications from the globally recognized Food Safety Management System. Beyond his passion for cashew innovation, Brijith supports local farmers by purchasing wet cashews from at least 11 local farmers and transforming them into high-quality sprouted cashews. As a result of his efforts, Brijith achieved an annual turnover of Rs 25 lakh in FY24 and continues to expand his reach in the market. Brijith told Startup Pedia that he provides free training to small-scale farmers who want to make a living out of cashew farming. Read More: https://bit.ly/4fuFuBu #Startuppedia #startup