• Startup Pulse
    EloElo Group raises $80 million in a Series C round led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, with MIT Investment Co. and existing investors participating. Peppermint Robotics raises ₹100 crore (approximately $10.5 million) in a Pre-Series B round led by pi Ventures and Crane Venture Partners, with Asiana Fund participating. Traversal raises $120 million in a Series B round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Kleiner Perkins, Redpoint and Khosla Ventures, with Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and Amex Ventures participating. GIVA raises over $100 million in a round led by Multiples Alternate Asset Management. The Croffle Guys raises ₹14 crore in a round led by V3 Ventures, with N.A.N Partners participating. Solgram raises over $1 million in a pre-seed round led by DSG Consumer Partners and Saama Capital, with Kapil Chopra participating. Sachin Tendulkar makes a strategic investment in Metasports Interactive, the company behind Hitwicket. The amount was not disclosed. Hyeglo Beauty raises ₹7 crore in a round led by Sauce, with Giga Capital, Consumer Collective, Reckitt's Arjun Purkayastha and The Patient Capital participating. Unify Foodworks raises ₹5 crore in seed funding through convertible debentures from Atrium Ventures, SailThru Ventures, Arjun Vaidya and Abhishek Goyal. OBSESS raises approximately ₹3 crore in an angel round from Pushpendra Singh, Amit Goel and Harshit Vij. EloElo Group raises $80 million in a Series C round led by Hornbill Capital and NBCUniversal, with MIT Investment Co. and existing investors participating. Peppermint Robotics raises ₹100 crore (approximately $10.5 million) in a Pre-Series B round led by pi Ventures and Crane Venture Partners, with Asiana Fund participating. Traversal raises $120 million in a Series B round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Kleiner Perkins, Redpoint and Khosla Ventures, with Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and Amex Ventures participating. GIVA raises over $100 million in a round led by Multiples Alternate Asset Management. The Croffle Guys raises ₹14 crore in a round led by V3 Ventures, with N.A.N Partners participating. Solgram raises over $1 million in a pre-seed round led by DSG Consumer Partners and Saama Capital, with Kapil Chopra participating. Sachin Tendulkar makes a strategic investment in Metasports Interactive, the company behind Hitwicket. The amount was not disclosed. Hyeglo Beauty raises ₹7 crore in a round led by Sauce, with Giga Capital, Consumer Collective, Reckitt's Arjun Purkayastha and The Patient Capital participating. Unify Foodworks raises ₹5 crore in seed funding through convertible debentures from Atrium Ventures, SailThru Ventures, Arjun Vaidya and Abhishek Goyal. OBSESS raises approximately ₹3 crore in an angel round from Pushpendra Singh, Amit Goel and Harshit Vij.
  • Avante Spaces Appoints George Verghese as Managing Director

    George Verghese

    Pune: Avante Spaces Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirloskar Industries Limited (KIL), has appointed George Verghese as its Managing Director.

    The appointment was approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 18 September 2026 and is effective from the same date until 19 May 2030.

    George Verghese will take on the new responsibility alongside his existing role as Managing Director of Kirloskar Industries Limited. He has been serving as the Managing Director of KIL since May 20, 2025.

    The appointment of George Verghese at Avante Spaces represents an additional leadership responsibility within the Kirloskar Group, strengthening leadership across the Group’s businesses.

    Commenting on the appointment, Rahul Kirloskar, Chairman of the Board at Avante Spaces Limited, said, “For over five years, George has been actively involved across multiple Kirloskar Group companies, contributing to business strategy, operational execution, and initiatives spanning HR, marketing, and culture.

    His experience across these areas has added valuable perspective to the Group’s journey, and his expertise will further strengthen Avante Spaces as it builds for the future.”

    In his leadership role at KIL, George Verghese has worked closely with leadership teams and boards across multiple group companies on strategic direction, operational alignment, institutional strengthening, and long-term value creation.

    Also Read: George Verghese Appointed Managing Director of Kirloskar Industries Limited

    George Verghese has also played a key role in driving transformation initiatives, enhancing organisational effectiveness, supporting enterprise-wide governance practices, and aligning business strategy with evolving priorities.

    George Verghese joined the Kirloskar Group in April 2021 as Vice President – Group HR. He subsequently served as CHRO and Chief of Staff at Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited, where he was part of the core leadership team that successfully steered a strategic business turnaround.

    With over 21 years of leadership experience, George Verghese has worked across global organisations including Dell, Reliance Communications, UST Global and Cummins.

    His career spans diverse functions, including business operations, human resources, business strategy, marketing and branding.

    Verghese holds a Master’s degree in Management from XLRI Jamshedpur and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the College of Engineering, Munnar.

    Author

    • Salil Urunkar

      Salil Urunkar is a senior journalist and the editorial mind behind Sahyadri Startups. With years of experience covering Pune’s entrepreneurial rise, he’s passionate about telling the real stories of founders, disruptors, and game-changers.

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