From ex-Meta policy chief joining PhonePe ahead of its IPO to bootstrapped pi-labs fighting deepfakes with AI, and Plum investing Rs 200 Cr to move beyond insurtech, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with key developments across startups, AI, and IPOs.
Featured:
Fighting AI with AI: This bootstrapped Pune startup is making deepfake detection easier
Pune-based deeptech startup pi-labs is tackling the growing threat of deepfakes and synthetic media through AI-powered cyberforensics.
Founded in 2023 by Ankush Tiwari, Abhijeet Zilpelwar, and Raghu Sesha Iyengar, pi-labs develops proprietary technology to detect and counter manipulated audio, video, and images—critical in an age where misinformation, impersonation, and fraud are on the rise.
Its flagship offerings include Authentify (a deepfake detection engine), pi-scout (a unified data analytics platform for investigations), and pi-sense (a video analytics tool for tamper-proof verification). The tools are deployed via SaaS across cloud, on-premise, and private setups, serving sectors like law enforcement, intelligence, and BFSI.Read more.
Shaadi Mubarak: How The Wedding Company reshapes wedding planning for India’s middle class
Bengaluru-based startup The Wedding Company, founded in 2023 by MIT alumni Pawan Gupta and Rahul Namdev, is aiming to transform India’s fragmented wedding industry through a tech-enabled, full-stack planning platform.
Targeting the Rs 10–50 lakh wedding segment, the company helps middle-income families plan weddings with greater transparency, reliability, and cost efficiency—traditionally out of reach due to high planner fees and inconsistent service.
Latest news:
Employee wellbeing startup Plum invests Rs 200 Cr to expand beyond insurance
Plum, the Bengaluru-based employee health benefits platform, is doubling down on healthcare with a Rs 200 crore ($25 million) investment over the next five years to expand its offerings beyond insurance and into full-stack digital health services.
The company announced the launch of Plum Health Checkups, an at-home screening product that combines over 200 advanced biomarkers, AI-driven reports, and follow-up consultations with doctors, all aimed at transforming how corporate India approaches preventive care.
The move comes amid a broader strategy shift as the company evolves from an insurtech firm to a healthcare-first platform. Read more.
WeWork India receives SEBI approval for IPO
WeWork India Management Ltd has secured regulatory approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for its initial public offering (IPO).
The offering comprises an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 43.75 million equity shares by existing shareholders. Promoter Embassy Buildcon will sell up to 33.46 million shares, and investor 1 Ariel Way Tenant will offload up to 10.30 million shares, according to the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) filed in February.
Considering the IPO is a pure OFS, the company will not receive any proceeds from the offering. In its draft papers, it cited that the objective of the offer is to obtain the benefits of listing its equity shares on the stock exchanges. Read more.
Funding:
Vaaree raises $4.6M to scale AI-driven home décor platform
Bengaluru-based home décor startup Vaaree has secured $4.6 million in a pre-Series A round led by PeerCapital, with backing from Surge (Peak XV), All In Capital, Sattva Ventures, and the Asian Paints family office.
Founded in 2022 by Garima Luthra, Pranav Arora, and Varun Vohra, Vaaree offers curated home goods from export-grade factories. The funds will expand its AI-based styling tool, VibeCheck, enhance its fulfilment network for next-day deliveries, and grow brand awareness in India’s $15B home décor market.
Unibose secures Rs 5.5 Cr to expand hazard-zone robotics
Chennai-based Unibose Technology has raised Rs 5.5 crore in pre-Series A funding led by O2 Angels, with IN44 Capital and Coimbatore Innovation and Business Incubator participating.
Founded by Manikandan Dakshinamoorthy and team, Unibose develops ATEX Zone-0 certified robots for explosive and confined industrial zones. The funds will be used to scale deployments across India and Southeast Asia and strengthen R&D in AI-powered inspection tools.
Navana.ai raises Rs 7 Cr led by Antler India
Speech AI startup Navana.ai has raised Rs 7 crore ($800K) in a pre-Series A round led by Antler India, with participation from Ronnie Screwvala, Ajay Agarwal, and Sandeep Singhal.
Founded by Raoul and Jai Nanavati, Navana builds Indic-language voicebots and speech APIs. The capital will help expand its AI infrastructure, already used by Bajaj Finserv and Ujjivan Bank, and deepen reach across India’s $6B contact center market.
