Startup
Discover emerging startups, disruptive ideas, and entrepreneurial journeys only at Economic Edge. Have something on your mind? We welcome your feedback, corrections, or story ideas that could inform our coverage. 📧 Email us at: reconomicedge24@gmail.com
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Green Innovators Unleashed: How EV and CleanTech Startups Are Driving India’s Climate Leadership in 2025 – Harness the Momentum, or Miss the Net-Zero Millennium!
India’s climate conundrum—90 extreme weather days annually, 1.7 billion tons of materials consumed, and a $3.6 billion green investment surge since 2014—isn’t being solved by decrees alone; it’s powered by EV and CleanTech startups, over 1,200 ventures raising $1.95 billion from January to October 2025 (40% up YoY across 128 rounds), catalyzing a $24 billion sector projected to hit $50 billion by 2030. From Ather Energy’s 40% EV scooter market share to ReNew Power’s 13.4 GW renewables portfolio (20 million tons CO2 slashed), these innovators align seamlessly with sustainability missions like the National Green Hydrogen Mission (Rs 19,744 crore for 5 million tons production) and Waste to Wealth (100+ zero-waste…
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Policy Catalyst: How Startup India is Turbocharging Early-Stage Ventures in 2025 – Launch Your Vision or Lose Your Spark!
India’s startup ecosystem is a global juggernaut, with over 159,000 recognized ventures by January 2025, soaring from 500 in 2016. The Startup India initiative, now in its “2.0” avatar, is the catalyst behind this surge, empowering early-stage ventures with bold policies, funding, and regulatory reforms. As India eyes a $5 trillion economy, 2025’s $15 billion funding wave—led by AI and deeptech—offers founders a make-or-break moment: leverage this policy engine to launch their vision or let it lose its spark. Let’s dive into how Startup India is reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape. Since its inception on January 16, 2016, Startup India has transformed India into the world’s third-largest startup hub, with 112…
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From Code to Core: India’s Slow but Steady Shift from Software to Deep Tech in 2025 – Embrace the Pivot, or Perish in the Past!
India’s startup ecosystem, the world’s third-largest with 195,065 DPIIT-recognized ventures powering a $450 billion digital economy, has long been synonymous with software prowess—SaaS, consumer apps, and outsourcing giants like Infosys and TCS churning $245 billion in exports. Yet, a seismic shift is underway: From this service-led foundation, India is pivoting into deep tech—AI, quantum computing, biotech, and semiconductors—with 6,283 startups raising $1.06 billion in H1 2025 (78% YoY surge), doubling 2024’s pace and positioning the nation as a global powerhouse. Budget 2025’s Rs 20,000 crore R&D corpus, Rs 10,000 crore Deep Tech Fund of Funds, and the National Deep Tech Startup Policy (NDTSP) are igniting this transformation, with IIT Madras…
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Brewing Confidence: How mCaffeine Energized India’s Skincare Market with a Caffeine Kick
When Tarun Sharma and Vikas Lachhwani launched mCaffeine in 2016, India’s skincare market was saturated with chemical-heavy, international brands promising instant beauty fixes. They decided to take a radically different route — a caffeine-based, toxin-free skincare brand rooted in self-confidence rather than colorism or comparison. Today, mCaffeine stands as India’s first and largest caffeinated personal care brand, with over 10 million customers, a strong â‚ą250+ crore annual revenue in 2025, and presence in 5,000+ retail outlets across India. The Idea That Brewed a Revolution The inspiration came from a simple question: What if caffeine, the world’s favorite energizer, could also awaken the skin? After extensive R&D, the founders discovered that…
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From mom to mogul — Malika Sadani’s The Moms Co. redefined skincare with toxin-free love.
When banker-turned-entrepreneur Malika Sadani couldn’t find safe skincare products for her daughters, she took a bold step that would later reshape India’s personal care landscape. What began as a mother’s concern for toxin-free products evolved into The Moms Co., a trusted name for millions of families seeking safer alternatives in skincare, baby care, and wellness. A Mother’s Mission Becomes a Movement In 2017, after returning from London, Malika discovered a glaring gap in India’s beauty and wellness market — a lack of genuinely safe, toxin-free options for expecting and new mothers. Disappointed by the limited choices filled with harsh chemicals, she decided to build a brand that prioritized purity, safety,…
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FunStop Games Hits 75M Downloads, Expands Global Esports Reach
Indian gaming studio FunStop Games, founded in 2020 by Prashanth Vijay and Tamesh Sharma, has reached a major milestone — crossing 75 million downloads worldwide and ranking in the top 10 gaming charts in over 55 countries. With 1 million active players across platforms, FunStop has become one of India’s most globally recognized gaming brands within just five years of launch. The studio’s rapid rise comes as India cements its place among the world’s fastest-growing gaming markets, now home to over 500 million gamers. FunStop’s model — combining casual mobile games, cross-platform access, and community-driven esports events — has positioned it as a frontrunner in the next wave of interactive…
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Startup Metrics That Matter: Beyond Valuation and Funding in India’s 2025 Ecosystem
In India’s startup arena, home to 195,065 DPIIT-recognized ventures and a $450 billion digital economy, the obsession with headline-grabbing valuations—112 unicorns worth $350 billion—and funding rounds ($7.7 billion in 9M 2025, down 23% YoY) often overshadows the metrics that truly define success. With 90% of startups failing within five years, focusing solely on billion-dollar tags or cash burns misses the mark on sustainability, impact, and resilience. As India’s ecosystem matures—evidenced by 12 IPOs in H1 2025 and a pivot to profitability—metrics like customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), unit economics, social return on investment (SROI), and regional equity are emerging as true north stars. Backed by Tracxn, Inc42, and…
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How Rajesh Yabaji’s BlackBuck Became India’s $1 Billion Digital Trucking Network — Connecting 700,000 Drivers and 10,000 SMEs Through AI-Powered Freight Optimization
India’s logistics industry, historically dominated by manual operations and fragmented networks, has long struggled with inefficiency. In 2015, Rajesh Yabaji, along with Rekha Yabaji and Chanakya Hridaya, set out to change that with BlackBuck — a platform to digitize trucking and bring transparency to the freight ecosystem. At its core, BlackBuck connects truck owners, drivers, and shippers through a unified digital platform, replacing the opaque brokerage system with AI-driven matching and real-time freight routing. The goal: to make logistics efficient, data-driven, and profitable for everyone involved. By 2025, BlackBuck has grown into a $1 billion unicorn, serving 10,000+ small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and digitizing operations for over 700,000 truck…
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How Lenskart Changed the Way India Sees: From Online Eyewear Startup to â‚ą90,000 Crore Vision Empire
In 2010, Peyush Bansal, a former Microsoft employee, noticed a glaring gap in India’s eyewear market — expensive products, poor accessibility, and a lack of style. Determined to change that, he founded Lenskart, an innovative blend of e-commerce and healthtech aimed at making quality eyewear affordable and accessible to everyone. What began as a modest online platform soon became a category creator, redefining how Indians buy glasses. Bansal’s vision was clear: to democratize eyewear using technology, affordability, and customer experience. From virtual AR try-ons to doorstep eye check-ups, Lenskart turned buying spectacles into a fun, digital-first experience rather than a tedious chore. One of Lenskart’s biggest breakthroughs was its augmented…
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Demystifying Insurance Choices: Alok Bansal Co-Founds Policybazaar to Empower India’s Consumers
Gurugram, October 22, 2025 – Alok Bansal, alongside Yashish Dahiya, co-founded Policybazaar in June 2008 under PB Fintech to simplify insurance comparisons and purchases online. As Executive Vice Chairman, Bansal drives inorganic growth and investor relations for the platform that now facilitates over Rs 23,486 crore in annual premiums, underscoring fintech’s role in boosting India’s low insurance penetration—currently at 4.2% of GDP—amid a sector poised for 7-8% annual growth through digital adoption. From Corporate Finance to Fintech Pioneer Alok Bansal holds an engineering degree from Lucknow University and an MBA from IIM Calcutta. His career spans finance roles at General Electric, iGate Global Solutions, Mahindra & Mahindra, and First Europa…