• 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.
  • Genuin Appoints Chidansh Bhatt as Chief AI Officer

    Chidansh Bhatt

    New York: Genuin, a provider of AI-native generative video infrastructure for retail, commerce, and media networks, has announced the appointment of Chidansh Bhatt as its inaugural Chief AI Officer.

    A globally recognized AI innovator, Bhatt previously worked at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center, where he led advancements in large language models, multi-agent systems, and enterprise AI solutions.

    Chidansh Bhatt to Lead GenuinAI for Personalized Consumer Engagement

    In his new executive role, Chidansh Bhatt will oversee the continued development of Genuin Adaptive Intelligence (GenuinAI), the company’s proprietary engagement engine designed to deliver automated, personalized, and video-driven experiences throughout the consumer journey.

    Also Read: Deutsche Boerse Opens Global Capability Center in Hyderabad

    His leadership will span intelligent content orchestration, contextual video discovery, backend AI infrastructure, and scalable monetization.

    Before joining Genuin, Chidansh Bhatt worked as a senior AI researcher at IBM’s Watson Research Center. His contributions include:

    • Development of Granite-7b and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems
    • Building autonomous AI agents for IT remediation
    • Designing AI-driven recruitment tools
    • Leading safety inspection systems using robotics
    • Delivering personalized multi-agent AI solutions

    Bhatt’s expertise in machine learning, high-performance computing, and human-centered AI brings strategic value to Genuin’s mission of redefining generative video infrastructure.

    Genuin Strengthens Generative AI Investments with Chidansh Bhatt

    According to Bhargav Patel, CEO of Genuin, the appointment of Chidansh Bhatt marks a strategic milestone as the company doubles down on generative AI. Patel emphasized that Bhatt brings a rare blend of technical expertise and applied intelligence, ensuring Genuin’s platform continues to set the pace in brand-owned video engagement.

    Also Read: How PLxAI is Transforming Product Engineering Across Mobility, Sustainability, and Tech

    Building Brand-Owned Generative Video Communities

    Genuin’s platform enables retailers, publishers, and commerce media brands to embed video-powered communities directly within their websites and apps. By integrating vertical video, creator content, and contextual generative features, the platform increases user engagement, time spent on site, and revenue opportunities for brands.

    With Chidansh Bhatt leading AI strategy, Genuin aims to advance generative contextual continuity—delivering video and community engagement that is personalized, non-intrusive, and continuously evolving.

    The Role of GenuinAI in Consumer Engagement

    GenuinAI, the company’s proprietary AI infrastructure, is designed to autonomously plan, create, and monetize brand-owned communities through AI-driven agents, including a content strategist, brand memory module, ethical moderator, and yield optimizer.

    The system delivers:

    • Personalized video content at scale
    • AI learning from creator input and community feedback
    • Ethical moderation aligned with brand values
    • New monetization without third-party dependency

    Deployable with just a few lines of code, GenuinAI gives brands full ownership of content and data while enhancing consumer engagement.

    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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