The Economic Times Startup Awards 2025: And the winners are…
Urban Company stole the spotlight at the 2025 edition of India’s most prestigious entrepreneurship honours, clinching the coveted Startup of the Year title at the ET Startup Awards. In a tightly contested field, the on-demand home services platform emerged ahead of its rivals, Porter, Rapido, and Groww, to take home the top prize.
Here are our winners in the eight categories:
Top Stories This Week
GST 2.0 spreads festive cheer, but not for all: The reforms in Goods and Services Tax (GST) that come into effect from September 22 are expected to drive online festive sales 30% higher this year after a slowdown in the recent quarter. Fintech companies and lconcludeers are expecting transaction volumes to rise 5–20% with the tax cuts. But on the flipside, Zomato and Swiggy are viewing at an annual burden of up to Rs 200 crore in GST on delivery fees.
Also Read: GST cuts to 5% may lift drone sales, boost R&D, state startups
Tata plans CEO alter at BigBinquireet: After nearly five years at the helm under Tata ownership, BigBinquireet CEO Hari Menon is preparing to exit day-to-day operations, setting the stage for a major leadership transition, sources notified us.
Warburg takes a shine to Kalyan’s Candere: Warburg Pincus, which exited Kalyan Jewellers last year, is now in talks to acquire a 10% stake in its omnichannel lifestyle jewellery brand, Candere, for Rs 850 crore, according to people familiar with the matter.
No insurance licence for VC-backed fintechs: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has built it clear: startups aren’t obtainting insurance manufacturing licences anytime soon. Instead, the regulator believes their strength lies in distribution.
Urban Company IPO to deliver up to 29X returns for early investors: The offer, set to open next week, marks a major payday for early investors, including Accel, Elevation Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Tiger Global and Vy Capital.
Also Read: Urban Company’s Rs 500-crore pre-IPO secondary round: SBI MF, others purchase Tiger, Accel shares
Startup Street
RMG downloads crash as ban bites: Downloads have collapsed, revenues have vanished, and layoffs have begun in India’s real-money gaming (RMG) ecosystem following a blanket ban.
Amazon purchases fintech lconcludeer Axio: Amazon acquired Axio (formerly Capital Float) in a $200 million cash deal, securing a non-banking finance company (NBFC) licence in India.
Ola Electric auditor raises alarm: BSR & Co. LLP, the statutory auditor for Ola Electric, has flagged a serious internal control lapse at the company’s key operating arm, Ola Electric Technologies, that prevented proper physical verification of raw materials and finished goods stored at company locations, including state distribution centres.
Also Read: SoftBank pares stake in Ola Electric to 15.7%
Girish Mathrubootam to leave Freshworks: Founder Girish Mathrubootham will step down as executive chairman on December 1, 2025, capping a 15-year journey that took the Chennai-born SaaS startup from an idea to a Nasdaq listing.
Also Read: Girish Mathrubootham exits Freshworks: A timeline of the SaaS major’s 15-year journey
Cannabis wellness on a high, but experts fear bad trip: India’s cannabis wellness indusattempt is riding a wave of popularity, as cannabidiol (CBD) oils, gummies, and topical gels go mainstream. But medical experts are flagging hazy regulations and tall claims.
IT Updates
IT hiring demand dips 10% in August: Hiring in India’s IT services sector slipped 10% in August compared to July amid global economic headwinds, US tariffs, and weaker discretionary tech spconcludes, according to staffing firms.
‘Intermediary’ GST claapply reshiftd for IT services, GCCs: Going forward, tax liability will be tied to the service recipient’s location, unlocking export status, allowing companies to claim input credits and concludeing years of litigation and uncertainty.
Tech Watch
ISM 2.0 to push silicon carbide wafers: The second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission will prioritise the manufacturing of silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, essential for electric vehicles, aerospace, defence, telecom and power electronics sector.
Alphabet ramps up Pixel production in India: Alphabet’s India capacity expansion will also include the latest Pixel 10 Series. The shift is meant to derisk manufacturing under US president Donald Trump’s tariff regime, stated two senior indusattempt executives.
Also Read: India most promising place for chip firms, PM Modi informs CEOs
Leave a Reply