Скачать или смотреть Indian Startup News 269 - The REAL Reason Zepto Is Raising $500M NOW

Welcome to the Backstage with Millionaires weekly Indian startup news show, hosted by Caleb Friesen. This week, Zepto nears a $500 million funding round at a $7 billion valuation, WeWork India’s IPO process resumes after a regulatory pause, Aditya Mangla takes over Zomato’s food delivery business, Starlink gets final approval to launch in India, Rapido enters food delivery, Amazon Now rolls out 10-minute delivery in Delhi, and Indian startups raise $78 million.

0:00 Zepto Close to Closing a $500M Round
2:21 WeWork India IPO Is Back After a Pause
4:04 Eternal's New CEO of Food Delivery
5:29 Starlink Gets Final Approval in India
5:43 Quick News Segment
6:40 Anyone Build Anything Cool This Week?
8:25 Indian Startup Funding News

Zepto Close to Closing a $500M Round
Zepto is close to securing a $500 million funding round led by existing investors General Catalyst and Avenir Growth, pushing its valuation to $7 billion—up 40% from last year. The timing is crucial as Zepto faces rising competition from Blinkit and Swiggy’s Instamart, both of which outpaced the market in Q1 FY26. Blinkit’s order value grew 25% while Instamart rose 22%, compared to the sector’s sub-20% growth. Zepto has instead prioritized reducing cash burn and nearing EBITDA breakeven. The company has delayed its IPO to 2026, aiming to increase Indian ownership. According to Aadit Palicha, Zepto is staying focused on profitability without returning to high spending.

WeWork India IPO Is Back After a Pause
WeWork India’s IPO is back in motion after SEBI resumed reviewing its draft papers, which had been paused due to undisclosed issues reportedly tied to a delayed disclosure by Embassy Office Parks and its former CEO Aravind Maiya. The IPO will be a full offer-for-sale, with Embassy Buildcon selling 3.4 crore shares and 1 Ariel Way Tenant offloading over 1 crore shares. WeWork India, the top coworking company by revenue, reported ₹1,665 crore in FY24, ahead of Awfis at ₹849 crore and Smartworks at ₹1,039 crore.

Eternal's New CEO of Food Delivery
Eternal has named Aditya Mangla as CEO of its food delivery arm, replacing Rakesh Ranjan. Aditya Mangla, who joined Zomato in 2021, has held key roles in product, supply, and customer experience. This leadership reshuffle follows a slowdown in Zomato’s food delivery business, which grew just 18% in Q4 FY25 compared to Blinkit’s 122%. Eternal’s CEO Deepinder Goyal had earlier indicated a need for fresh leadership amid issues like delivery worker shortages and soft demand. Eternal also recently delisted 19,000 restaurants as part of a broader reset.

Starlink Gets Final Approval in India
Starlink has received final regulatory approval from IN-SPACe to begin commercial satellite internet services in India using its Gen1 satellite constellation. Starlink now joins OneWeb and Jio’s Orbit Connect as the third licensed satellite internet provider in the country.

Quick News Segment
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has warned e-commerce and quick commerce platforms to comply with food safety regulations after hygiene violations were found in several dark stores. Amazon has launched Amazon Now, its 10-minute delivery service, in parts of Delhi after testing in Bengaluru. EaseMyTrip cofounder Rikant Pitti has launched an AI Venture Studio focused on co-creating startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and more, aiming to back 10 globally scalable ventures from India.

Anyone Build Anything Cool This Week?
First up is DeliteAI by NimbleEdge, an open-source platform that lets apps run AI directly on smartphones—offline, faster, and more privately. It enables developers to build features like summarization and recommendations without cloud dependency. Next, Subletter HQ by Amrit Shenava is a platform to help people sublet rooms and apartments for short stays. Finally, SoloTravelSafety.com by Naresh Meetei offers resources for solo women travelers, including safety tips, travel stories, destination ratings, and a safety-focused community.

Funding
Indian startups raised $78 million this week. Smartworks raised $20 million in a pre-IPO round. Chai Bisket, a regional OTT platform from Hyderabad, secured $5 million. Clean Fanatics from Bengaluru raised $2 million for its premium home services. Delhi’s Green Aero, developing hydrogen engines, raised $1.6 million. Lastly, influencer marketing platform Qoruz raised $500,000 in a pre-Series A round.

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