February 2026 - Page 3 of 8

Lightspeed’s 60% Applied AI Bet: Why India’s Sweet Spot Isn’t Building the Biggest LLM

According to a recent update from Lightspeed Venture Partners—one of the most active and successful VC firms in the Indian ecosystem—approximately 60% of their latest Indian portfolio investments have gone into applied AI startups: companies building practical, domain-specific AI solutions rather than pursuing pure foundational model research .

This allocation isn’t accidental. It reflects a strategic thesis about where India’s competitive advantage lies in the global AI landscape—and offers a clear roadmap for founders navigating the current funding environment .

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The ePlane Company Nears $50 Million Fundraise: India’s eVTOL Leader Prepares for Takeoff

According to multiple reports, the IIT Madras-incubated startup is in advanced discussions to raise $40–50 million in a Series C round, with existing backer Speciale Invest expected to co-lead the round alongside other investors .

The proposed round combines equity, convertible instruments, and potential support from the government’s newly launched ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Fund—a thoughtful structure that reflects the capital-intensive nature of frontier deep-tech ventures .

This fundraising push comes at a pivotal moment for The ePlane Company as it transitions from prototype validation toward certified commercial operations, aiming to bring electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis to India’s congested metropolitan skies by the late 2020s .

India Joins Pax Silica: A Strategic Leap into the Global Tech Alliance Reshaping the Silicon Future

The formal signing took place on February 20, 2026, during the historic India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The agreement was inked by Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary of India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), alongside US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg .

This accession places India at the heart of a “trusted” and innovation-driven alternative to concentrated dependencies in the global silicon stack—from raw minerals to frontier AI models—and marks a strategic convergence between the world’s largest democracy and one of its fastest-growing technology ecosystems .

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Livspace Cuts 5% Workforce in AI-Led Restructuring, COO Saurabh Jain Steps Down

The Bengaluru-headquartered startup, valued at over $1.2 billion in its last funding round, confirmed on February 20, 2026, that it is laying off approximately 5% of its workforce—around 200 employees—as part of a comprehensive pivot toward AI-driven automation across its operations .

The announcement came alongside news that Co-founder & COO Saurabh Jain is stepping down from his operational role after nearly a decade with the company, though he will continue as a shareholder and advisor during the transition .

This development places Livspace among a growing cohort of Indian consumer-tech companies making difficult but forward-looking decisions to integrate AI deeply into their business models—even when it means parting ways with long-time leaders and valued team members .

Infiheal Wins India AI Impact Summit’s “AI FOR ALL” Challenge: A Triumph for Mental Health Innovation

Infiheal, an AI-powered mental health platform, emerged as the winner of the prestigious “AI FOR ALL” National Challenge at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, held from February 16–20 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi .

Selected from over 10,000 applications submitted nationwide, Infiheal received the top prize of ₹25 lakh, massive national visibility, and the rare opportunity to showcase its platform directly in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, global AI leaders, and hundreds of delegates .

CS Tech AI Lists on NSE: Nagpur’s Deep-Tech Champion Makes Public Market Debut

CS Tech AI, the pioneering company building IoT and AI-powered solutions for critical infrastructure, has successfully listed its shares on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) amid strong investor interest. The listing marks a significant milestone—not just for the company, but for India’s emerging deep-tech sector and the growing wave of innovation emanating from beyond traditional startup hubs .

This move provides liquidity to early investors and employees, enhances the company’s visibility and credibility, and opens new avenues for growth capital to scale solutions addressing some of India’s most pressing challenges: water security, climate resilience, and smart urban planning .

Peak XV Closes $1.3 Billion Fund: A Massive Vote of Confidence in India’s Startup Engine

Announced on February 20, 2026, this landmark fundraise comes at a pivotal moment for the Indian startup ecosystem. With record IPO activity, profitable unicorns emerging across sectors, and surging momentum in deep-tech and AI, Peak XV’s fresh capital injection will fuel the next wave of category-defining companies .

The firm, formerly known as Sequoia Capital India & Southeast Asia, has been a cornerstone of the region’s venture landscape for two decades. This new fund—split across three vehicles targeting seed, early-stage, and Asia-Pacific opportunities—reaffirms that India remains one of the world’s most exciting investment destinations .

MeMeraki Bags Landmark Deal on Shark Tank India: A ₹25 Crore Valuation Win for Cultural Commerce

MeMeraki, a platform dedicated to reviving and sustaining India’s rich traditional arts and crafts, walked away with a compelling investment deal on Shark Tank India, impressing the sharks with its mission-driven model and impressive business fundamentals .

The deal, finalized at a valuation of ₹25 crore, represents a significant moment for India’s creative economy. It signals that ventures blending e-commerce, storytelling, and social impact can attract serious investor attention and compete with purely tech-focused startups on national platforms

“India Is Moving at a Pace Few Places Can Match”: Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang on Why Bharat Will Lead the Personal Superintelligence Era

In remarks delivered at a high-profile tech event coinciding with the historic India AI Impact Summit 2026, Alexandr Wang, CEO of Scale AI and one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the tech world, offered a compelling vision of India’s rise as a global AI powerhouse .

Wang, whose company provides data infrastructure for frontier AI models (including those from OpenAI, Meta, and the U.S. Department of Defense), didn’t hold back his enthusiasm. He painted a picture of an ecosystem that has reached a critical inflection point—one that is now poised to leapfrog established players in the race toward personal superintelligence .

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Karnataka Signs AI Pacts with France and Poland: Bengaluru’s Global Innovation Network Expands

On the sidelines of the historic summit in New Delhi, the Government of Karnataka signed strategic cooperation agreements with France (specifically the Hauts-de-France region) and Poland—opening new corridors for AI research, startup exchange, and deep-tech innovation .

These pacts build on Karnataka’s existing global ties with innovation powerhouses like Singapore, Israel, and Germany, and signal the state’s ambition to become a preferred bridge for European ecosystems engaging with India’s fast-growing tech landscape