Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (March 18, 2025)

From Dell Technologies driving AI innovation in India with unique solutions that accelerate adoption for its customers to Wadhwani AI’s latest tool helping ASHA workers monitor newborn health, YourStory brings today’s headlines that highlight significant developments across industries.

Here’s a roundup of key stories:

Featured news

How Dell Technologies is enabling faster adoption of AI in India

Dell Technologies is at the forefront of AI innovation in India, developing unique solutions for its customers and helping them accelerate the adoption of the technology. Ramesh Jampula, Vice President, IT, India and APJC Regional CIO, Dell Technologies, believes AI is a “transformative force” for Indian enterprises, fostering long-term innovation and efficiency as businesses expand and harness their full capabilities.

Elaborating on how Dell helps businesses embrace the potential of AI, Jampula—in an email interview to Enterprise Story—says, “We are innovating at every level of the AI technology stack and across the AI estate to provide customers with a modern data centre of the future—replumbed and redefined at every level, from the node to the rack to the full data centre.”

Click to read more.

How an AI tool is helping ASHA workers monitor newborn health

Until last year, Jyotsna Suresh Patel, an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) in Daman’s Kachigam village carried a heavy weighing scale to weigh newborn babies. The process was long and she struggled to ensure accurate readings while soothing anxious mothers.

AI is now helping her accurately weigh babies in seconds. Today, all Patel has to do is pull out her smartphone and take a 15-second video. Within minutes, the anthropometric measurements of the newborn including weight, length, head circumference, chest circumference, and mid-upper arm circumference are recorded.  

This transformation has been made possible by Shishu Maapan, an AI-powered tool developed by Wadhwani AI that is set to change the monitoring of newborn health in India.

Click to read more.

Latest news

Paytm Money secures SEBI nod for research analyst license

Paytm Money, the wealth management arm of fintech giant One 97 Communications Ltd, has received regulatory approval to operate as a registered Research Analyst. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) granted Paytm Money a Certificate of Registration under the SEBI (Research Analysts) Regulations, 2014, allowing it to offer investment research, data analytics, and advisory insights.

The company plans to integrate these services into its platform, enhancing decision-making tools for retail and institutional investors.

Click to read more. 

Funding news

Ice cream brand Go Zero secures $3.4M in Series A funding

Ice cream brand Go Zero has raised $3.4 million (Rs 30 crore) in a Series A funding round led by existing backers DSG Consumer Partners, Saama Capital, and V3 Ventures. Other participating investors include Aman Gupta (through Shark Tank India) and Namita Thapar (outside the tank).

With this round, Go Zero has raised a total of $6 million to date.

The fresh capital will be utilised to drive supply chain efforts, product innovation, and brand growth as it strengthens its presence on quick commerce platforms across Tier I and Tier II markets.

GoOAT raises a pre-seed round led by D2C Insider Super Angels 

D2C brand GoOAT has raised a pre-seed funding round, led by D2C Insider Super Angels, along with participation from other prominent investors such as Deep Bajaj and Mohit Bajaj (Sirona), Dhruv Kohli (Boba Bhai), Akash Gupta (Zpyy Electric), and Vikram Ahuja (HomeGuru), among others. 

This injection of capital will fuel the firm’s plans to expand its product range and accelerate research and development tailored specifically for the Indian market.

GoOAT offers quick and nutritious breakfast and snack options with its 30-second ready formula, catering to health-conscious consumers. 

Yummy Bee secures Rs 18 Cr funding 

Guilt-free café chain Yummy Bee has secured Rs 18 crore in funding, including Rs 11 crore from its latest round. The investment will primarily fuel its expansion into Mumbai and Bengaluru and support its entry into the consumer packaged goods \segment for the FMCG market.

The funding round saw participation from Hyderabad-based VC firm Mile Deep Capital, along with key investors Mohan Krishna (Continental Coffee), Ajitha Challa (Karafa Coffee), and Praveen Jaipuriar (Continental Coffee, ex-Dabur). 

With the new funding, the startup is targeting an annualised recurring revenue (ARR) of Rs 50 crore by March 2026 and plans to expand to 20 outlets across India by the end of 2025.

iHub Robotics raises Rs 4.3 Cr in pre-seed funding

iHub Robotics, a humanoid robotics startup, has secured Rs 4.3 crore ($520,000) in pre-seed funding from US investors. The funding will support the firm in establishing a humanoid robotics manufacturing facility in Kerala.

The company plans to create 150+ jobs over the next two years, boosting India’s deeptech ecosystem. iHub Robotics has already expanded internationally, exporting its semi-humanoid robot, Tara Gen-1, to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Designed for the hospitality, healthcare, and transportation sectors, Tara Gen-1 enhances automation and efficiency across industries.

Other news

Nischal’s Smart Learning Solutions expands global footprint with LearnTopia in Dubai

K-12 education provider Nischal’s Smart Learning Solutions has expanded its global presence in Dubai, with the launch of LearnTopia, an after-school learning centre focused on interactive, hands-on education.

LearnTopia uses activity-based and kinesthetic teaching methods, featuring portable micro-labs, allowing students to explore math, physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science through real-world applications. The centre also integrates VR, AR, and AI-powered tools, including Nischal’s Lens, which provides access to 400+ hours of 3D animations and 2,500+ simulations to simplify complex concepts.

With small class sizes of seven, LearnTopia offers personalised learning, to help students build critical thinking and problem-solving skills while also supporting them in preparing for competitive exams in India. 

Awfis strengthens leadership team

Awfis, a publicly listed workspace solutions provider, has strengthened its leadership team to meet growing demand in Tier I and Tier II cities. The company has appointed Sanjay Baurai as a strategic advisor for workplace solutions and growth, who brings expertise in corporate real estate strategy and business continuity.

To scale its managed office portfolio, the firm has also appointed Parul Seth (National Head – Business Development and Growth), Roshan Alva (Sr. National Director, Enterprise Business), and Rahul Kanungo (National Director, Sales) to support Awfis' expansion and leadership in India’s flex workspace market.

To meet the rising demand from Global Capability Centers (GCCs) and large corporates for Design & Build solutions, the company has appointed Noelle Bianca Aguilar (Philippines) and Debora Emert (USA) as Design Heads. On the technology front, Rohit Manghnani has been named Chief Product and Technology Officer. 

SUSE partners with Infosys to strengthen enterprise AI infrastructure

German multinational software firm SUSE has partnered with Infosys to develop a unified AI solution aimed at simplifying AI adoption for businesses. The solution integrates SUSE AI, an open infrastructure platform for AI workloads, with Infosys Topaz AI offerings, which provide GenAI-based solutions for enterprises.

The collaboration aims to address challenges such as rising costs, data privacy risks, and security concerns that businesses face when transitioning from AI experimentation to large-scale deployment. The joint solution will help companies build, deploy, and scale AI applications efficiently.  

Kissht expands its offerings with the launch of Digital Property Loans

Fintech firm Kissht has rolled out Digital Loan Against Property (LAP), bringing its digital lending expertise to the secured loan segment. By making use of advanced technology and digitised land records, Kissht aims to provide instant secured loans. 

The firm has introduced an AI-powered legal check and verification process. Borrowers can access secured loans across residential, commercial, and plot properties, benefiting from minimal documentation and competitive interest rates.

LightFury announces India’s own AAA title, ‘E-Cricket’ 

LightFury Games, an AAA-focused game-tech studio, has announced its upcoming title, ‘E-Cricket’, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2025 held in San Francisco, USA developed in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Powered by Amazon GameLift Streams, ‘E-Cricket’ offers high-fidelity, low-latency gameplay accessible via any browser, removing the need for dedicated gaming hardware.

Zepto to deliver Apple products in 10 minutes 

Quick commerce platform Zepto has expanded its electronics category by adding Apple’s full product lineup, including iPads, Apple Watches, AirPods, and other accessories. With this move, Zepto aims to strengthen its presence in the premium electronics segment, growing its total electronics assortment to 5,000+ SKUs from various sellers.

“In just the last 30 days, over a million users have actively searched for Apple products—be it, the recently launched iPhone 16E, AirPods 4, or iPads—on Zepto, reflecting a massive interest for instant access to premium tech,” said Abhimanyu Singh, Business Head, Electronics Category, Zepto.

(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)