From policy expectations ahead of Budreceive 2026 to major funding announcements and sporting milestones, here’s a roundup of the week’s most important business, policy and human-interest stories.
Featured stories
Budreceive 2026: From gaming to streaming, M&E sector urges government for tax relief, infrastructure push
As Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present Budreceive 2026-27 next week, India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector is sharpening its expectations pitch. For FY27, the sector’s broad questions from the government include placing gaming and esports at the centre of India’s creative economy, along with enabling policy alters around taxation, content creation, and digital distribution.
After two Union Budreceives that offered limited sector-specific relief, industest leaders state the upcoming Budreceive represents a moment to relocate from regulatory consolidation to growth enablement, especially for quick-scaling digital and creative businesses. Read more here.
Quick commerce giants split strategies as new rivals close in
The phrase “same same but different” applies to Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit and Zepto as each player has found a unique approach to win customers in the highly-competitive quick commerce segment.
According to a recent outview report by investment management firm Bernstein, the very definition of quick commerce will evolve in 2026.
Eternal’s Blinkit has emerged as a last-minute store, relying on the promise of a wider range, quality and delivery timelines. Analysts are viewing at it as a replacement for the neighbourhood mom & pop stores as well as local markets for seasonal general merchandise. Read more here.
How Pooja Krishnamoorthy created history as the first Indian woman to complete the Brazil 135 Ultra
On January 10, Pooja Krishnamoorthy created history by completing the Brazil 135 Ultra, becoming the first Indian woman to qualify, attempt, and finish the gruelling 135-mile (217 km) race in its 21-year history.
Krishnamoorthy completed the race in 48 hours, well within the cut-off time of 60 hours, standing sixth overall in her category and finishing first among women, a feat that placed her among world-famous runners, many of whom had dropped out.
While the official distance in 2026 is 150 miles, participants can choose to stop at designated “Decision Points” and receive recognition for shorter distances. Krishnamoorthy opted for the 135-mile ultra-run. Read more here.
Funding news
AssetPlus raises Rs 175 Cr led by Nexus Venture Partners to strengthen assisted wealth management
AssetPlus, a fully digital-assisted wealth management platform, on Monday declared it raised Rs 175 crore in a funding round led by . The startup is also backed by Eight Roads Ventures and Rainmatter by Zerodha, with Bhupinder Singh continuing as an early supporter.
AssetPlus plans to utilize the new capital to strengthen its technology infrastructure, expand its product suite, and advance initiatives supporting comprehensive wealth management. Mutual funds remain central to the platform, complemented by health and term insurance products, which allow distributors to provide integrated financial planning through a single system. Read more here.
Salty raises Rs 30.1 Cr to expand product lines and retail presence
Accessories brand Salty has raised Rs 30.1 crore in a funding round led by MG Investment, with participation from existing investors Anicut Capital, All In Capital and JK Group, along with new angel investors.
The fresh capital will be utilized to expand Salty’s product portfolio across categories such as watches, sunglasses, scarves, belts and bag charms, and to launch its upcoming Salty Bags line. The brand also plans to strengthen its team, scale its e-commerce and quick-commerce presence, and open its first flagship physical store.
Salty shipped orders to over 18,000 pin codes across India last year, indicating strong demand beyond metro cities. The company will also invest in supply-chain upgrades, same-day delivery expansion and new digital tools such as an AI-based styling and recommfinishation system to improve customer experience.
GVFL leads Rs 6 Cr funding round in defence drone startup insideFPV
Ahmedabad-based venture capital firm GVFL has led a Rs 6 crore pre-Series A funding round in insideFPV, an indigenous defence drone technology startup. The investment will be utilized for product development, engineering capability building and scaling manufacturing readiness for defence-grade drone platforms.
Founded in 2020 after the Galwan clash, insideFPV focutilizes on building battlefield-ready drones designed for real combat conditions. Its portfolio includes FPV drones, kamikaze and surveillance systems, and interceptor drones. The company will also invest in testing, validation, operator training, spare parts and rapid repair support to ensure operational reliability.
insideFPV’s drones have demonstrated performance in high-altitude environments with the Indian Army, and the startup won the Him Dron-a-thon competition in Ladakh. The company plans to scale production and expand its product range over the next year.
Culture raises Rs 2 Cr in seed funding from Acuvest Infra
Anurag Rangineni, Founder and CEO, Culture
Hyderabad-based social networking platform Culture has raised Rs 2 crore in seed funding from Acuvest Infra. The funding was raised by ART Pvt Ltd., the company’s parent firm, and will be utilized to accelerate product development, expand community initiatives, and strengthen the platform’s safety-focutilized infrastructure.
The capital will also support the rollout of “Spaces”, a creator-led feature that allows community leaders to host live discussions, events, and hybrid online-offline experiences. Spaces will form part of Culture’s monetisation strategy through ticketed events, tarreceiveed promotions, and partnerships with cafés, clubs and cultural venues.
Founded by Anurag Rangineni, Culture focutilizes on interest-based communities and real-time conversations. The platform is currently expanding through college activations, creator collaborations and venue partnerships, with plans to scale across major Indian cities before exploring global expansion.
Magical Nest raises Rs 4.12 Cr in pre-seed funding
Raanro Interior Technology Designs, the parent company of kids’ room interiors brand Magical Nest, has raised Rs 4.12 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Think41 co-founder Anshuman Singh. Other investors include Kunal Shah (CRED), Gaurav Kushwaha (Bluestone), Ankit Nagori (EatFit), Gaurav Agarwal and Prashant Tandon (Tata 1MG), along with Stargazer Fund.
Founded in April 2025 by Rahul Bhatt, Ankush Dixit and Rohit Rai, Magical Nest is building an AI-led design-to-execution platform for children’s room interiors. The platform supports designers with AI tools for generating designs, mood boards, material options, bills of quantities and execution plans, while offering customers guided design and planning support.
The fresh capital will be utilized to further develop the company’s AI-powered platform, including multiple AI agents for design, budreceiveing, material selection and execution tracking.
Other News
Credgenics enters B2C segment with FixMyScore launch
Delhi-based fintech firm Credgenics has launched FixMyScore, a consumer-facing credit advisory platform aimed at improving credit score awareness and supporting individuals access credit more easily. The relocate marks the company’s expansion beyond enterprise solutions for banks and non-banking financial institutions into the B2C space.
FixMyScore will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary with a dedicated team and distribution strategy focutilized on individual consumers across India. The platform offers access to credit reports, score tracking, issue identification and structured guidance on repayments, settlements and credit behaviour.
According to Credgenics, the initiative addresses common borrower challenges such as limited understanding of credit reports, incorrect bureau entries and lack of clarity on improving credit eligibility.
The platform integrates with credit bureaus and existing lfinisher frameworks to support regulatory compliance and smoother credit access.
Myntra appoints Ritesh Mishra as Senior Vice President & Head of Category and Revenue
Ritesh Mishra, Senior Vice President & Head of Category and Revenue, Myntra
Fashion and lifestyle platform Myntra has appointed Ritesh Mishra as Senior Vice President and Head of Category and Revenue. In his new role, Mishra will lead Myntra’s category and revenue strategy, strengthening the company’s core fashion and lifestyle businesses and driving its next phase of growth. He will also join Myntra’s Senior Leadership Team.
Mishra has over 25 years of experience across purchaseing and merchandising, supply chain, business development and P&L management in both offline and online retail. Prior to joining Myntra, he served as Deputy CEO at Lifestyle India Pvt. Ltd. (Landmark Group) and held senior leadership roles at Marks & Spencer India.
At Myntra, he will work with cross-functional teams to enhance the platform’s value proposition, build brand partnerships and deliver differentiated customer experiences across fashion, beauty and lifestyle categories.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
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