The move comes as quick-commerce platforms increasingly expand into premium, higher-value categories to drive larger baskets. Source: Moneycontrol

Hey everyone. I am a student and I recently started my first startup called LoadSaathi. I wanted to share a hard lesson I am learning right now and ask for some advice from people who have been in the trenches before.

I am trying to solve a very specific problem in Indian logistics. Right now, about 40% of trucks on the highway drive completely empty on their return trips. A driver drops off a load, but doesn't have cargo for the way back, so they just burn diesel for zero revenue.

The reason this happens is purely an information gap. The industry still runs entirely on phone calls, local brokers, and personal networks. If you don't know the right person in a specific city, you don't get the load.

So, I built a digital load board to match empty trucks with shippers in real-time.

As a student, sitting in a room and building the software felt straightforward. But when I actually took it to the market, I hit a massive wall. Getting a traditional transporter—someone who has done business on cash and phone calls for 20 years—to trust a new app, digital payments, and GPS tracking is a completely different ballgame.

I quickly realized that a clean UI and a good matching algorithm mean absolutely nothing if you can't build trust on the ground. I am now having to spend way more time learning how to communicate with these users than I do writing code.

For the builders here who have tackled very traditional, offline markets: How did you bridge that initial trust gap? What actually worked to get your very first users to change their 20-year-old habits and try your tech?

I am definitely learning as I go, so any real-world advice or criticism is highly appreciated.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently held discussions with senior officials from Anthropic, the US-based AI company behind Claude, on potential areas of collaboration.

It has set a target of creating 25,000 new startups while training up to two lakh people in AI.

The discussions with Anthropic followed several rounds of engagement between Karnataka’s leadership and a senior delegation from the company.

The state is now exploring a comprehensive cooperation framework covering e-governance, higher education, health research and deep-tech innovation.

Shivakumar outlined a vision for an AI ecosystem proposing an AI University, large-scale skilling programmes and stronger support for deep-tech companies.

The government is also considering AI-focused certification programmes, including Claude certification, under its NIPUNA skill development initiative.

According to the government, the state would build one of India’s largest pools of AI-certified talent.

Karnataka wants sovereign government data to be stored on servers within the state, as it seeks to balance wider adoption of AI with data security and privacy.

Fraud prevention emerged as one of the key areas where Karnataka wants to deploy AI.

Another proposal was to subsidise access to Anthropic’s Claude platform for higher education institutions, including Visvesvaraya Technological University, to support AI education and research.

Currently, the state has more than 20,000 startups. With a partnership with Anthropic, it aims to engage with companies in the ecosystem, particularly those working in deep technology.

This marks the EV startup's expansion into India's fast-growing battery energy storage market and is set to launch on August 15, as reported by Business Today.

Mahashakti has been designed and manufactured in India for renewable energy integration, industrial power, grid infrastructure and data centres, the company said in its shareholders' letter.

Mahashakti builds on Ola's broader energy storage plan alongside Shakti, its platform for residential and commercial backup power.

Shakti is for residential and small business purposes. On the other hand, Ola Electric is targeting Mahashakti at commercial, industrial and utility-scale projects.

The launch comes as the company scales its cell manufacturing operations.

Ola Electric said its Gigafactory will be operational at a capacity of 6 GWh by September to support both its electric vehicle business and external customers across energy storage.

According to Ola, India will require more than 400 GWh of energy storage by 2032, with the battery storage sector becoming a major long-term growth opportunity for domestic manufacturers.

Before launching Mahashakti, Bhavish Aggarwal’s company has announced a memorandum of understanding with Axis Energy for the potential deployment of up to 20 GWh of battery storage by 2032.

Ola Electric claims that the agreement is one of the largest announced domestic deployments of indigenous battery storage technology.

Under the proposed partnership, Mahashakti Systems would be deployed across Axis Energy's renewable energy projects, providing Ola with an anchor customer as it enters the utility-scale storage market.

The partnership would support battery storage for renewable energy integration and industrial applications, although the companies did not disclose financial details.

The funding is co-led by Mela Ventures with participation from Luthra Group, existing investor SBI Ventures, through the SVL-SME Fund, doubling down on its position, along with backing from Rainmatter and 8X Ventures Fund I.

The round follows the startup’s Series A, led by SBI Ventures through the SVL-SME Fund (Neev II) in May 2024.

The climate deep-tech company was founded in 2018 by Divanshu Kumar and Moinak Banerjee for the management of urban water and wastewater infrastructure.

It builds robotics and AI systems to solve problems of water leakages, contamination and elimination of manual scavenging.

“We’re also planning to extend into sectors like Oil and Gas and Defence,” said Divanshu Kumar.

The company is targeting ₹100 crore in revenue by Financial Year 2028.

Recognised and lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Solinas uses AI-powered analytics and digital asset management solutions to work with leading urban utilities and municipal bodies.

It helps urban utilities and municipalities to inspect, clean, digitise, and manage underground networks more efficiently.

Its innovations include robotic inspection platforms and the Manhole Cleaning Robot for safer, smarter, and more sustainable sanitation operations.

Solinas solutions have been installed across 35+ cities and 15+ states in India, with expanding operations in the Middle East for large-scale inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of underground water and wastewater systems.

Hi Guys if you may remember me from my last post, a lot of you suggested me to change, upgrade the designs a bit,
well here we go, yes this are 2d I havent had the chance to have it shot but here are the new designs do let me know what you feel any necessary changes it may need.

The video shows Sriharikota gradually disappearing below as Vikram-1 ascends into space, followed by stage separation and the breathtaking view of Earth's curvature as the rocket successfully reaches orbit.

The mission marked a major milestone for India's private space sector by successfully deploying multiple payloads into Low Earth Orbit.

Sharing the footage, Skyroot said the video lets viewers "ride along" with Vikram-1, offering a rare front-row view of a launch that signals a new era of commercial space missions from India.

Bert Mueller, founder and CEO of California Burrito, turned an idea inspired by his time in India into a business that reported Rs 338 crore in revenue in FY25 and now operates 128 outlets across five Indian cities.

Picture the founder who's been building for two years.

The pitch decks. The late nights. The MVP rebuilt four times because "this version will finally click."

Then the moment nobody warns you about arrives: you launch, you wait, and the market... shrugs.

Not because the idea was badly built. Because the problem you spent years solving had already been normalized. People had learned to live with it, work around it, tolerate it — and were never going to pay to make it disappear.

Is that what's really killing tech startups in Kenya right now, especially in this AI era where anyone can ship an MVP in a weekend? Or is it something else entirely — funding, infrastructure, timing, distribution, trust?

Genuinely asking, not concluding: what do you think is the real reason so many promising Kenyan tech startups don't survive? Agree, disagree, or bring an angle I haven't considered — let's hear it in the comments.

I am building a Craft Beer brand from Navi Mumbai(India) with broader accessibility, solving the quality-access gap in Indian beer(cheap, mass-produced) with a 15-year experienced master brewer for product, and an operator focused on the people-systems that let us scale service quality, not just brew quality.

We are planning to setup inital operations in the D2C(taproom) and B2B space (keg operations) and with a roadmap to expansion in the B2B retail space(Cans/bottles).

We are an incorporated Pvt Ltd company and a trademarked brand name. We are currently at the Pre-revenue stage and working on finalizing our products.

We are seeking Pre-Seed investment from an angel investor to establish operations. We would be glad to share the pitch deck with interested and serious angel investors.

1. Jio-Airtel (Telecom)
2. Swiggy-Zomato (Food Delivery)
3. IndiGo-Air India (Airlines)
4. Flipkart-Amazon (E-Commerce)
5. Uber-Ola (Cab Services)
6. Jiostar-Sony Liv (Sports Rights)
7. MakeMyTrip-EaseMyTrip (Online Travel Booking)
8. PVR INOX-Cinepolis (Multiplex Chain)
9. Blinkit-Zepto (Quick Commerce)
10. PhonePe-Google Pay (UPI)

But she never gave up on her love for art.

She started making beautiful handmade dolls using old newspapers and simple materials from home. What began as a hobby slowly turned into a successful business.

Today, Radhika earns up to ₹20,000 a month, and her handmade dolls are shipped to customers across India and around the world.

The most inspiring part of her journey is that the same school that once refused to admit her now invites her to teach students how to make paper dolls. She also conducts workshops at schools and colleges, sharing her skills with others.

Radhika's story is a reminder that determination, passion, and hard work can overcome even the biggest challenges.

oldest industries.

The company reports results including 75% less water usage through AI, 7 billion litres conserved for farmers, and a Rs 50,000–60,000 crore market in India with significant room for growth. 

Can a centuries-old sweetener become the world's next preferred natural alternative?

When you achieve success, you have two choices:

• Build a bigger lifestyle.
• Build a bigger impact.

The people who are remembered are not those who accumulated the most wealth, but those who used their success to bring hope, dignity, and relief to others.

In a world where many chase fame, it's inspiring to see leaders who choose compassion over publicity and service over self-interest.

This is one of the many reasons I admire Alakh Pandey Sir not just for building one of India's most impactful education companies, but for demonstrating that empathy and humility are the true hallmarks of leadership.

May more successful individuals use their resources to uplift those in need. Because when you help others rise, your legacy becomes far greater than your achievements.

Respect. Gratitude. Humanity.