fundraising
Denimwear brand Freakins raises $4M from Matrix Partners India and Blume Ventures
Freakins, a denim fashion brand targeting Gen Z women in India, has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Matrix Partners India and Blume Ventures. The company plans to use the funds to expand its omnichannel presence, strengthen its operations and increase its visibility among consumers.
The seed round includes more than 30 angel investors including Levant Bate, Navin Agarwal, Chakradar Gade, Utkrishta Kumar and Ashish Mohapatra, as well as influencers Ayush Wadhwa, Mr. Tarini Shah and Mr. Agastya Shah participated.
Founded by Puneet Sehgal, Shaan Shah and partner Sachin Shah, the brand offers over 1,500 styles of denim clothing for a variety of body types, tastes and occasions.
Ronin Wines Raises $675K as Part of Pre-Series A Funding Round
Pune-based alcoholic beverage startup and Moonshine Meads maker Ronin Wines has raised $675,000 from Rainmatter Capital and Grip Invest as part of a massive Pre-Series A funding round. Other investors in this round were Auxano Capital, Supermorpheus, Anthill Capital, and a panel of existing and new angel investors.
The funds will be used to support the expansion of Moonshine Honey Project, a honey and beekeeping focused brand, while increasing brand depth in existing markets.
Launched in 2021, MHP focuses on honey sales through both B2C and B2B routes, and most recently launched “Bee Hotels” in May this year, with bee protection as a key focus area. there is These artificial homes were built to feed bees whose habitats are being squeezed by massive urbanization and deforestation.
Ronin Wines co-founder Nitin Vishwas said: Rain Matter’s commitment to tackling climate change and supporting sustainability aligns well with our mission to help the nation’s declining bee populations. The addition of Grip Invest to our team gives us access to a number of alternative financing solutions that we need as we grow our Alkovev business. “
ZuPay’s Edtech sister company ZuAI raises Rs 40 crore
Bangalore-based GenAI startup ZuAI has raised Rs 40 crore in seed funding led by Prime Venture Partners. The funding will help ZuAI provide Indian students with a personalized and effective learning experience.
ZuAI was founded by Anubhav Mishra and Arpit Jain, who discovered the potential of generative AI while building ZuPay. His recently launched ZuA is used by more than 4,500 of his students per day, with the most being used by his 7th through his 10th grade students.
In the future, the company plans to introduce more advanced tools that enable learners to create learning lectures on any topic in under five minutes. It also provides adaptive test series to track learner progress on specific topics.
Bumi Pednekar Invests in Chrome Asia Hospitality’s First Boutique Hotel in Goa
Bollywood star Bhumi Pednekar has partnered with Mumbai-based Chrome Asia Hospitality to invest in Goa’s first boutique hotel. The group has developed 100,000 square feet of hospitality space in India and launched five new restaurants in Mumbai under the Chrome Hospitality brand.
Chrome Asia Hospitality enters the hotel sector with a new venture called KAIA. KAIA by Chrome is designed for the relaxing traveler and incorporates the slow life concept. Mr Bhoomi Pednekar’s investment in KAIA Investments aims to create a haven that combines luxury, comfort, warmth and cultural immersion.
Launched in 2019 by Nikita Shahri, Dhaval Udesh and Pawan Shahri, Chrome Asia Hospitality is a full-fledged hospitality company focused on creating experience-driven restaurants across India. . The group owns, manages and consults restaurants, bars and boutique hotels in the country.

Knocksense partners with Lucky Ali
Music industry veteran Lucky Ali invested in Knocksense, a hyperlocal, content-driven commerce platform. This partnership marks an important milestone for Noksense, a hyperlocal company that continues to revolutionize content, commerce and live entertainment.
Lucky Ali said of the development: “I am truly impressed by the innovative business model that blends hyperlocal commerce with pop culture. Through engaging content and commerce, Knocksense is creating authentic communities that connect young people in small cities with greater opportunities.” I am growing.”
Founded by Vibhore Mayank and Varul Mayank, Knocksense actively raised 100 in a pre-series A round from investors including Nitish Mittersain, Mohit Satyanand, AvnishSabharwal, Alok Nath De, We Founders Circle, Lets Venture, Mumbai Angels Network and ImperierHoldings. We’re raising millions of dollars. .

Other news
SiMa.ai Introduces Machine Learning System-on-Chip (MLSoC) Platform for OEMs and System Integrators
Machine learning company SiMa.ai has launched a partner program with key vendors in the ML edge market to accelerate AI innovation at the edge and expand its solutions in priority areas.
The program provides OEMs, ODMs, sensor vendors, system integrators (SIs), independent software vendors (ISVs), and AI/ML tool vendors access to SiMa’s Machine Learning System on a Chip (MLSoC) platform and develop solutions that facilitate customer support. Adopt ML.
SiMa.ai aims to enable large-scale AI and computer vision deployments and has built the necessary hardware and software platforms. Our partner ecosystem includes a wide variety of solutions and use cases for embedding intelligence into edge markets.
SiMa.ai is a machine learning company focused on delivering purpose-built software-centric MLSoC platforms. Its technology enables customers to easily address computer vision problems and enable high-performance ML deployments at the embedded edge.
Drs.OnCalls Towards India Launch
US-based telemedicine platform Drs.OnCalls is expanding in the Indian market. With a focus on convenience, accessibility and high quality medical services, the startup aims to bring its expertise and experience to India’s growing telemedicine sector.
The platform provides a 24/7 global real-time consultation service, connecting patients and professionals around the world. This facility is intended to transcend geographic limitations and provide advanced medical expertise to individuals across the country.
The telemedicine platform also provides home care calls, virtual telemedicine services and concierge care to a network of experienced, licensed and board certified medical professionals.
Lloyd’s Banking Group Appoints Sirisha Volganti as CEO
Lloyd’s Banking Group, a UK-based financial services group, has appointed Sirisha Volganti as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the new Lloyd’s Technology Center in Hyderabad. He will lead the center at a critical stage in Lloyd’s Banking Group’s digital transformation.
Voruganti leverages 30 years of experience in technology transformation, IT architecture, data engineering and fintech innovation. She joined Lloyd’s Technology Center from her J.C. Penney, where she served as Managing Director and Director.
She has held senior technology positions in various global companies and is recognized as the first female managing director of technology at JP Morgan Chase in India. She also served as Senior Vice President of Architecture, Data and Shared Services for Mastercard.
DRONECO Targets 1 Million Drone-Based Deliveries by End of 2023
DRONECO, the logistics arm of drone technology startup TSAW Drones, aims to complete more than one million deliveries by 2023. To date, he has successfully delivered more than 8,400 packages, and DRONECO is steadily expanding its reach. The total mileage exceeded 6,920km, and the cumulative weight exceeded 620kg.
From November 2022, DRONECO will operate three routes in two states. Recorded a 10% increase in deliveries month-over-month.
DRONECO currently serves Kolkata and Nizamabad and is piloting on the Noida-Meerut (NCR) route, but has expanded its delivery services to two new routes, including Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh, on two new routes. We are looking to expand to the states.
Many deliveries come from the medical sector and we aim to add e-commerce, Q-commerce, agriculture and defense deliveries to our service. The company’s client roster includes Medvolant, TATA 1MG, GIMS and Kanhaiya Life Care Medicine.

Financial Services, Technology and Controls Lead Graduate Hiring Trends: LinkedIn Finds
LinkedIn has released new data on the fastest growing roles, industries, functions and skills of new graduates entering the job market in India. Design, analytics and JavaScript are the most in-demand skills for entry-level positions in India, according to LinkedIn data.
The data also show positive trends for those seeking flexible working arrangements. Indian firms are increasingly embracing flexibility, with only 10% fewer field roles compared to 2022 and 60% more hybrid jobs for entry-level roles. This change will allow new graduates to choose from a wider range of work arrangements.
Industries with high employment in India include financial services, administrative and support services, technology, information and media, and accommodation. These fields offer promising opportunities for recent graduates with a bachelor’s degree. Even if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, new opportunities are emerging in the administrative services, support services, accommodation and financial services industries.
LinkedIn data reveals a rapidly growing variety of jobs for professionals with varying educational backgrounds. Roles such as risk consultants, investment managers, and financial administrators have increased significantly for bachelor’s degree holders.
MBA graduates can explore positions such as Technology Associate, Catalog Specialist, and Business Integration Analyst. Those without a degree can still find fulfilling careers in roles such as deployment coordinator, user interface designer, and application engineer.
(The copy is updated throughout the day with the latest news.)