From government school students in Haryana building a menstrual wellness solution to Rapido raising $240 million in primary funding at a $3-billion valuation, YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors.
Featured stories
How a group of government school students in Haryana built a menstrual wellness solution
A group of government school students from Haryana has developed a menstrual wellness solution after observing how period pain was disrupting the daily lives of girls in their school, causing absenteeism, discomfort, and difficulty focusing in class.
Built through the Kushal Business Challenge, a Haryana government-led school entrepreneurship programme, Her Ease was conceptualised by Pallavi Kaswan, Pritam Suthar, Anand Bansal, and Neha Loura, students of Aarohi Model Senior Secondary School in Hisar.
The Kushal Business Challenge is run under Samagra Shiksha and implemented by government teachers in all government schools.
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Latest news
Dhruva Space gets Rs 105 Cr from Centre for developing satellite platform
Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space has received a grant of Rs 105 crore from the Centre's Research, Development and Innovation Fund for Project Garud, the startup's programme that focuses on developing a standardised 500 kg-class platform designed for high-volume satellite deployment.
A satellite platform is a component of a satellite that provides essential services to the payload and enables the mission objectives, such as power and communication.
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D2C Insider to launch Rs 150 Cr VC fund
D2C Insider, a community of D2C brand founders and enablers, plans to launch a Rs 150-crore venture capital fund called ConsumerX Ventures.
According to sources aware of this development, ConsumerX Ventures, under Category II alternative investment fund, will back around 25 early-stage D2C (direct to consumer) brands and enablers at the pre-seed and seed stages of funding. The average cheque size of each transaction is likely to be Rs 3 crore-5 crore.
The fund will target an ownership of 10-15% in the firms, with 40% of the fund reserved for follow-on capital. for selected startups
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Equiniti GCC aims to deliver higher value work from India, use AI with caution
US-headquartered financial services company, Equiniti, which focuses on share registry services, aims to generate higher value work from its global capability centre in India through upskilling its employees and leveraging artificial intelligence with caution.
Equiniti primarily provides share registry services, which means it completely maintains the legal records of a shareholder for any company such as their names, dividend payments, transfer, rights issues, IPOs etc. This is a third-party service.
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Funding news
Rapido raises $240M in primary funding led by Prosus at $3B valuation
Ride-hailing platform Rapido has raised $240 million in primary funding led by Prosus, with participation from WestBridge Capital, Accel, and other investors. This values the startup at $3 billion on a post-money basis.
Rapido said in a statement that the capital will be used to expand into newer markets and strengthen its presence in existing markets. It will also invest in technology and people.
The funding is part of a $730-million primary and secondary financing.
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Legend of Toys raises Rs 21 crore in pre-Series A funding
Legend of Toys has raised Rs 21 crore in its pre-Series A funding round, with participation from Singularity Early Opportunities Fund, Veltis Capital, Enzia Ventures, DeVC, Atrium Angels and Stride.
The company plans to use the capital to expand into new play categories, including DIY and adjacent formats, strengthen sourcing and manufacturing capabilities, step up consumer marketing and digital presence, and build its presence across India and global markets.
Other news
Bengaluru school adopts DeepGrade
Gurukul High School, located in South Bengaluru has adopted DeepGrade to strengthen its assessment practices.
The DeepGrade platform enables AI-based evaluation of handwritten and digital responses using structured rubrics, ensuring consistency and transparency in grading. It also provides actionable insights, allowing educators to reduce manual workload and focus more effectively on teaching and student support.
The AI platform is already expanding across schools and education institutions in India. Gurukul High School is among the early adopters, integrating the system into its academic processes.
IIT Jodhpur partners with Masai
Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur is collaborating with Masai, an edtech platform, to launch two degree programmes: a BS in management and technology and an MBA technology. Both programmes offer campus immersions, access to Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur’s ecosystem, and alumni status upon graduation.
Acronis appoints Jim Tedesco as chief revenue officer
Acronis has appointed Jim Tedesco as the chief revenue officer. Tedesco will lead Acronis’ global sales and go-to-market execution, overseeing global sales, go-to-market strategy, professional services, and solution engineering.
He brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience across sales, operations, and customer success roles. Most recently, he served as GM and SVP of customer success at a backup and replication software company.
Razorpay elevates Apuarv Sethi as chief marketing officer
Razorpay has elevated Apuarv Sethi to the role of chief marketing officer. His most recent role was as the senior vice president, marketing.
In his new role, Sethi will lead Razorpay’s marketing and SME business growth strategy across India and Southeast Asia, with a focus on using AI tools to improve customer engagement, acquisition, and retention in India and international markets.
With nearly two decades of experience, Sethi brings expertise across brand building, marketing, growth strategy, monetisation, loyalty, and business strategy across industries, including fintech, SaaS, ecommerce, and education.
Red Balloon Aerospace conducts tethered trial
Red Balloon Aerospace has conducted a tethered launch of its super-pressure balloon system at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Vijayawada. The trial saw the balloon ascend under full tethered control.
The event served as a precision simulation of the startup’s forthcoming main launch in Q2 2026, which will target an operational altitude of up to 25 kilometres.
The launch also served as a payload integration platform, with multiple aerospace companies flying their instruments and payloads aboard the balloon.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
Source: YourStory - Startups
