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    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.
  • Bartronics India to Launch Voice-First AI Agritech App for Rural Farmers

    Bartronics India

    Bartronics India Limited (BIL) is advancing its transformation into a unified rural technology platform with plans to launch a voice-first, multilingual AI-powered agri-tech application in March, following the successful completion of its pilot phase in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

    The pilot demonstrated strong farmer engagement, supported by assured off-take linkages through strategic partnerships with SNN and Origo Commodities.

    Based on insights gathered during the pilot and extensive on-ground interactions with farmer communities, Bartronics India is now upgrading the platform to enable deeper engagement, data-led intelligence, and scalable adoption across rural India.

    Also Read: KhetiBuddy Launches Verdnt as AI-Native SaaS Backbone for Agri-Food Enterprises

    Bartronics India Expands Agritech Platform with Voice-First AI Capabilities

    A key enhancement ahead of the planned launch is the integration of AI-supported, voice-first interaction across major regional languages, including English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, and Kannada.

    Benchmarking of leading agri-tech platforms, combined with farmer feedback, consistently highlighted voice as the most intuitive, trusted, and accessible mode of engagement in rural ecosystems.

    The AI voice recognition and agent framework is being developed by Ampivo Smart Technologies, which specialises in building and deploying intelligent AI voice agents for real-world use cases.

    The voice layer is expected to transform the application from a transactional interface into a conversational, interactive digital assistant, reducing digital friction and improving usability at scale once launched.

    Upon launch, the enhanced application is expected to support multilingual voice navigation, proactive alerts, contextual advisories, farmer education, and interactive knowledge support, aimed at driving higher adoption and improved outcomes across the agri value chain.

    The platform is also designed to capture structured, consent-driven farmer data, creating a digital foundation to connect farmers with electronic mandis (eMandis) and broader output marketplaces.

    This data layer is expected to enable future participation in climate and sustainability-linked initiatives, including carbon credit programs and other climate-positive agricultural pathways – unlocking additional income streams for farmers while supporting sustainable farming practices.

    Also Read: Idea2Impact: Rallis India Unveils Open Innovation Platform for Sustainable Agriculture

    Commenting on the development, Vidhya Sagar Reddy, Managing Director, Bartronics India Limited, said: “Our work under Project Avio Agritech is guided by how farmers naturally engage with technology. Insights from the pilot phase made it clear that a voice-first approach is essential.

    This upcoming launch is a foundational step towards building a unified rural intelligence layer that can connect farmers to markets, climate opportunities, and long-term value creation. Our goal is to onboard 20 million farmers over the next three years through this platform.”

    The proposed launch of the voice-enabled application in March this year marks a key milestone under Project Avio Agritech, Bartronics’ flagship initiative aimed at onboarding 20 million farmers over the next three years through the company’s extensive rural network.

    Bartronics India Limited is a rural financial inclusion and technology company operating across India’s underserved regions. Through partnerships with Public Sector Banks and Regional Rural Banks, the company delivers last-mile banking and digital financial services across nearly 5,000 villages.

    Building on this foundation, Bartronics India is expanding into agri-trade and agri-tech through Project AVIO, with a focus on creating an integrated rural platform spanning finance, agriculture, and commerce.

    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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