• 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.
  • Firstsource Leadership: Matthew Barlow and Scott Schrader to Lead Healthcare Businesses

    Firstsource leadership

    Mumbai: Firstsource Solutions Limited (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), a global provider of business process management services and part of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, has announced significant leadership appointments to accelerate growth across its North American healthcare operations.

    The move reinforces Firstsource leadership as a strategic priority amid expanding scale and complexity across payer and provider segments.

    Effective December 15, 2025, Matthew Barlow has been appointed Head of the Healthcare Payer business, while Scott Schrader will take charge as Head of the Healthcare Provider business.

    Both leaders will report to Ritesh Idnani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Firstsource, and join the company’s global leadership team.

    Also Read: AppliedAI Secures Strategic Investment from Firstsource to Advance UnBPO Automation Strategy

    Firstsource Leadership Focuses on Payer and Provider Transformation

    Healthcare remains a core growth pillar for Firstsource, offering strategic differentiation through its end-to-end presence across the healthcare value chain.

    The creation of two dedicated leadership roles highlights a more targeted approach to addressing the distinct operational dynamics, regulatory challenges, and growth opportunities within the payer and provider segments.

    Commenting on the appointments, Ritesh Idnani said that healthcare organizations face mounting pressures from rising costs, regulatory complexity, workforce constraints, and increasing expectations for better outcomes and experiences.

    He noted that addressing these challenges requires a fundamentally different operating model built on AI, data, and digital platforms, supported by deep healthcare domain expertise.

    Idnani added that the appointments reflect Firstsource’s continued commitment to its UnBPO approach, which moves beyond traditional outsourcing to deliver domain-led, technology-enabled solutions tailored to the evolving needs of health plans and health systems.

    Firstsource Leadership: Matthew Barlow to Lead Healthcare Payer Business

    Matthew Barlow brings more than two decades of experience in healthcare and technology, with a track record of building global operations and next-generation business models across payer, provider, life sciences, and digital health organizations.

    Prior to joining Firstsource, he served as Managing Partner, Healthcare Advisory at Avasant, leading large-deal advisory and digital transformation programs.

    Barlow has also held senior leadership roles including Chief Operating Officer at HealthComp and Head of Healthcare BPO Markets at Cognizant, along with key positions at Unisys and Teleperformance. In his new role, he will focus on advancing intelligent, AI-embedded operations across the healthcare payer ecosystem.

    Also Read: Firstsource Invests in Lyzr AI to Power Secure, Scalable AI for Regulated Industries

    Firstsource Leadership: Scott Schrader Appointed Head of Healthcare Provider Business

    Scott Schrader joins Firstsource with over two decades of leadership experience in healthcare technology, revenue cycle management, and enterprise software.

    Most recently, Schrader served as President and Chief Commercial Officer at Pendrick Capital Partners. At Firstsource, he will focus on scaling AI-first, digital solutions to address complex revenue cycle and financial challenges faced by healthcare providers.

    In their respective roles, Barlow and Schrader will oversee strategy, growth, and client success for the Healthcare Payer and Healthcare Provider portfolios.

    They will collaborate to expand Firstsource’s AI-enabled, digital-first offerings aimed at improving efficiency, member and patient experiences, and clinical and financial outcomes.

    As part of the transition, Venkatgiri Vandali, who has led the Healthcare business at Firstsource for the past six years, will work closely with the new leaders to ensure continuity before pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

    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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