Aerem Solutions, India’s leading full stack platform for distributed solar, has raised $15 million (INR 136 crore) in Pre-series B led by SMBC Asia Rising Fund, the venture capital arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), the storied banking behemoth from Japan and one of leading banks globally, with
Zomato has leased more than 270,000 square feet of office space at Sector 59, Gurugram's Intellion Park, which is owned by Tata Realty and Infrastructure. The food service company will pay INR 2.33 crore in rent each month for a 278,249-square-foot chargeable space, per the
Arthum, India’s first integrated operating system for contract workforce management, has raised INR 10 crore in seed investment led by Caret^Capital, a $50 million thematic venture capital fund. The round also saw participation from Keynote Financial Services Limited and JS Global. Founded in 2023 by Darpan Sharma (Co-founder
Backed by Fireside Ventures, Huddle Ventures and Alteria Capital, Cumin Co. reports rapid scale driven by materials-led innovation.
The Cupertino-based tech giant's digital payment tool, Apple Pay, is getting ready to debut in India this year. By the end of 2026, the service—which is currently offered in 89 markets worldwide—is anticipated to enter India. A number of governmental licences are still required for the
Sensesemi Technologies Private Limited, a DLI-approved fabless semiconductor startup, has raised INR 25 crore (approximately USD 2.75 million) in a seed funding round led by Piper Serica. The round also saw participation from LetsVenture Angel Fund, Sun Icon Ventures, MyAsiaVC, Whitepine Investments and Jain Oncor, along with angel investors
- The U.S. Dollar fell by 0.8% against the Euro, as Trump still pursues his plan to seize Greenland. - Europe stands firm (even after Trump's 10% tariff threat) together with Greenland, and Denmark says "full solidarity."
- Netflix wants to look convincing to WBD's shareholders and is offering to pay in all cash ($27.75 per share for $72 billion). - Paramount is threatening a proxy fight to replace WBD's board with loyalists. - WBD's CEO David Zaslav says that the vote on the deal will likely happen in the spring.
India’s startup funding landscape remained active on 20th January 2026, witnessing a strong mix of large and early-stage capital inflows across AI, healthtech, fintech, consumer brands, and travel. The biggest highlight was Emergent’s $70 million Series B led by Khosla Ventures and SoftBank, reflecting rising investor confidence in
- India tightens diamonds labelling rules to protect buyers; lab-grown diamonds can't be called 'diamonds' alone. - BIS has introduced a new official standard called IS 19469:2025 for diamonds. - Jewellery industry leaders strongly support the new BIS rules and say they build trust.
- Tariffs, trade tensions, and a weak rupee will not slow down the Indian economy. - IMF projects 7.3% growth, lowering inflation to 4%, and improving economic stability.
According to many media reports, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved UPI payments market leader PhonePe's initial public offering (IPO) on January 20. PhonePe hopes to generate about INR 12,000 crore (or $1.35 billion) through a pure OFS or offer for sale.
The chief financial officer (CFO) of Ola Electric, a manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs), Harish Abichandani, has resigned. He resigned for "personal reasons". The listed electric two-wheeler (E2W) manufacturer also announced the appointment of former Puravankara (real estate developer) executive Deepak Rastogi as the new CFO in a
Ikea, a Swedish furniture store, declared that it will begin shipping items online in Tamil Nadu from January 22. EV-powered doorstep deliveries will begin in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, and Salem, giving clients access to more than 6,400 options for home furnishings. The company's Bengaluru distribution network will
In addition to its previous investment promise of INR 30,000 crore, Mumbai-based Lodha Developers has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government. As per the MoU, the group will invest INR 1 trillion in the construction of a 2.5 gigawatt (GW) data centre park in
Intellend Technologies Advisors Private Limited, a fully digital and embedded lending technology platform focused on bridging India’s MSME credit gap, has raised $1.2 million (INR 10.6 crore) in a seed funding round. The round was led by Incubate Fund Asia, with participation from M Venture Partners, Atrium
With this funding, Raana Semiconductors aims to accelerate domestic solar and semiconductor supply-chain capabilities.
- The global economy is overly reliant on AI, and if it fails, growth could drop by 0.4 percentage points this year. - The growth forecasts for the U.S., Canada, and China look promising for 2026 and 2027. - Reality check: Only 30% of the increased revenue was due to AI, says a PwC survey.
- Despite tariff tensions, China's $1.19 trillion trade surplus surpasses expectations. - Internal issues such as the housing crisis, 17.2% fall in property investment, and low consumer spending remain. - Experts doubt the 5% and say the number is likely at least 1.5 percentage points lower.
India’s startup and business ecosystem continues to witness a mix of funding momentum and major corporate developments. In today’s roundup, social networking platform Culture raised INR 2 crore in a seed round led by Acuvest Infra, while premium sneaker brand Gully Labs secured INR 30 crore in Series
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), the parent company of Jio, has stated that once regulatory checks and balances are in place, the public offering is anticipated to take place in the upcoming months. Anshuman Thakur, SVP of Strategy & Planning at RIL, stated on the firm's Q3 earnings call
Gully Labs, a homegrown premium sneaker brand blending Indian cultural storytelling with contemporary design and craftsmanship, has raised INR 30 crore in a Series A funding round led by Saama Capital, with participation from existing investor Zeropearl VC, which is doubling down with a follow-on investment beyond its pro-rata allocation
In a deal to be disclosed on January 20, private equity firm Everstone would sell its whole 11.26% ownership in Burger King's franchisee Restaurant Brands Asia in India and Indonesia. According to Refinitiv statistics, Everstone Capital's shareholding, through its investment vehicle QSR Asia Pte Ltd,
- Deloitte targets Tier II cities in India for their strong talent and real estate. - Mangaluru can become Deloitte's new destination. - Romal Shetty, Deloitte’s CEO for South Asia, at the TiEcon Mangaluru 2026 event, suggested “innovate for Bharat."