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YourStory brings you today’s headlines with the latest developments across sectors. Funding newsGVFL leads Rs 3.7 Cr seed funding round in SpectraGaze Systems GVFL has led a Rs 3.7 crore seed round in Ahmedabad-based SpectraGaze Systems, with participation from angel investors. Founded in 2023 by former ISRO scientist Arup Banerjee, the startup develops indigenous optical imaging sensors and electro-optical payloads for space, defence and scientific applications. SpectraGaze's customers include ISRO, Physical Research Laboratory, and Kaynes Technology. It has delivered an infrared detector and test system to ISRO and secured an image sensor development contract for its HRSAT programme. The funding will support product development, engineering expansion, testing infrastructure and existing customer projects. The company is also developing a hyperspectral imaging camera for a 3U satellite. haf.vc invests Rs 3 Cr in conversational AI startup Hunar.AI Hyderabad-based venture capital fund haf.vc has invested Rs 3 crore in Hunar.AI, a conversational artificial intelligence startup focused on frontline workforce management. The investment will support AI infrastructure, product development, sales and market expansion as the company targets businesses managing large, multilingual workforces across locations. Founded in 2022 by Krishna Khandelwal and Shantanu Bhattacharyya, Hunar.AI develops conversational AI agents that help enterprises hire, onboard, train and engage frontline workers through voice and WhatsApp. Kalyan Sivalenka, Managing Partner at haf.vc, said the company’s understanding of workforce challenges and its technology-driven approach made it an attractive investment. Hunar.AI co-founder and CEO Krishna Khandelwal said the funding would strengthen its presence in Hyderabad and Telangana’s logistics, retail and services sectors. Other newsIndia’s GCCs are projected to grow to about 3.7M employees by 2031 India’s global capability centres (GCCs) are projected to grow from 2.3 million employees to 3.3-3.7 million by 2031, adding 1-1.4 million net jobs and generating 150-170 million sq ft of additional office demand, according to an Embark report. Based on a survey of 100 GCC leaders, the report found that 92% have moved beyond selective AI adoption, but realised productivity gains remain below 15%. Around 80% of workforce additions are expected from existing centres, while demand shifts towards specialised AI, data and cybersecurity roles. Bengaluru and Hyderabad account for 67% of Tier I GCC leasing, while BFSI and technology, media and telecom are expected to drive 54% of incremental office demand. Read more Honasa Consumer elevates Vipul Maheshwari to CPTO Honasa Consumer has elevated Vipul Maheshwari to chief product and technology officer, overseeing product, technology, engineering and analytics. He will lead the company's AI-led transformation and development of agentic AI systems. Maheshwari has spent six years at Honasa, building its data and product capabilities. His new role will focus on developing AI-powered workflows to automate processes, improve decision-making and increase operational efficiency. Before joining Honasa, he held roles at Delhivery and Global Analytics India. He holds a master's degree in mathematics and computer science from IIT Delhi. Microsoft, MeitY Startup Hub, 1M1B launch CoE in Hyderabad Microsoft, MeitY Startup Hub and 1M1B Foundation have launched a Green Skills and Applied AI Centre of Excellence at SAS iTower, Hyderabad, with a dedicated AI and Green Pharma training track. The centre will provide practical training in applied AI, pharmaceutical manufacturing, solar energy, electric vehicles and wind energy, alongside industry mentoring, internships and employment pathways. At the launch, 1M1B Jobs Express reported 100 job offers on its first day. The Hyderabad facility is part of a planned network of five centres aiming to train 100,000 young people in AI and green skills by 2030. Purple Finance posts 101% AUM growth Purple Finance's standalone assets under management rose 101% year-on-year to Rs 329.21 crore in H1 FY27. The NBFC's board has approved exploring entry into affordable housing finance through an acquisition, investment or subsidiary, subject to regulatory approvals. The company has introduced two MSME lending products, PURPLE SARAL, offering loans of Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh, and SAKSHAM LAP, providing mortgage loans of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. It has also launched institutional lending to NBFCs serving MSMEs. Gross non-performing assets remained below 2.5%. Following its acquisition of Saksham Gram Credit, combined AUM reached Rs 853 crore across 205 branches. Lenskart opens its first concept flagship store in India Lenskart has opened its first concept flagship store in India, Lenskart evolv, at Worli, Mumbai. The store combines eyewear retail with design, technology and fashion, featuring chrome-finished interiors and interactive installations Lenskart evolv's services include AI-assisted eye testing, remote optometrist consultations, and a digital shopping assistant. The store also uses Tango Eye technology to support the shopping experience. Lenskart CEO Peyush Bansal said the concept store aims to expand how customers discover and experience eyewear. The company plans to explore a limited number of similar stores in the future. Delhivery, Peak XV Partners launch Demo Day Delhivery and Peak XV Partners have launched Demo Day, powered by Amazon Web Services, to support startups developing technology for supply chains and logistics. The initiative will focus on artificial intelligence applications in logistics, robotics and industrial automation. Selected startups will present their solutions to Delhivery and Peak XV leaders and may access mentorship, cloud infrastructure support, potential investment and opportunities to test technologies in live logistics environments through Delhivery’s network. The programme is open to startups developing solutions for the Indian market, with an emphasis on technologies that can be deployed in real-world operations. Unicorn India Ventures launches US operations to support Indian deeptech startups Deeptech venture capital firm Unicorn India Ventures has launched operations in the US, appointing former Google executive Kishore Kanakamedala as Venture Partner. He will lead the expansion, build a team of mid-to-senior professionals and develop relationships with investors and technology ecosystems in the US to help Indian portfolio companies expand internationally. The move follows the firm’s closure of its third fund of Rs 1,200 crore earlier this year. The fund said it had observed significant interest among US investors in Indian deeptech startups during its fundraising process. Kanakamedala will also help build the US investor base and track global technology developments. Unicorn India Ventures invests in early-stage Indian deeptech companies across sectors including semiconductors, space, defence, healthcare, robotics and agritech. The firm manages approximately $350 million across its funds and has backed 54 companies. ZFunds launches US stocks and ETFs, opens 5,000 accounts on day one Wealth management platform ZFunds has launched US stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), enabling Indian investors to access securities listed in the US market. The platform opened around 5,000 new accounts on the first day of the launch. Investors can access US-listed companies, including Apple, NVIDIA, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Berkshire Hathaway, along with ETFs. The offering brings international investing into ZFunds’ wealth manager-led model, allowing customers to manage global investments through the financial professionals handling their other wealth requirements. Manish Kothari, CEO and Co-founder of ZFunds, said global diversification could improve risk-adjusted returns and provide exposure to investment themes such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The company cited Reserve Bank of India data showing that overseas equity and debt investments under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme rose 56% to approximately $2.65 billion in FY26. Cortex DC plans 2 GW data centre capacity across India Cortex DC, the AI-focused subsidiary of The Chatterjee Group (TCG), has entered the data centre sector with plans to develop 2 GW of capacity across India. The company aims to serve hyperscalers, cloud service providers and advanced artificial intelligence workloads amid growing demand for computing infrastructure. Cortex DC is targeting operational readiness for its first data centre within 18 months of construction commencing. It also plans to source 51% of its energy from green sources, incorporating renewable power into its infrastructure strategy. Rahul Sharma, CEO of Cortex DC, said the company aims to deliver scalable, resilient and AI-ready infrastructure for domestic and international customers. The company has assembled a leadership team with experience in engineering, construction and digital infrastructure. Its investments are also expected to generate direct and indirect employment across construction, engineering, supply chains and facility operations. (This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
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