
MeitY Startup Hub Partners Razorpay To Boost Deeptech Startups
MeitY Startup Hub partnered with Razorpay to empower early-stage deeptech startups with mentorship, incorporation support, and access to fintech tools
The initiative aims to nurture talent in underserved cities, especially in fields like AI, blockchain, robotics, and IoT
Besides, these startups will also get Y Combinator application support, mentorship from Razorpay experts and access to its payment and banking services
MeitY Startup Hub has partnered with fintech unicorn Razorpay to foster deeptech and emerging tech startups across the country.
The partnership aims to empower startups with access to Razorpay's platform for early-stage startups, Razorpay Rize.
Besides, these startups will also get Y Combinator application support, mentorship from Razorpay experts and access to its payment and banking services.
Notably, MeitY Startup Hub acts as a central network linking incubation centres and stakeholders to help tech startups grow, particularly in Tier II and III cities.
The tie up focusses on startups operating in AI, blockchain, robotics and IoT, giving them tools and networks to build solutions for India and scale globally.
Panneerselvam Madanagopal, CEO of MeitY Startup Hub, said the partnership will help startups grow with speed and confidence by providing vital support in mentorship, capital access, and digital infrastructure.
Last month, MeitY Startup Hub partnered with Startup Policy Forum (SPF ) to foster technological innovation and promote startups operating in the deeptech sector. It'll focus on startups across sectors, including AI, deeptech and other emerging technologies.
Under this partnership, SPF will assist MSH in initiatives like conducting joint research, policy analysis and organising stakeholder engagement, among others.
(The story will be updated soon)
READ SOURCE

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
Nigerian food delivery startup Chowdeck raises $9m to drive quick commerce and expand operations
Chowdeck has raised $9 million in Series A funding to expand into more cities and roll out a quick commerce strategy aimed at speeding up grocery and local market deliveries. Chowdeck raised $9 million in Series A funding to expand its African operations and implement a quick commerce strategy. Leading investors, including Novastar Ventures and Y Combinator, support its efforts to scale sustainably and improve logistics. Funds will enhance delivery services for food, groceries, and medicine, especially through dark stores and hyperlocal systems. Chowdeck, Africa's leading on-demand delivery platform, has raised $9 million in Series A funding to expand into more cities in Nigeria and Ghana and roll out a quick commerce strategy aimed at speeding up grocery and local market deliveries. The equity round was led by Novastar Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, HoaQ, and others. The investors bring global networks, sector expertise, and operational know-how to help Chowdeck scale sustainably and navigate Africa's complex logistics landscape. The fresh capital will support faster, more reliable delivery of food, groceries, and medicine. Chowdeck's quick commerce push, powered by dark stores and hyperlocal logistics, will cut delivery times, improve service coverage, and accelerate entry into underserved cities. Commenting on the raise, Femi Aluko, CEO and co-founder of Chowdeck, said, 'We're thrilled about this round as it brings us closer to our vision of becoming Africa's number one super app, transforming how millions of Africans access food, groceries and essentials every day." "This funding will supercharge our growth plans, enabling us to expand into more cities, reduce delivery times, scale our grocery footprint, and attract the best talent to drive innovation and customer satisfaction.' Chowdeck's operation Launched in October 2021, Chowdeck has become the go-to technology partner for food and hospitality businesses in Africa, offering solutions from logistics and inventory management to payments and analytics. Last year, the startup raised a $2.5 million seed round. Today, it serves over 1.5 million customers through more than 20,000 riders across 11 cities, with average delivery times of 30 minutes. The value of meals delivered via its platform in 2024 surged more than sixfold from the previous year, with 2025 already surpassing the total from last year.

Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
Figma's CEO says AI is empowering 'generalist behavior'
Being a generalist is so in right now. "This was happening before AI, but it's happening even more with AI," Figma's CEO Dylan Field said at a talk with Y Combinator published on Saturday. "There's something about AI that empowers generalist behavior." Field said that areas that were seen as distinct phases in the product development process are now merging. "Product is also blurring with design and development and potentially even parts of research," he said. "All this is becoming less distinct, and it's all kind of coming together more." In what was seen as the hottest listing of the year, Figma went public on July 31 at a $19.3 billion valuation, three years after Adobe was set to acquire the design software startup for almost the same amount. By market close that day, Figma's stock had more than tripled its initial public offering price, valuing the company at nearly $68 billion, giving its Silicon Valley investors a big payday. It brought to an end a three-year tech IPO dry spell, and the company threw a massive block party in front of the New York Stock Exchange. The company's valuation has since slid to $38 billion. At the YC talk, Field also said designers would become more important with AI. "In this age of AI, if you really believe that development gets easier and it's more simple to create software, it's faster to create software. Then what is your differentiator?" he said. "It's design, it's craft, it's attention to detail." Field added that designers will have more leverage in the future and more will step into founder and leadership roles. "There will be a lot of curation involved and a lot of leadership will be needed from designers," he said. "So they have to step up." Figma did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Field is far from the first tech leader to extoll the value of generalists. Silicon Valley leaders have been recommending that more people become generalists instead of specialists as AI changes the nature and need for certain careers. Earlier this month, the billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla said he suggests young people don't plan their career around any one job. "You have to optimize your career for flexibility, not a single profession," he said on a podcast. "That's the most important advice because you don't know what will be around." Andreessen Horowitz founder Marc Andreessen said he advised people outside domains like biotech and AI Foundation models to go broader instead of deeper. "I think for most fields, though, now with these new tools, I would probably bet more on basically people who are able to be broad," he said on a May podcast. "Which is to say basically knowing something about a lot of different aspects of life and how the world works."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
US Dollar Down 10% Since Trump Took Office — Paul Graham Warns 'You've Become Poorer' Without 11% Net Worth Gain
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham warned on Thursday that Americans need an 11% increase in net worth just to maintain purchasing power following the dollar's significant decline since President Donald Trump's inauguration. Dollar Index Shows Sharp Decline From Inauguration The U.S. Dollar Index has fallen from 109.29 on Trump's January 20 inauguration to 98.07 as of Thursday—a 10.26% decrease. Graham wrote on X: 'Unless your dollar-denominated net worth has increased by at least 11% this year, you've become poorer. The dollar has decreased about 10% in value since Trump took office.' Trending: The same firms that backed Uber, Venmo and eBay are investing in this pre-IPO company disrupting a $1.8T market — Dollar-focused ETFs reflect this decline. Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (NYSE:UUP) dropped 6.61% from $29.34 to $27.40, while WisdomTree Bloomberg U.S. Dollar Bullish Fund (NYSE:USDU) fell 4.86% from $27.57 to $26.23 since the inauguration. Billionaire Wealth Gains Offset Currency Devaluation Despite dollar weakness, tech billionaires have posted substantial gains. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Larry Ellison leads with over $115 billion year-to-date, while Mark Zuckerberg gained $63.5 billion. Elon Musk, despite losing $68.1 billion, maintains the top position at $364 billion in net worth. Graham noted sarcastically that Trump could claim creating 'unprecedented billionaires' when measuring in 'Trump dollars, which are only worth .9 [Former President Joe] Biden dollars.' Experts Warn of Structural Dollar Pressures Ray Dalio previously warned that currency devaluation cycles historically lead to gold-backed systems when trust in fiat currencies erodes. The billionaire investor cited patterns where governments print money to service debt, eventually triggering confidence crises. Fidelity's Jurrien Timmer warned the dollar could lose its 'supremacy premium' if the Federal Reserve intervenes in bond markets to suppress rates amid rising debt burdens. Corporate Impact and Forward Outlook McDonald's Corp. (NYSE:MCD) CEO Chris Kemczynski attributed consumer anxiety partly to tariff impacts, noting 'real incomes are down with the low-income consumer' and visits declining 'double digits versus the prior year.' Read Next: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share. If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it? Photo courtesy: Shutterstock This article US Dollar Down 10% Since Trump Took Office — Paul Graham Warns 'You've Become Poorer' Without 11% Net Worth Gain originally appeared on