July 2026 - Page 6 of 12

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Emergent Joins the Unicorn Club with $130M Series C

In just over a year since its public launch, AI app-building platform Emergent has achieved unicorn status, securing a $130 million Series C funding round that values the company at $1.5 billion. The financing was led by private equity firm Creaegis, with MNI Ventures-Claypond Capital and Sentinel Global as co-lead investors, and participation from existing backers including Khosla Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Lightspeed, and Y Combinator.

PhysicsWallah Strengthens UPSC Presence with ₹72 Crore Sarrthi IAS Acquisition

Edtech unicorn PhysicsWallah has significantly deepened its foothold in the competitive civil services examination segment by acquiring an additional 11% stake in Sarrthi IAS for ₹71.81 crore, raising its total shareholding to 51% . The move transforms Sarrthi IAS from an associate company into a majority-owned subsidiary, marking a strategic milestone in PhysicsWallah’s broader expansion beyond engineering and medical entrance coaching .

Delhi’s ₹400 Crore Bet: A New Blueprint for Student-Led Innovation

The national capital has thrown its hat into the ring with a significant policy intervention aimed at transforming its educational landscape into a launchpad for entrepreneurship. On July 16, 2026, the Delhi Cabinet approved the Delhi Start-up and Incubation Policy, earmarking over ₹400 crore for a five-year mission to strengthen the city’s innovation ecosystem . Chief Minister Rekha Gupta articulated the ambition succinctly: “The initiative is not just about helping people launch start-ups, but about transforming Delhi’s youth from job seekers into job creators” .

From Nature to Code: How Mandrake Bio Is Rewriting Gene Editing with Generative AI

Gene editing has long been constrained by a fundamental limitation: scientists have been working with nature’s tools. Even CRISPR-Cas9, the revolutionary breakthrough that earned a Nobel Prize, relies on enzymes that evolved millions of years ago. Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Mandrake Bio is challenging this status quo by using generative AI to design gene-editing enzymes from scratch, and it has just raised ₹16 crore to prove its approach works .

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Government Bets Big on Semiconductor Startups

The Indian government has placed a significant bet on its semiconductor future. With the approval of the Semicon 2.0 policy and a massive ₹1,27,500 crore outlay, a new model is being rolled out that fundamentally changes how the state supports deep-tech innovation. Moving beyond simple grants, the government is positioning itself as a co-investor, taking equity stakes in promising semiconductor startups to fuel the next wave of chip design and manufacturing in India.

India’s Skyroot Aerospace Set for Historic Orbital Launch with Vikram-1

India’s private space sector is poised to achieve a landmark moment as Skyroot Aerospace prepares to launch the Vikram-1 orbital rocket on July 18, 2026, at 11:30 AM from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota . This mission, named ‘Mission Aagaman’ (meaning “the arrival”), will mark India’s first orbital launch attempt by a privately developed rocket .

Deep-Tech and AI Are Shaping India’s Viksit Bharat 2047

The vision of Viksit Bharat 2047—transforming India into a developed nation by its centenary of independence—is being built on a foundation of deep-tech innovation, artificial intelligence, and an inclusive, democratized startup culture. Recent high-level discussions and policy announcements have cemented the role of AI and deep-tech as the primary engines for this long-term economic transformation.

Hisabkitab’s ₹20 Crore Seed Round Is a Signal for India’s Fintech SaaS Future

Surat-based Hisabkitab, an AI-powered accounting platform built for small and medium businesses, has raised an undisclosed amount in a seed funding round from a group of angel investors and high-net-worth individuals at a valuation of ₹20 crore . The capital will primarily strengthen its AI capabilities and expand its customer base, reflecting growing investor interest in India’s fintech SaaS ecosystem.

The Next Engine of Growth: Why Enterprise AI is India’s Defining Opportunity

The narrative around India’s technological ascent is shifting. While the country has produced remarkable software and IT services companies over the past three decades, a new consensus is emerging among industry leaders and investors: the next engine of growth lies in enterprise AI products.

A New Chapter in Global Deep-Tech Collaboration

The partnership is not an isolated event but a concrete outcome of the third meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) held in Brussels on July 15, 2026 . Co-chaired by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and a high-level European Commission delegation, the TTC has emerged as a central platform for advancing the EU-India strategic partnership, focusing on strengthening strategic value chains and deepening business engagement .