Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News – 8th January 2026: Spector.ai Raises INR 58 Cr, Nitro Commerce Secures $5 Mn, Articul8 AI Crosses $500M Valuation & More

StartupTalky News

08 Jan 2026 — 3 min read

Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News – 8th January 2026

India’s startup ecosystem continued to see steady funding activity on 8th January 2026, with capital flowing across industrial AI, consumer brands, fintech, entertainment, and enterprise AI services. Industrial AI startup Spector.ai led the day with a INR 58 crore raise, while Nitro Commerce and &Done secured significant Series A rounds. Early-stage funding remained active with bets on microdrama platform MiniPix and equity research startup Multibagg AI. Meanwhile, global AI firm Articul8 AI crossed a $500 million valuation following an oversubscribed Series B. Alongside startup funding, global tech major Microsoft made headlines amid reports of potential workforce restructuring in early 2026.

Daily Indian Startup Funding Roundup - 8th January 2026

Company	Amount	Round	Lead investor(s)	Sector
Spector.ai	INR 58 Cr	Fresh funding	IvyCap Ventures	Industrial AI / Predictive analytics
Nitro Commerce	$5 Mn	Series A	Cornerstone Ventures	AI-powered commerce growth platform
MiniPix	INR 2.4 Cr	Pre-seed	PedalStart	Microdrama & short-form entertainment
Multibagg AI	INR 1.5 Cr	Pre-seed	AJVC	AI equity research / Fintech
&Done	$3 Mn	Series A	RTP Global	Haircare / Consumer goods
Aivar	$4.6 Mn	Seed	Sorin Investments & Bessemer Venture Partners	AI services / Enterprise solutions
Articul8 AI	Valuation ~$500M+	Series B	Undisclosed (oversubscribed)	AI / Analytics platform
Fabpad	Undisclosed	Seed	Inflection Point Ventures	Menstrual hygiene / D2C wellness

Spector.ai raises INR 58 Cr to accelerate industrial AI adoption

Industrial AI startup Spector.ai has raised INR 58 crore in a funding round led by IvyCap Ventures. The capital will be used to accelerate product innovation, expand global enterprise deployments, and strengthen its AI-driven predictive analytics and diagnostics platform for asset-intensive industries such as manufacturing, oil & gas, and utilities.

Nitro Commerce raises $5M in Series A led by Cornerstone Ventures

Nitro Commerce, an AI-powered growth platform for digital consumer brands, raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Cornerstone Ventures. The company plans to use the funding to scale its platform capabilities, strengthen AI-driven insights, and expand internationally.

Microdrama platform MiniPix raises INR 2.4 Cr from PedalStart

MiniPix, a short-form entertainment platform focused on regional micro-drama content for mobile audiences, has secured INR 2.4 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by PedalStart. The funds will support content expansion, technology development, and user growth.

Equity research startup Multibagg AI bags INR 1.5 Cr in pre-seed

AI-driven equity research startup Multibagg AI raised INR 1.5 crore in a pre-seed round led by AJVC. The startup aims to enhance its research intelligence platform and expand its offering for retail investors.

Haircare brand &Done secures $3M Series A led by RTP Global

Premium haircare brand &Done has raised $3 million in a Series A round led by RTP Global. The funding will be used to expand its product portfolio, scale salon partnerships, and strengthen brand presence across India.

AI services startup Aivar raises $4.6M from Sorin Investments and Bessemer

Aivar, an AI services startup catering to enterprises and high-growth startups, has raised $4.6 million in a seed round led by Sorin Investments and Bessemer Venture Partners. The capital will support global expansion and investment in proprietary AI accelerators.

Articul8 AI raises oversubscribed Series B; valuation to cross $500M

AI analytics startup Articul8 AI has raised an oversubscribed Series B round, pushing its valuation beyond $500 million. The company plans to use the funds to expand product capabilities and scale across global markets.

Fabpad raises seed funding to scale menstrual hygiene offerings

Menstrual hygiene brand Fabpad has raised an undisclosed amount in a seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The startup aims to strengthen its D2C presence and expand distribution across online, quick-commerce, and offline retail channels.

Key Business News for 8th January 2026

Microsoft may cut 5–10% of workforce in January 2026

Tech giant Microsoft is reportedly planning a fresh round of job cuts in January 2026 that could impact nearly 5–10% of its global workforce. The potential layoffs are expected to be part of a broader organizational restructuring aimed at streamlining operations and reallocating resources toward high-growth areas such as artificial intelligence. While reports suggest teams across gaming, cloud, and sales functions could be affected, Microsoft has not officially confirmed the move, stating that the claims remain speculative.