Welcome “India” Bulls!

Amazon Web Services has kicked off applications for its Generative AI Accelerator 2025, targeting early-stage startups building next-gen AI infrastructure, models, and tools. 40 startups will be selected globally, each getting up to $1 million in cloud credits, mentorship, and tech stack access. Applications close July 10, with the program launching in Seattle this October, it’s go-time for GenAI builders.

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

• Everything else you need to know

• Life Hack in Video

• Special

STARTUPS THIS WEEK

🧠 Ola’s Krutrim Launches Kruti: India’s First Agentic AI Assistant Goes Multilingual & Mission-Ready

Bhavish Aggarwal is back in the spotlight and this time, it’s not about electric scooters or cab rides.

Ola’s AI venture, Krutrim, just unveiled Kruti a next-gen AI assistant powered by agentic intelligence and built with India at its core.

Unlike traditional chatbots, Kruti doesn’t just talk it acts.
It can book rides, pay bills, generate images, and more all in 13 Indian languages. Think: Siri with a desi twist and the execution power of a virtual chief-of-staff.

What’s powering this? The all-new Krutrim V2 model paired with a free SDK, inviting Indian developers to build tools on top of Kruti’s foundation making this not just an assistant, but a platform play.

Aggarwal’s bold vision? To create AI that’s truly Indian in spirit, language, and utility.

And with government push for indigenous tech and GenAI adoption on the rise, Kruti might just be the breakthrough moment India’s consumer AI ecosystem was waiting for.

🧩 Big Question: Will Kruti become the go-to AI layer for 1B+ Indians or is this just the first chapter in India’s own AI agent race?

FUNDING SPACE

💰 Weekly Funding Spotlight: Major Startup Investments (Jun 07 - Jun 13)

The past week witnessed significant investments across various sectors:

▪️ Upsurge: Pehle Jaisa, the agri-waste startup turning rural waste into organic gold, has raised $300K in a pre-Series A round led by Pantnagar Capital and Climate Angels. With over 1,500 MT of fertilizer sold and ₹2.5 Cr in FY25 revenue, the Gurugram-based firm now aims for a ₹100 Cr+ future, driving grassroots self-sufficiency one village at a time.

▪️ Breakout: Chai Shots, a microdrama OTT platform from the team behind Chai Bisket, is raising $5 million from General Catalyst and InfoEdge. With ultra-short episodes under 2 minutes, in multiple Indian languages, the platform promises to be the next big storytelling hit in a mobile-first India.

▪️ Boost: Fidelity Investments has marked up its stake in Lenskart, bumping the eyewear giant’s valuation to $6.1B a 21% jump from the previous $5B. With an IPO looming, and omnichannel growth firing on all lenses.

POLICY TALKS

🚀 Ambition: The Bihar government has unveiled a bold initiative to support 10,000 startups under its new Startup Policy 2025, aiming to foster entrepreneurship across the state. With enhanced infrastructure, incubation, and funding support, this is Bihar’s biggest bet yet on turning local innovation into a national startup force.

🛑 Standoff: The Karnataka High Court has upheld its earlier ruling, continuing the suspension of bike taxi services by Ola, Uber, and Rapido. With no legal backing under the Motor Vehicles Act and no policy update in sight, operations remain banned until June 24.

🧠 Lead: Karnataka remains the undisputed talent magnet for Global Capability Centers (GCCs), as per a new industry report. With Bengaluru at the core, the state accounts for a dominant share of India’s tech-enabled global services workforce cementing its role as a strategic hub for innovation.

FROM THE WAR ZONE

Everything else you need to know

📉 Exit: The estate of late investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has exited Nazara Technologies, selling its entire 5.07% stake (≈44.45 lakh shares) via open market deals. The move fetched an estimated ₹770 Cr, delivering a 4X return on the ₹180 Cr investment made back in 2017–18.

⚡ Launch: Amazon has quietly launched a pilot of 'Amazon Now' in select Indian metros, promising deliveries in under 60 minutes. This move directly targets rivals like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart, in India’s exploding quick-commerce space.

🧠 Collab: Mattel has teamed up with OpenAI to build AI-enhanced toys, starting with Barbie and Hot Wheels. Powered by ChatGPT Enterprise, this isn’t just play it’s conversation, creativity, and learning in one voice-interactive package.

🧊 Freeze: In a bold move, Apollo Global Management announced it will not interview or offer roles to investment banking candidates from the Class of 2027. Echoing Jamie Dimon’s concerns about ultra-early recruiting, Apollo says it’s time grads “understand their options” before jumping into high-stakes roles.

LIFE HACKS

SPECIAL

🔐 KFin Tech Reinvents KYC with AI + Blockchain Powerhouse

KFin Technologies just dropped a major innovation in fintech infrastructure: KFIN KRA, a new-age KYC Registration Agency platform blending AI, blockchain, and cloud-native architecture to supercharge investor onboarding.

Gone are the days of manual verification and onboarding bottlenecks. With integrations across DigiLocker, eAadhaar, and CKYCR, this platform offers:

• 🔍 Real-time KYC status tracking

• 🛡️ Built-in fraud detection using AI algorithms

• 📜 Immutable audit trails via blockchain

• ⚙️ Seamless API-based architecture for faster integrations

In short: It’s frictionless onboarding meets compliance muscle.

But KFin isn’t stopping at India. The long-term vision? A universal identity layer that could power global KYC cutting across geographies, formats, and regulators.

Why this matters: As regulatory frameworks tighten and fintech expands globally, platforms that simplify and future-proof compliance are becoming invaluable infrastructure.

For VCs, founders, and BFSI operators this signals a rising trend, KYC isn’t just a box to check. It’s a battleground for trust, scale, and user experience.

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Thanks for reading.

Until tomorrow!

Hanoomaan India Business team

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