• Startup Pulse
    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. Venomics AI raises $2.7 million in a pre-seed round co-led by Speciale Invest and South Park Commons, with Operators Studio participating. 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. 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. Venomics AI raises $2.7 million in a pre-seed round co-led by Speciale Invest and South Park Commons, with Operators Studio participating. 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.
  • upGrad School of Technology Partners with ADYPU to Launch AI-Focused B.Tech Program

    upGrad School of Technology

    Pune: upGrad School of Technology (UGSOT), in partnership with Ajeenkya DY Patil University (ADYPU), has announced the launch of a four-year residential B.Tech in Computer Science Engineering (Artificial Intelligence) programme aimed at creating industry-ready engineers.

    The new initiative by upGrad School of Technology combines a UGC-recognised degree with industry-integrated AI engineering education to prepare students for the evolving demands of the technology workforce.

    The inaugural batch of the programme is scheduled to commence during August–September 2026.

    The collaboration seeks to address the widening gap between conventional engineering education and the rapidly changing requirements of an AI-driven economy.

    Through this partnership, students will receive a UGC-recognised B.Tech degree while gaining practical, industry-relevant skills from the beginning of their academic journey.

    The programme is open to students who have completed Class 12 with a minimum of 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM) from recognised boards, including CBSE, ICSE and State Boards.

    As part of the collaboration, Ajeenkya DY Patil University will provide the campus infrastructure, residential learning environment and confer the UGC-recognised B.Tech degree.

    Also Read: EuroSchool Expands Across Bengaluru and Pune with Three New K-12 Campuses

    Meanwhile, upGrad School of Technology, in collaboration with ADYPU, will deliver an industry-integrated learning experience featuring live instruction from engineers working at leading global technology companies.

    The curriculum has been designed with an AI-first approach and will be refreshed every six months to align with evolving industry requirements.

    Students will participate in hands-on coding sessions and product-building sprints from the first semester, along with regular interactions with founders, CXOs and industry leaders.

    Students enrolling in the programme can choose from three future-focused specialisations:

    • Full Stack AI & Cloud Innovation – covering end-to-end software development, AI applications and cloud-native technologies.
    • AI & Quantum Computing – combining artificial intelligence with emerging quantum computing concepts and applications.
    • AI & GenAI Engineering – focused on generative AI, large language models and next-generation AI product development.

    In addition to technical learning, upGrad School of Technology has integrated a startup track spread across seven semesters. The initiative is designed to help students develop entrepreneurial, leadership and business capabilities alongside their engineering education.

    Graduates will also gain access to upGrad’s career support ecosystem comprising more than 3,000 hiring partners. The placement network facilitated over 110,000 placements between FY23 and FY25, providing students with enhanced pathways to employment and career advancement.

    Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Ajeenkya DY Patil, Chairman, Ajeenkya DY Patil Group and Chancellor, Ajeenkya D.Y. Patil University, said: “At the Ajeenkya DY Patil Group, we have always believed that education must evolve with the future.

    This partnership brings together academic credibility and industry relevance, ensuring students graduate with both a recognised degree and the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

    Vishwa Mohan, CEO, upGrad School of Technology, said: “India has never had a shortage of engineering talent — it has had a shortage of engineering education that keeps pace with what the industry actually needs.

    This partnership with Ajeenkya DY Patil University is built to close that gap: a real degree, a real campus, and real skills that employers hire for from Day 1. That is the model we are bringing to every university we work with.”

    Adding to this, Mehul Khandhedia, Chief Revenue and Outcome Officer, upGrad School of Technology, said, “The employability gap in engineering is not a curriculum problem — it is a systemic one.

    Our partnership with ADYPU fixes it at the root: by building industry outcomes directly into the degree, not as an add-on after graduation.”

    India produces nearly 1.5 million engineering graduates every year, yet the employability gap remains a major challenge for the sector.

    Although engineering continues to be among the country’s most preferred career options, many graduates lack industry-ready skills in emerging domains such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and advanced software engineering.

    The partnership between upGrad School of Technology and Ajeenkya DY Patil University aims to address this challenge through an industry-integrated, AI-first engineering education model designed to prepare students for future technology careers.

    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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