Investor Insights

Fermi.ai: Flipkart Ex-CTO’s Bold Bet on Making Learning Hard (and Smarter) with AI

In a refreshingly contrarian move in the crowded AI-edtech space, Peeyush Ranjan, the former CTO of Flipkart and a veteran of Google’s AI leadership, has launched Fermi.ai—a global platform with a provocative thesis: to use artificial intelligence not to give easy answers, but to make learning meaningfully harder and more effective. Co-founded with serial entrepreneur Mukesh Bansal under their startup studio Meraki Labs, Fermi.ai is taking on high-school STEM education with a product designed to restore the critical, often-avoided element of “productive struggle.”

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India’s “Build for the World” Moment: Meta Exec’s Endorsement Signals Global AI Leadership Shift

In a powerful validation of India’s burgeoning tech sovereignty, a senior Meta executive has spotlighted the country’s unparalleled potential to lead the next phase of global artificial intelligence. This isn’t mere diplomatic praise; it’s a strategic recognition from one of the world’s AI superpowers. The executive highlighted India’s core assets: the planet’s second-largest developer community (13-15 million strong) and its third-largest startup ecosystem. This statement crystallizes a pivotal shift in narrative: India is no longer viewed merely as a back-office or a vast market for Silicon Valley’s products, but as the primary engine for scaling, innovating, and exporting AI solutions to the world.

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HCLTech’s Strategic Gambit: Acquiring Finergic to Win the Southeast Asian Fintech Race

In a decisive move underscoring the evolving battlefield of global IT services, HCLTech has announced the acquisition of Singapore-based boutique consulting startup Finergic Solutions Pte Ltd. This acquisition, set to close by April 2026, is far more than a routine asset purchase. It is a targeted strategic injection designed to turbocharge HCLTech’s capabilities in two of the most competitive and lucrative arenas: financial services digital transformation and the high-growth Southeast Asian market.

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Nivaan Care’s $7M Series A Fuels a National Mission to Transform Chronic Pain Treatment in India

In a significant move for India’s specialized healthcare landscape, Bengaluru-based Nivaan Care, a pioneering interventional pain management chain, has secured $7 million (approx. ₹58 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Sorin Investments. This investment is a powerful endorsement of a critical yet underserved need: providing millions of Indians suffering from chronic pain with advanced, non-surgical, and non-opioid treatment alternatives.

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Steady Capital, Smart Bets: India’s Startup Ecosystem Shows Maturity with $304M Weekly Haul

In a telling sign of a maturing market, India’s startup ecosystem recorded a robust $304 million in venture funding across 30+ deals this week, marking a 13% increase from the prior week’s $268.6 million. This steady flow of capital, devoid of billion-dollar mega-rounds but rich in quality transactions, underscores a pivotal shift: investors are moving beyond speculative bets and are now backing proven, execution-focused companies with clear paths to revenue and scale.

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Union Budget 2026: A Blueprint for India’s Startup Leap from Scale to Sovereignty

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present the Union Budget on February 1, 2026, India’s startup ecosystem stands at a pivotal crossroads. Having cemented its status as the world’s third-largest startup hub with robust IPO activity and deep-tech momentum, the community’s demands have evolved. The ask is no longer for generic cheerleading but for targeted, structural reforms that address the critical bottlenecks hindering the transition from a service-led economy to an innovation-led superpower.

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From 5M Users to $50M ARR: Emergent’s AI-Powered ‘Vibe-Coding’ Revolution

In a staggering validation of India’s global AI prowess, the Bengaluru-heavy startup Emergent has secured a $70 million Series B round, catapulting its valuation to $300 million post-money. Founded by twin brothers Mukund Jha (CEO, ex-CTO of Dunzo) and Madhav Jha (CTO), Emergent isn’t just another SaaS company—it’s pioneering a radical new paradigm in software creation called “vibe-coding,” and its growth trajectory is nothing short of meteoric.

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L’Oréal’s ₹3,500 Cr Bet: Why Hyderabad Is Now the Global Epicenter of Beauty Tech

In a move that seamlessly blends glamour with gigabytes, French cosmetics behemoth L’Oréal has chosen Hyderabad to host its first-ever global Beauty Tech hub. Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos through a landmark partnership between L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus and the Telangana government, this initiative is backed by a staggering initial investment of over ₹3,500 crore (approx. $383-420 million). This isn’t just a corporate expansion—it’s a strategic declaration that India’s tech talent will now architect the future of beauty for consumers worldwide.

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Portugal Meets Bengaluru: A Global Innovation Alliance Forges New Tech Frontiers

Bengaluru’s status as a global deep-tech nexus was on full display on January 20, 2026, as a high-powered delegation of Portuguese tech companies landed in the city for the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) – Portugal Edition. Hosted by the Karnataka government’s IT/BT Department, this strategic mixer wasn’t just a networking event—it was a carefully orchestrated catalyst for cross-border collaboration, signaling India’s mature integration into the world’s innovation supply chain.

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Sensesemi’s ₹25 Cr Seed Round Fuels India’s Edge AI Chip Dream

In a significant boost to India’s semiconductor sovereignty ambitions, Bengaluru-based fabless semiconductor startup Sensesemi Technologies has secured ₹25 crore (approx. $2.75 million) in a landmark seed funding round. This investment, led by deep-tech-focused Piper Serica and backed by a consortium of prominent investors, is more than capital—it’s a vote of confidence in India’s ability to design the intelligent, power-efficient chips that will power the next generation of smart devices.

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