Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reiterated India’s strong push for high-speed rail as outlined in the Union Budget 2026-27, saying that passengers could travel from **Chennai to Bengaluru in approximately 1 hour 13 minutes once the proposed corridor is operational. This would represent a dramatic improvement over the current travel times by road or conventional trains, underpinning India’s ambition to modernise major inter-city connectivity. The announcement reflects the government’s focus on creating world-class rail infrastructure capable of facilitating fast, efficient, and sustainable mobility between major economic hubs in the south of the country. As part of broader high-speed rail planning announced in Budget 2026, this corridor would be one of several that dramatically reduce travel times across key cities. Budget 2026 Accelerates High-Speed Rail Corridors In the 2026-27 budget, the government announced plans to develop seven high-speed rail corridors connecting major metros and business cities, positioning them as “growth connectors.” These proposed lines include routes such as Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, and Varanasi–Siliguri — each intended to bridge economic centres with drastically reduced travel times compared to current options. The Chennai–Bengaluru high-speed link, if realised, forecasts speeds that allow trains to travel roughly 350 km between the two cities…  ​Read MoreBusiness Archives – Trak.in – Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups

Writing goals in ink and strategies in pencil is a simple line, but it carries a modern truth about ambition: clarity matters, and so does flexibility.In a world that rewards speed, it is easy to confuse movement with progress. We chase the next trend, copy someone else’s roadmap, and measure our worth by how busy we look. This quote pushes back. It argues that the most serious people are not the ones who obsess over perfect plans, but the ones who commit to a direction, then adapt their route with humility.Why Goals Belong in InkAn ink goal is a decision. It is the part of your life you are willing to defend against distractions, moods, and shifting priorities. Ink does not mean stubbornness, it means clarity. If you want to build a business, improve your health, publish a book, or learn a skill, you need an anchor that stays steady even when motivation dips.A clear goal also solves a quiet but costly problem: scattered effort. Many people have the talent and energy to do meaningful work, but they spread it across too many “maybes.” Ink forces selection. It makes you say, “This is what I’m building this year,” and that…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

MobiKwik Hits Profit Mark MobiKwik turned a corner in Q3 FY26. The fintech platform swung to profitability during the quarter on the back of record payments GMV, a tight leash on expenses and improving margins. The numbers came despite the company’s dipping financial services revenues. Here is a snapshot of the Q3 numbers: Net profit stood at INR 4 Cr against a loss of INR 55.3 Cr in the year-ago quarter Operating revenue rose 7.2% YoY to INR 288.9 Cr EBITDA improved to INR 15 Cr compared to an EBITDA loss of INR 42.7 Cr in Q3 FY25 Expenses declined 11% YoY to INR 282.2 Cr Payments vertical’s revenue rose 13.8% YoY to INR 223.7 Cr, while gross profit rose 35.7% to INR 83.3 Cr Financial services’ top line declined 10.6% YoY to INR 65.2 Cr on a gross profit of INR 37.2 Cr, up 405% YoY  Payments Powerhouse: MobiKwik’s payments engine continued to do the heavy lifting in Q3. The company claimed that it managed to convert the surge in UPI activity to higher net margins despite a decrease in the overall take rate. The firm’s strong foothold in the digital wallet category also provided a stable foundation as…  ​Read MoreInc42 Media

“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes,” wrote Carl Jung, and the line feels like a clean split between two ways of living. One is outward-facing. It is full of plans, comparisons, ambitions, and imagined futures. The other is inward-facing. It is quieter, less performative, and far more demanding. Jung’s point is not that dreams are useless. It is that a life led only from the outside remains partly asleep.Looking Outside: The Comfort of Endless PossibilityTo “look outside” is to place the centre of gravity in the external world. It is the version of you that scrolls, watches, benchmarks, collects opinions, and stays busy. Outward attention can be productive. It helps you learn skills, find mentors, notice opportunities, and build a career. But it also has a trap built into it.The trap is postponement.When the focus stays outside, life becomes a series of “once this happens” moments. Once the job changes. Once the money improves. Once the body transforms. Once the relationship feels perfect. The mind stays in projection mode. It lives in what could be, what should be, and what others seem to have figured out. That is why Jung uses the word “dreams.” A dream is vivid,…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

India’s digital transformation has unlocked unprecedented access to banking, payments, and services. But alongside convenience, a darker reality has emerged—one that disproportionately affects older adults. Digital fraud targeting senior citizens has quietly escalated into a national crisis, exploiting trust, unfamiliarity with evolving technology, and fear-driven manipulation.In recent months, terms like digital arrest, fake KYC updates, and police impersonation scams have become alarmingly common. Seniors are increasingly being coerced into transferring their life savings or sharing sensitive details under the guise of compliance, urgency, or legal threat. While cybercrime affects all age groups, the elderly remain particularly vulnerable due to lower digital literacy and their likelihood towards trusting individuals with authority. The scale of the crisisThe scale of the problem is staggering. According to India’s Ministry of Finance, high-value cyber fraud cases (those involving amounts exceeding INR 1,00,000) rose by more than four times, from 6,699 cases in FY 2023 to 29,082 cases in FY 2024. These incidents alone resulted in losses of nearly INR 1.77 billion.Data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) paints an even grimmer picture. In May 2024, India recorded nearly 7,000 cybercrime complaints every day, with 85% linked to online financial fraud. While official data does…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

Hello,One of India’s largest VC firms is bleeding executive talent.Managing Directors at Peak XV—Ashish Agrawal, Ishaan Mittal, and Tejeshwi Sharma—have left the company to set up their own venture capital firm. PeakXV added that this move was taken amid its focus on artificial intelligence and to make space for AI-native investors.Meanwhile, Indian markets are rallying in relief after US President Trump announced a trade deal to cut tariffs to 18% from 50% in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and lowering trade barriers.India has agreed to buy petroleum, defence products, and aircraft from the US, while partly opening up its agriculture sector, according to a Reuters report. Additionally, the country has lowered tariffs on imported cars to address Washington’s immediate demands.Along with lifting stock markets, the deal also provided much-needed support for the rupee, which has been in the doldrums as Asia’s worst-performing currency in January.Lastly, despite some siloed progress, the gender gap in Indian workplaces is far from being bridged. YourStory’s flagship women-focused event, SheSparks—scheduled for March 14 at IIT Delhi—aims to bring together women from all industries and walks of life to confront these realities while charting practical paths forward.Don’t miss your chance to be a part…  ​Read More​YourStory RSS Feed

Climate tech startup Varaha has marked the first close of its ongoing $45 Mn Series B funding round at $20 Mn.  The round was led by WestBridge Capital, with participation from existing backer Omnivore Ventures. The company also said that RTP Global, which led Varaha’s Series A round, also joined the round with a super pro-rata investment. The fundraise marks WestBridge’s first bet in the climate tech space in India. The startup plans to utilise the fresh proceeds to expand footprint, strengthen its scientific as well as measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) capabilities. The company said that a chunk of the capital will also be deployed to scale a new industrial partnership model that will extend its capabilities worldwide. Founded in 2022 by Madhur Jain, Ankita Garg and Vishal Kuchanur, Varaha is a clean tech startup that claims to operate 20 carbon dioxide removal projects across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Ivory Coast.  The startup generates high-quality carbon credits by enabling farmers, with small land holdings, to follow regenerative agriculture and agroforestry. These credits are then used by businesses to offset their greenhouse emissions.  Earlier today, the company also announced the launch of Varaha Industrial Partners Program (VIPP) to…  ​Read MoreInc42 Media

Online matchmaking platform Juleo has shut down operations. The startup’s cofounder Varun Sud took to LinkedIn to announce that the startup is “pausing” its services after failing to raise further capital.  “We built an AI Matchmaker with zero scams, found product market fit and successfully got singles across India into relationships and marriages, but were sadly unable to get institutional investors to buy into our vision given baggage from past carcasses in the space,” Sud said. Important to mention that the startup had raised $2.5 Mn in a funding round in August 2024 from angel investors like Livspace cofounder Ramakant Sharma, CRED founder Kunal Shah, Acko cofounder Ruchi Deepak, Groww cofounders Harsh Jain and Lalit Keshre, among others. Moving forward, Sud hinted at founding a new venture in the “consumer AI space”. Founded in 2023 by Sud and Chiranjeev Ghai, Juleo offered subscription-based matchmaking services. It later began integrating offline community events and activities for singles to complement its digital offerings. Its AI-powered matchmaking, Genie, selected potential matches and managed the logistics of arranging in-person meetings. Further, women’s profiles were private by default, giving them control over their visibility.  The startup claims that its app saw over 5 Lakh installation…  ​Read MoreInc42 Media