Top Startup News Today: Startups' Big Bets, Bold Pivots & New Frontiers | 18th Nov

India’s startup ecosystem is moving through a phase where every development—big or small—seems to signal a larger shift. The past few years have seen entrepreneurs push through funding winters, regulatory resets, and global uncertainties. Yet, what stands out today is how fast new ideas are maturing, how boldly old models are being reinvented, and how deeply technology is seeping into sectors once considered traditional or slow-moving.

This week’s updates showcase exactly that—financial infrastructure built from scratch, MSMEs preparing for global markets, student startups pivoting into defence-tech, and policy-led innovation creating entirely new value chains. Even as large companies navigate bankruptcy courts or restructuring processes, others are sprinting ahead with new investments, export ambitions, scientific breakthroughs, and category-defining consumer brands.

Here’s the full roundup of everything shaping India’s innovation narrative right now.

Top Startup News Today

Knight Fintech: Building the Rails for India’s Co-Lending Revolution

A decade ago, India’s financial sector struggled with a persistent imbalance. Banks had capital but lacked last-mile reach. NBFCs and fintechs had customer pipelines but lacked funds. The RBI’s co-lending guidelines in 2020 were meant to bridge this divide—but the technology to actually execute these partnerships was missing.

This is the gap Knight Fintech founders Kushal Rastogi and Partesh Shah saw clearly.

Rastogi had built AI-driven trading systems at QuantMagnum and worked with global funds like Empire Capital and Quant. Shah brought financial experience from Bloomberg Singapore and Deloitte Consulting. Together, they understood the exact friction points on both sides.

Knight Fintech began building the core infrastructure—secure, compliant, and scalable rails—to connect banks with NBFCs and fintechs in real time. Today, their platform is enabling smoother credit flows to underserved borrowers and helping institutions unlock the true potential of co-lending.
Read more here.

upGrad Enters BYJU’S Insolvency Race

The BYJU’S insolvency process continues to draw interest from major industry players, and the latest to join the fray is Ronnie Screwvala–led upGrad.

Confirming the development, Screwvala said that upGrad has submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) for Think and Learn Pvt Ltd, the parent company of BYJU’S. He added that due to confidentiality rules, no further details can be shared at this stage.

While the outcome remains uncertain, upGrad’s entry signals how BYJU’S assets—despite the company’s steep fall—still carry strategic value across the edtech landscape.
Read more here.

New Export Schemes Boost MSMEs Across Textiles, Recycling & Compliance Tech

India’s MSMEs continue to be the beating heart of the economy, contributing 45% of the country’s total exports and supporting over 45 million jobs. With exports forming around 21% of India’s GDP in FY24-25, the sector’s growth is central to India’s economic ambitions.

The government’s latest export-oriented initiatives aim to propel MSMEs into new markets by easing credit access, improving compliance readiness, and driving digital adoption.

Whether it’s textile units aligning with global sustainability norms, recycling firms entering newer supply chains, or compliance-tech startups simplifying foreign trade regulations—these schemes are widening the playing field for India’s small and medium enterprises.
Read more here.

Kalam Labs: A Space-Education Startup’s Pivot to Defence-Tech

The story of Kalam Labs is one of those rare pivots that feel almost cinematic.

Founded in 2018 by BITS Pilani students Ahmad Faraaz, Sashakt Tripathi, and Harshit Awasthi, the startup originally set out to make space education engaging for children. Their multiplayer, metaverse-style space exploration game allowed kids to learn while navigating the solar system.

Within months, they had:

• Y Combinator backing

• $2 million in funding

• Rs 2 crore in revenue in just four months

But what they built—high-fidelity simulations, physics engines, real-time multiplayer models—found a powerful new use case far beyond classrooms. The foundational tech was ideally suited for defence-grade applications.

Today, Kalam Labs is no longer just an edtech brand. It’s a deeptech defence startup building systems that aim to elevate India’s strategic and stratospheric capabilities.
Read more here.

Why Consistent ABC Programmes Matter for Community Dog Management

India’s street dogs have always been part of the country’s shared urban fabric. But as bite cases rise and municipal responses remain patchy, public anxiety has grown—especially around schools, hospitals and transit hubs.

A new study by Esya Centre brings much-needed clarity. The research shows that effective, consistent implementation of Animal Birth Control (ABC) and vaccination programmes significantly reduces dog population growth and rabies risk.

The study stands out for cutting through the often confusing public narrative—showing that sustainable dog management depends not on sporadic measures, but on steady, community-level execution.
Read more here.

Funding Updates

Tribe Stays Raises $2.8M to Scale Premium Student & Professional Housing

Managed-hospitality brand Tribe Stays has secured $2.8 million (Rs 24 crore) in a seed round led by Artha Venture Fund and Riverwalk Holdings, along with participation from several HNIs.

The funds will be used to expand its three brands—Tribe Student Accommodation, Tribe Commune and Tribe Suites. From 650 existing beds in Pune, the startup aims to add 1,000 more this year, with a long-term goal of 25,000 beds across Tier I and II cities.

CEO Yogesh Mehra said the investment validates the growing demand for premium, hospitality-driven living spaces for young consumers.

Latest Developments

AP Govt & Kings Infra Sign MoU for Rs 2,500 Cr Aquaculture Technology Park

A major aquaculture-focused industrial hub is set to rise in Srikakulam as Kings Infra Ventures inked an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government to develop a 500-acre Integrated Aquaculture Technology Park.

The project will:

• generate 1,500 direct and 10,000 indirect jobs

• enable direct exports up to Rs 2,000 crore

• support indirect exports up to Rs 20,000 crore from year three

With Kings Infra investing Rs 500 crore in core infrastructure and the rest coming from ancillary industries, the park will include hatcheries, indoor farming, processing units and an AI-driven operations centre.

SuperYou Crosses Rs 150 Cr ARR in Its Debut Year

Protein-snacking brand SuperYou, co-founded by Ranveer Singh and Nikunj Biyani, has crossed Rs 150 crore ARR within its first year.

The company has sold over 15 million units across four product categories and is now present in 4,500 offline stores along with major ecommerce and quick-commerce platforms. Its next goal: becoming a Rs 1,000 crore brand within 2–3 years, backed by a robust R&D investment pipeline.

IIT Madras & IRFC Launch India’s First Single-Cell Omics Translational Lab

In a major boost to healthcare R&D, IIT Madras and IRFC have established the Single Cell Omics Translational (SCOT) Research Laboratory with a Rs 10.83 crore CSR grant.

Housed in the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology, the lab will support early diagnostics, drug screening, biomarker discovery and precision medicine research. It will also serve as a national capacity-building centre for clinicians and researchers working in single-cell biology.

Swiggy Partners With upGrad to Enable Education Access for Delivery Partners

Through a new MoU with upGrad, Swiggy will offer its delivery partners access to higher-education options ranging from short-term certifications to full-fledged degree programmes.

Key features include:

• university-certified courses (2 weeks to 3 years)

• need-based scholarships

• soft-skills and career development via Career Udaan Pack

• easy enrollment inside the Swiggy Partner app

The initiative targets 6.9 lakh delivery partners, helping them build long-term career pathways.

Binance to Accept BlackRock’s BUIDL as Collateral for Institutional Trading

In a move that further deepens the tokenised assets ecosystem, Binance announced that institutional clients can now use BlackRock’s tokenised fund BUIDL as off-exchange collateral.

The exchange recently enabled support for tokenised Treasuries like USCY and cUSDO. With a new BUIDL share class set to launch on BNB Chain, access to regulated real-world assets is expanding rapidly.

Euro Pratik Sales Acquires Majority Stake in URO Veneer World

Euro Pratik Sales Ltd has acquired a 51% stake in Bengaluru-based URO Veneer World for Rs 76.50 crore, including a Rs 10.20 crore capital infusion.

The acquisition strengthens Euro Pratik’s entry into the B2C segment and gives it direct access to consumer insights, design trends and retail-level margins. URO Veneer World, founded in 1998, also brings a network of more than 3,500 interior designers.

Euro Pratik, which already holds over 16% share in the organised wall panel market, said the acquisition aligns with its expansion plans focused on design-led surface solutions.