Welcome to the Backstage with Millionaires weekly Indian startup news show, hosted by Caleb Friesen. This week, Stardour successfully test-fires India’s first hydrogen-oxygen propulsion engine, Garuda Aerospace secures a license to export drones to global markets, AI startup Astra shuts down just months after funding from Perplexity AI’s founder, Blinkit pilots 10-minute prescription deliveries, Krutrim executes fresh layoffs, and Indian startups raise $35 million.
0:00 Stardour Tests India’s First Hydrogen-Oxygen Propulsion Engine
02:01 Garuda Aerospace Selling Drones Overseas
03:13 Astra AI Shuts Down
04:40 Quick News Updates
05:32 What Did You Build This Week?
06:52 Indian Startup Funding News
Stardour Tests India’s First Hydrogen-Oxygen Propulsion Engine
Hyderabad-based space startup Stardour has successfully test-fired India’s first hydrogen-oxygen propulsion engine at IISc Bangalore. Stardour designed and built the entire engine in India, marking a significant milestone for the country’s private space ecosystem.
Despite being complex and expensive to develop, Stardour believes the long-term benefits outweigh the challenges. They are currently working on "Lucas," an Orbital Transfer Vehicle meant to operate in Low Earth Orbit, Geostationary Orbit, and even travel to the Moon and Mars. The first launch of Lucas is planned for Q3 2027. Stardour is positioning itself as a future-ready player in the global space race, betting big on hydrogen-oxygen technology.
Garuda Aerospace Selling Drones Overseas
Drone startup Garuda Aerospace has received an export license to supply drones to international markets including the US, Australia, and the Middle East. Garuda Aerospace will export its agriculture-focused drone, the Garuda Kisan, which supports crop scouting, spraying, irrigation, and real-time farming analytics. In the US and Australia, the focus remains agricultural, while in the Middle East, Garuda Aerospace drones will be used for security and surveillance.
Garuda Aerospace had already begun international operations last year through a partnership with a Sri Lankan agritech firm. Founder Agnishwar Jayaprakash described the export license as a monumental step toward Garuda Aerospace becoming a global drone exporter, enabling the company to diversify revenue and gain early entry into emerging global markets.
Astra AI Shuts Down
AI sales productivity startup Astra has shut down just four months after raising funds from Aravind Srinivas, founder of Perplexity AI. Astra aimed to act as an AI-powered Chief of Staff for account executives, handling tasks like lead tracking, conversation analysis, and pipeline visibility to help sales teams close deals faster. The tool was built to integrate across platforms like Salesforce and Slack, reducing the manual burden on sales reps.
In a LinkedIn post, cofounder Supreet Hegde said internal misalignment on growth strategy between himself and cofounder Ranjan Rajagopalan contributed to the shutdown. Astra also faced resistance from enterprise clients who were hesitant to grant access to sensitive systems, as well as difficulty standing out in a crowded AI agent landscape. Astra’s experience shows that building trust and differentiation in the enterprise AI space remains a steep challenge.
Quick News Updates
Blinkit has begun pilot testing 10-minute delivery of prescription medicines in select parts of Bengaluru, including free consultations when users don’t have a valid prescription.
AI startup Krutrim has laid off over 100 employees from its linguistics team in a second round of cuts, citing strategic realignment.
Amagi Media Labs has filed for a ₹1,020 crore IPO, becoming the first Indian broadcast and streaming tech company to go public.
Lenskart has also filed for an IPO, seeking to raise ₹2,150 crore and targeting a valuation of $8–9 billion.
Indian Startup Funding News
Indian startups raised $35 million this week, down from last week’s $61 million.
Fintech unicorn Navi raised $20 million in debt funding. Navi offers digital loans, insurance, investments, and payments—all on a single super-app.
Bengaluru-based SharpSell.ai raised ₹30 crore in Series A. SharpSell.ai helps sales teams with personalized content such as one-click proposals and dynamic product illustrations.
Guwahati-based GenZ fashion brand Littlebox, known for its Shark Tank India all-shark deal, raised $2.1 million.
Gurugram’s Passprt Trips raised $500,000. Passprt Trips uses AI and traveler data to offer inspiration, itineraries, local tips, and bookings in one app.
Vadodara-based Genexis Biotech raised ₹4 crore ($460K) to develop lab-grown proteins and enzymes for pharma, food-tech, and skincare applications.
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