Welcome “India” Bulls!

ndian startups raised $125 million across 18 deals - a continued signal of venture funding caution, as highlighted by.

While sectors like SaaS and fintech saw some traction, the overall sentiment shows investors are being more selective - writing smaller cheques, slower, and with sharper diligence.

But here’s the insight:
🚫 Fewer rounds ≠ weaker ecosystem
✅ It often means capital is flowing toward leaner, traction-backed ventures.

For founders, this is the time to:

• Focus on customer revenue over pitch decks

• Build burn-efficient businesses

• Strengthen core teams and clarity of GTM

The froth may be gone, but foundations are being rebuilt brick by brick.

Winter isn’t a freeze. It’s pruning season. And what survives? Grows deeper roots.

Dive in to stay ahead!

P.S. The Sunday Special is designed to help you discover the most important Startup insights outside of Share Markets. Our regular Share Market updates will resume as usual on Monday.

Startup Menu

• Startups this Week

• Funding Space

• Case Study

• Everything else you need to know

• Life Hack in Video

• Special

STARTUPS THIS WEEK

Bose-Backed Noise Eyes Global Playbook: From India to the World 🌍

India's homegrown wearables brand Noise isn’t just making sound - it’s making waves.

With backing from audio giant Bose, Noise is now looking beyond borders to establish itself as a global lifestyle tech brand. The strategy? Leverage India’s cost advantage and design-thinking to win in value-conscious international markets.

What makes this story special:

• Founder-led innovation in product categories like smartwatches and TWS

• A clear roadmap to build brand equity, not just ride trends

• Smart play: expanding through GCC and SEA regions where Indian brands are gaining love

Noise’s rise isn’t just a win for wearables - it’s a signal that Indian D2C startups can go global without Silicon Valley addresses.

💡 The playbook is shifting from “Made in India” to “Scaled by India.”

Will Noise be India’s Nike in wearables? The brand has the signal - now it needs the volume.

FUNDING SPACE

💰 Weekly Funding Spotlight: Major Startup Investments (July 19 - July 25)

The past week witnessed significant investments across various sectors:

 🍕 Boost: EatClub, the cloud kitchen player behind brands like BOX8 and Mojo Pizza, is cooking up a fresh $22M funding round led by Tiger Global. With appetite surging for quick, quality eats, this capital infusion could fuel the next wave of delivery-first dining innovation.

🔗 Streamline: OLTO just secured $5.1M in a round co-led by Nexus Venture Partners - aiming to turbocharge its SaaS platform for B2B supply chains. Think of it as a digital nervous system for manufacturers, where fewer emails mean faster outcomes.

🛡️ Vanguard: In a bold bid to reimagine military-grade tech, Ammunic Systems has raised $11M in seed funding. With AI-driven defense systems gaining strategic value, this startup’s arsenal may soon be on every radar - from governments to global investors.

CASE STUDY

Meet the Woman Using AI to Catch Breast Cancer Early - Before It’s Too Late 💡

Geetha Manjunath is not just building a startup. She’s saving lives.

As the founder of Niramai, she’s using AI-powered thermal imaging to revolutionize early breast cancer detection - especially in low-resource settings where mammography access is limited.

What stands out:

• Non-invasive and radiation-free tech with ~90% accuracy

• Portable, affordable screening devices - ideal for rural outreach

• A mission-first mindset: detect cancer early, save lives later

This isn’t just healthtech. It’s deep tech + empathy.

As more women-led innovations take center stage in India’s startup space, Geetha’s story reminds us that tech is most powerful when it serves human dignity - not just market cap.

Let’s stop calling them “female founders.” Let’s start calling them “problem solvers.”

And if you’re building in AI or healthcare, Niramai’s model of clinical validation, purpose-driven IP, and social impact is a blueprint to learn from.

FROM THE WAR ZONE

Everything else you need to know

 🚫 Crackdown: In a sweeping move, the Centre has banned 25 OTT platforms for streaming obscene and unlawful content, citing threats to social harmony and law enforcement. This digital purge signals a tougher stance on content regulation raising big questions about creative freedom vs. control in India's booming streaming space.

🔁 Reshuffle: Swiggy just stirred the pot- Sumer Juneja and Anand Daniel have exited the board, making way for Noon co-founder Faraz Khalid. The leadership shake-up comes as the food delivery giant tightens focus on profitability and preps for a long-anticipated IPO.

🧠 Wellness: Lissun, the mental health tech startup, has snapped up Being Cares to strengthen its support system for families navigating emotional and psychological challenges. With India's mental health gap widening, this strategic move feels timely - and deeply needed.

🚍 Commute: Bengaluru’s commute scene just got a smart upgrade. Namma Yatri, known for its auto-hailing success, has launched 'Namma Transit'- a one-stop app for buses, metros, and e-vehicles. With urban mobility evolving fast.

LIFE HACKS

SPECIAL

Want AI to Work for Your Brand? It Starts with Smart Prompts 💬

AI-powered search is changing how people discover brands.

But here’s the catch: if your brand isn’t showing up in AI summaries or answer boxes, you’re already behind.

🔍 Enter: Prompt engineering as the new SEO.
It’s no longer just about keywords - it’s about how your brand narrative gets embedded into AI’s LLM training and retrieval.

Some tips shared:

• Use structured FAQs and product summaries on your website

• Publish founder perspectives and insights that AI models can crawl

• Optimize your online presence for brand authority, not just CTRs

Think of it this way:
👉 Google indexed websites.
👉 ChatGPT indexes conversations.

So your job? Make sure your brand is part of the right ones.

Brands that learn to “speak AI’s language” - clearly, contextually, and confidently - will win the next era of search visibility.

2025 isn't just about SEO. It’s about SEP Search Engine Prompting.

Your Opinion Matters!

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Thanks for reading.

Until tomorrow!

Hanoomaan India Business team

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