Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (February 5, 2025)

Featured stories

Primebook is bridging India’s digital divide with affordable laptops for students

Primebook, an Android-based learning ecosystem, was co-founded in 2018 by Aman Verma and Chitranshu Mahan after they saw firsthand how the lack of digital access was hindering students' education. 

While smartphones were common, Mahant explains that they didn’t meet the specific needs of students for research, assignments, and accessing digital learning platforms. "The problem wasn’t just affordability—it was the lack of a product tailored to the unique requirements of students in India,” he adds.

Primebook’s flagship laptop runs on PrimeOS, an Android-based operating system optimised for multitasking and compatible with over 200,000 educational apps. It offers two models: the Primebook Wi-Fi model, priced at Rs 12,990, and the Primebook 4G model, priced at Rs 14,990.

Read more here.

Meet the woman weaving hope in Odisha’s forgotten villages

In 2018, a simple Google search led Bindu Vinodhan to Chuliaposhi, a village in Mayurbhanj, northern Odisha, right at the bottom of India’s BPL (Below Poverty Line) index. The village had no schools, healthcare, water, roads, or electricity.

When Vinodhan first visited the village, she noticed that it was eerily quiet. There were few young people there–they had either migrated for work, become alcoholics, or died by suicide under the burden of debt,” she says. The women left behind worked as bonded labourers in the fields of dominant-caste landlords. Children weren’t sent to school, and many were trafficked into cities.

After a successful 22-year corporate career, Vinodhan founded the Mauna Dhwani Foundation to empower marginalised women in Chuliaposhi. She discovered a dormant weaving tradition among the local women, and revitalised this craft, providing training and resources that enabled these women to produce handloom textiles.

Today, Mauna Dhwani has transformed the lives of over 800 women.

Read more here.

Funding News

Apex Kidney Care bags $9M funding from Blue Earth Capital AG

Dialysis service provider Apex Kidney Care (AKC) secured a $9 million investment in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Blue Earth Capital AG for an undisclosed equity stake. The Tata Capital Healthcare Fund (TCHF) portfolio company aims to enhance accessible, high-quality kidney care in India with the raised capital, it said in a statement.

“Together with TCHF and BlueEarth, we will continue our mission to expand and strengthen our comprehensive ecosystem for kidney disease patients… We remain committed to driving growth by enhancing accessibility, with a strong focus on automation and quality,” said Dr Shrirang Bichu, Co-founder of AKC.

“We will achieve this by collaborating with like-minded clinicians and hospitals, as well as partnering with government through PPP programmes,” he added. 

Presage Insights raises Rs 5.6 Cr in seed round led by YourNest Venture Capital

Presage Insights, a provider of IoT- and AI-based predictive maintenance, has raised Rs 5.6 crore in a seed funding round led by YourNest Venture Capital. This funding will accelerate Presage’s mission towards smart, connected and data-driven factories, and enable the company to expand its market presence, scale operations and accelerate innovation.

Powered by AI-driven diagnostics, Presage Insights delivers actionable insights to predict and prevent equipment failures. These solutions help manufacturers save up to $6,000 per machine annually, extend equipment lifespan, and bridge the skills gap in the industrial workforce.

Its predictive maintenance solutions are deployed across industries including FMCG, steel, cement, automotive and process manufacturing, serving leading customers such as Adani, Abbott Healthcare, BPCL and Kansai Nerolac.

Mealawe secures $1M funding to accelerate daily food delivery across India

Mealawe, a foodtech company, has raised $1 million in funding from a mix of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), a network of Shark Tank founders, and angel investors associated with companies such as Goldman Sachs and Oracle.

This funding will drive the company’s expansion into 14 cities over the next 10-12 months, with a target of delivering 1 million meals per month.

Since its launch in October 2022 under Climbing Seeds Pvt Ltd, Mealawe has grown rapidly, delivering over 30,000 meals monthly. The new capital will be used to scale operations by expanding women-led kitchens, strengthening corporate cafeteria solutions, and deepening partnerships for organic ingredient sourcing.

The company’s growth trajectory and expansion plans will be underscored with a focus on scaling operations and market expansion.

D2C brand HairOriginals raises $5M in Series A funding

HairOriginals, a hair extensions brand, has successfully raised $5 million in a Series A funding round bringing its total funding to $7.2 million to date. The funding round was co-led by 12 Flags Consumer Holdings and Anicut Growth Fund along with participation from Peyush Bansal.

HairOriginals has partnered with 1,400+ salons, featuring on Shark Tank India, and setting up experience centers in India and North America. As part of its expansion, it has opened stores at Hyderabad and Coimbatore airports in collaboration with salon chain Naturals. To grow its global presence, it has also partnered with Kurves salon chain in North America to establish experience centres.

The company previously raised $1.5 million in seed funding from Anicut Capital and other investors. Fresh funds raised will be utilised to expand try-at-home services by bringing on-demand hair extension home service to 40 cities, establish 25-30 company-owned experience centres in the next 12 months and bolster R&D Capabilities by creating innovative products for a global audience.

Quicklend secures funding for secured lending, launches 'Loan Against Mutual Funds'

Quicklend has launched its Loan Against Mutual Funds (LAMF) product in collaboration with Bajaj and a consortium of prominent NBFCs. Alongside this announcement, Quicklend disclosed securing Rs 6.75 Cr in a pre-seed funding round led by Inuka Capital, Eximius Ventures, Upsparks Capital, GrowX, and a group of strategic angel investors.

The newly raised capital will enable Quicklend to scale its operations, enhance its technological capabilities, and introduce innovative features that redefine the lending experience. The company is set to allocate significant resources towards research and development.

“We remain dedicated to leveraging this capital to bridge the gap between financial institutions and credit-seekers, furthering our commitment to financial inclusion across the nation,” said Raghuram Trikutam, CEO of Quicklend.

(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)