• 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.
  • Innoviti Names Sandeep Mina as Chief Business Officer to Scale Retail SaaS Business

    Sandeep Mina

    Bengaluru: Innoviti Technologies, India’s leading payments-centric retail SaaS platform, has announced the appointment of Sandeep Mina as Chief Business Officer – Retail.

    With this leadership move, Sandeep Mina will spearhead the profit and loss (P&L) for Innoviti’s fast-growing genie and link business lines, while leading business strategy, nationwide retail sales and distribution execution, and ecosystem partnerships.

    Innoviti’s Retail P&L and Growth Strategy

    In his new role, Sandeep Mina will be responsible for scaling Innoviti’s retail businesses across markets, with a strong focus on execution, partner-led distribution, and expansion into Tier-2 to Tier-4 cities.

    He will be based in Bengaluru and will oversee sales, distribution, and partner network strategies for Innoviti genie and Innoviti link.

    Also Read: Onboarding as a Growth Lever: How Ripple’s Nick Congelosi Redefines the First 90 Days

    Sandeep brings over 20 years of experience in building and scaling high-velocity consumer businesses. His professional journey spans leadership roles at Swiggy, Dukaan, Hotstar/Star India, Coca-Cola, and Marico.

    Prior to joining Innoviti, he served as CEO of Shecommerz, a last-mile distribution company working with banks, multinational corporations, and large retail enterprises. Sandeep is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad.

    Sandeep Mina to Accelerate Innoviti Genie and Innoviti Link Expansion

    Innoviti genie, launched in 2021, is a sales acceleration software platform that has empowered more than 4,000 local mobile merchants to sell more with higher margins. Over the past three years, it has grown rapidly to contribute 55% of Innoviti’s overall revenues.

    Innoviti link, launched in early 2024, is India’s highest-rated payment links application, enabling over 9,000 local merchants to collect online payments from remote customers seamlessly.

    The product has seen strong adoption, particularly among high-transaction-value businesses, and continues to scale rapidly on a month-on-month basis.

    The appointment of Sandeep Mina is aimed at strengthening Innoviti’s capability to capture the next phase of growth across these businesses, particularly in emerging retail markets beyond metro cities.

    Also Read: LambdaTest Elevates Mudit Singh to Co-Founder, Company Expands Global AI Strategy

    Innoviti achieved operating profitability in May 2025 and is well-capitalized to support its growth roadmap. The company is now reinforcing its leadership team to drive a sustained phase of profitable hyper-growth, aligned with its long-term strategic objectives.

    Commenting on the appointment, Rajeev Agrawal, Founder & CEO of Innoviti, said, “Sandeep brings a rare combination of strategic vision and execution capability at a time when Innoviti’s core business has turned cash-flow positive and the new businesses of genie and link are growing rapidly. His experience in scaling complex commercial engines will help Innoviti accelerate expansion while maintaining a strong focus on profitable, high-quality growth.”

    Expressing his views, Sandeep Mina, Chief Business Officer – Retail, said, “Innoviti has built a strong reputation for trust, innovation, and excellence at scale in the payments space, backed by deep customer obsession. I am excited to join Innoviti’s leadership team and scale its high-margin, software-centric payments business model to unlock new value for merchants and consumers in India’s rapidly evolving retail landscape.”

    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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