Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (February 21, 2025)

From BluSmart launching its EV fleet for pets to Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor’s jewelry startup bagging funds on Shark Tank India, YourStory brings you the latest updates from the Indian startup ecosystem.

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Edtech unicorn LEAD’s Sumeet Mehta advocates public-private partnerships to improve India’s schools

Sumeet Mehta, co-founder and CEO of school focused edtech unicorn, LEAD, sits down with YourStory to discuss public-private partnerships in school education, the need for meaningful improvements in student learning outcomes, and the role of technology in personalisation

Latest news:

Walmart's global sales grow 5.7% in Q4 without Flipkart's Big Billion Days earnings boost

US retailer Walmart on Thursday saw its fourth-quarter ecommerce and international sales impacted by shift in Flipkart's Big Billion days.

Its international net sales grew 5.7% to $34.3 billion on a constant currency basis, helped by its businesses in China, Mexico and Canada, but offset by a change in timing of its Indian arm's shopping festival.

BluSmart launches pet travel service in Delhi and Gurugram

EV ride-hailing company BluSmart on Friday launched its pet-exclusive fleet of electric vehicles equipped with facilities for riders commuting with dogs and cats.

BluSmart's entry into the pet travel segment comes months after peers Rapido and US-based Uber launched a similar service in Bengaluru.

Head Digital Works acquires Adda52 for Rs 491 Cr

Online gaming company Head Digital Works has acquired Deltatech Gaming Ltd, the operator of one of India’s oldest online poker platforms Adda52, as the company looks to strengthen its online poker portfolio.

Head Digital Works will initially acquire 51% of Deltatech Gaming, following the merger.

Post merger, DeltaCorp Limited will hold a 5.7% stake in Head Digital Works, the parent entity of the A23 brand.

FirstCry company secretary Neelam Jethani resigns

Baby and mother care retailer FirstCry said on Thursday that its company secretary and compliance officer, Neelam Jethani, has resigned.

Jethani has spent over two years at the omnichannel retailer. Before that, she was a deputy manager at Schaeffler and also spent over half a decade at Persistent Systems as an assistant manager.

Plum expands into personal insurance sector, to invest $6M over two years

Insurtech startup Plum plans to invest $6 million over the next two years as it expands into the personal insurance sector. It aims to cover 10 million individuals by 2030.

As it broadens its footprint beyond corporate health coverage, the Bengaluru-based company has appointed Atul Mishra to head personal insurance.

Funding news:

Shraddha Kapoor’s PALMONAS bags Rs 1.26 crore on Shark Tank

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor’s online jewelry brand PALMONAS has secured Rs 1.26 crore in funding for a 1% equity stake from Shark Tank India investors Emcure Pharmaceuticals’ Namita Thapar and OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal.

The newly raised funds will be used to drive the company’s expansion plans, scaling offline retail operations with experience stores in key metropolitan cities and accelerating its international expansion.

A proportion of the investment will also be allocated toward technological advancements, particularly AI-driven personalisation, to help customers discover jewelry tailored to their style and preferences.

Wells Fargo’s CSR initiative for farmers in Karnataka and Telangana

Wells Fargo, a leading financial services company in partnership with Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) redesigned the FarmPrecise app, incorporating AI-powered features like crop disease detection and organic solution recommendations, This has benefitted over 70,000 farmers in the States of Karnataka and Telangana. Besides, Wells Fargo has also supported soil testing for 5,255 hectares of degraded land and facilitated the harvesting of 586 million litres of water for 10,000 farmers.

Wells Fargo’s technology team dedicated 2,200 volunteering hours to redesign the FarmPrecise app, developed by WOTR. The app equips farmers with actionable insights for better decision-making, covering weather forecasts, crop management advice, fertilizer application and spraying techniques and real-time market prices and government scheme updates. The app saw more than 100,000 downloads and saved 20 percent of input costs for over 70,000 farmers.

(The copy will be updated with the latest news throughout the day)