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  • Apple Made in India: Creating 3,50,000 Jobs, Factories And…

    Apple has officially become a major player in India’s manufacturing sector. The news has come to light after all the new iPhones (iPhone 17 series + iPhone Air) were made in India. Such a significant move has created over 350,000 jobs, which is another notable development, given the ongoing trade war between India and the U.S. About 1,20,000 are direct jobs, and the rest are indirect. Here’s the catch: the number doesn’t include the five Apple iPhone factories set up in India, so the number is much bigger. So, how did Apple escape Trump’s tariff? How did this benefit India? Learn more.

    How Did Apple Get Started in India?

    • The goal was simple for Apple: it wanted to reduce its dependency on China. So, India became Apple’s new manufacturing destination.
    • The partnership with India began in 2017 with the introduction of the iPhone SE. However, the big push came in after 2020, with the Indian government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
    • The scheme that encouraged foreign investments and companies to make smartphones in India.

    Who’s Making Iphones in India?

    Apple apparently works with over 45 suppliers in India, including:

    • Tata Electronics
    • Aequs
    • Jabil
    • Microplastics
    • ATL

    Approximately 20+ Indian MSMEs (small & medium companies) are part of Apple’s supply chain, which is how they manage their business in India. 

    The Revenue Angle

    • During the periods of 2021–22 and 2024–25, Apple made iPhones worth $45 billion in India.
    • Of this $45 billion, about $34 billion (say, 76%) was exported to the international market.
    • Following this significant transition, India has become a hub for smartphones, with the country’s #1 export product. This same stat was #167th in exports in the year 2014–15.

    Where Is Manufacturing Happening in India?

    • Most of Apple’s factories are located in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
    • The component makers of Apple are spread across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Haryana.

    Scale of Apple’s India Shift

    Here’s the real kicker: Every 1 in 5 iPhones globally is made in India, and the workforce behind them is entirely Indian.

    The U.S. Trade Factor

    The real question still looms: how did Apple skip the trade war between India and the U.S.?

    • Earlier, that was the case, but the Trump administration exempted all smartphones from these tariffs.
    • The exemption allowed the company to export Made-in-India iPhones to the U.S. and other countries without incurring additional costs. So, that’s a plus for both Apple and India. 

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    Apple Inc. is an American multinational tech company headquartered in California. It designs, develops, & sells electronics, software, and online services.
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  • EY Hikes India’s GDP Growth Forecast to 6.7%, Urges Diversification of Export Markets

    Based on robust growth in the June quarter and the implementation of GST reforms, EY increased India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for the fiscal year 2025–2026 (FY26) from 6.5% to 6.7%.

    EY stated in its ‘Economy Watch’ report for September 2025 that, despite global headwinds affecting India’s export prospects for both goods and services, and with 1QFY26 real GDP growth of 7.8% and demand stimulation through GST reforms on the one hand, we expect India to still show an annual real GDP growth of 6.7% in FY26.

    GDP Growth Outperformed RBI’s Expectations

    The June quarter’s GDP growth of 7.8% exceeded the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) forecast of 6.5% growth during the monetary policy meeting in August. EY claims that the continuous supply chain interruptions and tariff-related concerns give India a chance to re-evaluate the structure and makeup of its global commerce, particularly with the US and China.

    India has a “narrow” base of import sources and export destinations, the research continued. India is heavily reliant on the United States and, to a lesser degree, on China, according to DK Srivastava, chief policy advisor at EY India. Diversifying its import and export markets should help India find additional chances among the BRICS nations and lessen its dependency on China and the US.

    How new GST 2.0 Roll Out Further Boosted GDP Growth

    With the introduction of GST 2.0 earlier this month, rates were rationalised to be 5% and 18%, with a special rate of 40%. Automobiles, health, and textiles are just a few of the industries that stand to gain from this. According to Srivastava, some product categories will see considerable fee reductions under the new tariff system.

    Textiles, consumer electronics, vehicles, health, and the majority of food items are among the major beneficiary sectors. Lower prices may have wide-ranging benefits in these employment-intensive industries. He went on to say that fertilisers, agricultural equipment, and renewable energy are other industries that could gain from the production side.

    Farmers may profit from reduced input costs in several industries. First, a short-term impact on revenue is anticipated. EY anticipates that demand will rise in response to a significant drop in post-tax pricing, perhaps making up the revenue losses in the long run.

    Quick
    Shots

    •EY raises India’s FY26 GDP growth
    forecast to 6.7%, up from 6.5%, driven by strong Q1 performance and GST
    reforms.

    •India’s GDP grew 7.8% in the June quarter,
    surpassing the RBI’s 6.5% projection.

    •Supply chain disruptions and tariffs
    prompt calls to diversify export and import markets beyond the US and China.

    •EY suggests exploring BRICS nations
    and emerging economies to reduce trade dependency.

    •New GST structure with 5%, 18%, and
    40% slabs expected to lower prices and stimulate demand.

    •Textiles, automobiles, healthcare,
    consumer electronics, food, fertilisers, and renewable energy among key
    beneficiaries.

  • Sam Altman’s Bold Warning: AI Could Replace 40% of Jobs by 2030

    Sam Altman came with a new warning. The warning is backed by science, practicality and the new reality in the form of ChatGPT-5. According to Sam, a job change in a society can take up to 75 years, but with AI, that will shrink to 5 or less. He warns the world that AI can take over 40% of today’s jobs. Many experts make similar predictions every day, but as the CEO of one of the top AI companies, his words carry weight. So, what more did he say? Does upskilling help, given that you have 40% fewer jobs? Learn more. 

    Mathias Dopfner Conversing With Sam Altman Image Credits: axelspringer.com
    Mathias Dopfner Conversing With Sam Altman Image Credits: axelspringer.com

    What Did Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) Say?

    Talking at the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network in Berlin, he made wild predictions on how AI will take over 40% of today’s jobs by 2030.

    AI Is Growing Really Fast

    According to him, ChatGPT and similar AI tools have already taken over 1% of the work. And just at this one per cent, the job market is shaken to the core. Imagine the effect of 30% – 40%.

    By 2030, Things Will Speed Up a Lot

    He emphasised that the effect of a 30% to 40% job reduction can be seen by 2030. So, more layoffs and employees losing jobs.

    Jobs Will Change:

    • He also explained how the job market has evolved in the past few years.
    • For instance, 30 years ago, several jobs didn’t even exist, and tech was fairly new. App developers and social media managers, people would say, “What?”
    • And many older jobs disappeared, like typesetters or switchboard operators. So many Gen Z kids would now say, “What?” This is all because of the job evolution alongside tech.
    • Such a change would usually happen once “every 75 years,” said Altman.
    • However, now that AI is booming, Altman believes that this evolution of replacing jobs will occur much faster.

    AI May Become “Superintelligent”

    Superintelligence refers to being smarter than humans in multiple ways. Altman thinks AI can reach that level by 2030. And further said, “GPT-5 is already smarter than me and many others.”

    The Good Side of AI

    • According to him, AI can help with huge discoveries and solutions that would otherwise be unachievable by humans.
    • Example: Solving complex problems, such as faster scientific research, is already part of what AI does.

    The Risky Side of AI

    • The world is already facing the heat of massive job losses. Industries like programming (coding) and customer service have already been replaced (mostly).
    • However, some roles are uniquely human (like jobs needing creativity, deep emotions, or physical presence first).

    “By the end of this decade, if we don’t have extraordinarily capable models that do things humans cannot, I’d be very surprised,” said Sam Altman. 

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  • INR 3 Lakh Crore Gone: India’s Top 10 Companies Suffer a Cap Drop…

    Last week hasn’t been that great for these 10 most valuable companies in India. The new H-1B fee may have started in Washington, D.C., but its effects are being echoed in India’s stock market. Additionally, the weak rupee value, combined with US tariffs on India, shook investors’ faith. In September, India was enjoying a GDP growth of 7.8% in the first quarter (Q1) of the financial year 2025-26 (April-June 2025). And now, this. Well, these companies together lost around INR 3 lakh crore. So, how much did each company lose? Learn more.

    Why Did the Stock Market Fall Weak?

    • H-1B visa fees went up a lot → $100,000k is 270 times higher than what it used to be. These fees hurt a lot of IT companies, especially TCS and Infosys, as many employees go to the US using these visas.
    • The Indian rupee fell to its lowest value against the US dollar → This makes the rupee significantly weak and creates extra pressure on the economy. And so the investors are hesitant at this point.
    • The US put a whopping 100% tariff (tax) on branded and patented medicines imported from India → This is the pharma companies’ hardest, making the stock market weak.

    Company-Wise Losses

    Company

    Loss in Market Value (₹ crore)

    Market Value Now (₹ crore)

    TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)

    97,597.91

    10,49,281.56

    Reliance Industries

    40,462.09

    18,64,436.42

    Infosys

    38,095.78

    6,01,805.25

    HDFC Bank

    33,032.97

    14,51,783.29

    ICICI Bank

    29,646.78

    9,72,007.68

    Bharti Airtel

    26,030.11

    10,92,922.53

    LIC (Life Insurance Corporation)

    13,693.62

    5,51,919.30

    Hindustan Unilever (HUL)

    11,278.04

    5,89,947.12

    Bajaj Finance

    4,977.99

    6,12,914.73

    State Bank of India (SBI)

    4,846.07

    7,91,063.93

    How Much Did the Market Fall?

    • The BSE benchmark index fell shockingly by 2,199.77 points or 2.66% in just a week.
    • The top 10 most prominent companies in India together lost INR 2,99,661.36 crore in market value. Among them, TCS was hit the hardest.

    Final Ranking (By Value After Losses)

    Even after the fall, the order of the most valuable companies in India is:

    • Reliance Industries
    • HDFC Bank
    • Bharti Airtel
    • TCS
    • ICICI Bank
    • SBI
    • Bajaj Finance
    • Infosys
    • Hindustan Unilever
    • LIC

  • Unicorn Startup Spinny Narrows Losses in FY25 as Revenue Rises 25%

    Used-car retailer Spinny (Valuedrive Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) has shown strong improvement in its financials for FY25. The company reported higher revenue and lower losses, signaling a shift toward tighter execution in a slow-moving used-car market.

    Strong Revenue Growth

    Spinny’s operating revenue rose 25% to INR 4,657 crore in FY25, up from INR 3,730 crore in FY24, according to filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) and The Kredible. The growth is notable because the used-car sales sector faced challenges in FY23 and FY24.

    The company’s net loss fell to INR 424 crore in FY25, down 28% from INR 590 crore in FY24. In FY23, losses were much higher at INR 820 crore. This marks the second straight year of shrinking losses. Operating losses also narrowed 27% to INR 381 crore.

    The improvement in margins helped Spinny move closer to breakeven, even though it remains loss-making.

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    Cost Structure and Expense Control

    Spinny’s total expenses increased 17% to INR 5,170 crore in FY25, slower than its revenue growth. Procurement of used cars continued to dominate, with purchase of goods at INR 4,309 crore.

    Employee costs were cut to INR 338 crore from INR 392 crore in FY24, showing the company’s effort to control overheads. Finance costs fell 12% to INR 80 crore, while depreciation and amortisation declined 15% to INR 52 crore. Other expenses rose slightly to INR 242 crore.

    This balanced expense control, along with improving gross margins, helped reduce losses.

    Particulars FY24 (INR crore) FY25 (INR crore)
    Revenue from Operations 3,730 4,657
    Total Expenses 4,405 5,170
    Net Loss 590 424

    Funding Boost and Valuation

    Spinny raised $170 million in June 2025, led by US-based Accel Leaders Fund, at a flat valuation of $1.7–1.8 billion. Other investors like WestBridge Capital, Nandan Nilekani’s Fundamentum, Tiger Global, Elevation Capital, and General Catalyst also participated.

    Earlier, in December 2021, Spinny raised $283 million from ADQ, Tiger Global, and Avenir Growth, which pushed it into the unicorn club at a $1.8 billion valuation.

    The latest funding round gives Spinny more room to consolidate and sharpen its focus on profitability.

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    Industry Outlook

    India’s used-car market is expanding fast. According to the Indian Blue Book report by car&bike and Das WeltAuto, 5.1 million used cars were sold in FY23, with the market worth $34 billion. By FY28, the market is expected to grow to $73 billion, with sales of 10.9 million used cars.

    Spinny faces tough competition from Cars24, CarDekho, and CarTrade. Many platforms are now trying to add revenue from financing, insurance, and classifieds.

    Closer to Breakeven

    With revenue growing faster than expenses and losses narrowing for two years in a row, Spinny appears to be moving closer to breakeven. The company is focusing on efficiency, better margins, and controlled spending.

    For a market that is set to double in size by FY28, Spinny’s FY25 numbers show resilience and steady progress.

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  • GSK CEO Emma Walmsley Steps Down, Luke Miels Appointed as New CEO

    After nearly nine years, Emma Walmsley, the CEO of GSK Plc, is leaving her position. Luke Miels, the chief commercial officer of the British pharmaceutical company, will take over as CEO. After working for other large European pharmaceutical companies, Miels joined GSK in 2017 and is now in charge of the company’s international pharmaceutical and vaccine division. In an effort to revitalise the company’s oncology division, the commercial leader has sought to expand the company’s medicine portfolio.

    Walmsley’s Performance at GSK Plc

    Walmsley’s departure will result in the resignation of one of the most prominent female CEOs in the global pharma industry and British business. According to a statement released by GSK on September 29, the change is scheduled to go into effect on January 1.

    Miels was appointed after a succession planning process that took into account both internal and external candidates. In addition to leading the company through the pandemic, Walmsley oversaw the launch of an RSV vaccine and the division of GSK’s consumer division into Haleon Plc. However, sluggish vaccination sales and worries over GSK’s new therapeutic pipeline have disappointed investors.

    Because investors are still worried about the company’s pipeline and the lack of potential blockbusters among the few medications in development, the shares have dropped roughly 11% during Walmsley’s leadership. As President Donald Trump presses through his tariff proposals and pressures pharmaceutical companies to more closely align their prices in the US and other markets, GSK has committed to investing $30 billion in the US over the next five years.

    Who is Luke Miels New CEO of GSK

    Since joining GSK in 2017, Luke has served as Chief Commercial Officer, overseeing global pharmaceutical and vaccine operations. He has played a key role in expanding GSK’s line of speciality medications, particularly in the fields of respiratory and oncology.

     Before joining GSK, Luke held top positions at AstraZeneca, Roche, and Sanofi-Aventis in the US, Europe, and Asia. He is a well-respected and seasoned global biopharma leader. Because of his background and noteworthy contributions to GSK, he is ideally suited to manage the business and provide the patient and shareholder value that is key to its long-term goals.

    Jonathan Symonds CBE, Chair of GSK, said, “I am delighted to announce that Luke will be the next CEO of GSK. He has outstanding global biopharma development and commercial experience, together with a deep understanding of the company, its prospects and its people. He is extremely well placed to lead, deliver and surpass the ambitions we have set for GSK, and to generate new growth and value for patients and shareholders.”

    Quick
    Shots

    •Walmsley navigated the company
    through the pandemic.

    •Miels joined GSK in 2017 as Chief
    Commercial Officer.

    •Miels heads global pharma and vaccine
    operations, focusing on respiratory and oncology medicines.

    •GSK committed to $30 billion US
    investment over 5 years, aiming for patient and shareholder value growth.

  • YouTube Brings Premium Lite to India at Rs 89 per Month

    YouTube has launched its Premium Lite plan in India at Rs 89 per month. The new low-cost subscription offers ad-free viewing on most videos but excludes features like YouTube Music, downloads, and background play. The rollout is set to reach all users in the coming weeks.

    A Cheaper Way to Watch Ad-Free Videos

    Google-owned YouTube has launched its Premium Lite subscription in India. The new plan costs Rs 89 per month and gives users ad-free viewing on most videos. It works across devices, including smartphones, laptops, and smart TVs.

    While the service removes ads from videos in categories like gaming, comedy, cooking, beauty, and learning, ads may still appear on music content, Shorts, and during browsing or searching. Unlike the full Premium plan, Premium Lite does not include YouTube Music, offline downloads, or background play.

    The rollout is currently underway and will be available across the country in the coming weeks, YouTube said in a blog post.

    How Premium Lite Compares to YouTube Premium

    The standard YouTube Premium plan in India is priced at Rs 149 per month, while the student plan is Rs 89, the family plan Rs 299, and the two-person plan Rs 219. The yearly subscription costs Rs 1,490. Premium includes YouTube Music, ad-free playback across all videos, background play, and offline downloads.

    In comparison, Premium Lite is more affordable but limited. It is designed for users who mainly want to watch ad-free videos without extra features like music streaming or offline access.

    The launch highlights YouTube’s effort to provide flexible options to suit different viewers’ budgets and preferences.

    Feature YouTube Premium Lite YouTube Premium
    Price (India) INR 89/month INR 49/month (Individual)
    INR 219/month (Two-person)
    INR 299/month (Family)
    INR 1,490/year
    Ad-free Videos Yes, for most videos (except Shorts & some music content) Yes, for all videos
    YouTube Music Not included Included
    Background Play Not available Available
    Downloads (Offline Viewing) Not available Available
    Supported Devices Mobile, Laptop, TV Mobile, Laptop, TV
    Target Users Budget-friendly users who want ad-free viewing only Power users & families who want complete features

    Why YouTube Launched Premium Lite

    YouTube first introduced Premium Lite as a pilot in March 2025 in select markets, including the US, where it was priced at $7.99 (around Rs 709) per month. Bringing the plan to India shows the company’s intent to expand its subscriber base in one of its largest and fastest-growing markets.

    Subscriptions have become a key growth driver for YouTube. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in April that Alphabet now has over 270 million paid subscriptions across services like YouTube and Google One. YouTube alone has more than 125 million global subscribers for Music and Premium.

    India is an important market for YouTube, with millions of daily users watching videos across entertainment, education, and lifestyle categories. Offering a low-cost option like Premium Lite could help convert more users into paying subscribers.

    The Bigger Picture

    YouTube continues to experiment with new subscription models. Recently, it tested a two-person Premium plan in India at Rs 219 per month. Music Premium plans start at Rs 59 for students and Rs 119 for individuals.

    The company also raised prices for all plans in India in August 2024, by 12% to 58%, making Premium Lite a timely and attractive alternative for cost-conscious users.

    As YouTube expands Premium Lite in India, it reflects a broader strategy: giving users affordable, flexible choices while boosting long-term subscription revenue.

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  • Snapchat Memories Are No Longer Free: 5 GB Limit and What You Need to Know

    Snapchat users got a shock: Snapchat’s memories feature is no longer free. It’s a feature that reminds people of the memories from blurry party photos, to fun with filter snaps, has now blurred at 5GB. The feature that randomly took its users down the memory lane will now have a price tag on it. Why did Snapchat decide to do this after a decade of free service? How much will it cost from now on? Is the pricing any different for the Indian audience? Does this mean all the saved memories will be gone? Should you delete anything? For all that, learn more.

    Official Announcement By Snapchat
    Official Announcement By Snapchat

    The New Limit

    • Free Snapchat Memories storage will now be 5GB only for all users.
    • Once you surpass this 5GB limit, you’ll need to pay for every extra space that you use.
    • The Basic Plan starts at 100GB for $1.99/month (INR 176.57).
    • For Snapchat+ Users: You have already paid $3.99/month, so your storage by default increases automatically to 250GB.
    • Platinum Plan: It’s for high-end Snapchat users who never delete anything. It is 5TB for $15.99/month.

    The Plan Affects Who?

    • According to Snapchat, most users won’t have an effect because they don’t use more than 5GB.
    • It’s the power users who will see an effect because they store lots of Snaps. They’ll need to either delete some Snaps or pay for a plan.

    Extra Help

    Snapchat is favouring users who have over 5GB of storage with a 1-year grace period before they have to pay or clean the storage.

    Why Snapchat Is Doing This?

    • The reason is quite simple because Snapchat wants to earn more money beyond ads.
    • Snapchat launched Lens+ for $9/9/month last month. This is to give the Snapchat users exclusive AR effects.
    • The pricing is similar to the pricing system of what Google and Apple do with cloud storage.

    The Bottom Line Is…

    Most people won’t have an effect because 5 GB is a lot for an average Snapchat user. In case you have lots of old Snaps, it’s time to decide, either to delete the clutter or to pay to keep them all. The app wants to capitalise on the Power users with the new pricing model (add to their subscription revenue). 

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  • India in the AI Spotlight: Anthropic Follows Openai’s Footsteps To…

    It appears that Anthropic (AI giant) is following in the footsteps of its rival, OpenAI. As reported by The Hindu, Anthropic’s revenue skyrocketed from $1 billion at the start of 2025 to over $5 billion by August. The company is now expanding internationally on a large scale. Anthropic is not just going global, but it has marked India as its top target. Given that OpenAI is on the same page (in India), how will it benefit India? Will their destination be Delhi? Banglore? Or Hyderabad? When is the company entering the country? For all that, learn more.

    Image Credits Anthropic Website Showing India As its Second Largest Market
    Image Credits Anthropic Website Showing India As its Second Largest Market

    Anthropic’s India & Global Expansion

    • Hiring in India: The company has plans to hire a country lead in India. The concerned lead will head its operations in India.
    • Other countries: Alongside India, Anthropic is also hiring country leads in Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and Singapore.
    • Europe expansion: Anthropic has already expanded its operation in the UK, northern and southern Europe, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
    • Reason for expansion: The demand for its AI services is high, and the company is rapidly growing (both in revenue and brand).

    Why Is the Demand for Anthropic High?

    The company is well-known for its highly capable AI models, particularly in Software Development. There’s a playful term the users have dedicated to its tools called “Vibe Coding.”

    • India as a target: As reported by Anthropic, India is its second-biggest market for its AI chatbot Claude.
    • India’s share = 7.2% of Claude’s usage.
    • The USA’s share is 21.6% (almost three times that of India’s).
    CNBC Offical Report
    CNBC Offical Report

    Anthropic’s Global Hiring Spree

    As reported by CNBC, Anthropic on September 26 has announced that it will:

    • Triple the size of its international workforce, meaning more hiring overseas.
    • Expand its applied AI team fivefold this year.

    Anthropic also announced to open new offices and hire 100+ positions in:

    • Dublin, London, Zurich.
    • Tokyo (first Asian office).
    • More offices in Europe.

    This move of expansion will be led by Chris Ciauri. He recently joined the company as the Managing Director of International after Paul Smith was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer.

    OpenAI’s India Push (Anthropic’s Rival)

    • Now, OpenAI has a similar plan in India.
    • The company recently announced that it would open its first Indian office in New Delhi.

    Sam Altman (OpenAI’s CEO) said:

    India is OpenAI’s second-biggest market and can soon surpass the US. He wanted to make the services affordable for the market, and so the price of ChatGPT Go in India is at ₹399/month.

    Image Credits PIB - India-AI Impact Summit 2026
    Image Credits PIB – India-AI Impact Summit 2026

    India’s Homegrown AI efforts

    It’s a plus for India that global giants like OpenAI and Anthropic are investing in and employing talent in the country. On the other hand, India is much focused on homegrown AI with its official India AI Mission. The initiative is supporting the local AI startups and has chosen eight companies to build its foundational AI models, including:

    • Avataar.ai
    • Bharatgen
    • Fractal Analytics
    • Tech Mahindra
    • Zeintech
    • Genloop Intelligence
    • NeuroDX
    • Shodh AI

    These companies will support projects like Sarvam, SoketAI, Gan AI, and Gnani AI. The government will give incentives (financial + support) to grow indigenous AI.

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  • Venture Catalysts Leads $400K Pre-Seed Round Funding round for Vaani AI Research to Accelerate the Global Voice-First Economy

    Venture Catalysts, India’s leading early-stage investor and integrated incubator, today announced that it has led an $400k pre-seed funding round for Vaani AI Research, the startup pioneering the “Stripe for Voice AI” by offering a full-stack, production-grade voice agent platform. The round also drew participation from Dr. Abhishek Sharma of Meta’s SuperIntelligence team and Apple, Dr. Viveka Kulharia of MoonValley, Shashikant Chaudhary, former MD of GlobalLogic, Ejaz Ahmed of Meta Reality Labs, Nikhil Tripathi of Bijak, Uday Sodhi, former Business Head at Sony Pictures India, KK Venkata of Oliver Wyman, Swapnil Sheth of IndigoEdge, Michele Barbazza of VAT Group, Switzerland and many others.

    Vaani’s co-founders – Tushar Shinde, Nitesh Tripathi, and Nitish Mishra are combining their research roots from IISc and IIT-Madras with over a decade of AI and infrastructure expertise to reimagine how we interact with digital systems. The company has been selected for the Google for Startups AI Accelerator 2025 cohort and is also an active part of NASSCOM GenAI Foundry. Standing as one of the Top 10 AI Infrastructure Companies ranked by F6S, Vaani is on a mission to build India’s most expressive, empathic text-to-speech model as well, shattering current benchmarks for naturalness and emotional resonance.

    Commenting on the investment, Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma from Venture Catalysts, said, “We’re living in an automation-first era. Moving from brittle chatbots to robust, voice-driven interfaces is not just an upgrade; it’s a paradigm shift. Vaani’s platform unifies infrastructure and intelligence, empowering enterprises, developers and BPOs to deploy scalable, empathic voice agents at production scale. This investment underscores our conviction that voice will redefine customer engagement, from call centers to in-car assistants to voice-first app interfaces. Vaani’s best-in-class IP and flexible business model will position India at the forefront of global Voice AI innovation.”

    Tushar Shinde, Co-Founder and CEO of Vaani AI Research, said, “At Vaani, we believe voice is the next inevitable interface and a much richer form of digital communications. Just like how Stripe simplified payments and Snowflake redefined data infrastructure, Vaani is building the rails for production-grade Voice AI. With this funding, we aim to scale our voice stack, deepen our models and IP, and partner with enterprises who are ready to move beyond fragile demos into real-world deployments. Our vision is simple: to make every business, app, and service on the planet speak as naturally as we humans do.”

    As businesses worldwide embrace voice as the next frontier of our digital interactions, Vaani’s low-latency APIs, SDKs, multilingual ASR/TTS models and flexible deployment options (Cloud, On-prem) deliver human-like, compliant voice agents in days, not months, addressing real-world pain points of latency, scalability, complexity and moving beyond just good-looking pilots. With the Conversational AI market projected to exceed $47B by 2030, Voice AI is set to capture a rapidly growing share. Vaani has already identified an addressable market gap of $150M, with India and GCC alone representing a $4B opportunity.

    This strategic investment extends Venture Catalysts’ legacy of empowering deep-tech founders to transform large, underserved markets through hardware-software convergence, tapping into adjacent revenue streams via subscription, usage-based API licensing and white-label collaborations with system integrators and BPOs. By leveraging its 5,500-member strong professional community and presence across 55 cities, Venture Catalysts will work hand-in-glove with Vaani to accelerate enterprise deployments, strategic partnerships and global expansion, forging India’s leadership in the voice-first economy.