• 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.
  • Protean eGov Technologies Secures INR 1370 Cr UIDAI Contract for Aadhaar Services Expansion

    Protean eGov Technologies

    Mumbai: Protean eGov Technologies Ltd., formerly known as NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd., has been awarded a landmark mandate by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to establish and operate Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASKs) across 188 districts in India.

    The total project value is estimated at approximately ₹1,370 crore, inclusive of taxes, with a base work order of about ₹1,160 crore.

    Protean eGov Technologies to Operate Aadhaar Seva Kendras

    As part of this mandate, Protean eGov Technologies will develop dedicated infrastructure and provide comprehensive managed services for Aadhaar enrolment, demographic and biometric updates, and other citizen walk-in services.

    Also Read: Aadhaar Face Authentication Hits Record 19.36 Crore Transactions in July 2025

    The initiative covers manpower deployment, infrastructure setup, and hardware installation, highlighting Protean’s critical role in strengthening India’s digital identity ecosystem.

    Currently, Aadhaar is the world’s largest biometrically enabled identity platform, serving over 140 crore Indian citizens — a figure greater than the combined populations of North America and Europe.

    The demand for Aadhaar-related services continues to grow due to new enrolments, mandated biometric updates at ages 5 and 15, demographic corrections, and pending applications.

    Strategic Importance for Protean eGov Technologies

    Commenting on the development, Suresh Sethi, MD & CEO of Protean eGov Technologies, said:
    “This mandate marks a defining chapter in Protean’s journey of nation-building through population-scale Digital Public Infrastructure. With this mandate, Protean becomes the only organisation to manage and scale both Aadhaar and PAN — two foundational IDs that anchor our digital nation. These aren’t just documents; they are enablers of dignity, access, and opportunity for every Indian.”

    Also Read: Tata Elxsi Launches Battery Aadhaar Powered by MOBIUS+ at Battery Summit 2025

    He further emphasized that the company remains committed to delivering secure and inclusive identity services across all regions, ensuring accessibility from remote villages to urban centers.

    About Protean eGov Technologies

    For nearly three decades, Protean eGov Technologies has been at the forefront of building India’s Digital Public Infrastructure. Its contributions span PAN issuance, pension systems, ONDC, eKYC, and now Aadhaar, reflecting its mission to support the Government of India’s vision of a secure, inclusive, and citizen-first digital nation.

    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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