On June 26, the stocks of electronics manufacturers Voltas and Whirlpool saw notable increases.
This occurred in response to a report that asserted Panasonic’s withdrawal from loss-making categories in India, including refrigerators and laundry machines.
According to a media outlet, which cited persons familiar with the situation, Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Holdings is cutting back on its consumer electronics operations in India and is leaving the refrigerator and washing machine markets where it was unable to gain a sizable market share.
Company Declared the Move in an Official Statement
The media outlet has been informed by a Panasonic spokesperson that the company is indeed exiting the two segments in India. The company is closing its production line for these products at its facilities in Jhajjar, Haryana, according to the report.
At the moment, the company works as a contract manufacturer for other companies. Panasonic in India is rebuilding operations to concentrate on future-ready growth segments like home automation, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (AC), business-to-business (B2B) solutions, electricals, and energy solutions, in accordance with our global strategy and changing market dynamics, a spokesperson said in an official statement.
In addition to continuing to offer complete customer support, including parts and warranty coverage, Panasonic will assist dealers with inventory disposal.
Panasonic in Restructuring Mode
According to various media reports, Panasonic’s reorganisation exercise will involve significant layoffs, with the number likely to be in the high double digits. Following this, the business will keep operating in India in the television, air conditioner, and other categories.
When questioned about the potential layoffs, a representative of the company stated that the company is fully committed to supporting and aiding the impacted employees and that it is a difficult but necessary step.
By increasing their market share, the other competitors in the categories will probably gain from the departure of a significant player from the market. Voltas shares increased more than 2% to trade at INR 1,341 apiece, while Whirlpool shares surged more than 5% to reach their day’s high of INR 1,455 apiece.
Additionally, the business stated that it will help dealers get rid of the leftover refrigerator and washing machine inventory. Existing customers will continue to get warranty coverage, spare parts, and after-sales service.
Panasonic’s action is in line with a broader worldwide trend in which established electronics companies are simplifying their consumer portfolios in order to give priority to high-growth sectors.
The business is currently establishing itself as a major force in commercial HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, sustainable energy technologies, and smart home ecosystems in India.
Looking for the best AI tools to turn long videos into YouTube Shorts? These tools use artificial intelligence to automatically detect highlights, generate captions, add transitions or voiceovers, and convert long-form content into vertical videos optimised for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Reels, all in just a few clicks.
Key features include:
Clipping the most engaging moments from your videos
Supporting voiceovers and subtitles in multiple languages
Personalising videos with captions, transitions, and music
Optimising content for YouTube, Reels, and TikTok
Whether you are a beginner or a pro, here’s a curated list of the top AI tools to help you create viral YouTube Shorts in minutes, many of which support multilingual captions, voiceovers, and direct platform publishing.
Can AI Really Create YouTube Shorts Automatically?
Yes, today’s AI tools can convert long-form videos into engaging YouTube Shorts, TikToks, and Reels in just minutes. They analyze your footage, pick out the most compelling clips, add dynamic captions, transitions, and even voiceovers, all with little to no manual editing.
Whether you are repurposing podcasts, webinars, vlogs, or tutorials, these tools help automate the entire process and publish Shorts that are optimized to perform across platforms.
Content creators and marketers looking to repurpose long videos into short-form content like Reels, Shorts, and TikToks quickly and efficiently.
Vizard – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
Vizard is the best AI-based tool for creating YouTube Shorts, which allows video creators to transform their long-form videos into apt platform-short format versions without any effort. It creates a one-stop personal space for YouTube with direct import of videos and instant publishing without the hassle of downloading or uploading. The AI from Vizard identifies the most attention-grabbing segments, then creates animated captions, adds emojis, and offers dynamic B-roll to entice viewers. The tool has a transcription feature in more than 30 languages, has customizable templates, layouts, and branding, thus making it perfect for both newbies as well as pros. The easy-to-navigate editor also enables manual changes by allowing high-quality output coupled with creative control.
Pros
Automatic Highlight detection and clip creation.
Direct integration with YouTube for import and publishing.
Supports multiple languages and auto-subtitles.
Cons
Limited features and upload minutes in the free plan.
Sometimes inaccurate with a selection of highlights for niche topics.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Creator
$29/month
Business
$39/month
OpusClip
WEBSITE
www.opus.pro
Rating
4.7
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Content creators, marketers, and teams wanting to efficiently repurpose long videos into viral short clips with AI-powered editing, captions, b-roll, and social media scheduling.
OpusClip – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
OpusClip is an AI-based application for transforming long-form videos into engaging YouTube Shorts and streamlining the content creation process for both amateurs and professionals. The sophisticated AI engines automatically detect the highest engagement moments, create a wide range of short videos, and optimize for multiple social platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Automated highlight detection, auto captions, animations and subtitles, virality scoring, auto-adjustment of aspect ratios per social media platform, and an intuitive editor with manual controls are the key features. Besides these, OpusClip also offers AI B-Roll, audio fine-tuning, customizable branding, collaboration among teams, and direct video imports from other sources, thus providing a fairly seamless, productive environment.
Pros
Viral Scoring Used to Predict Performance
Optimization for Multiple Platforms and Aspect Ratio Resizing
Intuitive User Interface With Options for Manual Editing
Cons
Occasional glitches
Sometimes AI Might Miss Highlights for a Very Niche Type of Content
Marketers, publishers, content creators, and brands who want to convert blog posts or written content into professional-looking video
Lumen5 – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
Lumen5 perhaps the most suitable AI for creating YouTube Shorts-converting blogs, articles, or scripts to short, lively snippets ready for social media. It does so very simply using drag-and-drop editing, by AI selection of scenes, sound for automatic voice sync, and most of all, everyone can make really good videos in minutes-even a first-timer. It also carries a huge stock media library, ready-to-use templates, and brand kits so you can achieve brand consistency. Besides, you will now be able to customize your videos for different platforms that support diverse aspect ratios, making it very suitable for YouTube Shorts. The AI-created script, combined with voice-over tools, accentuates storytelling while cloud-based editing is enabled for access and collaboration.
Pros
Simple drag-and-drop interface
Automates video production from text-based materials
Content creators, marketers, and teams looking to AI‑repurpose long videos into short clips.
Pictory – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
Pictory is an AI-friendly app for creating popular events on YouTube and is designed so that any user can produce short-form, social-sharing content based on converted scripts, blog posts, or long videos into fast-moving, no-need-to-edit, long-form content. Users can also allow their videos to automatically be summarized, scripted to video, edited with text changes, or highlights detected automatically using that easy-to-use cloud interface, where no one needs to be an editing expert. Features include editing and automatic summarization of videos, along with thousands of stock videos, pictures, and sound backgrounds, and templates and brand kits for maintaining consistency in branding. Millions of stock videos, pictures, and sound backgrounds, along with customizable templates and brand kits.
Pros
User-friendly interface
Collaboration and access through the cloud for teams.
Periodic additions and a 14-day money-back guarantee
Cons
Requires a paid plan to acquire top features and collaboration tools.
Limited AI voice options on lower plans.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Starter
$19/month
Professional
$39/month
Team
$99/month
Enterprise
Custom
InVideo AI
WEBSITE
www.invideo.io
Rating
4.5
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
AI-generated and template-based video creation for creators, marketers, and small businesses.
InVideo AI – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
InVideo AI is a premium platform for YouTube Shorts that provides a seamless process to create short-form videos by users from prompts, with absolutely no experience in editing considered necessary. It is the power of AI that scripts, chooses visuals, adds music, generates subtitles, and even gives human-sounding or cloned voiceovers, in 50+ languages. The user-friendly editor provides easy scene editing, accent changes, and real-time collaboration, whereas the stock library boasts more than 16 million assets for engaging content of the highest quality. InVideo AI optimizes videos for vertical format and supports multi-platform publishing, making it a creator-, marketer-, and team-friendly tool for fast professional Shorts production.
Free and AI-powered mobile and desktop video editing, ideal for social media creators.
CapCut – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
CapCut is an all-inclusive tool for the AI-based creation of YouTube Shorts. Be it mobile, desktop, or web, there is only one seamless experience using it on any device. Some advanced AI capabilities that this app has include auto-cutting and scene detection, AI script generation, auto-captions, voice cloning, as well as background-free removal, thus making it a very simple app for turning long videos into shorts in a hurry. CapCut gives you this amazing library of effects, transitions, trending templates, and royalty-free music, which would usually be available only after one-click resizing and direct sharing optimization for all content on YouTube Shorts and other platforms.
Pros
Edit on mobile, desktop, or web
Grand collection of effects, transitions, and audio tracks
Direct sharing with most social platforms
Cons
Lags now and then with large or complex projects
Desktop/web features may lag behind the mobile app
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Monthly
$9.99/month
Yearly
$89.99/year
Klap
WEBSITE
www.klap.app
Rating
4.5
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Content creators and marketers transforming long‑form videos into short social clips quickly using AI.
Klap – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
Klap is an advanced AI tool that attempts to automatically transform long YouTube videos into appealing Shorts with the least manual work. The AI analyzes uploaded content to identify which are the best moments and extracts them automatically into multiple vertical clips for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. Highlights features that auto-reframe to keep the subject in focus, AI-generated multilingual captions, virality scoring, customizable templates, and dynamic caption styles. Users can upload videos or paste a YouTube link and receive ready-to-publish clips in minutes. Thanks to the intuitive web-based interface and cloud workflow, Klap is easy and efficient for creators at any level.
Pros
AI captions in more than 50 languages
Dynamic caption styles, auto-reframing
Brandable: logos, fonts, colors
Cons
More optimized towards talking head videos.
Customer support may take a long time to respond.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Klap
$23/month
Klap Pro
$63/month
Klap Pro+
$151/month
Short AI
WEBSITE
www.short.ai
Rating
4.6
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Automating faceless viral short‑form video creation with AI‑generated scripts, captions, voiceovers, and scheduling.
Short AI – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
Short AI is the latest leadership in AI-powered platforms that swiftly turns long-form video or scripts into multiple engaging Shorts and social clips for creators who want to invest in efficiency and virality. Moreover, using one-click automation, it can bulk-generate 10 or more viral clips for social media by drawing out highlights, hooks, and reactions to ensure the greatest level of viewer engagement. Among the many great features are dynamic AI-generated captions in more than 32 languages, human-like AI voice-overs, faceless video templates, and an extensive library of trending effects, emojis, and GIFs. It also enables auto-scheduling for multi-platform posting with customizable styles for a delightful content creation experience, whether working individually or collaboratively.
Pros
Generate massive viral snippets from long videos
Video template without face, for privacy and brand consistency
Repurposing long videos into short social clips with AI-powered cuts, captions, and templates.
SnapCut – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
SnapCut is an advanced AI-based tool for longer videos being turned into viral-ready shorts touch its the least manual input, courses into multiple versions. Its proprietary AI analyzes uploaded content, automatically identifies the most engaging moments, and generates up to 15 shorts per content, with full optimization for sites like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. Key features include AI hook selection, auto-reframing by aspect ratios, dynamic multi-language captions (34+ languages), and customizable caption styles. It has easy browser-based uploading systems to allow uploaders to paste links to preview and edit clips and instantly share them. SnapCut supports talking-head videos and other types, enabling easy time in producing quality short-form content for all creators.
Pros
Uses artificial intelligence to retain and engage viewers by hook selection..
Auto-reframing for aspect ratios and platforms.
Free plan for beginners.
Cons
Fewer personalization options compared to full-content editors.
Potential to crash or slow down with large files.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Starter
$8.99/month
Pro
$11.33/month
Quso
WEBSITE
www.quso.ai
Rating
4.3
Free Trial
Yes
Best For
Content creators, marketers, and teams transforming long-form videos into short social clips and managing social media content with AI.
Quso – Best AI Tools to Turn Long Videos into Viral YouTube Shorts
Quso will be a great and powerful AI-driven platform, which completely revolutionizes the creation process for YouTube Shorts content: transform any long-form video into multiple-performing shorts or clips with almost zero manual effort on the part of the user. The very advanced AI analyses and trims videos, selects key moments, generates scroll-stopping captions, and optimizes content across all social platforms, from YouTube shorts to TikTok reels to Instagram Reels. The features, among others, include AI-enabled highlight detection, automatic multi-language captioning, virality scoring, customizable branding, and direct scheduling for cross-platform posting. It also comprises drag-and-drop editing, stock-media copyright protection, and solid analytical features that would cater to fast, consistent, and effective short-form content development for creators, marketers, and agencies.
Pros
Highlight detection and automated clip creation for fast workflow.
Branding tools include custom logos, fonts, and colors-unifying.
User-friendly, browser-based interface with drag-and-drop editing.
Cons
Learning curve for new users
Problems in data quality and integration with other systems might arise.
Pricing
Plan
Pricing
Lite
$29/month
Essential
$39/month
Growth
$49/month
Conclusion
AI-enabled tools, to create YouTube Shorts, innovate the art of content creation by easily converting long videos, scripts, or even articles into exciting short content with unbelievable promptness and minimum manual effort. Such platforms engage advanced features, such as automated highlight detection, AI-generated captioning, multi-language support, and customizable branding, to optimize the entire workflow from editing to publishing. They are equipped with intuitive interfaces, mass clip production, and cross-platform optimization to empower users from different skill levels in creating high-quality Shorts in no time. Thus, creators could pay attention to storytelling and engagement, whereas all other technical matters of short-form video production would be managed by AI.
Whether you are a content creator, marketer, or business, AI tools are changing how YouTube Shorts are made. The tools above help you skip editing headaches, boost engagement, and go viral with ease. Try a few and see which one works best for your content style and audience.
Can AI automatically convert long videos into YouTube Shorts?
Yes, AI tools can automatically analyze long videos, extract highlights, generate captions, and optimize content into short, vertical videos suitable for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.
Which AI tool is best for beginners to make YouTube Shorts?
CapCut and Pictory are user-friendly and ideal for beginners, offering intuitive editors, templates, and automation for easy short video creation.
Do AI Shorts creation tools support multilingual captions?
Yes, many tools support multilingual auto-captions and voiceovers, making content accessible to global audiences.
Almost five years after opening the digital marketplace, FMCG conglomerate ITC has shut down its online store. The “ITC Store”, which was established in November 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to take advantage of the spike in online sales, has ceased accepting orders.
The independent online store has “served its purpose”, an ITC representative told a media house. According to reports, the FMCG major is currently embracing a multi-platform digital distribution strategy that encompasses modern trade, e-commerce, and rapid commerce.
The corporation is bolstering its position in general trade and concentrating on digitally enabled sales, according to the report.
Focusing Distribution on Major E-Commerce Players
Interestingly, ITC’s items can also be found on speedy commerce and e-commerce sites like Amazon, Blinkit, and Instamart. In sectors like food and personal care, the company’s portfolio includes brands like Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Bingo!, Fiama, Vivel, and Classmate, among others.
A representative for ITC added that the company has improved its selection and mix on these platforms, which has resulted in a notable increase of more than 50% in these channels (rapid commerce and e-commerce).
The growth coincides with India’s urban environment quickly adopting quick commerce, as evidenced by the arrival of up to 19 new competitors in a variety of categories in recent months.
Quick commerce’s success has also increased competition, forcing well-established companies like Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and Zomato’s Blinkit to make significant investments in order to expand their product lines, provide discounts, and grow their network of dark stores.
Several Packaged Companies Opting for Online Distribution Channel
In order to meet the increased demand for online shopping following COVID-19, a number of other packaged goods businesses, such as Nestlé, Amul, Dabur, and Marico, established their own e-commerce platforms.
However, the initiative’s primary goal was to attract new clients rather than compete with established giants of e-commerce or rapid commerce. By selling directly to consumers, these businesses were able to reduce distributor and retailer margins by owning their own web platform.
Additionally, it made it possible for tiny businesses to stock their whole product line, something that isn’t possible on bigger e-commerce sites like Amazon or Blinkit.
By providing up to 40% off of their items, which ranged from soaps to necessities, the majority of these businesses aimed to increase their clientele. Nevertheless, ITC was forced to halt operations and reassess its strategy after it seemed to have failed. “Not processing any orders currently” is the message that is currently displayed on ITC’s website.
For failing to give all stakeholders equitable access to corporate filings and to take action against brokers who make frequent changes during trading, capital markets regulator SEBI fined the BSE INR 25 lakh on 25 June.
Following an inspection that took place between February 2021 and September 2022, the market regulator issued the order. SEBI ruled in a 45-page ruling that BSE had violated standards by allowing its paid clients and internal listing compliance monitoring (LCM) staff to view business announcements before they were posted on its website.
In order to preserve market integrity and avoid unfair information advantages, the regulator also noted that the data dissemination procedure lacked controls to guarantee simultaneous and equal access to all players.
SEBI Notifies Various Shortcomings of BSE
The Securities Contracts (Regulation) SECC (Stock Exchange and Clearing Corporations) Regulations, 2018, which require stock exchanges to provide equitable and transparent access to all users, were broken by BSE, according to SEBI’s remark.
Additionally, it pointed out that the BSE failed to set up a really basic syndication (RSS) feed, which would have reduced the possibility of unequal access to company filings. SEBI held that such corrective action was only done after the examination revealed shortcomings, even if the exchange later created a time gap to remedy the matter.
SEBI also pointed out significant flaws in BSE’s oversight of client code changes, which are only allowed when there are actual mistakes.
Concerns regarding potential abuse and a lack of due diligence in trades between unaffiliated institutional clients were raised by the BSE’s failure to take disciplinary action against brokers who made frequent adjustments and ‘error accounts’.
Comments Made by SEBI’s Quasi Judicial Authority Santosh Shukla
In the ruling, Santosh Shukla, SEBI’s quasi-judicial authority, stated that stock exchanges play a crucial role as the initial line of supervision when managing materially price-sensitive information concerning listed firms and their securities.
In order to maintain compliance with its responsibilities as a leading, internationally renowned stock exchange, BSE must have internal controls over how to handle and manage such corporate announcements.
Shukla stated that the concept of impartiality, transparency, and fairness in information dissemination from the first-level regulator BSE has been significantly compromised by the availability of information about listed companies to LCM employees of BSE and its paid subscribers prior to its release to general investors through its website.
Additionally, he argued, BSE has demonstrated carelessness and laxity in failing to enforce standards regarding client code modifications.
Kotak Asset Management Company (AMC) has been hauled to NCLT by an Essel Group subsidiary, which is claiming INR 12.99 crore in unpaid debts. The case was filed in May and was heard by the Mumbai bench of the NCLT.
The petition has been submitted in the case by Konti Infrapower and Multiventures, a unit of the Essel Group. According to Konti Infrapower’s argument, Kotak AMC received an advance of INR 12.99 crore in order to fulfil certain obligations resulting from the Non-Convertible Debentures (NCD) issue.
Following the conclusion of SEBI’s regular yearly examination of the AMC, the AMC was required to reimburse the sum.
In its plea, Konti Infrapower stated that the applicant, via demand notice dated 19 February 2025, among other things, called on the Corporate Debtor to release the outstanding amounts as a pro tem measure because the Corporate Debtor had failed and neglected to fulfil its contractual obligations as stipulated under the Agreement dated 6th April 2019. As of right now, the Corporate Debtor has not paid the Financial Creditor.
Findings of SEBI’s Investigation
The agreement stated that the money given to Kotak AMC would be returned to Konti Infrapower following the conclusion of SEBI’s initial examination of the AMC, according to the petition copy. The SEBI inspection took place between April 2019 and March 2020, and a report was issued by SEBI after the inspection.
Additionally, the funds that were loaned were to be reimbursed following the fulfilment of the payments under the underlying NCDs to Kotak AMC unit holders. According to Konti Infrapower, on July 6, 2022, it sent two letters to Kotak AMC requesting the release of the agreed-upon payments. On July 28, 2022, Kotak AMC responded, saying SEBI’s inspection was not finished.
According to Konti Infrapower, a report dated March 28, 2023, has been prepared following the completion of the SEBI inspection of Kotak AMC, which is the catalyst for the company’s money repayment.
Additionally, Kotak AMC paid back unitholders and liquidated its NCDs. The issue concerns the Rs 20-crore NCDs that were subscribed for by Kotak AMC of Essel Group companies using listed equity shares of Zed Entertainment Enterprises Limited as the underlying security.
Kotak AMC Sold NCDs of INR 20 crores to Specific Investors
In February 2019, Kotak AMC sold the NCDs for INR 20 crores to a few additional investors, and the IN 12.99 crore advancement was solely related to this portion. According to a representative for the Essel Group, Konti Infrapower had raised funds from Kotak Mutual Fund in the form of NCDs.
In September 2019, Kotak Mutual Fund received the full payment under the NCDs. The spokesman also mentioned that in April 2019, Konti Infrapower had made a separate payment to Kotak AMC Ltd that Kotak AMC was to reimburse to Konti Infrapower after reaching specific milestones.
Kotak AMC has fallen behind in its payments, and the aforementioned funds are due and payable. Consequently, Konti Infrapower has petitioned Kotak AMC to start the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP). The matter is pending in the Mumbai NCLT.
The online dating app Bumble intends to fire about 240 workers, or nearly 30% of its workforce worldwide. Bumble said in a securities filing that the cutbacks were agreed to by the board this week as the company reorganises its operations to better execute its strategic priorities.
A large portion of the $40 million in cost savings the Austin, Texas-based company anticipates from the labour cutbacks will go towards product and technology development.
In a statement sent to a media outlet on June 26, Bumble stated that these decisions were not made hastily and that it was “deeply grateful for the contributions of every employee impacted.”
The company is now focussed on moving forward in a way that strengthens its core business and positions it for future growth.
Further Details Still Remain Confidential
When the layoffs will take place and which responsibilities would be impacted were not immediately made clear by Bumble. However, its securities filing indicated that the process would continue into the following quarter.
It stated that it anticipates spending between $13 million and $18 million, mostly in its third and fourth fiscal quarters, on layoff-related expenses, including severance for affected employees.
Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder and CEO of Bumble, stated in a June 25 letter to staff members that “Bumble, like the online dating industry itself, is at an inflection point.” She pointed out that the business has been rebuilding lately, which necessitates difficult choices.
Bumble Going Through Financial Challenges
Two years after co-founding Tinder in 2012, Wolfe Herd launched Bumble in 2014. She returned to the top position in March after previously serving as Bumble’s CEO from 2020 to January 2024.
Since going public in 2021, Bumble has had difficulties in the market. Even though shares increased on June 25, the company’s stock has nevertheless dropped more than 35% in the past year and about 92% since its February 2021 launch.
Bumble’s most recent first-quarter profits showed a total revenue of almost $247 million, which was over 8% less than the same time last year. For the second quarter of its fiscal year 2025, the business anticipates earning between $244 million and $249 million, it announced on 25 June.
Although it is more than earlier projections, it is still less than the $269 million it disclosed for the second quarter of 2024.
Layoffs have Become a Common Scenario in 2025
With big companies like Google, Microsoft, and others continuing to reduce their workforces, layoffs in the tech sector are not expected to halt in 2025.
Companies are still cutting employees in an effort to simplify operations, save money, and emphasise automation and artificial intelligence, even though these figures are much lower than the major layoffs that occurred between 2022 and 2023.
Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks layoffs in the industry, reports that 93 organisations have laid off nearly 23,500 tech workers so far this year, and the number is still growing. Google and Microsoft are apparently contemplating a new round of layoffs, according to the most recent job reduction reports.
According to reports, AI-led restructuring and performance-based terminations are part of the corporations’ goals to increase the effectiveness of their personnel.
When we think of fashion, items like clothes and footwear often come to mind. However, fashion isn’t limited to what we wear. Today, spectacles have become an essential part of style and a key fashion statement, embraced by nearly everyone.
In today’s world, long working hours and rising stress levels contribute to various health issues, including vision problems. In India alone, around 550 million people require vision correction, yet only 170 million have access to it.
To provide better eyewear for every walk of life while keeping in view the quality and trend styles, Lenskart was founded. Peyush Bansal started the company in 2010 with a mission to deliver better eyewear and change the way people see through their eyes.
Peyush Bansal is regarded to be one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in India. He started his journey from being a studious student to building a company at a global level. Peyush Bansal sparks inspiration for many of us.
He gained much popularity after becoming a judge on one of the most famous reality shows, Shark Tank India.
Let’s explore the roller-coaster journey of Peyush Bansal, from becoming an entrepreneur to building Lenskart from scratch. In this StartupTalky story, we’ll dive into the success story of Peyush Bansal, his early life, childhood, personal life, educational background, and the path he took to success, along with any controversies and more.
Born on 26th April 1986 in Delhi, Peyush Bansal lived with his parents and two siblings. His father’s name is Bal Kishan Bansal, and his mother’s name is Kiran Bansal. He has one elder brother and a younger sister.
Peyush Bansal did his schooling at Don Bosco School (Greater Kailash-II, New Delhi). After finishing high school, he prepared for IIT but didn’t get through. So, he went to Canada to study electrical engineering at McGill University.
Just like any person with dreams and goals, Peyush Bansal always wanted to be a businessman. In India, he studied at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, he holds a diploma in entrepreneurship.
Peyush has been lucky as his parents always supported him in his journey of becoming an entrepreneur. In 2011, he got married to Nidhi Mittal and has a son.
Peyush Bansal – Career
After graduating in electrical engineering, Peyush Bansal bagged his first job at the tech giant- Microsoft, USA. He worked as a Program Manager for nearly one year but left the job in 2008 and came back to India.
Peyush was never interested in engineering, which is why he quit his job at Microsoft. After returning to India, he started to look for ideas to start his own company.
Despite not coming from a business background, Bansal came up with his first startup in 2007 called SearchMycampus while pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship from IIM, Bangalore.
SearchMycampus was an online portal to help students search for various issues related to jobs, housing, coaching, internships, transportation, books, etc. After the fair success of his first company, Bansal launched a couple of startups that ran quite well.
Along with his friends, Amit Chaudhary and Sumeet Kapahi he founded Lenskart in 2010. The idea came when Peyush came across the statistics of blind people in India, and only a small number of people were wearing spectacles. Thus, he aimed to provide eyeglasses to a large number of people to improve their vision.
Lenskart founders – Amit Chaudhary, Peyush Bansal, and Sumeet Kapahi
Peyush Bansal serves as the Chief Executive & People Officer at Lenskart. The company is headquartered in Faridabad, Delhi NCR. Initially, Lenskart dealt with selling only contact lenses, but it slowly witnessed success and expanded its operations.
Today, Lenskart has over 1100 stores across different cities in India, offering more than 5000 eyewear styles. The online eyewear retailer entered the unicorn club in 2019.
Eyewear company Lenskart is planning to skip the confidential DRHP filing for its upcoming IPO in India, reports MoneyControl. Instead, it will use the normal route, which makes all IPO details public once filed with SEBI. Lenskart also changed its name to Lenskart Solutions Limited after shareholder approval.
Currently, the valuation of Lenskart is $5.6 billion.
Peyush Bansal is a man of a wise and brilliant mind. He has made investments in various startups. His latest investment is in Lenskart. It was a funding round held in July 2024, and as a lead investor, he invested INR 70.70 crore in the company.
Some of the companies Peyush Bansal has invested in are:
Peyush Bansal is one of the most-admired sharks on the show. He almost turned down the offer. Initially, he wanted to reject it, but his wife, Nidhi, encouraged him to consider it. Even during his first shoot, he hadn’t signed the contract. However, the energy of the startup founders and the show itself inspired him, and from that moment, he was fully committed to the show.
He invested INR 22.204 crore in the first season of Shark Tank India, INR 16.16 crore in the second season, and INR 5.77 crore in the third season of the show. Bansal is known for his compassion and strong support for social causes. On the show, he has invested mostly in food and beverage D2C brands.
Shark Tank India Season -4 Controversy
In a recent episode of Shark Tank India in February 2025, Mohit, the founder of Born Good, a detergent and liquid cleaning startup, pitched his business to the panel of investors. He requested Rs 70 lakh for 1% equity, valuing his company at Rs 70 crore. Mohit aimed to raise Rs 12 crore but left without a deal after facing tough questions from investor Aman Gupta, who criticized his execution skills and compared him unfavorably to Kopara’s founder, Simran. Peyush Bansal defended Mohit, saying Aman crossed the line by making direct comparisons and that Mohit deserved a fair chance to explain his business. He added that emotions ran high due to competing investments, which influenced Aman’s harsh tone. Meanwhile, Aman stood by his tough stance, citing concerns about founder-market fit.
In one of the episodes of the Indian reality show, ‘Shark Tank India’, Peyush Bansal was caught in a controversy. He passed down some comments related to CA, which later offended the CA community. The aftermath of comments led to the trend of #SayNoToLenskart on social media platforms, especially among CAs.
Following the events, Peyush Bansal took to social media, where he shared a post asking for an apology.
Peyush Bansal – Awards & Achievements
Some of his achievements are as follows:
Awarded Innovator of the Year Award at NDTV Indian of The Year Awards 2023-24
He received the ‘India TV Yuva Awards in 2015
Red Herring Top 100 Asia Award 2013
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2012
British Honors Award at McGill University
Best 40 under 40 Entrepreneurs 2019 Fortune India
Peyush Bansal – Unknown Facts
He loves watching suspense and thriller shows/web series.
As a budding entrepreneur, one should focus on value creation more than anything else.
FAQs
What is Lenskart owner name?
Peyush Bansal along with Amit Chaudhary and Sumeet Kapahi are Lenskart owners.
Who is Lenskart CEO?
Peyush Bansal is the co-founder and CEO of Lenskart.
What is Peyush Bansal age?
Peyush Bansal is 39 years old, he was born in 1985.
Who is Peyush Bansal father or who are Peyush Bansal parents?
Peyush Bansal’s father’s name is Bal Kishan Bansal, and his mother’s name is Kiran Bansal.
What is the net worth of Peyush Bansal?
The net worth of Peyush Bansal is approximately INR 600 crore as of 2024.
Who is Peyush Bansal wife?
Nidhi Bansal is the wife of Peyush Bansal. They got married in 2011.
What is Peyush Bansal education?
Bansal has an Electrical Engineering degree from McGill University in Canada.
How Peyush Bansal started Lenskart?
Peyush Bansal started Lenskart in 2010 to make quality eyewear affordable and accessible. He began by selling eyeglasses online, focusing on solving vision problems in India.
What did Peyush Bansal study?
Peyush Bansal tried for IIT but could not get into any college, he completed his Bachelor of Engineering from McGill University, Canada, and did the Management Programme for Entrepreneurs and Family Businesses (MPEFB) at IIM Bangalore.
How much stake does Peyush Bansal have in Lenskart?
Peyush Bansal has a 4.7% stake in Lenskart as of September 2024.
Omnisend is a complete marketing automation platform for e-commerce brands to leverage a few effective channels for customer engagement, such as email, SMS, and push notifications. Built specifically for online retailers and entrepreneurs, Omnisend makes it easier to use tools for creating campaigns, advanced segmentation, and pre-built automation workflows, such as welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, and post-purchase follow-up. It integrates with many platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce with Omnisend, personalizing communications and improving conversion by creating a single dashboard from which to control customer journeys. This article will discuss the main features of Omnisend and how it will power e-commerce brands in acquiring and retaining their customer base.
What is Omnisend?
Omnisend is an omnichannel marketing automation that was founded in 2014. Initially, it was known as Soundest. It serves eCommerce businesses at its core. It enables brands to manage all their customer communications, including email, SMS, push notifications, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and automate them entirely from a single dashboard. Unlike most other ESPs, it offers silken multi-channel workflows, advanced segmentation based on real-time shopping behavior, and deep integration with the major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. Unlike general ESPs, Omnisend is constructed purposefully for e-commerce by offering pre-built automations, dynamic product recommendations, and revenue attribution to help online retailers sell more and retain more customers.
Drag-and-drop Editor: Omnisend’s highly drag-and-drop email builder helps users create well-designed emails without virtually any technical knowledge. You can easily include text, images, product recommendations, or dynamic discount codes straight to your email.
Pre-formed Templates: This platform has a library of above 150 email templates across different scenarios-from welcome emails to abandoned cart reminders, customizable and on-brand, helping you get up quickly on campaigns.
Segmentation: Omnisend’s advanced segmentation allows you to filter contacts using demographics, behavior, purchase, and engagement history for extremely relevant and personalized campaigns.
Automation Workflows: You can automate SMS and push notifications, in addition to the emails, enabling multi-channel campaigns on cart recovery, order updates, and flash sales in a unified workflow editor.
Global Scope and Compliance: International SMS delivery and complete compliance with such requirements as the GDPR or TCPA make it possible for brands to reach their entire customer spectrum responsibly at the same time responsibly.
Automation & Workflows
Pre-configured ECommerce Workflows: Omnisend has preset automation to address important e-commerce events such as abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase follow-up, and re-engagement flows.
Simple customization: You can very quickly customize workflows using a visual editor; triggers, filters, and message content can be adjusted to comply with the requirements of your brand, without the need for technical experts.
Audience Segmentation
Behavior-based Targeting: Segment audiences according to actual activity on the website in real time, as well as email engagement, and shopping behavior like browsing habits and cart abandonment.
Purchasing Frequency Statistics: Filter and approach customers according to ordered frequency, value, and recency, or certain products purchased, culminating in highly personalized messaging.
Integrations
Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and others: Omnisend integrates with all major eCommerce platforms, keeping real-time sync on customer and order data for more effective marketing.
Third-party tools: Like Zapier or Integrately, obtain easy access to hundreds of other applications and services to automate workflows and add functionality with Omnisend.
Reporting & Analytics
Real-time Tracking: Keep track of your campaigns with real-time analytics, including open rates, click rates, revenue attribution, and other metrics, from an easily usable dashboard.
A/B Testing Features: Test concerning subject line, content, and time, and optimize their effectiveness and evidence of learning-backed decisions.
User Experience and Ease of Use
Onboarding: Guided onboarding per business type. Step-by-step e-commerce platform integration setup and initial configuration of key features make it very easy for even new beginners to use.
Dashboard Usability: Clean, intuitive, and ready to use for novice and experienced marketers alike. Most importantly, users can simply switch between campaigns, automations, and reports, with helpful tooltips and resources provided throughout the entire thing.
Learning Curve: Omnisend is said to have a gentle learning curve. The drag-and-drop builders, pre-built templates, and automation libraries minimize technical barriers and launch sophisticated multi-channel campaigns without steep training requirements.
500 Push Notifications Automation, segmentation,
Signup forms, reporting (with branding),
24/7 live chat and email support
Standard
$11.20
500
3000
$1 in free SMS to try,
Unlimited web push notifications,
Success manager (from $400),
24/7 Priority support
Pro
$41.30
2500
Unlimited
Global SMS messaging,
Unlimited web push notifications,
Success manager (from $400),
24/7 Priority support,
Advanced reporting
Custom Pricing
Request for Proposal
Custom contact amount
Unlimited
Global SMS messaging,
Unlimited web push notifications,
Success manager,
24/7 Priority support,
Advanced reporting
Indeed, the Omnisend plans offer excellent value, particularly for eCommerce brands that wish to embrace an omnichannel strategy and automate their marketing. The Free plan is very generous with its exposure of all of its core features and 500 web push notifications, thereby making it ideal for testing the platform. This plan has the best value for grower brands, while the Pro plan is worth it because it entails unlimited emails plus an enormous amount of SMS credits, features most competitors charge for. All of them include excellent 24/7 support, while higher tiers feature dedicated customer support management for larger spenders, further adding to the value.
Omnisend Pros
Omnisend Pros and Cons
Omnisend is highly rated for its very easy-to-use interface that helps users with very minimal training get into campaign creation and management.
The platform has some terrific pre-built automation workflows, including abandoned cart, welcome series, and post-purchase follow-ups, all of which save time and drive sales.
Omnisend enables targeting audiences very precisely by behaviors, purchase history, and lifecycle stage, allowing much more relevant and effective campaigns.
Direct one-click integrations with the major platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce make the whole setup and syncing process a lot easier.
All email, SMS, and push notifications can be managed through a single dashboard, enhancing cross-channel coordination and customer engagement.
Responsive 24/7 customer service: Omnisend has a fast and wonderful support team that consistently gets high mentions and that offers live chat available on all plans, including free ones.
Competitive plans, including a feature-rich free tier, make Omnisend feasible for smaller and growing eCommerce brands.
Omnisend Cons
The email and form editors may come across as a little constricted, especially if a brand wants something very custom or sophisticated.
Reporting is mostly practical for normal needs and lacks the extensive and sophisticated analytics with whiz-bang attribution modeling that some of the enterprise solutions offer.
The only assistance is chat and email for customers, which may be inconvenient when it comes to urgent or complex issues.
Some users report a steeper learning curve on how to learn everything, particularly automation and campaign customization.
Mainly useful eCommerce features targeted to online stores, making it less suitable for businesses apart than the online store.
This is referred to as an omnichannel solution above all because it was created as an eCommerce platform for online retailers, D2C, and multi-channel merchants. It offers features that will support product-based businesses to automate their marketing, personalize communications, and increase sales via email, SMS, and push notifications. Such industries that will typically make use of the above types include fashion, beauty, food and beverage, as well as specialist retailers.
Size and Scale Suitability
Omnisend is best suited for small and medium-sized businesses, from solo entrepreneurs to growing teams and companies with up to 500 employees. Its features and pricing scale well for both segments, making it a strong choice for brands looking to grow and optimise their marketing automation. With an intuitive interface, affordable pricing, and a generous free tier, it’s easy to adopt even for beginners. Powerful automation and segmentation tools help businesses scale effectively as they grow. Omnisend also works extensively with medium-sized companies, offering capabilities tailored to their marketing needs. While some larger enterprises use the platform, it’s typically for specific departments or targeted campaigns rather than as a company-wide solution.
Omnisend has also introduced Omnisend AI, designed to help businesses create branded emails, generate effective subject lines, suggest personalised product picks, build churn-resistant segments, and automate campaign boosters. This new AI feature supports small and especially medium-sized businesses in streamlining their marketing efforts and improving performance without added workload.
Use-case Scenarios
Perfect for Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce Stores: Seamless integrations and real-time data syncing make Omnisend ideal for merchants on these platforms.
Automated Sales Growth: Brands setting up abandoned cart recovery, welcome series, and post-purchase follow-ups will find Omnisend with pre-built workflows beneficial.
Multi-Channel Campaigns: Businesses wishing to engage customers across email, SMS, and push notifications from a single dashboard find Omnisend’s omnichannel approach highly effective.
Personalized Marketing: Companies want to leverage advanced segmentation and behavioral targeting to boost engagement and conversions.
Resource-Conscious Teams: Whether it’s a solo marketer or a growing marketing team, Omnisend’s ease of use and automation features make it efficient for small and medium-sized businesses alike.
Not Ideal For
Deep CRM integrations and complex sales pipelines are the requirements for B2Bs, but not foreign to them. Not much in terms of selling directly to products: content creators, bloggers, or service-oriented businesses.
Omnisend vs Competitors
Omnisend is a simple marketing automation solution for eCommerce. The ease of implementation of the various pre‑built workflows for email, SMS, and push notifications is encouraging for newcomers to set up fast and effective campaigns with no deep technical abilities involved. ECommerce sellers enjoy a global SMS feature and a consolidated dashboard, which creates a pleasure in working on the international front, managing various sales channels with ease. In contrast, Klaviyo is preferred for its advanced segmentation capabilities, offering virtually precise tactical information for a more sophisticated approach to e‑commerce marketing for well-developed marketers.
Omnisend surpasses Mailchimp in product recommendations and integrated SMS, making the latter a great companion for growing sales. Mailchimp excels in advanced integrations, better deliverability, and a wide array of templates, thus providing an economical and wise choice for businesses that pay more attention to general marketing rather than heavy e‑commerce features.
Omnisend is rated an average of 4.6/5 in G2 and Capterra because of its easy handling, intuitive drag-and-drop email builder, and seamless eCommerce integrations. The straightforward automation workflows, 24/7 live chat support that is always responsive, and price value, especially among small and medium online retailers, are consistently praised by Omnisend customers. Among other things, a clean reporting dashboard and easy campaign personalization with real-time store data are highlighted by many users.
Common complaints include limited design flexibility in the email editor, analytics slightly lacking in depth due to the competition, and additional costs for SMS when usage creeps up. Some tutors mention a steep learning curve for the most complex automations, while some users long for phone support or deeper B2B and CRM integrations.
Conclusion
The value of Omnisend is most evident in its intuitive interface, powerful omnichannel automation, and seamless integrations with leading eCommerce platforms. Omnisend is designed for both small and medium-sized businesses, offering scalable features that meet the evolving needs of growing teams. It is widely used by medium-sized businesses, while remaining easy to adopt for smaller brands starting out. With advanced automation, deep segmentation, responsive support, and competitive pricing, including a generous free plan, it is ideal for e-commerce brands on Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce looking to scale with high ROI.
FAQs
What is Omnisend used for?
Omnisend is used by e-commerce brands to automate marketing through email, SMS, push notifications, and more—all from one dashboard.
Is Omnisend suitable for beginners?
Yes, Omnisend offers a user-friendly interface, drag-and-drop builders, and pre-built workflows ideal for beginners and small businesses.
Which platforms does Omnisend integrate with?
Omnisend integrates seamlessly with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and tools like Zapier to sync customer and order data.
Pavel Durov has always been a figure who stands out in the digital world, known for his strong belief in freedom and privacy. He’s someone who doesn’t back down easily, often finding himself in the spotlight for challenging authority. Durov’s life has been a journey full of determination, where his ideals often clash with those in power.
Durov recently announced in June 2025 that he plans to leave his $17 billion fortune to his future legacy of over 100 children.
He previously made headlines in 2024, not for his tech accomplishments, but for his arrest. This event has sparked fresh debates about the balance between security and freedom online. For Durov, this is just another chapter in his ongoing fight to protect individual rights from government control. Let’s go through his story, which is one of resilience, as he continues to travel through the difficult path of pushing back against the status quo.
Pavel Durov Biography
Name
Pavel Durov
Born
10 October 1984
Birthplace
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Citizenship
Russia, France, UAE, St Kitts and Nevis
Education
Master of Science, Saint Petersburg State University
Position
Co-founder and CEO of Telegram
Net worth
$17.1 billion (June 2025)
Pavel Durov – Early Life and Education
Durov was born in the city of St.Petersburg in Russia in 1984. He had to live in Italy for most of his childhood since his father worked there. Durov left Russia and became a French citizen in 2021, but lives in Dubai.
He had a solid academic background, which paved the way for his entrepreneurial journey in the tech industry. He did his graduation from the Philology Department of Saint Petersburg State University in Russia. His Philology degree was of great help when he started working on social media platforms.
Pavel Durov’s career is a story of innovation, defiance, and international intrigue. He began his rise as a tech entrepreneur by founding VKontakte (VK) in 2006 just when he was in his 20s. VK was Russia’s most popular social networking site which was inspired by Facebook. His ambition to create a free and open internet platform quickly collided with the Russian government’s demand for censorship and control. Since then, Durov has mostly been in the news for standing up against the government in matters of protecting the freedom and privacy of his social media users.
In 2011, he refused to cooperate with the Federal Security Service by blocking opposition groups on VK. This did not sit well with the Government. The pressure on him escalated once again when, during the Russia-Ukraine war in 2014, Russian authorities demanded personal details of some leaders from the opposite side and he refused to provide them. He wasn’t able to withstand the pressure from Russia, leading to his eventual ouster from VK in 2014. The government’s increasing influence over VK’s operations, coupled with direct threats, pushed Durov to sell his stake and leave.
In 2013, Durov launched Telegram, a messaging app focused on security and privacy. This move was both a response to the challenges he faced with VK and a forward-looking project aiming to provide users with a platform free from government surveillance. Telegram’s rise was meteoric, gaining millions of users worldwide, especially after privacy concerns with other platforms like WhatsApp emerged.
As an advocate of privacy, Durov understood that to maintain Telegram’s independence, he needed to be outside the reach of Russian authorities. This led him on a nomadic journey across multiple countries, including Dubai, which became a base for his operations.
In 2018, to build TON, a blockchain system, Pavel and his brother Nikolai gathered $1.7 billion from investors. However, the SEC banned the system, and it was eventually shut down.
Despite the constant challenges, including the blocking of Telegram in Russia in 2018 and the collapse of his TON blockchain project due to U.S. regulatory action, Durov has remained resolute in his mission.
Durov’s global travels are a testament to his commitment to freedom and privacy. After leaving Russia, he visited several countries, including France, Italy, and the UAE, where he has reportedly spent considerable time. His moves were often strategic, seeking jurisdictions that offered both safety and a favorable environment for his work.
This is what he says about his nomadic life,
“I did not want to make the same mistake of relying on a single jurisdiction…..no matter how good a place looks, you don’t know what crazy new regulation they will introduce.”
Pavel Durov comes from a family with a strong academic background. His father, Valery Durov, is a respected scholar and holds a PhD in philology, which significantly influenced Pavel’s early life and education. His mother also contributed to the intellectual environment in which Pavel and his older brother, Nikolai Durov, were raised. Nikolai has played a crucial role in the development of both VKontakte and Telegram, particularly in the technical architecture and coding of these platforms.
Pavel’s family has always emphasized education and intellectual development, which is evident from the achievements of both Pavel and Nikolai. Despite being a public figure due to his business ventures, Pavel Durov has maintained a relatively private personal life.
Pavel’s marital status is single, and he has six children with his three ex-girlfriends.
Durov recently said that he will leave his US$17.1 billion fortune to more than 100 children, including six of his own and many others born through sperm donations.
In a recent interview in June 2025 with French magazine Le Point, Durov said he recently updated his will to include all his children.
“I see no difference between my children, some were born naturally, others through sperm donation,” he explained. “They are all my children and will have equal rights. I don’t want them to fight over my wealth after I’m gone.”
Pavel Durov – Telegram
In 2013, Pavel and his brother silently launched Telegram. It is a cloud-based messaging app known for its strong emphasis on user privacy, security, and speed. Telegram offers end-to-end encryption for secret chats, ensuring that messages are accessible only to the sender and recipient. The app supports a wide range of features, including group chats for up to 200,000 members, channels for broadcasting to unlimited audiences, and the ability to send various types of media files.
As of 2023, Telegram boasts over 700 million active users globally, and it continues to be a preferred platform for those who prioritize privacy and freedom of speech.
He was listed in the Forbes World’s Billionaires list 2024.
Facts About Pavel Durov
Durov is often known for his mysterious and mercurial behavior.
He is also known for his weird stunts. In 2012, he grabbed attention by showering high-denomination currency notes on the pedestrians from the VK headquarters.
He is always seen dressed in black.
Durov was seen boasting about his sperm donation, calling it a “civic duty”, making him the biological father of more than a hundred children in many countries.
Pavel Durov – Quotes
💡
Privacy is not for sale, and human rights should not be compromised out of fear or greed.
💡
We support free speech and peaceful protest, but terrorist propaganda has no place on our platform. The success of our ongoing anti-ISIS efforts proves that you don’t have to sacrifice privacy for security. You can – and should – enjoy both.
💡
As soon as one agency gets to uncontrollably monitor private communications, soon enough this access falls into the hands of third parties – bribers, hackers, agents of other countries.
FAQs
Who is Pavel Durov?
Pavel Durov is the Co-founder and CEO of Telegram.
Why was Pavel Durov arrested in France?
Pavel Durov was arrested in France on August 28, 2024, facing multiple charges related to illicit activities conducted through the Telegram app.
Is Pavel Durov married?
Pavel’s marital status is single and he has six children with his three ex-girlfriends.
What is Pavel Durov education, or what did Pavel Durov study?
Pavel Durov studied at Saint Petersburg State University, where he majored in English Philology and Translation. He graduated with honors in 2006. Earlier, he also attended the Academic Gymnasium in Saint Petersburg and began learning programming at age 11, which later played a key role in his tech career.
Is Pavel Durov married?
No, Pavel Durov is not married.
Who are Pavel Durov parents and family?
Pavel Durov’s father, Valery Semenovich Durov, is a Doctor of Philological Sciences and has served as the head of the Department of Classical Philology at Saint Petersburg State University since 1992. His mother, Albina Durova, is a professor at the same institution. Pavel has an older brother, Nikolai Durov, who is a renowned mathematician and computer scientist.
What is Pavel Durov citizenship?
Pavel Durov was originally a Russian citizen but later obtained multiple citizenships. In 2013, he became a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis through an investment program. In 2021, he was granted citizenship in both the United Arab Emirates and France.
Which is Pavel Durov birthplace?
Pavel Durov was born on October 10, 1984, in Leningrad, which is now known as Saint Petersburg, Russia.
What is Telegram founder net worth?
Telegram founder, Pavel Durov’s net worth as of June 2025 is $17.1 billion.
India’s startup ecosystem remained active on 25 June 2025, with key funding rounds led by Sahi, GIVA, and Battery Smart. Meanwhile, Lenskart gears up for its IPO, NPCI reports a sharp profit surge, and MakeMyTrip announces a major buyback. Here’s a quick roundup of the key startup fundings in India on 25th June 2025.
Daily Indian Startup Funding Digest – 25 June 2025
Startup
Sector
Round
Amount
Key Investors
AuraML
Deep‑tech / Robotics
Pre‑seed
$1 million
Turbostart, DeVC, GSF Accelerator, IAN
Indian Snack House
Food / D2C
Pre‑seed
₹2.2 crore
Titan Capital
Innovodigm
Med‑tech / Vaccines
Seed
₹5.5 crore
Indian Angel Network, PadUp Ventures
Pazy
Fin‑tech / B2B Payments
Pre‑seed
₹6 crore
Inuka Capital, Gemba Capital
Sthyr Energy
Clean‑tech / Energy
Seed
$1 million
Speciale Invest, Antares Ventures
IndiaBonds
Fin‑tech / Bond Platform
Maiden round
₹32.5 crore
Angel Investors from finance and tech sectors
Armory
Defence‑tech
Seed
₹13 crore
growX Ventures, Antler, Industrial 47, others
GIVA
D2C / Jewellery
Series C
₹530 crore
Creaegis, Premji Invest, Epiq Capital, Edelweiss Fund
Sahi
Fin‑tech / Trading
Series A
$10.5 million
Accel, Elevation Capital
Battery Smart
EV / Battery Swapping
Series B (ongoing)
$21 million
Rising Tide Energy, ResponsAbility, others
Daily Indian Funding Highlights – 25 June 2025
AuraML – Deep‑tech breakthrough
Mumbai‑based AuraML secured $1 million in a pre‑seed round to advance its generative simulation platform for warehouse and industrial robots. The round was led by Turbostart, with participation from DeVC, GSF Accelerator, and Indian Angel Network. Funds will support product development, enterprise pilots, and expansion in the US.
Indian Snack House – D2C food expansion
Chennai‑based clean‑label brand Indian Snack House raised INR 2.2 crore in a pre‑seed round from Titan Capital. Founded by Rajakumaran and Anbarasan, the startup aims to expand the distribution of traditional snacks across South India via online and offline channels.
Innovodigm – Vaccine delivery innovation
Med‑tech startup Innovodigm, co‑founded by Dr Jhimli Manna and Dr Ayan Chatterjee, raised INR 5.5 crore in a seed round led by Indian Angel Network (INR 4.5 crore) and PadUp Ventures. The company is working on microneedle patch technology for thermostable vaccine delivery.
Pazy – Fin‑tech for business payments
B2B payments platform Pazy raised INR 6 crore in a pre‑seed round led by Inuka Capital, with Gemba Capital joining in. Founded in 2023, it aims to simplify vendor payments and financial operations for mid‑sized businesses.
Sthyr Energy – Zinc‑air storage
Clean‑tech startup Sthyr Energy raised $1 million in a seed round led by Speciale Invest and Antares Ventures. The startup is developing modular zinc‑air energy storage systems and plans to scale its pilot units for renewable energy use cases.
IndiaBonds – Democratising bond investments
Mumbai‑based IndiaBonds raised INR 32.5 crore in its maiden external round from marquee individual investors. The SEBI‑regulated platform allows retail investors to access listed debt instruments with ease.
Armory – Defence‑tech with AI
Defence startup Armory secured INR 13 crore from investors including growX Ventures, Antler, and Industrial 47. Its flagship product “SURGE” uses AI for indigenous counter‑drone defence, already undergoing field trials with Indian armed forces.
GIVA – Premium D2C jewellery
Bengaluru‑based jewellery brand GIVA raised INR 530 crore in Series C funding led by Creaegis, with participation from Premji Invest, Epiq Capital, and Edelweiss Discovery Fund. The brand plans to grow its offline presence and invest in lab‑grown diamonds.
Sahi – AI‑powered retail trading
Founded by former Swiggy CTO Dale Vaz and Manish Jain, stock trading platform Sahi secured $10.5 million in a Series A round led by Accel and Elevation Capital. Known for its AI‑powered trading tools and INR 10 per‑order pricing, Sahi has crossed 200,000 app downloads and is building a web platform amid favourable SEBI rule changes.
Battery Smart – Scaling EV swapping
EV infrastructure firm Battery Smart raised $21 million in its ongoing Series B round led by Rising Tide Energy, with ResponsAbility and Acacia Inclusion Ltd among other backers. The Gurugram‑based company operates over 1,500+ battery swapping stations, enabling rapid e‑rickshaw battery replacement across India.
Key News Highlights – 25 June 2025
NPCI records 42% surge in FY25 surplus
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) reported a 42% year‑on‑year rise in its surplus (akin to profit), reaching INR 1,552 crore for the fiscal year ending March 2025, up from INR 1,095 crore a year earlier. Growth was driven by a 19% increase in income, bolstered by rising UPI transactions and associated fee revenue.
CCI approves Manipal Group’s acquisition of Aakash stake
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared the Manipal Group’s proposal to purchase a stake in Aakash Educational Services Ltd from its founder, Dr J.C. Chaudhry. The acquisition will be carried out by Manipal Health Systems Pvt Ltd and Manipal Education & Medical Group (MEMG). Ranjan Pai’s Manipal Group already holds around 40% equity in Aakash.
MakeMyTrip to repurchase ~US$3 billion from Trip.com
Online travel aggregator MakeMyTrip has agreed to pay approximately $3 billion to buy back shares from its Chinese partner Trip.com Group, reducing the latter’s stake to roughly 17%. The transaction, formalised on 23 June, is expected to close in early July and follows MakeMyTrip’s recent $3.1 billion capital raise.
Rapido integrates Delhi Metro ticketing with ONDC
Rapido has launched metro ticket booking within its app for the Delhi Metro, through a tie‑up with DMRC and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Trialled since April, it is now fully live, serving around 10,000 bookings daily. Users also enjoy a flat INR 25 fare (one free first ride) for last‑mile trips to/from metro stations.
Lenskart to file DRHP publicly in July
Eyewear unicorn Lenskart plans to skip SEBI’s confidential IPO route and submit its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) publicly in the first fortnight of July. This departure from the norm, unlike peers such as Swiggy and Groww, signals an emphasis on transparency.
