• Startup Pulse
    Kutlerri.ai raises $4 million from Narahari Investments. JSW Ventures completes the first close of Fund III, with JSW Family Office as anchor investor. Desible.ai raises ₹32 crore in a funding round led by Prime Venture Partners, with participation from Invention Engine. mistEO raises ₹18 crore in a seed round led by MGF Kavachh, with Seafund and other investors participating. Astrome Technologies signs an agreement with the Technology Development Board for ₹64.05 crore in support through optionally convertible debt under the RDI Fund. Nawgati is selected among the top 10 finalists of the UAE-India Startup Series 2.0. ValueQuest commits ₹775 crore across Sagar Defence Engineering, TASE Global and Rational Engineers. Greenjoules raises ₹150 crore in a Series B round co-led by Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund and Climate Pledge Fund, with Rainmatter and Singularity Strategic Autonomy Fund participating, and secures a separate ₹100 crore loan from the Technology Development Board. London-based fintech startup Seva Money announced a $5 million seed funding round co-led by Blockwall and Revent, with participation from Seedcamp. altM raises $10.3 million in a Series A round led by Rainmatter by Zerodha and Mela Ventures, with Omnivore, Theia Ventures, Aureolis Ventures, Spectrum Impact and strategic angel investors participating. Kutlerri.ai raises $4 million from Narahari Investments. JSW Ventures completes the first close of Fund III, with JSW Family Office as anchor investor. Desible.ai raises ₹32 crore in a funding round led by Prime Venture Partners, with participation from Invention Engine. mistEO raises ₹18 crore in a seed round led by MGF Kavachh, with Seafund and other investors participating. Astrome Technologies signs an agreement with the Technology Development Board for ₹64.05 crore in support through optionally convertible debt under the RDI Fund. Nawgati is selected among the top 10 finalists of the UAE-India Startup Series 2.0. ValueQuest commits ₹775 crore across Sagar Defence Engineering, TASE Global and Rational Engineers. Greenjoules raises ₹150 crore in a Series B round co-led by Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund and Climate Pledge Fund, with Rainmatter and Singularity Strategic Autonomy Fund participating, and secures a separate ₹100 crore loan from the Technology Development Board. London-based fintech startup Seva Money announced a $5 million seed funding round co-led by Blockwall and Revent, with participation from Seedcamp. altM raises $10.3 million in a Series A round led by Rainmatter by Zerodha and Mela Ventures, with Omnivore, Theia Ventures, Aureolis Ventures, Spectrum Impact and strategic angel investors participating.
  • NICMAR Hosts Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge Regional Finale in Pune with Top Student Talent

    NICMAR Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge

    Pune: The Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge reached a significant milestone as NICMAR University hosted its Regional Finale in Pune, bringing together some of the country’s most promising student innovators shaping the future of India’s built environment.

    Following a rigorous multi-city journey, the Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge witnessed participation across 11 cities, culminating in a highly competitive regional round.

    The top three teams from Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata advanced to the Pune finale, where they were evaluated on real-world infrastructure challenges, innovation under pressure, and practical problem-solving abilities.

    The competition highlighted the evolving nature of engineering and infrastructure education, where academic knowledge is increasingly integrated with real-world application.

    At the Pune Regional Finale of the Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge, the margin between competing teams narrowed significantly at each stage, underlining the exceptional calibre and competitiveness of participants.

    Congratulating the winners, Dr Tapash Kumar Ganguli, Director-General, NICMAR, said, “Congratulations to the winners for setting a high benchmark and demonstrating what industry-ready innovation truly looks like. At NICMAR, we believe the future of infrastructure lies in bridging academic learning with real-world application and the Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge reflects this philosophy. The level of competition we witnessed at the Pune Regional Finale reinforces that India’s infrastructure future is in capable hands.”

    Also Read: UltraTech Cement Limited Signs MoU with NCB to Boost Construction Skill Development

    Winners of Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge Pune Regional Finale
    • 1st Place: Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Pune
    • 2nd Place: Datta Meghe College of Engineering, Mumbai
    • 3rd Place: Vishwakarma College of Engineering, Ahmedabad

    The Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge Regional Finale was evaluated by an eminent panel of industry experts, including Ar Sanjeev Joshi, Principal Architect at Sanjeev Mita Joshi Architects & Interior Designers; Dhiraj Kumar Singh, General Manager – Technical Due Diligence at Colliers; and Deepak Jotawar, Associate Vice President at TPF Engineering.

    The event was also graced by Dattatray Yashwantrao Patil, Team Leader-cum-Senior Road Safety Auditor at National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Member of the Governing Body at NICMAR University.

    With the successful conclusion of the Pune Regional Finale, the Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge continues its momentum across other cities, including Hyderabad and New Delhi.

    Each regional round of the Bharat Nav-Nirmaan Challenge brings the initiative closer to identifying India’s most promising infrastructure innovators and young minds capable of addressing the country’s rapidly evolving urban and infrastructure challenges.

    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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