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The last week of January turned out to be disappointing for the Indian startup ecosystem as venture capital inflow dipped due to a lower number of deals and the absence of large value transactions.The total funding for the week came in at $152 million across 22 deals. In contrast, the previous week saw total funding of $373 million across 40 deals. Venture capital funding actually saw a steady rise over the last three weeks, raising hopes of a revival in fund inflow.During this week, there were deals across all stages of funding, starting from pre-Series A to Series D, but the quantum of capital raised was smaller. Also, the number of deals in each category was lower.Also, the deals during the week were spread across sectors such as fintech, spacetech, healthcare, etc. This shows that there is no single theme that is dominating the VC landscape in India. By and large, it is the volume of deals and the presence of large value transactions that drive up the funding momentum.This also shows the kind of environment that Indian startups continue to face, as VC fund inflow has not been steady for quite some time now. In fact, VC funding for…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

StartupTalky presents Recap'25, a series of exclusive interviews where we connect with founders and industry leaders to reflect on their journey in 2025 and...

Most startups fail not because the idea is bad, but because the assumptions are never questioned.One of the most widely discussed mental models in modern entrepreneurship is first principles thinking, popularised by Elon Musk. It is a way of reasoning that ignores how things have “always been done” and instead rebuilds solutions from the ground up.This article explains what first principles thinking really means, why it works, and how founders can apply it practically to their own startups.What is first principles thinking?First principles thinking involves breaking a problem down to its most basic, undeniable truths and then reasoning upwards from there. Instead of copying existing solutions or improving them slightly, this approach asks a more fundamental question: what are the core elements that make this problem exist in the first place?The idea traces back to Aristotle’s philosophy, where first principles are truths that cannot be reduced any further. Elon often contrasts this with reasoning by analogy, where people copy what already exists rather than questioning whether it should exist in that form at all.Why reasoning by analogy limits innovationMost industries run on analogy. Companies look at competitors, match pricing, and follow established playbooks. This feels safe, but it also locks…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

India’s business landscape saw notable strategic moves on 30th January 2026, with major corporations expanding into new categories and strengthening their technology capabilities. Reliance...

EV-maker Ola Electric on Friday said it will lay off about 5% of its workforce as it focuses on increasing automation across its front end operations. “The company is doubling down on speed and discipline through increased automation across its frontend operations. As part of this ongoing structural transformation, approximately 5% of the workforce will be impacted,” the company said in a statement.The news comes amid plunging EV sales at the company, that once held the market lead in electric two-wheeler (E2W) sales. Ola Electric had also expanded its service centre options with dedicated Hyperservice features that aims to offer same-day service guarantee in December. Also ReadOla Electric appoints Deepak Rastogi as CFO, Abichandani steps downAccording to the firm, its same-day resolution is now being delivered to over 80% of service requests nationwide. Despite efforts taken, the company’s sales have dipped in January, according to Vahaan data. The company managed to sell only 6,747 units in January, capturing a mere 6.1% share of the market.The EV-maker had previously undertaken a series of layoffs in 2024 which impacted around 450-500 employees. Ola Electric's revenue has also seen recent declines. In Q2, it reported a 43.1% decline in its revenue from operations to Rs 690 crore compared…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

Dronetech startup AVPL International (AITMC Ventures) has received approval from markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for…

India’s AI startup ecosystem is in front of an open window of opportunity right now. Between 2026 and 2027, multiple…

ITC Group plans to launch a number of packaged foods with a focus on freshness. From cookies and cakes to chutneys and namkeens, it...

Value ecommerce platform Meesho on Friday saw its consolidated losses widen to Rs 490 crore, even as it clocked 31% growth in its topline, in its first quarterly performance as a listed company. The Bengaluru-based company clocked Rs 3,517 crore in operating revenue, as compared to Rs 2,678 crore it posted in the corresponding quarter in the previous year. On a sequential basis, its topline increased by about 14% from Rs 3,073 crore.The company saw its losses widen to Rs 478 crore in the December quarter, as compared to a loss of just Rs 37 crore last year. However, its free cash flow stood at Rs 56 crore for the last 12 months, helped by its growth in Net Merchandise Value. "Our north star is Free Cash Flow per share, which captures the real cash generated after reinvestment and reflects the long-term economics of our business," explained Vidit Aatrey, CEO at Meesho, in a press note shared with exchanges. Shares of the company closed 2.87% higher at Rs 173 apiece on NSE. Meesho runs a marketplace model where it acts as a platform that aggregates sellers, customers and logistics partners with no inventory or assets of its own. It clocked…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

StartupTalky presents Recap'25, a series of exclusive interviews where we connect with founders and industry leaders to reflect on their journey in 2025 and...