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27 August 2025 View in Browser

Hello,   The iPhone phenomenon in India has never been crazier.   After Bengaluru, Apple will open a new retail store in Pune on September 4, expanding its presence in India. This comes as Apple recorded double-digit growth in iPhone sales in India in June.   However, in a tit-for-tat move, Foxconn, the major assembly partner of Apple, earlier this week recalled around 300 Chinese engineers from its plant in Tamil Nadu as China looks to limit technology transfer and equipment exports to India.   But global interest in the Indian tech landscape has certainly upped a notch.   Snowflake has opened a new office in Bengaluru to serve as a central hub for the cloud data platform’s engineering, product development, and customer operations teams. The US-based company plans to increase its India workforce to over 700 employees by the end of 2025.   Also, OpenAI launched its first Learning Accelerator programme in India, in partnership with IIT Madras. It is offering 5 lakh free ChatGPT licenses for teachers and students across government schools and AICTE-regulated colleges.   Meanwhile, the Online Gaming Act has turned some rivals into allies.    Nazara Technologies, Gametion, nCore Games, and SuperGaming, among others, have formed an industry body that will serve as the unified voice for game publishers and developers in the country.   But will resilience be enough?   In today’s newsletter, we will talk about  The regulatory musts for AI Empowering the nursing sector Tech meets tradition on Ganesh Chaturthi Here’s your trivia for today: Which was the first video game to be played in space?

DevSparks The regulatory musts for AIData ethics and security are the foundation of innovation, not an afterthought. This was the common refrain from senior technology leaders during a recent panel discussion at DevSparks Hyderabad 2025, YourStory’s event focused on the developer ecosystem.    The big takeaway from the event was this: Gen AI and predictive analytics can scale only if ethics and security are embedded from the start.   Key takeaways: Anita Alexander of Providence Global Center in India said the firm invests in “scalable data platforms” that combine the flexibility of data lakes with the structure of warehouses, while ensuring role-based access, so that health clinicians and operations teams can act quickly and safely. Samsung’s Mohan Rao Goli echoed the importance of governance. He described practices to acquire and abstract training data with consent and in line with GDPR and licensing rules, including collaborations with universities to create high-quality, engineered datasets for model training. Vishal Mahajan of Carelon Global Solutions stressed commercial scale and urgency. “Data is a new oil that runs the company… because the amount of data that we produce on a daily basis, it’s humongous.” Know More

Funding Alert Peeko: $3.2M | Seed Cumin Co.: $1.5M | Undisclosed Vaave: Rs 6.6 Cr | External

Startup Empowering the nursing sectorLast year, Prince Kaushik partnered with his AIIMS Jodhpur college mates, Dr Utkarsh Paliwal and Dr Gourav Khurana, to co-found Jodhpur startup NPrep—an edtech platform to empower aspiring nurses.    “A nursing degree (BSc) is 80% of what an MBBS course is. We followed international and government guidelines to plan yearly courses. We also had nursing friends in AIIMS who helped us with it,” Kaushik tells YourStory.   Nursing hands: The doctor trio were inspired by Marrow—an edtech platform under the India-headquartered firm, Neuroglia Health, which they used for medical studies.  To get students to enrol, the team showcased its content, including video lectures, across its social media channels. It has over 64,000 followers on Instagram and almost 60,000 subscribers on YouTube.  Today, NPrep has a customer base of nearly 40,000 students, with an active student population of 26,000, as of August 2025. The B2C company plans to acquire 2.5 lakh students by the end of this year. Know More

Festival Tech meets tradition on Ganesh ChaturthiGanesh Chaturthi, one of India’s most beloved festivals, is celebrated with grandeur, devotion, and creativity by millions. Traditionally marked by music, dance, modaks, and vibrant pandals, the festival has also evolved with the times, embracing sustainability and now, technology.   From VR darshans of Lalbaugcha Raja to eco-friendly idols and interactive digital campaigns, here’s a look at how technology is shaping this year’s celebrations. Know More

From the CapTable On the right track: why ride-hailing apps are betting big on multimodal transportFor years, Bengaluru’s identity has been defined by its traffic—often the starting point of conversations or the premise for viral memes. But the reality is harsher: for over 14 million of the city’s residents, being stuck in traffic is a daily way of life. The notoriety is well-deserved. Vehicles crawl at a glacial pace across most parts of the city, especially during peak office hours. The problem seems too formidable to even attempt a solution, yet Magizhan Selvan believes he has found a way out of this mess.  The CEO of Namma Yatri, the app that pushed Uber and Ola to move away from their commission-heavy model, has just launched something called Transit. It’s his bet on the next big shift in India’s ride-hailing wars.  Open Namma Yatri today in Bengaluru and you will see a new option alongside autos and bike taxis: Transit. Unlike booking a single ride, Transit aims to piece together your entire journey. Pickup to the nearest metro station, metro ticketing, and a final drop. The pitch is simple: it’s not just cheaper, but often the fastest way across the city. “There are still gaps we’re working on,” Selvan admitted. The service was in beta then. “Ideally, once you reach your destination, the ride to your final stop should be booked automatically. For now, we’re letting customers make that choice—but the goal is to have an auto waiting the moment you exit the station.” This seamless blending of public transport with ride-hailing marks the next frontier for mobility apps. It’s driven by a potent mix of market pressure, business model shifts, and untapped opportunity. Continue Reading

Bharat ke Innovators

Beauty with forest conservation Born from a fire-ravaged forest and a father's dream to plant trees on a barren hill, Indore-based sustainable beauty startup Kheoni marries the urgency of conservation with the elegance of clean skincare. Know More     Inside Saahas Zero Waste The NGO Saahas continues today as an independent entity, while Saahas Zero Waste was introduced as a business model to scale solutions, led by former journalist turned environmentalist Wilma Rodrigues. Know More

News & Updates

Tariffs: Indian exporters are bracing for a sharp decline in US orders as the steep new 50% tariffs on India’s goods take effect from Wednesday. Exporter groups estimate hikes could affect nearly 55% of India’s merchandise exports worth $87 billion to the US, Reuters reported. EVs: Suzuki Motor will invest $8 billion in India over the next 5-6 years as production of the automaker's first electric vehicle begins. Through its majority stake in Maruti Suzuki, Suzuki Motors already produces 17 models in India for export to around 100 countries, including back to Japan. It will now also become the global production hub for the company’s electric cars. Job cuts: Germany’s auto industry has seen job cuts of close to 7% of the workforce, or around 51,500 positions, according to EY. Overall job losses across the German industry amounted to around 114,000 in the 12 months to June 30 this year. The figures suggest almost half the cuts were incurred by the auto sector.

Here's what else we have for you

Binance Case Challenge: Lessons from Season 1 and what’s next for students in Season 2 In Partnership with Binance   IIM Bangalore’s Team Futures topped Binance Case Challenge Season 1, impressing judges with a bold, user-first playbook. Coming next: Season 2.0 in 2025 with mentors, sandboxes and the chance to pilot real ideas. Know More

Did you know?

Which was the first video game to be played in space? Answer: In 1993, a Russian astronaut played Tetris on his Game Boy on his way to the MIR Space Station.

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