From H-1B visa fee increase’s impact on growth of GCCs in India, to Frontier Tech Capital’s new maiden fund, YourStory brings today’s headlines that highlight significant developments across industries.
Features stories
How H-1B visa fee may accelerate the growth of GCCs in India
The US government’s proposed increase of H-1B visa fees up to $1,00,000 from $5,000 is expected to push multinational companies (MNCs) to shift more tech work to India, particularly via Global Capability Centres (GCCs), instead of sending talent abroad.
“We expect MNCs to increase their reliance on GCCs and IT service firms in India, which remain a cost-effective option even after factoring in the 25%cess,” Kamal Karnath, Xpheno Co-founder, said.
At present, India hosts close to 1,700 GCCs, generating about $65 billion, and employing 1.9 million people. The revenue contribution of GCCs is projected to touch $110 billion by 2030, with the presence of around 2,400 such units.
Read more here.
Kustodian.life helps families unlock money stuck in EPF, insurance, and others
Founded by Harsh Jain and Kunal Kabra in 2023, Bengaluru-based Kustodian.life is reimagining how Indians access, recover, and secure their financial future, with empathy at the core and AI as the enabler. The fintech startup helps families recover money stuck in EPF, insurance, pension, bank deposits and other financial instruments.
According to Jain, Kustodian.life has helped reduce customer effort from 100 hours to just two, and that the startup helped settle claims 50% faster than traditional routes. It has so far helped 1,200 families, facilitating the recovery of over Rs 20 crore across EPF and related claims.
Read more here.
Ex-Citi and KaHa execs to launch new $150M private equity Fund
New private equity fund Frontier Tech Capital is raising a $150 million corpus for its maiden fund. The fund will invest in growth-stage tech companies that generate over $50 million in revenue, with a number of caveats.
Frontier Tech Capital was co-founded by Pawan Gandhi, Founder of Singapore-based KaHa (acquired by boAt), former Citi executive Brijesh Pande, and Razat Gaurav, CEO of Texas-based Plainview.
According to Gandhi, the firm has already raised almost half of the target corpus.
Read more here.
Funding news
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ATP co-founders Anish Singh, Shashank Shekhar, Kshitij Jain (L-R)
” align=”center”> ATP co-founders Anish Singh, Shashank Shekhar, Kshitij Jain (L-R)
HR-tech startup ATP raises Rs 7 Cr
Human resources technology startup All Things People (ATP) has raised Rs 7 crore in its seed round from an angel syndicate of prominent global industry leaders, family and friends.
Varun Alagh (Honasa Consumer), Amit Dalmia (Blackstone), Alex Von Behr (ex-Unilever and Coca-Cola India), Vivak Gambhir, and Amit Singh (Workspan) are among the angel investors in the round.
The Bengaluru-based company was founded in 2024 by Anish Singh, Kshitij Jain and Shashank Shekhar to use technology to improve customer experiences. The freshly raised funds will be used to expand and enhance ATP’s first product offering.
Carbon Masters raised funds from SEEAA, Sangam Ventures and IAN Group
Climate-tech venture Carbon Masters India has raised an undisclosed amount in equity from Schneider Electric Energy Access Asia (SEEAA), Sangam Ventures, and IAN Group. The round also saw participation from Sriram Sankaran, Managing Director of Synchron Group, and Muthu Murugappan, CEO of Murugappa Group.
As part of this investment, Vikram Raman from SEEAA and Sriram Sankaran have joined
Carbon Masters’ Board of Directors.
Co-founded by Som Narayan and Kevin Houston, Carbon Masters converts organic waste streams into renewable biomethane and bio-enriched organic manure, marketed under its flagship Carbonlites brand.
Carbon Masters will use the fresh funds to expand production capacity of its Carbonlites Biomethane, scale Carbonlites bio-enriched organic fertiliser portfolio, enhance efficiency across existing operations, and expand its team across sales, marketing and R&D.
OnFinance AI raised $.42M to accelerate AI-driven BFSI compliance
Generative AI platform for the BSFI sector, OnFinance AI, has raised $4.2 million in a Pre-Series A funding round. The round was led by Peak XV’s Surge, with participation from Shyamal Hitesh Anadkat (OpenAI), Groww Founders’ Fund, MaraShot VC (Razorypay Founders’ Fund), and Climber Capital. Existing investors IAN and Silverneedle Ventures also participated in the round.
Founded in 2023, the Bengaluru-based startup helps transform how financial institutions approach compliance, risk and audit. Its clients include BSE Limited, Kotak Mutual Fund, Nippon India Mutual Fund, Aditya Birla Capital Digital, and HDFC Securities, among others.
The freshly raised funds will be used to expand AI models, accelerate R&D and hiring in engineering and AI-research teams, and expand to new international markets.
Other news
MakeMyTrip enters strategic partnership with Vietnam’s Sun Group
Traveltech giant MakeMyTrip has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnam’s leading entertainment and hospitality conglomerate Sun Hospitality and Entertainment Group (S.H.E).
Through this association, MakeMyTrip aims to bring the best of Vietnam’s resorts, hotels, and attractions into its itineraries, giving Indian travellers a richer and more immersive holiday experience. Sun Group has eight theme parks and destinations across Vietnam, offering a unique version of culture, landscape, and local experiences. Its portfolio also includes 15 award-winning resorts in Vietnam.
India is emerging as a key driver of inbound tourism to Vietnam, aided by rising travel demand and simplified e-visa policies. Indian arrivals grew from 169,000 in 2019 to 392,000 in 2023, a 231% increase. The momentum continued with 501,000 visitors in 2024, and 337,000 arrivals in just the first half of 2025. Sun World destinations have mirrored this growth, welcoming nearly 300,000 Indian visitors in the first half of 2025, a 101% increase over the same period in 2024.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
Edited by Affirunisa Kankudti
