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National Skill Development Corporation International (NSDC International) has partnered with PW (PhysicsWallah) to launch the Bharat Innovation Global Private Limited (BIG) initiative, aiming to transform India into a global education hub. BIG focuses on bridging the gap between education and workforce demands by integrating flexible, technology-driven learning pathways. It targets a wide audience, starting with skill training for students in classes 11 and 12, extending to ITI and Polytechnic learners, university students, and working professionals, and even includes capacity-building programs for government employees. The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and UGC’s new guidelines on online education, emphasizing flexibility and inclusivity. Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO of NSDC International, said, “Through our partnership with #PhysicsWallah, we aim to empower millions of learners with essential skills for the future job market, creating a workforce aligned with the demands of a rapidly evolving economy.” Alakh Pandey (PhysicsWallah), Founder & CEO of PhysicsWallah, added, “Education is a dynamic journey that requires collaboration and innovation. With BIG, we aim to make education more inclusive, aligning it with the needs of learners across various stages of life and fostering industry readiness.” Alok Jain | CA Vinita Jain | Alok Kumar | Nitin Kapoor | Rajesh Swaika | Neera Sharma | Mohit Mathur | Prateek Maheshwari | Sanyam Badola | Devesh Mishra | Rohit Gupta | Sanket Narkar | Imran Rashid | Vaishali Garg | Divya Pandey | Gunjan Arya | Abhishek Jain | Shivaani Singh |

Online travel aggregator ixigo has introduced a groundbreaking feature, "Travel Guarantee", to ease the stress of waitlisted train tickets. Launched exclusively on the ixigo Trains app, the feature promises a 3X refund of the ticket fare if the ticket remains unconfirmed at the time of chart preparation. This refund allows passengers the flexibility to rebook their journey through alternate modes of transport like flights or buses, even at the last minute. During peak travel seasons, long waitlists often leave passengers anxious and scrambling for costly alternatives. #ixigo’s new feature aims to alleviate this concern by ensuring financial security and enabling seamless rebooking. Dinesh Kumar Kotha, CEO of ixigo Trains, stated, "With 'Travel Guarantee,' we are redefining the train travel experience. This initiative empowers passengers by providing up to three times the ticket refund, ensuring they have the means to explore alternative travel options without worrying about fare hikes." At the time of the announcement, #ixigo’s stock rose by 4% to Rs 161.2, with a market cap of Rs 6,200 crore, reflecting positive market sentiment towards this innovative offering. Aloke Bajpai | Karan Arora | Rajnish Kumar | Yashaswi Raj | Amit Behl | Puneet Aggarwal | Rajesh Sawhney | Anoop Asthana | Priya Ojha | Priyasha Chaubey | Kanika Nevatia |

Resilience AI, a climate risk and sustainability technology startup, has raised $1 million in seed funding led by Kalaari Capital’s CXXO initiative, which supports women-led ventures, with additional participation from Java Capital. The funding will accelerate the development of #Resilience360, a comprehensive platform for climate risk management tailored to private and public enterprises. The startup plans to leverage the funds to co-create solutions with customers, expand market reach, and fuel research-driven innovation. Founded by Samhita R, Resilience AI focuses on proactive climate resilience, helping organizations prepare for extreme events like heatwaves, floods, cyclones, landslides, and earthquakes. The Resilience360 platform integrates machine learning and advanced climate analytics to deliver hyperlocal risk maps, automated diagnostics, and actionable climate plans that align with sustainability and risk standards. Its offerings include baseline risk mapping, tailored risk controls, real-time implementation tools, and scalable adaptation strategies to ensure long-term resilience. Sundeep Reddy | Anshu Sharma | Sunaina Jairath | Vani Kola |Priyanka Gill | Pranav Koshal | Piyush R Golecha | Harshit K. | Shaina Ahluwalia | Harsh Choudhary | Vamshi Reddy | Neeti Mehta | Karteek Pulapaka | Vinod Shankar | Bhargavi V. |

AI-driven B2B startup Bureau has raised $30 million (₹254 crore) in its Series B funding round, led by Sorenson Capital, with significant participation from PayPal Ventures. The round also saw strong backing from existing investors, including Commerce Ventures, GMO VenturePartners,Inc., Village Global, Quona Capital, and XYZ Ventures. Bureau plans to utilize the fresh funds to scale its AI-powered identity and fraud prevention solutions, expand its global footprint, and invest in cutting-edge technologies to cater to the growing demands of enterprises. This marks a major milestone for the company as it strengthens its position in the rapidly evolving B2B SaaS and AI landscape. Ranjan R Reddy | Dipali Rathod | Pranil Palan | Rahul Nair | Shali Abraham | Abhishek Singh | Sachin Tripathi | Nadir Masood | Melissa Frakman | ganesh rengaswamy | Disha Soni | Taka Yamada | Jonathan Whittle | Yasmine Shama | Shannon Austin |

Fitness tech company Curefit - house of cult. underwent a significant leadership change in FY24, with co-founder Naresh Krishnaswamy taking over as CEO, succeeding co-founder Mukesh Bansal, who transitioned to executive chairman. Under Krishnaswamy’s leadership, the company achieved 33.6% revenue growth, though its losses remained stagnant during the fiscal year. Cult.fit’s operating revenue rose to ₹927 crore in FY24, up from ₹694 crore in FY23. Fitness subscriptions, including its flagship Cultpass and Cult.fit centers, accounted for 72.3% of total revenue, increasing by 46.6% to ₹670 crore. The sportswear and fitness equipment segment, operated under Cultsports, contributed ₹257 crore to the revenue. Despite growth in its core operations, other income declined 62% to ₹100.45 crore, primarily due to a drop in miscellaneous income, which the company did not disclose. Cult.fit’s total income for FY24 stood at ₹1,027 crore. The company operates a hybrid fitness model, offering digital fitness solutions through its app and physical fitness centers in over 300 cities across India. Its subscription-based fitness plans, Cultpass, grant access to gyms, group classes, and virtual training sessions. Ankit N. | Naresh Kumar | Chirag Makhija | Rishabh Telang | Nidhi Sood | Shruti Walia | Pragati Dwivedi | Sana Junaid | Shahbaaz Mohammed |

Bombay Shaving Company (BSC), a direct-to-consumer grooming and personal care brand, achieved a milestone by crossing the ₹200 crore revenue mark in FY24 while significantly narrowing its losses. The company’s revenue from operations surged 27.38% to ₹225.85 crore in FY24, compared to ₹177.3 crore in FY23, according to its consolidated financial report sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Key Financial Highlights Total Revenue: Including ₹7.6 crore from interest income, BSC's total revenue reached ₹233.4 crore in FY24. Net Loss: Reduced by 22% to ₹62.2 crore from ₹80.25 crore in FY23. Expenses: Material costs increased 34.39% to ₹118.76 crore, the largest component of total expenses. Advertising and employee benefit costs rose marginally to ₹85.9 crore and ₹36.79 crore, respectively. Delivery and handling charges declined 9.41% to ₹18.78 crore. Overall expenses grew to ₹295.57 crore, up from ₹262 crore in FY23. Despite narrowing its losses, the company spent ₹1.31 to earn every rupee in FY24, reflecting its ongoing investment-heavy approach. Market Position and Competition Bombay Shaving Company, known for its wide range of grooming products like shaving creams, haircare, skincare, and beard care, competes with USTRAA : Grooming For Men, Beardo, and The Man Company. To date, Bombay Shaving Company has raised $51.5 million, with backing from Sixth Sense Ventures, Colgate-Palmolive, Malabar Investments, Reckitt, and Patni & Family. The company reported ₹203 crore in current assets for FY24, including ₹72.5 crore in cash and bank balances. Outlook BSC’s focus on expanding its product portfolio and enhancing operational efficiency has helped it achieve significant growth. With strong investor backing and increasing revenues, the company is well-positioned to compete in India’s burgeoning grooming market. Shantanu Deshpande | Deepak Gupta | Rohit Taneja | Gaurav Anand | Rohit Jaiswal |Shanky Chauhan | Ritika Arora | Vidit Dugar | Varun Gupta | Arvind Mukker |

Photonic quantum technology startup Quanfluence has raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by pi Ventures, with participation from Golden Sparrow, Reena Dayal, and other investors. The funds will be used to scale its near-term products, accelerate market entry, and further R&D for its flagship quantum computer, the company announced in a press release. Founded in 2021 by Sujoy Chakravarty, Ravi Mehta, Biman Chattopadhyay, Anil Prabhakar, Aditi Vaidya, and Sandeep Goyal, Quanfluence focuses on developing scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing solutions. Its photonic quantum platform integrates optics and computational technology, addressing challenges like hardware instability, noise, and high-dimensional complexity. #Quanfluence claims its optical Ising machine, powered by advanced photonic circuits and high-speed field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), delivers optimization speeds up to 100x faster than conventional systems. The current setup handles 128 interconnected variables (~10,000 permutations), with plans to test an advanced version next quarter capable of processing 10-25 million permutations. Manish Singhal | Milan Roy | Roopan Aulakh | Sanchit Narang | Amritendu Mukherjee | Afreed Faizan |

Retail intelligence platform Bizom has raised $12 million in a Series B funding round led by Pavestone VC, which contributed $7.5 million. Existing investor IndiaMART InterMESH Limited and other family offices also participated in the round. The fresh capital will fuel the development of Bizom’s AI-driven Real Intelligence initiative, aimed at advanced problem-solving and enhancing delivery mechanisms. The funds will also support scaling key accounts and driving further innovations. Bizom’s vertical SaaS platform optimizes sales and distribution processes, enabling over 600 retail brands across CPG, dairy, and FMCG industries to digitalize their route-to-market operations. The platform serves 6 lakh SKUs in more than 30 countries, offering real-time visibility into ground operations and helping brands analyze market demand. Pavestone Technology Fund, a Hyderabad-based SEBI-registered AIF managing Rs 816 crore, focuses on empowering early-growth B2B technology companies to address global challenges. Bizom’s advancements aim to strengthen retailer-brand relationships and streamline distribution, solidifying its position as a leader in retail intelligence. Srikanth Tanikella | Shree Bhise | Rahil Dutt | V Laxmikanth | Sridhar Rampalli Lalit Bhise | Krishna Kothari | Vasudeva Manjunath | Shalaka Kothawle | Prabakar Sundaram | Nikhil Chhaochharia | Nishtha Jain | Manish Khilnani | | Archita Gupta |

Country Delight ,a Gurugram-based direct-to-consumer dairy and daily essentials brand, has forayed into the instant delivery segment with a pilot offering 10-15 minute deliveries in Gurugram, according to sources. The service, operational from 6 AM to 9 PM, includes nearly all products from its regular delivery lineup. Known for sourcing products directly from farms, Country Delight currently operates in over 25 cities, serving 1.5 million customers. This move aligns with the growing quick commerce trend, mirroring bigbasket.com’s shift to instant deliveries, and positions Country Delight to compete with players like Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart. With a reported FY24 revenue of ₹1,380 crore, up from ₹900 crore in FY23, the soonicorn, valued at $820 million, has raised $200 million to date and recently secured ₹200 crore in debt from Alteria Capital. It is also reportedly in talks with SoftBank for a $50-70 million funding round, signaling its ambitions to become a leader in the quick commerce space. Chakradhar Gade | Nitin Kaushal | Saurabh Singh | Manish Parmar | Riya Gupta | Bharat Bhushan | Divya Arora |

Ola Consumer, led by Bhavish Aggarwal, has begun piloting quick food delivery services in select Bengaluru areas through the Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC), a government-backed initiative. The service promises delivery within 10 minutes via the Ola Cabs app, offering food items from various restaurants. Currently, Ola's food delivery is available in select cities, alongside last-mile logistics services for groceries and pharmaceuticals through ONDC. This move places Ola in competition with companies like magicpin, Zepto, Swiggy, and Blinkit, which are all vying for a share of the rapidly growing instant food delivery market. Ola previously entered the food delivery space in 2017 with the acquisition of foodpanda India, but its efforts were scaled down by 2020. Its latest push into the quick delivery sector appears to be driven by market trends, although challenges remain, especially as its core mobility business continues to struggle. Hemant Bakshi |Anshul K. | Sanjay Sarangi | Rohit Kumar | Ashesh Nishant | Mithil Patkar | Satish Madhavanarayanan | Sonal Chotrani | Omna Dharra |