Скачать или смотреть Indian Startup News 266 - Karnataka Proposes 10-Hour Workday, Raises Controversy?

Welcome to the Backstage with Millionaires weekly Indian startup news show, hosted by Caleb Friesen. This week, Karnataka proposes a 10-hour workday and bans bike taxis, sparking backlash and jugaad responses from Uber and Rapido, GlobalBees faces an insolvency plea over a ₹65 crore dispute, Razorpay acquires POP in a $30 million deal to boost UPI loyalty, and Indian startups raise $108 million across sectors like EVs, AI, internet access, and smart wearables.

0:00 Karnataka 10-Hour Workday
2:04 Karnataka Bans Bike Taxis but Uber and Rapido Find a Jugaad
4:08 GlobalBees Faces Insolvency Plea
5:21 Razorpay Invests $30M Into POP
6:28 Quick News Segment
7:57 Indian Startup Funding News

Karnataka 10-Hour Workday

Karnataka is considering a proposal to extend the standard workday from 9 to 10 hours, and increase the legal overtime limit from 50 to 144 hours per quarter. The move, aimed at aligning with central guidelines, mirrors steps taken in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Supporters, including the Karnataka Chamber of Commerce, believe this change could help startups boost productivity and compete globally. Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy previously suggested longer work hours for higher output. But unions, like the All India Central Council of Trade Unions, oppose the plan, calling it unconstitutional. Maitreyi Krishnan warns that emulating labour policies from states with poor conditions could drive talent out of Bengaluru. With long commutes already a concern, the proposal could reshape Karnataka’s startup ecosystem if passed.

Karnataka Bans Bike Taxis but Uber and Rapido Find a Jugaad

On June 16th, the Karnataka High Court banned bike taxi services from Ola, Uber, and Rapido, citing a lack of regulatory framework. In response, Uber introduced “Moto Courier” and Rapido launched a “Bike Parcel” option—allowing passengers to ride disguised as parcels. This loophole sparked mixed reactions on X, from praise to criticism. One politician called it “not innovation, but contempt of court.” After public backlash, both Uber and Rapido quietly removed the features. Rapido, which dominates 70% of India’s bike taxi market, and Uber are now facing major revenue risks. The bike taxi ban in Karnataka could impact nearly 1.5 lakh gig workers. While auto-rickshaw unions support the ban, tech associations like IAMAI are pushing for regulatory clarity.

GlobalBees Faces Insolvency Plea

GlobalBees, often described as the Indian version of Thrasio, is facing an insolvency petition filed by Ashutosh Garg, Paritosh Garg, and Manju Agarwal. The trio claims GlobalBees owes them nearly ₹65 crore from its 2021 acquisition of Kuber Mart, where they were directors. An accepted insolvency petition could lead to freezing of GlobalBees’ finances and asset liquidation, similar to what happened with Byju’s. Brainbees, the parent company of FirstCry and majority stakeholder in GlobalBees, is taking legal advice and plans to challenge the plea. This comes amid an executive exodus from GlobalBees, including the CEO, chief business officer, and several board members from Lightspeed and Premji Invest.

Razorpay Invests $30M Into POP

Razorpay has acquired two-year-old UPI payments startup POP for $30 million. POP rewards users with POPcoins for every UPI transaction, which can be redeemed for discounts and freebies—similar to how CRED incentivizes credit card payments.

Quick News Segment

On X, we asked what Indian founders are building in AI. Here are three standout projects:

Shiro, by Dev, is an AI coding assistant that finds and fixes bugs, adds new code, and shows updates directly in your workspace.

DoesYourIdeaExist, by Krishna, uses Retrieval-Augmented Generation to compare your startup idea against a database of 500,000 others—free to use.

Elfina Health, by Tanvi Agrawal, is a client-therapist matchmaking platform that uses 40+ variables to ensure better therapy matches.

Indian Startup Funding News

Indian startups raised $108 million this week, down from $132 million last week.

Wiom (New Delhi): Raised $35 million to offer low-cost internet via PM-WANI hotspots, targeting underserved areas.

CLR Facility Services (Pune): Raised $15 million for end-to-end facility management of commercial properties like malls and hospitals.

Oben Electric (Bengaluru): Raised $6 million in an extended Series A to build electric motorcycles.

Darwix AI (Gurugram): Raised $1.5 million to help enterprises automate conversations across chat, email, and voice using generative AI.

Seven (Mumbai): Raised ₹4 crore ($460,000) for its NFC-enabled 7 Ring— a tap-to-pay smart ring that doesn’t require charging.

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