From AI readiness and mental health storytelling to fitness reinventions and deeptech milestones, YourStory brings you the latest stories of problem-solving and progress from India’s innovation landscape.
Featured Stories
Cleaning solar panels with no water: Photom Technology’s robots are making it happen
Indians are rapidly adopting solar energy, thanks to various schemes launched by the Indian government, including the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Programme, and the PM-KUSUM scheme.
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), India’s solar power capacity stood at 110.83 GW as of May 31, 2025. Considering the large-scale installation of solar panels in the country, cleaning these panels for their efficient functioning and to avoid dust accumulation is imperative.
Ahmedabad-based startup Photom Technology is addressing this with a waterless robotic cleaning solution designed to keep panels dust-free and functioning optimally.
Read more here.
Odds Fitness is helping people reclaim their health with personalised plans
Fitness and health is a key concern for many people, especially given the largely sedentary lifestyles and work environments in major cities.
Asad Hussain felt that most Indian fitness companies aren’t doing anything to tackle India’s unhealthy work culture. That led him to found Odds Fitness in 2019 to change the status quo.
“I have always been into athletics and have travelled for that since I was 15 years old. Once I understood how fitness and sport are integrated, I started looking at fitness as a practice rooted in science,” he says.
Read more here.
Beyond the headlines: How SMART Community Radio is telling stories from the ground up
In a country flooded with breaking news and broadcast noise, community radio quietly does what mainstream media often doesn’t—it listens.
For Archana Kapoor, Founder of SMART Community Radio, which supports various operating community radio stations across the country, grassroots stories are a reflection of trust and ground reality in an age of media saturation and misinformation.
Her own station, Radio Mewat, in district Nuh (earlier Mewat), Haryana, serves around 168 villages in the district, and has an approximate reach of 6.5 lakh listeners across four blocks. The community radio has served not only as a platform for information dissemination but as a tool for transformation.
Read more here.
Building AI skills is the new currency of innovation: IBM India MD
What will the jobs of the future look like in the age of artificial intelligence? GenAI, foundation models, and intelligent agents are not just reshaping how we work—they’re redefining what’s possible.
However, to fully unlock their potential, the AI skills gap across industries, roles, and regions must be closed, and India stands at the cusp of becoming a leading player in this segment.
“India stands at a pivotal moment, where digital ambition meets demographic strength. As we move toward the vision of Viksit Bharat, there’s a unique opportunity to turn our vast and diverse talent base into a global AI powerhouse,” says Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia. “AI isn’t just a tech trend; it’s a powerful economic driver. One unit increase in AI intensity could boost India’s GDP by $67.25 billion. Yet, 42% of enterprises cite a lack of skills as a key barrier to adoption,” he adds.
Read more here.
Latest News
NPCI’s income rises 19%, profit jumps 42% in FY25
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the non-profit umbrella organisation behind India’s most critical digital payment systems, has reported a reported a strong set of numbers for FY25, with both revenue and profitability registering sharp increases.
Operating income rose 18.95% year-on-year to Rs 3,270 crore, up from Rs 2,749 crore in FY2024, according to unaudited and provisional figures disclosed by ratings agency ICRA. Surplus after tax climbed 41.73% to Rs 1,552 crore, compared to Rs 1,095 crore the year before.
NPCI shows a ‘surplus’ instead of profit after tax (PAT) due to NPCI’s not-for-profit corporate structure, which categorises earnings as surplus rather than profit.
Read more here.
Funding News
Broking platform Sahi raises $10.5M in Series A funding from Accel, Elevation Capital
Sahi, a broking platform, has raised $10.5 million in a Series A round led by existing investors Accel and Elevation Capital. The funding follows its December 2024 launch.
The startup will use the funding to enhance product capabilities with advanced automation—aligned with SEBI’s move to open up algorithmic trading for retail investors—expand into new markets to reach more active traders across India, and grow the team to meet rising demand.
Existing features include auto trailing stop-loss, with upcoming additions like visual no-code strategy builders and multi-leg options execution.
Read more here.
Armory secures Rs 13 Cr, led by growX ventures
Amardeep Singh, Founder & CEO, Armory
Armory, a new-age defence-technology startup, has raised Rs 13 crore in a funding round led by growX ventures and co-invested in by Industrial 47, Antler, AC Ventures and Dexter Ventures.
Founded in 2024 by Amardeep Singh, an IIT-Bombay alumnus and aerospace engineer, Armory develops indigenous Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) designed to detect, deny, and destroy rogue drones.
With the raised capital, Armory will invest in advanced R&D and scale up manufacturing capacity, enabling faster field-to-force deployment cycles. “It’s increasingly obvious that the future of warfare is autonomous drones and electronic warfare. The only way to deter them is to build advanced countermeasures,” said Singh.
AuraML raises $1M pre-seed round led by Turbostart
AuraML, a deeptech startup working on generative simulation for industrial and warehouse robotics, has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by global venture capital and accelerator fund Turbostart, with participation from DeVC, GSF Accelerator, IAN and other investors.
Founded with the mission to reinvent how intelligent machines are trained and tested, AuraML’s simulation engine allows enterprises to model, test, and deploy robotic systems.
With this funding, AuraML plans to double down on product development, expand its US footprint, and support enterprise pilots in warehouse automation, industrial robotics, and next-gen autonomous systems.
IndiaBonds raises Rs 32.5 Cr in maiden funding round
IndiaBonds.com, a SEBI-registered Online Bond Platform Provider (OBPP), has raised Rs 32.5 crore in its first external funding round.
This marks a significant step forward for the company, which has been entirely bootstrapped for over four years – driven by the personal capital of its founders, Aditi Mittal and Vishal Goenka.
The round was led by a curated group of marquee individual investors from the investment and technology sectors. “This round allows us to continue on a high growth trajectory, and we are only likely to look at institutional funding from sometime next year,” said Vishal Goenka, Co-Founder of IndiaBonds.
Sthyr Energy from IIT Madras raises seed funding
Sthyr Energy, a deeptech startup developing long-duration energy storage systems, has announced the closure of its seed funding round led by Speciale Invest, with participation from Antares Ventures.
The company is developing a mechanically rechargeable Zinc-Air battery system specifically designed for applications such as seasonal energy storage and fossil-free peaker plant replacement. The technology is built on five years of foundational research conducted at IIT Madras, where co-founders Gunjan, Akhil, and Hamdan set out to rethink battery architecture.
With the seed funding, Sthyr Energy plans to expand its R&D efforts, build pilot systems, and engage with grid-scale energy and industrial partners to demonstrate the commercial viability of its technology.
Indian Snack House raises Rs 2.2 Cr in pre-seed funding led by Titan Capital
Anbarsan and Rajakumaran, Co-founders, Indian Snack House
Indian Snack House, a D2C brand delivering South Indian sweets and snacks, has announced the closure of its pre-seed funding round by raising Rs 2.2 crore.
The round was led by Titan Capital and the newly raised funds will help Indian Snack House expand to more cities and online platforms. They will also be used to grow its product range by adding popular snacks from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana—bringing together the rich snacking traditions of South India.
“We are thankful to Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal, and the Titan Capital team for trusting our vision and standing behind our team. Together, we are working to make Indian Snack House a trusted name for authentic South Indian snacks not just across India, but around the world,” said Rajakumaran and Anbarsan, Co-founders of Indian Snack House.
Other News
SolarSquare features in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Technology Pioneers List
SolarSquare, a provider of full-stack rooftop solar solutions, has been named in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Technology Pioneers list – a prestigious list recognising 100 early-stage global companies shaping breakthrough innovations across sectors. SolarSquare is one of the 10 Indian startups to make it to this year’s cohort.
The other Indian startups chosen for the 2025 list are Agnikul, CynLr, Dezy, Digantara, Equal, Exponent Energy, Freight Tiger, GalaxEye and The ePlane Company.
“Being a member of this global group of changemakers provides us with the incredible opportunity to share ideas, collaborate on climate action, and contribute to a global agenda for a cleaner, greener future,” said Shreya Mishra, Co-founder, SolarSquare.
KNOLSKAPE launches AI Academy to align with growing demand for AI talent
Knolskape, a global experiential learning technology company, has launched the AI Academy, a role-specific, simulation-based learning platform designed to build AI fluency across India’s workforce.
A recent report by the Ministry of Electronics & IT, India’s AI Revolution: A Roadmap to Viksit Bharat, estimates that India will require 1 million AI professionals by 2026.
Knolskape’s AI Academy features three structured learning paths: AI Ignite for individual contributors, AI Catalyst for mid-level managers, and AI Architect for senior leaders. Each programme aims to deliver real-world, hands-on learning using immersive simulations and role-specific coaching.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
Edited by Jyoti Narayan
