Founders Venture

SaaS unicorn Zoho is preparing to launch its consumer payments app, "Zoho Pay". The app is currently under internal testing and is expected to roll out over the coming months. While a formal launch date is yet to be finalized, the company has confirmed that the app will be available as a standalone platform as well as embedded within its secure messaging app, Arattai. According to Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, CEO of Zoho Payments Tech, the new application will allow users to send and receive money, make secure digital payments, and carry out seamless peer-to-peer and merchant transactions all aimed at making financial interactions simpler and safer for Indian consumers. The Arattai integration enables users to make payments without leaving the chat interface, mirroring the trend of conversational commerce and payments seen in apps like WhatsApp and WeChat. This positions Zoho Pay as a strong competitor in the burgeoning digital payments ecosystem. Earlier this month, Zoho cofounder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu showcased the company's fintech ambitions by unveiling Zoho’s first suite of payment hardware including an all-in-one Point-of-Sale (PoS) device, a smart PoS terminal, and a static QR code system with soundbox support. These tools are expected to help merchants process transactions more efficiently while deepening Zoho's presence in the MSME and retail segments. Zoho Pay is expected to leverage the company's existing ecosystem and user base, which spans across enterprise SaaS, communication tools, and now, fintech potentially creating a powerful network effect in both B2B and B2C payments. As Zoho prepares for its next big leap in digital finance, industry watchers are keen to see how it navigates a highly competitive market dominated by players like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, and BharatPe. #zoho #zohopay #fintech #digitalpayments #indianstartups #arattai #upipayments #mobilepayments #posdevice #soundbox #smbtech #saasnews #sridharvembu

Bengaluru-based quick-commerce unicorn Zepto has expanded its employee stock option (ESOP) pool by $170 million (₹1,495 crore), taking the total pool size to over $500 million (₹4,637 crore), according to recent filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). The company has allotted an additional 39.4 lakh stock options, increasing the total ESOP pool to 1.2 crore options. With this expansion, the overall value of the pool now stands at approximately $527 million, marking one of the largest ESOP pools among late-stage Indian consumer internet startups. To further empower its workforce, Zepto has also approved an interest-free loan of ₹700 crore ($84 million) to its employee welfare trust, enabling team members to exercise and purchase vested shares without upfront financial strain. This initiative reflects Zepto’s strategy to reward long-term contributors and foster a sense of ownership across all levels of the organisation. Founded by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, Zepto has been on a rapid growth trajectory, recently achieving a $7 billion valuation after its latest funding round. The company continues to dominate India’s quick-commerce market, competing with major players like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart. Industry experts view this ESOP expansion as a strategic move to retain key talent amid rising competition and to prepare for Zepto’s next phase of growth, which could include international expansion or a future IPO. Roshan Shaikh Chandan Mendiratta #zepto #esop #quickcommerce #indiastartups #startupnews #fundingnews #bengalurustartups

A couple at a shopping mall exposed shocking facts about popular hair oils. Parachute hair oil contains 73.5% mineral oil, a byproduct of crude oil, which they say is a major cause of scalp damage and baldness in men. They also revealed how brands like Emami mislead consumers by showing almond, jojoba, and olive on the front label, while the back lists Paraffinum Liquidum and alkene-based chemicals as main ingredients. “This is how we’re losing our hair, unknowingly applying crude oil to our scalp every day,” they said, urging people to check ingredients before buying. #mineraloil #parachuteoil #emamihairoil #hairloss

SaaS unicorn Zoho is preparing to launch its consumer payments app, "Zoho Pay". The app is currently under internal testing and is expected to roll out over the coming months. While a formal launch date is yet to be finalized, the company has confirmed that the app will be available as a standalone platform as well as embedded within its secure messaging app, Arattai. According to Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, CEO of Zoho Payments Tech, the new application will allow users to send and receive money, make secure digital payments, and carry out seamless peer-to-peer and merchant transactions all aimed at making financial interactions simpler and safer for Indian consumers. The Arattai integration enables users to make payments without leaving the chat interface, mirroring the trend of conversational commerce and payments seen in apps like WhatsApp and WeChat. This positions Zoho Pay as a strong competitor in the burgeoning digital payments ecosystem. Earlier this month, Zoho cofounder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu showcased the company's fintech ambitions by unveiling Zoho’s first suite of payment hardware including an all-in-one Point-of-Sale (PoS) device, a smart PoS terminal, and a static QR code system with soundbox support. These tools are expected to help merchants process transactions more efficiently while deepening Zoho's presence in the MSME and retail segments. Zoho Pay is expected to leverage the company's existing ecosystem and user base, which spans across enterprise SaaS, communication tools, and now, fintech potentially creating a powerful network effect in both B2B and B2C payments. As Zoho prepares for its next big leap in digital finance, industry watchers are keen to see how it navigates a highly competitive market dominated by players like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, and BharatPe. #zoho #zohopay #fintech #digitalpayments #indianstartups #arattai #upipayments #mobilepayments #posdevice #soundbox #smbtech #saasnews #sridharvembu

Kerala Students Build Innovative "Talk to Write" Device at Keralam Expo 2025. A group of bright young minds from Kerala have captured national attention with their groundbreaking invention a "Talk to Write" device unveiled at the prestigious Keralam Expo 2025. Developed by a team of engineering students from Government Model Engineering College, Kochi, the device converts spoken words into written text in real-time, offering a revolutionary solution for people with mobility or writing difficulties. Designed using a blend of speech recognition algorithms and AI-powered language processing, the prototype enables users to simply speak into a microphone, with their words instantly transcribed onto a digital document. The device is compact, affordable, and optimized for both English and regional languages like Malayalam and Hindi, making it highly accessible to a wider population. Team leader Anjana R., a final-year electronics student, explained, “Our goal was to bridge the gap between voice and text, especially for those with disabilities, elderly individuals, and even professionals who need fast documentation. We wanted something that speaks simplicity and usability.” The project was developed under the guidance of faculty mentor Dr. Sreekumar M.S., who highlighted the importance of student-led innovation in addressing real-world challenges. “This is not just a tech solution it's a tool for empowerment,” he said. The "Talk to Write" system received high praise from tech enthusiasts, educators, and government officials at the Expo. The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has already expressed interest in supporting the students to turn their prototype into a commercial product through incubation and funding opportunities. #talktowrite #keralaexpo2025 #studentinnovation #assistivetechnology #keralatech #voice2text #younginnovators #aiinnovation

DMart - Avenue Supermarts Ltd founder Radhakishan Damani and SBI MUTUAL FUND are set to invest ₹100 crore each in eyewear retailer Lenskart through a secondary share purchase, ahead of its upcoming IPO. Lenskart recently received SEBI’s approval for its public offering, which includes a ₹2,150 crore fresh issue and an offer for sale (OFS) of around 13.2 crore shares by existing shareholders. The IPO is expected to be one of the biggest for a D2C brand in India. The investment by Damani a seasoned retail investor and SBI MF signals strong market confidence in Lenskart’s growth potential and business model. #lenskartipo #radhakishandamani #sbimutualfund #dmart #indianipo #peeyushbansal

Eternal, the parent company of Blinkit, has reported a staggering ₹9,891 crore in revenue for Q2 of FY26. This figure is nearly four times the revenue of Zomato’s food delivery segment, cementing Eternal’s dominance in India’s fast-growing quick commerce and food tech market. The blockbuster revenue performance comes just three years after Eternal acquired Blinkit in 2022 for ₹4,500 crore, a move that was initially met with skepticism due to Blinkit's mounting losses at the time. However, the acquisition has since proven to be a masterstroke, as Blinkit has rapidly scaled operations, expanded into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, and diversified its product categories beyond groceries into electronics, personal care, and on-demand local services. According to analysts, Blinkit’s same-hour delivery model, combined with Eternal’s massive logistics backbone and AI-driven personalization, has given it a clear edge in the hyper-competitive quick commerce space. Meanwhile, Zomato’s growth in food delivery has plateaued, despite its efforts to consolidate market share and expand into cloud kitchens and intercity delivery. #eternal #blinkit #quickcommerce #zomato #startupnews #indianeconomy #ecommerce #businessnews #technews #startupindia #fooddelivery

Google Cloud has appointed Karthik Narain, an Indian-origin tech veteran, as its first-ever Chief Product & Business Officer (CPBO). In this new role, he will lead product development, engineering, and business strategy aligning all functions to accelerate AI-powered cloud solutions for global enterprises. Narain previously served as Global CTO at Accenture, with over 25 years of experience in digital transformation and enterprise AI. He will report directly to CEO Thomas Kurian and focus on scaling Google Cloud’s AI capabilities across industries and sectors. “Karthik’s leadership will help us deliver transformative AI solutions to our customers,” said Kurian. Google Cloud #firstcpbo #googlecloud #karthiknarain #techleadership #enterpriseai #cloudcomputing #aiinnovation #indiandiaspora #digitaltransformation

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, saw a dramatic drop in its market value on Tuesday following the surprise launch of OpenAI’s new web browser, ChatGPT Atlas. At 11:00 AM local time, Alphabet's stock was trading at $252.68, but within just 15 minutes, it plummeted to $246.15, wiping out approximately $100 billion in market capitalization, marking one of the sharpest single-day losses for the tech giant in recent years. The sell-off was triggered by the public debut of ChatGPT Atlas, a powerful AI-powered browser introduced by OpenAI on Monday night. The browser integrates OpenAI’s flagship assistant directly into the web experience, allowing users to summarise content, perform tasks, and even automate complex workflows, all within the browsing window. It also includes a live “Agent Mode” that lets the AI take action on behalf of the user across tabs. Initially available for macOS, OpenAI says versions for Windows, iOS, and Android will follow soon. The launch of Atlas directly challenges Google Chrome, which commands over 70% of the global browser market share. With AI taking center stage in how users interact with the internet, analysts believe Google’s long-held dominance in search and web browsing could face real disruption. “This is no longer just a battle for search queries, it’s a war for how people experience the internet,” said a market analyst at JP Morgan. “OpenAI has planted its flag firmly in Google’s backyard.” OpenAI's move could redefine user expectations for web browsing. If successful, Atlas may become the first widely adopted AI-native browser — and a serious threat to Google's ad-based business model. #chatgptatlas #openai #google #alphabet #stockmarket #browserwars #ai #artificialintelligence #technews #gemini #chrome #webbrowser #marketcap