Author: Arabian Media staff

Elev8 Venture Partners closed a Rs 1,400 crore ($160 million) maiden fund in India, targeting growth-stage startups over the next 12–18 months. Backed by institutions from South Korea, Hong Kong, and India, the fund saw a sovereign fund, large family offices, and several unicorn founders joining as limited partners (LPs). South Korea-based KB Investment (part of KB Financial Group) was the anchor investor, while the Indian Self-Reliant India Fund also contributed significant capital to the fund.Venture Catalysts-backed Elev8 launched in 2023, and it has already deployed about one-third of the corpus in five companies—Astrotalk, IDfy, Smallcase, Porter, and Snapmint—with cheque…

Tessolve, a Hero Electronix venture and an independent semiconductor engineering services company, has secured $150 million in funding from TPG, a global alternative asset management firm. Tessolve said it will use the additional capital to strengthen global delivery centers, expand advanced test labs and accelerate strategic acquisition as it looks to consolidate the company’s position as a key enabler to the global and Indian semiconductor ecosystem. TPG invested through TPG Growth, the firm’s middle market and growth equity platform, said the release.“This investment is a significant milestone for Tessolve and a testament to Hero Electronix’s vision to build leading technology…

Bengaluru-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain Curefoods has completed five years since its inception. The company, which started in 2020 with the launch of EatFit, now manages a diverse portfolio of food brands serving customers across multiple Indian cities.Ankit Nagori, Founder of Curefoods, highlighted the company’s journey on X, formerly Twitter. He credited the company’s growth to “dreaming big and executing with discipline,” while stressing the importance of quality, customer trust, and team culture in shaping Curefoods’ trajectory.“While milestones like this are a moment to pause and celebrate, they’re also a reminder that our journey has only just begun,” Nagori wrote,…

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed a record 20.01 billion payments in August 2025, clearing the monthly milestone for the first time, provisional data from the National Payments Council of India (NPCI) data show.The network handled Rs 24.85 lakh crore in value for the month. Volumes rose 2.8% month on month from 19.47 billion in July, while value eased 0.9% from Rs 25.08 lakh crore. June 2025 recorded 18.40 billion transactions worth Rs 24.04 lakh crore.On a year-earlier basis, August volumes grew 34% and value 21%. Average daily activity stood at 645 million transactions totaling Rs 80,177 crore.The implied average ticket…

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, is working toward becoming a trillion-dollar economy by 2029. That is the goal under which “every department, every secretary, every principal secretary, every additional chief secretary is functioning,” said Alok Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of the state, in a conversation with YourStory founder and CEO Shradha Sharma.“The challenge before us is how do we expand the economy?” said Kumar. “What are the enabling matters that the government should intervene in. What should be left to the private people? Where should we bring in other institutions like the banks, commercial institutions, export promotion…” He said,…

“AI to us is what fire was to cavemen—a great slave but a terrible master.”This quote frames the conversation around Artificial Intelligence (AI) in financial services quite perfectly. Much like fire, AI in itself is not the solution; it is an enabler. When combined with human judgement, ground-level experience, and a deep understanding of real-world complexity, it can power transformative outcomes. Without this balance, it can just as easily lead to unintended consequences (think of burning down the hut instead of cooking dinner).In India, where the population is enormous, the regulatory environment is stringent, and the cultural and economic diversity is…

Many brands spend heavily on digital ads, but a big share is lost to bots and fake clicks. This not only wastes money but also skews campaign results, making it harder to reach real customers. Gurugram-based mFilterIt, founded by Amit Relan and Dhiraj Gupta, began by removing such fake traffic and showing clients how much of their budget was being saved.But today, removing such ads is only a part of mFilterIT’s business. Starting its journey in 2015 as a digital media verification startup, the startup has grown into a multi-sector risk intelligence platform covering ad verification, brand protection, telecom risk,…

In early 2015, I pitched the Associate Product Manager (APM) programme at Flipkart. The proposal was to hire the smartest undergrads in India and put them through a two-year rotational programme to produce the next generation of product leaders in the company and the Indian ecosystem. The proposal was met with a lot of raised eyebrows, who asked questions like “Shouldn’t we hire MBAs instead?” or “Why don’t we hire those with product management experience?”. It’s been a decade since that day, and this programme is now one of the most sought-after roles offered on campuses, with the program alumni…

Hello,The festive season is here, but the proposed GST changes have prompted ecommerce consumers to pause before making their next big-ticket purchase. Analysts believe this blip is only temporary and sales are set to rebound as clarity improves and festive fervour takes hold.Speaking about shopping, ecommerce major Flipkart has expanded its supply chain infrastructure across India in preparation for its annual festive sale.ICYMI: India’s festive rush fuels scramble for white-collar gig talentIn other news, online gaming app Mobile Premier League (MPL) is reportedly firing 60% of its local employees as part of its downsizing attempt, The Economic Times reported, citing…

The planned GST changes have prompted some e-shoppers to postpone purchase decisions in hopes of lower taxes on certain products like consumer goods and electronics, say analysts, while emphasising that the blip is only temporary and sales are set to rebound as clarity improves and festive fervour takes hold.Goods and services are currently charged under a four-tier system with rates ranging from 5 to 28%.GST reform, proposed by the Centre, says that most goods will be charged at either 5 to 18%. Durables such as washing machines, air conditioners and refrigerators will be among the goods charged lower rates under…