The Financial Occasions Startup Awards 2025
The distinguished jury of The Financial Occasions Startup Awards 2025, led by India’s former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, met in Bengaluru earlier this week to pick the brightest stars in India’s startup galaxy. This and extra in immediately’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
The jury picked the very best entrepreneurial leaders who’ve emerged from a difficult few years for the startup ecosystem.
Setting context: ETSA was launched in 2015 and has since chronicled Indian entrepreneurship and innovation through the years.
The coveted accolade recognises founders who’ve constructed corporations with out exterior funding, those that have efficiently innovated and established companies within the social enterprise sector, and entrepreneurs who’ve made a comeback.
The awards may even honour college students who’ve began up on campus, feminine entrepreneurs within the Lady Forward class, and the highest investor of the 12 months within the Midas Contact phase. We may even current the last word award — the Startup of the Yr.
Meet the members of our elite jury here.
To learn extra about our nominees for ETSA 2025 by visiting the eight classes they have been shortlisted below:
High Tales This Week
Actual cash gaming ban: Authorized problem, compliance, VC cash and extra | Within the week after a blanket ban on on-line video games with actual cash grew to become an Act, some selected to adjust to the brand new legislation, whereas others knocked on courts’ doorways for reprieve. Dream 11 father or mother Dream Sports activities ruled out legally challenging the ban, whereas Head Digital Works, the father or mother of the net gaming platform A23, has petitioned the Karnataka High Court to challenge the outright ban. In the meantime, the regulation roulette has put over $15 billion in startup investment value at risk. Offshore betting web sites are rushing in to fill the gap left by Indian corporations discontinuing their actual cash gaming operations, trade executives instructed us.
Additionally Learn: Dream Sports valuation to plummet; has cash runway of few years: CEO Harsh Jain on real-money gaming ban
Unique: Tata Digital names Sajith Sivanandan as CEO | The Tata Neu tremendous app operator has appointed Sajith Sivanandan as its new CEO, efficient subsequent month, because it struggles with the vertical amid a spate of top-level exits.
Festive on-line gross sales set for a bounceback; gig hiring on the rise: In line with market analysis agency Datum Intelligence, ecommerce gross sales throughout the festive interval this 12 months are expected to reach Rs 1.2 lakh crore this year. On-line marketplaces have intensified their recruitment drives to shore up operations earlier than the frenzy hits.
Enterprise SaaS piques PE curiosity: Non-public fairness corporations are doubling down on Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS). Investments reached $1.38 billion between January and July 2025, already 66% greater than the $833 million deployed all through 2024, in accordance with information from Enterprise Intelligence.
Elevation Capital launches $400 million late-stage fund: Enterprise capital agency Elevation Capital, identified for early-stage bets on Paytm, Swiggy, Meesho, and City Firm, is coming into new territory. The agency has launched a $400 million fund targeted on late-stage tech corporations making ready for IPOs.
Ather surpasses Ola Electrical in market share race: For the primary time in months, Ather Energy has surged past Ola Electric in gross sales, propelled by continued supply-side disruptions attributable to uncommon earth steel curbs and altering shopper momentum.
Additionally Learn: Ola Electric secures PLI certification for Gen 3 range of scooters
Vibe coding prompts multi-million workflows: As India’s tech companies trade warms as much as ‘vibe coding,’ its 5.4 million-strong workforce is emerging as a multi-million revenue opportunity for AI code mills.
Startup Road
Lalit Keshre, CEO, Groww
Groww receives Sebi nod to launch IPO: On-line funding platform Groww has been cleared by inventory market regulator Securities and Alternate Board of India (Sebi) to launch its preliminary public providing (IPO), sources accustomed to the event instructed us.
Zomato father or mother to enchantment in opposition to GST calls for, penalty: Everlasting mentioned it might file an enchantment in opposition to the three service Goods and Services Tax demands and penalty orders for the interval between July 2017 and March 2020, amounting to over Rs 40 crore.
IT Updates
Indian IT diversifies past the US: India’s IT majors are breaking out of their US comfort zone. Whereas the US nonetheless brings in round 62% of trade income, corporations at the moment are doubling down on markets just like the Center East, Nordics, Australia, and even India.
TCS varieties new AI unit, names Amit Kapur as head: The new AI and services transformation unit will home all the firm’s current capabilities within the expertise with an purpose to deepen its give attention to AI area options and speed up innovation, the memo mentioned.
Additionally Learn: Capgemini to acquire cloud services firm Cloud4C