International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank group, is the largest global development institution focussed exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. Ruchira Shukla, Regional Lead, South Asia, Venture Capital, IFC, spoke about the new fund’s investment plans…
Start Up India
Startup India report card: Culture of entrepreneurship in the making
The Prime Minister had announced the ambitious Startup India Action Plan in January 2016, and it has been a boost to the startup ecosystem. The program, by design, seems perfect to support the startup culture in India, promising to provide solutions to many hurdles a startup faces along with a sy…
Social start-up Haqdarshak secures angel funding
Nitish Kumar Releases Bihar’s Startup Policy, Announces Rs 500Cr Fund At the 4th Bihar Entrepreneurship Summit (BES), organised by Bihar Entrepreneurs Association, on March 21, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released Bihar StartUp Policy 2017. Bihar is among the few states in India to have a startup…
US investor Tim Draper shifts focus on Indian start-ups again
Timothy Cook Draper, founder of Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Draper Associates, is back in India to invest in early-stage startups after a one-year hiatus, according to a media report. Draper will invest about $1 million in each startup. The key areas of focus will be firms working o…
EC should allow start-ups to work on EVMs: Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru: Can startups help in ensuring fair elections? Karnataka’s IT Minister Priyank Kharge seems to think so. In the midst of accusations by some political parties over tampering of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the recent state elections, Kharge took to Twitter on March 22 to s…
IndiBizForSale: start-up helps buy and sell start-ups
For Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) unable to sustain their business and looking for a quick exit, Ahmedabad-based start-up IndiaBizForSale is coming to the rescue. Launched in January 2014 with only 50 businesses for sale listed on its platform, the website receives more than 100,000 monthly…
Payments start-up Airpay raises Rs24 cr in Series A round
New Delhi: Airpay Payment Services Pvt. Ltd, a start-up that runs omni-channel payments platform Airpay, has raised series A funding of Rs24 crore led by venture capital firm Kalaari Capital, with participation from existing investors Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and Rajesh Jhunjhunwala. Airpay is a payme…
2 new Indian start-up focused reality shows lined up for TV
Indian television is soon going to see two new reality shows focused on Indian startups. While, one will be aired on state-run channel, Doordarshan, the other will be seen on youth centric channel MTV. Government’s stand gets more ‘real’ In tandem with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led …
Local logistics start-up Blowhorn raises Rs25 cr
Intra-city logistics start-up Blowhorn has raised about ₹25 crore ($3.65 million) in a Series A round from IDG Ventures India, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and existing investors Draper Associates and Unitus Seed Fund. Blowhorn will use the money to expand operations to eight cities in th…
Govt steps up efforts on quicker exit for start-ups
New Delhi: The government is working on a fresh set of initiatives for startups, including rolling out norms for resolution of companies that are facing financial stress within 90 days and new tax proposals. that the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will hold consultations ove…