In the fourth and final photo essay in our series of work in collaboration with the Magnum Foundation, photojournalist Showkat Nanda has been documenting both the hope and the dashed expectations of young people under lockdown during the pandemic in Ka…
Indian online insurer PolicyBazaar files for IPO, seeks to raise over $800 million
Indian online insurance aggregator PolicyBazaar has filed for an initial public offering in which it is seeking to raise $809 million, becoming the fourth startup in the past two months from the South Asian market to explore public markets. In papers submitted to the market regulator in India, PolicyBazaar said it is looking to raise […]
Indian domestic workers lose their jobs to Covid fears
Cleaners no longer welcome in middle class homes, as wealthier Indians turn to machines for helpCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe job paid a pittance, with two days off a month, and sometimes the mistress of the house woul…
Indian edtech Unacademy valued at $3.44 billion in $440 million fundraise
Indian online learning platform Unacademy has raised $440 million in a new financing round as investors double down on the South Asian market and elsewhere following a widening series of regulatory crackdowns in China that wiped hundreds of billions of dollars last month. Temasek led the Bangalore-based startup’s new financing round while Mirae Asset and […]
Refugees hit hardest as deadly floods sweep across continents
Death toll rises as storms continue to rip through communities, destroying homes and livelihoodsAs heavy rains and floods dominate headlines around the world, displaced people and those living in conflict zones are among the worst affected. Wind and he…
Tibet and China clash over next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama
The spiritual leader has mused that he may return as a woman. But his succession has turned into a political battleA couple of years ago, during a meeting of Tibetan leaders in Dharamshala in India, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was asked about h…
Microsoft in talks to back India’s Oyo
Indian budget hotel chain Oyo may have lost a significant portion of its business amid the pandemic, but it is inching closer to finding a new investor: Microsoft. Microsoft is in advanced stages of talks to invest in Oyo, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The size of the investment and the valuation are […]
High-profile entrepreneurs launch $85 million fund to back Indian SaaS startups
Four high-profile Indian entrepreneurs who are among those who kickstarted India’s SaaS journey, building and helping startups scale and win customers globally and also backed about 100 such firms, are ready for their next phase of participation in the country’s startup ecosystem. The group — Girish Mathrubootham of Freshworks, Manav Garg of Eka Corporation, Shubham […]
Business messaging platform Gupshup raises $240 million from Tiger Global, Fidelity and others
Gupshup, a business messaging platform that began its journey in India 15 years ago, surprised many when it raised $100 million in April this year, roughly 10 years after its last financing round, and attained the coveted unicorn status. Now just three months later, the San Francisco-headquartered startup has secured even more capital from high-profile […]
Indian automobile marketplace Droom valued at $1.2 billion in pre-IPO funding
An online marketplace for automobiles has become the latest Indian startup to attain the coveted unicorn status. Gurgaon-headquartered Droom said on Wednesday it is raising up to $200 million in what it described as a pre-IPO growth funding round. The new investment, part of which has been secured, valued the seven-year-old startup at $1.2 billion, […]