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  • Key Delegates from Across the Globe Join Forces to Scale Startup Mahakumbh to Global Heights

    With a focus on strengthening collaboration amongst stakeholders across the globe, delegates from 30+ countries joined in for an evening of innovation and startups at Vanijya Bhawan on Thursday. The organizing committee members of Startup Mahakumbh supported the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and showcased the expanse of the landmark event at a glittering event, which was aimed at igniting a new era of global innovation.

    With international collaboration at the heart of the Indian startup ecosystem’s growth, key delegates from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ambassadors to the Argentinian and Azerbaijan’s Embassy, Head of the Economic and Innovation Department of Italy, Head of International Cooperation from Mexico, among many other, attended the event.

    The event was spearheaded by India’s foremost Startup Ecosystem Leaders and led by FICCI in collaboration with ASSOCHAM, IVCA, nasscom, Bootstrap Foundation, and other key industry stakeholders, with support from the National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC), DPIIT, Startup India. With a sector-focused approach, across 11 pavillions – AI, Deeptech & Cybersecurity, HealthTech & BioTech, AgriTech, Climate Tech, Incubators & Accelerators, D2C, FinTech, Gaming & Sports, B2B & Precision Manufacturing, Defence & Space Tech and Mobility – the event will create immersive spaces for knowledge exchange, mentorship, and real business opportunities. 

    Speaking on the sidelines of the convivial evening, Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, said, “The Indian startup ecosystem has positioned itself as a formidable force across industries worldwide, and with Startup Mahakumbh – the largest congregation of startups globally – will help in bridging the gap to foster connections with stakeholders transcending borders.”

    Smt. Arti Bhatnagar, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, DPIIT, Startup India said, “This evening marks a significant milestone in India’s startup journey, where global collaboration takes center stage as thought leaders, investors, and innovators from over 30 countries joined hands to foster deeper connections and exchange knowledge. As we move towards building a self-reliant and innovative Viksit Bharat by 2047, such engagements will play a crucial role in driving India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to new heights on the global stage.”

    Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary, DPIIT, said, “By bringing together key global stakeholders, we are not just showcasing the immense innovation happening in India but also forging meaningful collaborations that will drive the future of entrepreneurship for the whole world.”

    Expressing his views, Sanjeev Bikhchandani,, Co-founder and Executive Vice Chairman, Info Edge signed off as he said, “Startup Mahakumbh embodies India’s dynamic spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, helping Indian startups scale internationally. By inviting global innovators to explore the limitless opportunities in Bharat, is a powerful signal of the shared vision we hold for a truly interconnected startup landscape.”

    About Startup Mahakumbh

    Startup Mahakumbh is a first-of-its-kind event bringing together the entire startup ecosystem of India, including startups, investors, incubators and accelerators, and industry leaders from several sectors. The event is led by FICCI, ASSOCHAM, IVCA, NASSCOM and Bootstrap Advisory & Foundation and supported by SIDBI, GEM, ECGC, and DPIIT Startup India.

    The second edition of Startup Mahakumbh is set to make a grand return in 2025, building on the tremendous success of its inaugural edition. The flagship startup event was an extraordinary success, attracting over 48,581 business visitors engaging with 1306 exhibitors, including the finest startups, soonicorns, and unicorn startups from 26+ states and 14+ countries. It also hosted 300+ incubators and accelerators and 200+ leading angel investors, VCs, and family offices.

  • The New EV from Volkswagen Costs Half as Much as Tesla

    The German automaker Volkswagen has now revealed its upcoming electric vehicle project. After being promoted earlier this year, the company has now introduced ID.Every1, their entry-level EV. The ID.Every1’s production-spec model, which is now only a pre-production concept, will begin to be sold in Europe in 2027. The Volkswagen Up’s spiritual successor, according to the company, is a “from Europe for Europe” model. The German automaker’s ID line of electric vehicles will begin with the electric hatchback, which will be positioned beneath the ID.2 All, which is regarded as the battery-powered counterpart of the Polo.

    The next ID.Every1 will cost about 20,000 euros (about INR 18.90 lakh), according to Volkswagen. This is about 5,000 euros less than the ID.2 All, which is expected to make its official debut in 2026. The ID.Every1 is more than 100 mm shorter than the ID.2 All, with an overall length of 3,880 mm.

    The Real Design will Mostly be Aligned with the Concept

    Volkswagen asserts that the final production model will not significantly deviate from the recently unveiled concept. With its blacked-out upper faux grille, big LED headlamps, and contrasting black trim on the lower bumper, the hatchback’s front profile conveys a pleasant attitude while its proportions obviously pay respect to the Up. The blacked-out A-pillar produces a smooth wraparound impression for the windscreen, and vertical LED daytime running lights placed at the bumper’s corners further accentuate the rounded fascia.

    The side profile emphasises a simple and unobtrusive appearance with delicately sculpted wheel arches and no prominent character lines. Volkswagen claims that the goal of this minimalist approach is to produce a style that is “timeless” and “classless.” 19-inch wheels and flat door handles are also part of the concept, and the C-pillar design honours the original Golf. The rear end is identical to the front, with a third brake light built into the spoiler and tail lamps and a bumper that are both similarly constructed. Volkswagen claims that the ID.Every1 has a smaller battery and a shorter wheelbase than the ID.2 All, but otherwise has a similar design up to the A-pillars.

    Should Musk be Worried?

    Without a doubt, Volkswagen will have an advantage against Tesla in this pricing range. The German company has just recently developed a solid-state battery that may solve a significant EV issue that would annoy Tesla. Despite not producing these batteries in-house, Volkswagen has teamed up with QuantumScape, and the two companies have made great strides in bringing this technology to market. The progress has also been quicker than most people could have imagined, despite obstacles.

  • Infosys Modifies the “Ten-Day-Work-From-Office” Rule

    Aiming to get more people back on campus, Infosys has instructed its tech workers to follow its policy of working from the office ten days a month. Functional heads at the Bengaluru-based company emailed their colleagues to advise them to restrict the amount of work-from-home days they apply for, starting on March 10, according to a media outlet.

    According to the email evaluated by a media outlet, the corporation stated that in order to facilitate this, system interventions will be put in place to restrict the amount of work-from-home days that can be used each month as of March 10, 2025. These steps are intended to preserve employee flexibility while guaranteeing adherence to the new hybrid work rules.

    The “system intervention,” as senior executives referred to it, is intended to give teammates flexibility while ensuring efficient teamwork. “As you are aware, our hybrid work style requires employees to work from the office at least ten days a month, or as needed by the business, whichever is higher,” the email continued. Employees at job level 5 (JL5) and lower are covered by the communication. It further covered that JL5 (Job Level 5) team leaders are ranked above software engineers, senior engineers, system engineers, and consultants. Managers, senior managers, delivery managers, and senior delivery managers are included in JL6 and up; however, vice presidents are excluded from this communication. To date, Infosys, which employs over 323,000 people, has not addressed any media enquiries regarding this development.

    Change in Marking Attendance

    According to media reports, Infosys employees utilise a mobile app to track their attendance. This software will no longer “default” to approving WFH requests and will force them to punch in ten days a month while working at their local office base. This is more of a project requirement than a unit requirement. The flexibility saved Infosys workers a great deal of time and fatigue from commuting to work. Some employees may become less productive as a result. Sources claim that if an employee misses the work-from-office goal by one or two days, those days will be subtracted from their remaining leave balance.

    TCS Attracting Employees in a Unique Way

    TCS, a rival of Infosys, tied quarterly variable pay outs to employees’ attendance at work earlier in 2024. The quarterly incentive will not be given to those who have less than 60% attendance. On November 20, 2023, Infosys announced its return-to-office policy. According to a report published by a renowned media house, the outsourcing giant set aside a few crucial weeks each quarter as “in-person collab” weeks, during which time all team members were expected to be in the office and work together.

  • The Distributors’ Body Approaches CCI against Quick Commerce Players Due to Unfair Pricing

    According to reports, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has received a petition from the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) accusing Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart of monopolising the market and charging unjust prices. According to a media report, AICPDF President Dhairyashil Patil made the petition. According to the petition, hyperlocal delivery and speedy trade have grown in popularity in recent years. Fast and effective delivery services are defined by the term “quick commerce.” Products are typically delivered in a matter of minutes. The group also charged that these rapid commerce companies were influencing market competition by offering steep discounts and engaging in exclusive supply and distribution contracts. According to the petition, these activities have a detrimental effect on almost 10 million offline mom-and-pop shops nationwide.

    Not a New Issue

    The authority asked Piyush Goyal, the union minister of commerce, in a letter last year to closely examine the fast commerce giants’ explosive expansion. In order to safeguard small business owners, it also asked the government to control the rapid commerce area. The AICPDF complaint was later forwarded to the CCI by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The authorities’ persistent efforts to suppress quick commerce companies coincide with Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto’s rapid growth and the loss of traditional retail establishments’ clientele. The three main businesses are competing for market share in the nation’s fast-food delivery, grocery, and home basics sectors, as well as 10-minute ambulance services. E-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart are working to increase their product offerings in this market as a result of this influence.

    Voices Rising Against 10 Minutes Delivery Game

    Concerns about the 10-minute delivery trend are still growing. According to a report last month, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) was thinking of bringing a CCI action against Zomato and Swiggy in order to prevent their 10-minute meal delivery standalone apps, Bistro and Snacc, from being launched. Furthermore, according to a broking study by ICICI Securities, although these businesses continue to use discounts to draw clients, the item-level discounting strategy has lost some of its allure between November 2024 and January 2025. It is important to remember that Zepto, Instamart, and Blinkit together generated over $1 billion in revenue in FY24.

    Rapid Commerce Conflict

    The rapid commerce industry has evolved into a high-cash-burn sector, with companies allocating billions towards expansion and client acquisition. Industry estimates indicate that the aggregate monthly cash burn of rapid commerce entities, including new entrants, ranges between INR 1,300 and 1,500 crore—more than double in recent months.

    Despite nearing operational breakeven in Q2 FY25, Blinkit’s losses escalated in Q3 FY25, with operating losses rising to INR 103 crore from INR 8 crore in the preceding quarter. Swiggy reported a net loss of INR 799 crore, while Instamart had an adjusted EBITDA loss of INR 578 crore in Q3, compared to INR 358 crore in Q2. Zomato’s ability to continue investing in Blinkit stems from its financial stability. In November 2024, Zomato secured INR 8,500 crore in a qualified institutional placement (QIP) to enhance its balance sheet and finance its rapid commerce operations. As of December 31, 2024, Zomato possessed cash reserves amounting to INR 19,235 crore, providing adequate liquidity to support Blinkit’s expansion.

  • Trump Issues Executive Order Creating “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve”

    Redefining the U.S. government’s position on digital assets, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. White House Crypto and AI Commissioner David Sacks confirmed the announcement in a post on X. The reserve won’t be dependent on public funds. Rather, it will only be financed with bitcoin that has been seized in civil and criminal forfeiture proceedings. According to Sacks, the federal government’s Bitcoin that was seized as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture actions will be used to capitalise the reserve.

    The Government Owns Sizeable Bitcoin Reserves

    Estimates indicate that the U.S. government possesses about 200,000 bitcoin, despite the fact that a complete audit has never been conducted. According to Trump’s executive order, a thorough examination of federal digital asset holdings is required. Presenting bitcoin as a long-term store of value, the directive also forbids the government from selling it from the reserve. This decision was made in response to previous bitcoin liquidations that resulted in significant cash opportunities being lost. Sacks has pointed out that by selling confiscated bitcoin too soon, the United States lost out on roughly $17 billion in possible profits.

    The executive order creates a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile to store additional seized cryptocurrencies in addition to bitcoin. The Treasury Department will oversee this stockpile, guaranteeing a methodical approach to dealing with digital assets that have been seized.

    How US is Envisaging  its Digital Currency Future?

    Additional policy formulation will be supervised by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. They will concentrate on managing and maybe growing the reserve using cost-neutral methods. Trump recently said on social media that the government will hoard Bitcoin, Ethereum, and three other tokens. This action comes after his remarks. Some in the cryptocurrency industry reacted negatively to the tweet. But according to Sacks, the new policy is a significant step in turning the United States into the “crypto capital of the world.” The U.S. government is sending a clear message about the future of digital assets with this executive order. Although opinions are still divided, the ruling clearly shows that bitcoin is no longer seen as a disposable holding but rather as a strategic asset.

    Where Does India Stand in Digital Assets Game?

    In the most populous country in the world, where jobs and wage rises have not kept pace with global economic growth, many young Indians are experimenting with cryptocurrency trading as a way to augment their regular income. According to a government report, over two-thirds of its 1.4 billion inhabitants are under 35. They are shifting their focus from equities and derivatives to cryptocurrency assets, whose values have skyrocketed since U.S. President Donald Trump’s election victory in November, when he pledged to relax regulations on the market.

    According to reports, Edul Patel, co-founder of the Indian cryptocurrency exchange Mudrex, stated that there is a lot of interest at the grassroots level, particularly in light of Trump’s election as president of the United States and the global shift in the cryptocurrency landscape. According to a consultancy firm, Grant Thornton Bharat, the Indian cryptocurrency industry is predicted to increase from $2.5 billion last year to over $15 billion in 2035 at a compound annual growth rate of 18.5%.

  • Rajneet Singh Kohli, the CEO of Britannia, Steps Down

    Britannia Industries, a prominent biscuit manufacturer, announced on 6 March that Rajneet Singh Kohli, its executive director and chief executive officer, left on March 5 in order to explore an outside opportunity. The stock exchange statement states that March 14 is Kohli’s last day with the company. In September 2022, he joined the company after Varun Berry was promoted to vice chairman.

    Kohli’s Resignation Letter

    Kohli stated in his letter of resignation that it has been an honour to work with Berry and be a part of Britannia leadership for more than two and a half years. He went on to say that he is humbled and thankful for the chance to manage the biggest and most adored famous Britannia brand, collaborate with a bright group of people, and help the business succeed. The brand has advanced significantly with the team’s help, and he is happy with what the group has accomplished.

    Britannia Not Going for a Capex Break

    Berry informed investors that the company was thinking of taking a capital expenditure break following the results of the October–December quarter. The business has installed plants and plans to keep them as low as feasible for the upcoming fiscal year. Additionally, he stated that until there was an increase in demand, the company would not invest more than INR 150 crore to INR 200 crore in capacity growth. Since the brand now had three new plants with new lines, capacity, head space, and other features, Berry had informed investors that he didn’t think it needed capital expenditures. In terms of capital expenditures, the business is doing well. The fast-moving consumer goods business has struggled with urban demand, but Britannia is now facing high commodity prices. Berry informed investors that it was raising pricing in order to lessen the impact of the high cost of raw materials. The big biscuit company raised the prices of all of its products by 2% in the third quarter, and it anticipates finishing the fiscal year with a 4–4.5% price hike.

    Kohli Before Joining Britannia

    Prior to joining Britannia, Kohli held key leadership positions at Jubilant Foodworks, where he was instrumental in the expansion of well-known fast-food restaurants like Dunkin’, Popeyes, and Domino’s. His long history in the retail and consumer products industries also includes positions at Asian Paints and Coca-Cola Co., where he made major contributions to market expansion and brand strategy. Although Britannia has not yet named Kohli’s replacement, more announcements about leadership changes are anticipated in the upcoming weeks. The company is still navigating a dynamic and changing market situation, so Kohli’s departure represents a substantial move.

  • Leading Venture Studio T9L Qube Incubated India’s First Pod Hotel Startup NapTapGo Raised $500K Pre-Seed Funding

    New Delhi, 06th March 2025: Originating from Japan, pod-style hotels have recently gained popularity in India’s hospitality sector due to their efficiency, affordability, and space-saving accommodations—especially among budget travellers. One innovative Indian capsule hotel startup, NapTapGo, has raised $500K in pre-seed funding, with support from T9L Qube, one of India’s leading venture studios. The Indian budget hotel market is growing at a CAGR of 13-15%. NapTapGo is democratizing budget travel by providing hygienic, tech-driven stays at a fraction of the price. T9L believes that investing in such innovations can strengthen the rapidly growing hospitality industry in the country.

    An Indian startup specializing in pod hotels, NapTapGo is targeting the $20 billion budget hotel market in India. With an ambition to make travel ad luxurious stays accessible and affordable for everyone, they have introduced this unique concept of spacious pods in the country that prioritize cleanliness and quality, providing exceptional customer experience. These compact, capsule-like pod hotels are designed for short-stay travellers with all basic amenities. Recently veteran Industrialist Anand Mahindra praised NapTapGo and described the Japanese style pod hotel as “pretty cool”. He triggered a discussion about budget travel in India and took the internet by storm.

    Fahad Moti Khan and Gaurav Gaggar, co-founders of T9L Qube, expressed their confidence in this innovative concept, stating that pod hotels represent a groundbreaking and unique development in the hospitality sector. These accommodations are ideal for guests looking to rest for a few hours, offering an affordable and luxurious option, even for solo travellers. The growing demand for accommodations near religious sites is significant, and we believe that these pods will be a game changer in meeting the needs of religious travellers by providing clean, hygienic, and comfortable stays at an affordable price.

    T9L majorly focuses on incubating, accelerating, and essentially onboarding startups that have high growth potential after strategizing and consulting with onboarded partners and/or advisors, conducting proper due diligence, and private negotiations. This approach provides early-stage startups access to essential networks and top talent in crucial areas like product development, narrative, branding, growth, policy, fundraising, and technology- resources that many startups need in their infancy. T9L Qube reduces the risk associated with the startup journey by supporting early ventures in the aforementioned vital areas. This approach has helped previous studios achieve a success rate of over 50% in an industry where the average is close to 10%. 

    Nitin Malhotra and Himanshu Shukla, co-founders of NapTapGo said, “Our vision is to be the most preferred option in the affordable hotel segment by offering flexible stays and a superior customer experience. Our accommodations are ideal for solo travelers, working professionals, and frequent flyers aged 25 to 60 who seek convenient, affordable, and high-quality stays near IT hubs and religious locations. Our partnership with India’s leading venture studio, T9L Qube, will provide incubation support and mentorship, driving innovation in the hospitality sector.”

    Capturing the niche pod hotels segment in the Indian market, NapTapGo projects the inclusion of over 80 new pods in the next 5 years with a projected revenue of 100 crore. They are implementing growth and expansion plans by adopting a company-operated franchise model across major cities in India. The company is looking for franchisees with commercial spaces ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, ideally located in city centers with high foot traffic.

    About T9L QUBE

    T9L QUBE offers a suite of value-added services designed to accelerate startup growth, including:

    • Early-Stage Cash Infusion: Providing necessary capital for the first 12-18 months of a startup’s journey.
    • Professional Incubation: Offering strategic direction, product supervision, and comprehensive support across HR, legal, investment banking, product execution, and marketing.
    • Avoiding Startup Failure: Addressing common pitfalls such as execution issues, inadequate funding, and team misalignment.
    • Personalised Attention: Offering tailored support and mentorship to meet each startup’s specific needs.

    T9L QUBE has also partnered with IndiaTech to redefine startup incubation in India. By combining financial support with expert mentorship and operational guidance, T9L QUBE aims to foster innovation and drive startups toward becoming market leaders. This initiative underscores T9L’s pivotal role in transforming high-risk ventures into predictable success stories.

    How to Get Pre-seed Funding for your Startup in India?
    Looking for pre-seed funding? Want to find pre-seed investors in India? Know about how to get pre-seed funding for your startup in India.
    StartupTalkyManav Makhija

  • Around 1100 Employees Would be Let Off by JioStar Following the Viacom18-Disney Deal

    Over 1,100 employees will be let go by JioStar as the newly established joint venture between Viacom18 of Reliance Industries Ltd. and the India division of The Walt Disney Co. eliminates overlapping responsibilities as a result of the merger. According to media reports, the departures began a month ago and are not going to stop anytime soon. “The layoffs are scheduled to last until June. Corporate positions in the distribution, finance, commercial, and legal departments are the main targets of the job layoffs. Entry-level workers, senior managers, senior directors, and even assistant vice presidents are among those being laid off. Due to the Champions Trophy, Women’s Premier League (WPL), and Indian Premier League (IPL) being held back-to-back, sports have not changed as of yet. There have been notable layoffs at a number of regional entertainment channels, such as Colours Bangla and Colours Kannada.

    Reason for Layoffs

    The largest media firm in India was formed by the merging of Viacom18 and Disney’s Star India. JioStar is combining companies to increase efficiency and concentrate on high-growth verticals, including digital streaming and sports. Redundancies are unavoidable whenever two sizable enterprises with comparable operations combine, according to experts and industry observers. In order to make sure the JV functions as a leaner and more effective organisation, this restructure aims to maximise resources and minimise duplication. according to a media report, the CEO of a competing company reported that he was getting resumes from JioStar workers who were prepared to relocate and had yearly compensation packages exceeding INR 1 crore.

    Providing a Helping Hand to Employees

    According to a media report, JioStar is providing the impacted staff with a “generous severance” compensation. Depending on the number of years served, the payment structure guarantees six to twelve months of wages. In addition to the notice period, which varies from one to three months, the impacted employees receive one month’s full wage for each year they have worked for the company. In contrast, people with longer tenure may earn up to 15 months of compensation, while those with less than six years of service will still receive at least seven months of full salary and benefits, including the notice period. A pro rata payout will be given to employees who have not yet reached the required five-year tenure for gratuity eligibility. Some impacted workers might be offered positions in Jio or the larger Reliance ecosystem, especially those in the IT and digital services sectors.

    With a post-money valuation of INR 70,352 crore, JioStar wants to compete with streaming behemoths like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video while bolstering its traditional television lineup. Disney owns 36.84% of the business, while Reliance Industries controls the balance through Viacom18 and direct ownership. The new organisation’s chairperson is Nita M. Ambani, while its vice-chairperson is Uday Shankar.

  • Final DPDP Guidelines to be Released in 8 Weeks

    According to government sources, public consultations on the draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) laws are now complete, and the final version could be released in the next eight weeks or so. The draft will not significantly alter anything. There won’t be another extension for receiving the remarks, according to reports. According to a media report, the administration has conducted numerous in-person meetings and received a significant amount of feedback, but no requests for extensions have been made. Officials don’t anticipate significant changes from the previous government publications.

    According to the official, several industry concerns around consent management—such as who would be the manager and other issues—as well as concerns with parental control, verifiable parents, and data localisation were received but have since been resolved. The report went on to say that the government will consider all of the concerns and suggestions and conduct a thorough analysis before releasing the final version. Before the final edition, everything needed to be put together, and input from other ministries, departments, and states was sought for any clarifications.

    Why MeitY is Conducting Back and Forth Communication?

    The official added that MeitY conducted a meeting with Nasscom, a trade association for the software industry, and that their input on “expected lines” would be taken into consideration. The sector requested that MeitY extend the time for comments on the proposed DPDP guidelines from January 3 to February 18. As a result, the deadline was moved to March 5. In August 2023, Parliament passed the DPDP Act, and the regulations were eagerly anticipated. It is also anticipated that the final regulations would provide clarity on the establishment of the Data Protection Board as well as the appointment and terms of service of the Chairperson and other Board members.

    Concerns Over Data Transfer

    Speaking about data transfer, one of the main issues facing the software industry, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and IT, stated that any restrictions on data movement under the DPDP rules will be implemented following stakeholder and committee consultation, as well as external sectoral experts, before a final decision is made. According to his statement, the government will operate in accordance with sectoral requirements because, in some cases, there may be no need for restrictions (on data transfer), while in other cases, such as the financial sector, there may be strict requirements; therefore, before making any decisions, stakeholders will be consulted.

    The rules, Vaishnaw previously told a media outlet, were a practical approach to regulation that aimed to strike a balance between innovation, regulation, and citizen rights. According to him, the main goal was to keep the regulations from becoming overly restrictive while still allowing for creativity.

  • Lenovo and Krutrim Collaborate to Create India’s Fastest Supercomputer

    In addition to developing India’s largest supercomputer, Ola‘s artificial intelligence (AI) initiative, Krutrim, announced on 6 March that it is collaborating with Lenovo to develop Krutrim 3, a 700-billion-parameter large language model (LLM). At the Lenovo Tech World India 2025 in Mumbai, Ola’s chief information officer, Navendu Agarwal, stated that the company is extremely proud to be working on a larger model, Krutrim 3, which will be a 700-billion-parameter model and be the company’s response from India to demonstrate that the country can build the best. The company is thrilled to be working with Lenovo on this project. The news comes after Bhavish Aggarwal, the creator of Ola, pledged to invest INR 2,000 crore in Krutrim, with ambitions to raise that amount to INR 10,000 crore by the following year.

    How it can Benefit the Nation?

    Ola has 700 employees committed to developing its full-stack AI solutions, according to Agarwal. In late 2023, the business released its first model, Krutrim 1, which had seven billion parameters. It was followed by Krutrim 2, which had twelve billion parameters, and both were open-sourced. He underlined that one of Krutrim’s main areas of interest is to fill India’s gap in hyperscale infrastructure and sovereign cloud. “We are quite pleased to announce that, in collaboration with Lenovo, we are constructing India’s largest supercomputer, which will be powered by this cloud.” He added, “We are creating our own chip and the foundation models.”

    The development coincides with a growing race among countries to develop effective and affordable sovereign AI models, especially in the wake of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI business. On March 6, Bhavish Aggarwal asked people on the Twitter site X for ideas for a name for the supercomputer and wrote that Lenovo and Kirtrim were building India’s biggest supercomputer. “To introduce the AI revolution to India on a large basis, much more is required! I’m all in to see this through to completion,” he wrote.

    Krutrim Developments Till Now

    Aggarwal declared in February that Krutrim would make Krutrim 2 open-source, along with a number of other models, such as Dhwani 1, a voice-language model that can do tasks like speech translation, and Chitrarth 1, a vision-language model based on Krutrim 1. Additionally, he had declared that Krutrim is working with the American chip giant Nvidia to deploy GB200 superchips. In order to improve data privacy and lower the cost of AI training, Krutrim had previously installed sophisticated AI models from DeepSeek on its domestic servers. India is also seeing an increase in the drive for autonomous AI capabilities. Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran emphasised the significance of building up local AI infrastructure last week at an event in Mumbai, cautioning that without it, India’s activities, languages, and cultures run the risk of being processed by AI systems that do not completely comprehend the nation.