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Zealthix, a comprehensive SaaS based Healthcare platform has raised USD 1.1 Million in a seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures with participation from AlphaGen Venture Capital.

Funds raised will be used for expansion and revenue growth. Additionally, a sizable portion will also be invested in making technology more robust and achieving the mission of making the Indian Healthcare ecosystem more digitized, streamlined and interoperable. 

Founded in 2023, by serial entrepreneurs Abhishek Kumar and Avinash Gupta, Zealthix is a comprehensive SaaS based Healthcare company for Payers/Insurers to be able to offer OPD/comprehensive healthcare plans to their users. The company provides a cloud-based middleware platform that bridges fragmented healthcare systems and delivers comprehensive healthcare plans with unparalleled efficiency and innovation. By abstracting complexity and automating workflows, Zealthix platform streamlines the entire process of curating and fulfilling OPD/Comprehensive health plans, enabling Payers and Insurers to provide a seamless, technology-driven experience for their users. This results in creating a digital infrastructure & enabling Cashless OPD network.

In the last 12 months, Zealthix has acquired 20 paying customers that are a good mix of insurers, brokers and care plan companies. The Company has also gone live with Zealthix OPD stack with multiple customers, Partners & Insurers.

Commenting on the Investment Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says 

Advances in cloud computing have massively changed the technological landscape of businesses. India’s healthcare SaaS sector has entered a golden phase of adoption, showing promising ability to offer quality and timely services. What we are witnessing is not just digitization but a creation of a robust scalable healthcare ecosystem which will redefine how healthcare services are offered. The company has witnessed progress in the last 12 months and has designed new technology solutions. Hence, we believe the market opportunity is huge and the company has built the right momentum to capitalise on this segment.”

Zealthix has been certified by NHA as a connector, which can make any Health provider using proprietary technology become ABDM compliant and interoperable. It is the first platform to be certified by ONDC for Healthcare Seller Node. This will democratize the healthcare service distribution in India. Additionally, Zealthix’s ubiquitous provider platform is enabling Health Providers to become technology ready, leveraging the power of AI to manage their business seamlessly using partner management, contract management, payment & reconciliation, smarter customer engagement, compliance, data digitization, smart report, and more. 

Abhishek Kumar, Co-founder & CEO, Zealthix says, “Having built businesses, which created categories such as BeatO (first in Condition/Care/Disease Management space) & BookMyCab (first in cab aggregation space), we are driven by our passion of making Indian Healthcare Ecosystem more digitized, streamlined and interoperable. Be it OPD or In-patient experience, as customers, we encounter broken systems, offline processes and poor experience. The government, too, is looking to digitize the healthcare ecosystem. Providers are looking to become more technology efficient. The timing and support we are getting from the ecosystem is tremendous. We want to contribute in our own ways to help various stakeholders with technology, workflow, digitization & AI adoption’

Over the next 12 months, Zealthix aims to double down on reaching out to health providers, understanding their issues, helping them with technology to make their business more efficient, compliant, digitized & interoperable.

On the payer side, the company’s OPD stack will continue to evolve and will start catering to all possible use cases. With technology and a robust SaaS platform, it will empower payers to configure & launch health products very quickly and be able to deep dive on the product performance including sales, utilization and renewals using our pre-built customizable tools.  

About Unicorn India Ventures

Started in 2016 by Bhaskar Majumdar and Anil Joshi, Unicorn India Ventures is a technology focused early-stage venture fund that invests in emerging and visionary startups. Unicorn India Ventures launched its first fund with a corpus of Rs 100 crore and invested in 17 companies like SmartCoin, Open Bank, Sequretek, Pharmarack, Genrobotics, Clootrack, FutureCure to mention some. The Fund has emerged as the best performing early-stage fund in India with the stellar exits provided by the fund to its LPs.

Fund II is a Rs 300 Cr fund launched in 2020 that has invested in 20 companies so far like Gamerji, Probus, Daalchini, Windo, HiWi. Most of the portfolio is scaling up fast and has had several uprounds.

Unicorn India Ventures is closing its Rs 1000 Cr Fund III. The first close was reached at Rs 225 crore. The Fund is expected to reach its final close this year.  With this Fund, UIV aims to build a portfolio of 20 startups that are focused mostly in the deep tech sector that includes semiconductor, space tech, and medical diagnostics apart from SaaS and India digital platforms. Unicorn has already made 15 investments from this fund and includes companies like Netrasami, Qubehealth, Orbitaid, Aurassure amongst others. 

About Zealthix

 Zealthix is a comprehensive SaaS based Healthcare Infrastructure for Payers/Insurers to be able to offer OPD/comprehensive healthcare plans to their users.  Zealthix empowers healthcare Payers/Insurers to deliver comprehensive healthcare plans with unparalleled efficiency and innovation. Our robust platform streamlines the entire process of curating and fulfilling OPD/Comprehensive health plans, enabling Payers and Insurers to provide a seamless, technology-driven experience for their users.

Zealthix SaaS platform for Partners allows Insurers/Payers to configure OPD plans digitally and use it in a headless/UI based approach to be embedded with their core systems. In the process, we also standardize health data and offer interoperability for seamless real time visibility of billing & clinical data from providers to payers. This results in creating a digital infrastructure & enabling Cashless OPD network.

Zealthix Health Cloud Exchange, a middleware integrates disparate Health systems and providers in India to power Comprehensive Health Insurance including OPD coverage. Zealthix follows global standards such as FHIR, LOINC, ICD10 and SNOMED CT and also helps providers comply with Govt initiatives such as ABDM , NHCX and ONDC in line with standards released by NRCeS.

New Delhi, 23^rd September 2025: Venture Catalysts, India’s premier early-stage investor and integrated incubator, has led an a Rs 3.5 Cr pre-seed round in Paar Autonomy, a next-generation robotics startup developing perception hardware and agentic artificial intelligence for unmanned aerial, ground, and sea vehicles deployed in defence, policing, and industrial inspection. Previously the startup has raised an angel round with participation of two pioneers of the Indian drone industry who, between them, bring more than a dozen years of operational and regulatory experience to the company in an angel capacity.

Founded in 2024 by robotics engineer Vignesh Jayaraman who previously served as the head of product at one India’s premier drone startups, Paar Autonomy builds multi-sensor, gyro-stabilised gimbal cameras that give drones and rovers “super-human” sight, and couples them with proprietary agentic AI models that allow machines to interpret complex environments, coordinate with human operators and collaborate in real time. The company’s first products will address the global defence market for perception and autonomy solutions in unmanned vehicles, estimated at US $6 billion for drones alone, with ground and maritime robots projected to add a further US $4-5 billion by 2030.

Commenting on the investment, Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-Founder and MD of Venture Catalysts, said, “A sovereign nation can only be as secure as the intelligence that protects its borders and critical infrastructure. Paar Autonomy is building that intelligence at the edge, fusing multi-sensor perception with decision-making AI so that unmanned assets can navigate, detect and respond faster than any adversary and farther than any human eye. What excites us is the dual-use potential of the technology: the same gimbal that spots a threat at the Line of Control can also inspect a railway bridge or offshore pipeline at one-tenth the cost and without risking a single life. Investing at the pre-seed stage allows Venture Catalysts to guide Paar Autonomy from lab to field, ensure that its IP remains proudly ‘Made in India’, and position the company as a global benchmark for affordable, combat-ready autonomy.”

Vignesh Jayaraman, Founder and CEO of Paar Autonomy, said, “My goal was to push the frontier of what unmanned systems could perceive and do autonomously in the wild. This funding from Venture Catalysts is more than capital; it is a vote of confidence that enables us to commission our first manufacturing line, ship pilot units to defence and PSU customers, and recruit top-tier talent in perception engineering, embedded AI and business development. With the guidance of industry veterans who have already built successful drone platforms, we plan to deliver products that not only serve India’s strategic needs but also compete on the world stage.”

The investment is in line with Venture Catalysts’ strategy of backing deep-tech founders addressing large, underserved markets with hardware-software convergence. Paar Autonomy’s roadmap includes direct collaborations with defence establishments, public-sector undertakings and international OEMs, supplying both turnkey gimballed payloads and licensable AI models that can retrofit existing fleets of UAVs (drones), UGVs (rovers) and USVs (unmanned boats). This latest addition to the Venture Catalysts portfolio reflects the firm’s continued commitment to strengthening India’s indigenous capabilities in critical technologies such as robotics, aerospace and advanced manufacturing.

About Venture Catalysts

Venture Catalysts is India’s first multi‑stage venture investing platform, backing founders from idea to growth through a combination of deal‑by‑deal syndication and Category II AIFs. Since 2016, the firm has built a nationwide investing and platform network, with over US$500 million in AUM and 400+ portfolio companies, delivering multiple unicorn outcomes and meaningful liquidity events.

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India, 23rd September, 2025:  Amwoodo, an innovator in bamboo-based sustainable solutions, announced that it has raised $4 million in Pre-Series A funding from a consortium of leading investors. This round was led by Rainmatter, with participation from Adventz Group, Thinkuvate, and Caspian. The investment marks a significant milestone in Amwoodo’s mission to accelerate the transition toward eco-conscious living by creating world-class alternatives to harmful disposable products.

Founded in 2019, Amwoodo has been at the forefront of replacing single-use plastics with bamboo-first products that combine sustainability with everyday convenience. The company has built strong B2B partnerships with leading names such as Himalaya Wellness Company, Bombay Shaving Company, and ITC Hotels, while also expanding into the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) space through its marketplace Ecoconsious. With this new funding, the company will:

• Scale production capacity to meet growing domestic and global demand
• Enter the D2C market through its own marketplace, Ecoconsious, and launch other plastic-alternative brands under the House of Amwoodo
• Strengthen community engagement and expand livelihood opportunities in bamboo-growing regions

“It is a shared commitment to rewriting the story of sustainability—where innovation replaces waste, communities thrive, and every product leaves the planet better than we found it. With this support, we are not just scaling a business; we are fueling a movement to make eco-conscious living the norm, not the exception. We’re leading from the ground up – listening, learning, and building with the community. Because change starts where the roots are.”

— Mr. Agni Mitra, Founder & CEO, Amwoodo

“At Amwoodo, we have always believed that sustainability is not a trend—it’s a responsibility. This funding is a testament to the collective effort of our passionate team, the trust of our partners, and the unwavering support of our customers. Together, we are proving that businesses can drive both profit and purpose, and we are ready to take the next big leap toward making eco-conscious living the global standard.”

— Mr. Subhrakanti Das, Chief of Staff, Amwoodo

Amwoodo’s growth is also supported by recognition as a Great Place to Work® (India) and accolades from various media houses, reinforcing its reputation as a leader in innovation and sustainability.

About Amwoodo 

Amwoodo Eco Products Private Limited is India’s foremost innovator in sustainable bamboo-based solutions, creating eco-friendly alternatives to everyday essentials. Founded in 2019, Amwoodo is built on the belief that sustainability is not a trend but a responsibility. With a bamboo-first approach, the company offers a wide range of products—from premium personal care and oral care to hotel amenities, office stationery, and corporate gifts—designed to replace plastic in daily life. Backed by leading clients such as Himalaya Wellness Company, Bombay Shaving Company, and ITC Hotels, Amwoodo is redefining conscious consumption through innovation, ethical practices, and circular economy principles. Supported by $1 million in funding from Rainmatter (Zerodha) and recognized as a Great Place to Work®, Amwoodo continues to inspire a global shift toward eco-conscious living and a greener future.

RentoMojo, a Bengaluru startup, is in preparation for its IPO. Started in 2014 by Geetansh Bamania and Ajay Nain, the company lets people rent furniture rather than buy. The business model is still naive in India (except for the big cities, the rest of the country frowns at the concept of furniture renting). However, the company claims to have 2.2 lakh active subscribers. To date, RentoMojo has deployed more than 7.5 lakh products, 65 physical stores across 22 cities in India. Does all this make RentoMojo a good investment option? What are the risks associated? For that, learn more.

How Much Funding Has Rentomojo Raised?

• The company has raised nearly INR 400 crore (approximately $45.3 million) to date.
• These funds have come from some prominent investors like Accel, Chiratae Ventures, and Bain Capital.

Financial Performance of RentoMojo

• In FY24 (April 2023 – March 2024), the company made a profit of INR 22.1 Cr.
• In FY25, the profits grew by 82% – INR 40 Cr.
• EBITDA (a method to measure the operating profit) hiked by 40% year-on-year to INR 92 Cr in FY25.
• Importantly, RentoMojo hasn’t filed any official FY25 financial records yet.
• These encouraging profits and the recent startup IPO boom are the inspiration for the company to get listed by FY27. 

IPO (Stock Market Listing) Plans

Recently, RentoMojo has officially started preparing for an IPO to raise more funds to back the company and its plans.

RentoMojo has onboarded IIFL and Motilal Oswal as its book-running lead managers (they will manage IPO paperwork, marketing, and share allocation for the company). The goal is to get listed by FY27 (April 2026 – March 2027).

However, there are two things pending:

• RentoMojo is yet to convert into a “public entity.” Right now, it is operating as a private entity only (and it’s an essential step).
• But before that, the company has to file audited financial statements for FY25 (which the company hasn’t done yet).

Competition & Challenges

The direct competition for RentoMojo is Furlenco, Rentickle, Cityfurnish, etc. The furniture rental industry in India is a new concept and a struggling one because:

• Slow demand (and this demand mostly comes from the big cities) → Indians, except for the real rental furniture that is used in weddings and events, buy furniture (used in homes and offices) from the locals.
• Indians prefer buying furniture on EMI rather than renting. However, since people are constantly traveling from one place to another, this could change.
• High costs → The costs associated with logistics (delivery/pickup), refurbishment (repairing old furniture as they are returned after use), and maintenance will eat into the profits of the company.
• Thin profit margins → Since the business model is complex, the profitability is hard to scale. 

One classic example is the Furlenco’s performance in FY24:

The company has been in business for years (since 2012), yet it is struggling financially. Its profits fell 10% from INR 155.8 Cr in FY23 to INR 140 Cr in FY24.

The company suffered these losses because of the risky nature of the rental furniture industry. Risks like:

• Refurbishment Costs
• Operational Expenses

If the company ever gets listed, it could be a good option for risk-takers. 

Cipla, one of India’s top pharmaceutical companies, is set for a leadership change. According to a Mint exclusive, Umang Vohra, the current Managing Director and Global CEO, is expected to step down by the end of fiscal year 2026. Achin Gupta, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, is likely to take over.

Umang Vohra’s Journey at Cipla

Vohra has been at Cipla since September 2016. His latest five-year term runs from April 2021 to March 2026. During his leadership, Cipla expanded its global reach and diversified its product portfolio.

Before Cipla, Vohra held senior roles at Eicher Motors, PepsiCo, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in India and the US. He initially joined Cipla as Global Chief Financial and Strategy Officer and later became COO before being appointed MD and CEO.

Who is Achin Gupta?

Achin Gupta currently serves as Cipla’s Global COO. He has played a key role in operational strategies and global expansion. With a strong background in management and strategy, Gupta is seen as capable of maintaining Cipla’s growth and continuity. Analysts expect his promotion to be smooth and well-planned.

Wider Industry Context

Cipla’s leadership shift reflects a broader trend in India’s pharmaceutical sector. Companies such as Sun Pharmaceuticals have recently changed executive roles. For example, Kirti Ganorkar was appointed Managing Director at Sun Pharma, while founder Dilip Shanghvi stepped down from executive duties but remains on the board.

These moves indicate a focus on internal succession planning to ensure continuity and stability in leadership.

Market and Strategic Implications

The transition at Cipla is expected to draw close attention from investors. Vohra’s departure and Gupta’s likely succession could influence strategic priorities, global operations, and overall efficiency.

Cipla’s continued focus on strengthening its international presence, paired with Gupta’s operational experience, is expected to support steady growth. The change also demonstrates the company’s commitment to nurturing internal talent and planning for long-term leadership.

Looking Ahead

Cipla is preparing for a significant executive shift as Vohra prepares to step down in FY26. With Achin Gupta likely to succeed him, the company aims to ensure operational continuity and sustained expansion. Analysts believe the transition will be smooth and have minimal impact on Cipla’s growth trajectory.

Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Mamaearth, has opened up about how she and her husband Varun Alagh handle disagreements in business. Sharing insights on LinkedIn earlier today, she emphasised the role of data over intuition in making joint decisions.

Alagh recounted a 2017 argument in their living room over a product launch decision. “Varun wanted to delay, I wanted to ship. We were both passionate, both convinced we were right. But we were arguing from gut feelings, not facts,” she wrote. That disagreement led the founders to establish a structured method for resolving conflicts.

Data Wins, Egos Lose

The central principle, Alagh explained, is straightforward: “Show me your numbers.” Instead of asserting authority or relying solely on instinct, both founders now gather supporting data within 24 hours. Market research, consumer feedback, financial projections, and competitor analysis form the basis for their decisions. The stronger data set determines the outcome.

“This approach removes emotion from the conversation. It’s never about being right; it’s about being evidence-based,” she added.

Clear Decision-Making Domains

Alagh highlighted the importance of defined responsibilities to minimise clashes. While some decisions are taken jointly, most are handled individually within their domains. This strategy has reduced conflicts by nearly 80%, according to her post.

The 24-Hour Rule

For major disagreements where data is inconclusive, the founders employ a simple rule: pause for 24 hours. “We sleep on it. Emotions cool down, egos step aside, and new perspectives often emerge,” Alagh wrote. She noted that their best decisions usually come from a second conversation rather than the first argument.

Complementary Strengths

The co-founder duo’s contrasting styles also play a key role. Varun’s analytical approach balances Ghazal’s intuition, while her market instincts complement his operational rigour. “Data grounds both of us,” she said.

Alagh concluded with broader reflections on co-founder dynamics: two founders agreeing all the time may signal redundancy, healthy conflict can drive better outcomes if fact-based, and respect for data is more important than winning an argument.

This insight from one of India’s most influential entrepreneurs underscores the evolving culture of startups in the country, where evidence-driven decision-making increasingly trumps hierarchy or ego.

Varun Alagh: Mamaearth Owner | Biography | Net Worth

Varun Alagh and Ghazal Alagh are Co-founders of Mamaearth, a baby products company. Read about mamaearth owner and founder – Varun Alagh. Learn about his success story, early life, history, net worth, childhood, personal life, education, achievements, and more.

StartupTalkyAnik Banerjee