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As Indian cities continue to choke under rising traffic and toxic air, the founder ; Rajiv A. of GreenCar ESG & CSR Carpool (For Viksit Bharat) is building a movement rooted not in profits, but purpose. His goal is simple but ambitious: ensure no Indian city suffers the fate of Delhi’s pollution crisis. GreenCar Carpool operates as a lifetime-free, not-for-profit mobile app that enables office commuters to share empty car seats. With no commissions, subscriptions, or registration fees, the platform removes all hesitation around carpooling. The idea is straightforward. Fewer cars on the road mean less congestion, lower fuel consumption, cleaner air, and reduced daily stress for working professionals. The founder highlights how the average urban commuter spends 2 to 3 hours daily in traffic, adding up to nearly 2 to 3 years of life lost behind the wheel. At the same time, middle-class families spend ₹1 to ₹1.5 lakh every year on fuel alone, while inhaling polluted air that harms health regardless of income or lifestyle. GreenCar also offers a corporate carpool API, allowing employees within the same organization to share rides securely. This approach targets a major gap in India’s sustainability efforts by focusing on daily office travel, one of the largest contributors to urban congestion and emissions. In 2026, GreenCar aims to remove 80,000 cars from Indian roads across multiple cities. If achieved, this could lead to fuel savings of nearly ₹840 crore and a significant reduction in carbon emissions. #Greencar #NotForProfit #Carpool #DelhiPollution #solution #TrafficCongestion #Sustainable #StartupUpdates #Startupro

The Whole Truth Foods has raised $51 Mn (around ₹416 Cr) in its Series D funding round, marking a major milestone as the D2C brand officially begins its IPO journey. The round, a mix of primary and secondary transactions, was co-led by Sauce.vc and Sofina, with participation from existing investors including Peak XV Partners, Rainmatter Health, AYRA Ventures, and Z47. The startup said the fresh capital will be used to scale in-house manufacturing, fund working capital needs, and build systems required to become public-market ready. While no IPO timeline was shared, the company confirmed that its immediate focus is to turn profitable ahead of listing. Commenting on the fundraise, cofounder and CEO Shashank Mehta said the brand will launch new category-defining products, form long-term strategic partnerships, and invest heavily in building direct relationships with its most loyal consumers. Team The Whole Truth✅ Shashank Mehta | Sahil Narang | Sanchi Arora | Apar Rustagi | Dhvanil Raval | Ishaan Anaokar | Yash Sanghvi | Vinit Bandi | Chaitanya Avatapalli Samarth Bansal | Sriram G | #TheWholeTruth  #Funding #seriesD #CleanLabel #HealthyFood #StartupUpdates #Startupro

A high-earning couple in Gurugram has triggered a fresh debate on India’s urban real estate crisis after calling the city’s property market “completely broken”, despite having a combined annual income of nearly ₹1 crore. The couple revealed that even with a housing budget of ₹1.5–1.7 crore, months of searching yielded nothing that felt worth the price. According to them, most available options suffer from poor construction quality, mediocre builders, and inflated pricing, with little improvement in basic livability. Comparing Gurugram to cities like Pune and Noida, the homebuyer pointed out that peers in these markets managed to buy quality homes under ₹1 crore, while Gurugram continues to command premium prices without offering matching infrastructure. The couple highlighted persistent issues such as broken roads, weak sewage systems, seasonal flooding, and severe air pollution, questioning why property prices continue to rise when civic conditions remain poor. They also argued that IT and professional opportunities are stronger in cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad, further weakening Gurugram’s value proposition. The post warns that if prices remain disconnected from ground reality, professionals may gradually migrate to better-managed cities, leaving Gurugram with high valuations but declining trust among homebuyers. #Gurugram #RealEstate #PriceHike #PoorInfrastructure #ITEmployee #TechParks #Startupro

India’s used two-wheeler market is the backbone of everyday mobility, enabling millions of Indians to commute, earn livelihoods and access opportunity. It is a ₹1 lakh+ crore category with massive transaction volumes, yet remains fragmented and underserved. Despite its scale, trust has been the missing link- opaque pricing, inconsistent quality, poor customer experience, delayed RC transfers and weak post-sale accountability continue to erode consumer confidence across the ecosystem. Speedioo was founded to solve this trust deficit at its root. Instead of starting with a consumer-facing storefront, the company chose to fix the invisible infrastructure first. Drawing from deep on-ground experience across sourcing, dealer networks, OEM showrooms, distribution the founders recognised that trust cannot be marketed, it must be engineered. Speedioo built a full-stack, tech-enabled backend designed to control outcomes end-to-end, bringing discipline to pricing, quality, inventory velocity, RC transfers and payouts. This execution-first, supply-distribution led approach created a strong and defensible moat. By simplifying complex partner workflows through technology, Speedioo improved margins, reduced cycle times and increased transaction reliability across cities. Today, the company operates at ~₹30 crore ARR across Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore, is EBITDA positive and has scaled entirely without burn, demonstrating that profitable growth is possible in a category traditionally driven by heavy discounting and capital intensity. With this foundation in place, Speedioo is now preparing for its next phase: entering the consumer business in a thoughtful, capital-efficient way. The company plans to build a hybrid COCO + FOFO, assetlight and omnichannel model to make used two-wheelers more trustworthy, affordable and accessible for every Indian, across Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4 cities. The consumer journey will be layered on proven infrastructure, not experimentation. Early validation of this approach is already visible through partnerships with one of India’s largest EV manufacturing brands, where Speedioo acts as an exchange enabler to improve consumer experiences and strengthen the resale ecosystem. The long-term ambition is clear - to build India’s most trusted consumer brand in used two-wheelers,focused on capital efficiency, strong execution & scaling profitably, aiming to redefine how India buys and sells used two-wheelers. Ajit Deshmukh | Sagar Potphode #Speedioo #TwoWheeler #AutoMarket #Reselling #TrustedPartners #UnorganisedMarket #StartupUpdates #Startupro

In his first official appearance following a major family tragedy, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal announced a massive philanthropic commitment of ₹10,000 crore to ₹15,000 crore during the ‘PM’s Roundtable with Global Energy Leaders.’ The funds are earmarked for large-scale impact in education, healthcare, and social welfare, specifically to honor the legacy of his late son. Agarwal informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his decision to return 75% of his wealth to society, transitioning his role from a corporate promoter to a trustee. He noted that the Prime Minister’s empathy and advice to "stay strong" provided great solace, strengthening his resolve to contribute to the nation’s growth through this significant donation. The initiative aims to fulfill a shared vision of a self-reliant India where every citizen has access to quality healthcare and education. By shifting his focus from business promotion to social trusteeship, Agarwal is solidifying a promise made to his son, ensuring that his family’s wealth creates a lasting benefit for the Indian people. #AnilAgarwal #Vedanta #Donation #Healthcare #Education #SocialBenefit #Startupro

A tragic reminder of how success and wealth do not guarantee peace of mind has emerged after the death of C J Roy, Chairman of Confident Group. Despite an estimated net worth of $1 billion, Roy allegedly took his own life during an Income Tax raid last Friday. Officials had been conducting searches at his offices since December over allegations of assets disproportionate to known income sources. On the day of the incident, Roy entered his cabin to collect documents. When he did not respond after nearly twenty minutes, officials forced the door open and found him dead. Founded in 2006, Confident Group grew into a massive real estate empire with 160+ projects across five countries. Roy was also active in the entertainment industry, producing Malayalam films, sponsoring Bigg Boss Malayalam, and serving as the Honorary Consul of Slovakia. A fellow founder Prashant Desai who shared about the incident online reflected on how emotional health is often ignored, especially among men and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs, in particular, are trained to appear strong at all times, even as pressure intensifies and loneliness grows at the top. Roy is survived by his wife, two children, and thousands of employees, leaving behind questions that may never have answers. His death underscores a hard truth: no business, valuation, or success is worth more than one’s life. #ConfidentGroup #Chairman #CJRoy #ITRaid #MentalHealth #Vacations #Startupro

Deepinder Goyal has made an emotional and rare public appeal to former employees, inviting them to return and help build the next phase of Eternal, the parent group behind multiple consumer tech businesses. In a heartfelt message, Goyal acknowledged that Zomato may not have been the right environment for everyone at different points in time. Some left by choice, others were asked to move on. Still, he said many former employees truly loved working at Zomato and may have never felt the same sense of belonging elsewhere. He revealed that over 400 employees at Eternal today are on their second or third stint, many of whom are now doing their best work. According to Goyal, this is not just because people have grown, but because the company itself has matured, becoming more organised and less chaotic over time. Emphasising that there is no bitterness or closed doors, Goyal encouraged former employees who hesitated to reach out to reconsider. “I want you back,” he said, adding that Eternal needs people who already understand its culture and care deeply about building quality at scale. Today, Eternal operates as a family of companies, including Zomato, Blinkit, Hyperpure, Feeding India, District, Nugget, and newer initiatives like Blinkit Ambulances. Goyal stressed that titles have never mattered much at Eternal, and even though he is no longer the CEO, he remains closely involved. #DeepinderGoyal #Announcement #Eternal #Hiring #Zomato #Employees #Blinkit #StartupUpdates #Startupro

Raghav Chadha has raised concerns in Parliament over what he called the unfair treatment of airline passengers in India, pointing out the imbalance between how airlines penalise customers and how they handle their own service failures. He highlighted that airlines are quick to charge thousands of rupees for even a few grams of excess baggage, forcing some passengers to abandon belongings at airports because the penalty is higher than the value of the items. However, when flights are delayed for hours or cancelled without prior notice, passengers are often left stranded with no compensation, refund, or accountability. Questioning this double standard, Chadha asked why strict rules apply to passengers but not to airlines. He argued that time lost due to delays causes real financial and personal damage to travellers, yet airlines face minimal consequences for such disruptions. The MP urged the government to introduce a clear compensation mechanism, suggesting that airlines should be required to pay passengers for every hour of delay, with the money credited directly to them. According to him, passenger rights must be treated with the same seriousness as airline revenue. #RaghavChadha #Airlines #Indigo #Delay #ExtraLuggage #Compensation #StartupUpdates #Startupro

The Supreme Court of India has sent a strong warning to WhatsApp and its parent company Meta Platforms, making it clear that Indian citizens’ right to privacy cannot be compromised for corporate business interests. A three-judge bench led by Surya Kant said the court would pass detailed orders on February 10 and indicated that it could ban user data sharing for targeted advertising if adequate safeguards are not ensured. “We cannot allow citizens’ privacy to be compromised for the business interests of a multinational corporation,” the Chief Justice observed during the hearing. The court also stated that user data cannot be shared under the guise of consent or opt-out mechanisms, warning Meta and WhatsApp that even a single piece of personal information cannot be misused. The remarks came while the court was hearing appeals filed by Meta and WhatsApp against an order of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, which upheld a ₹213 crore penalty imposed by the Competition Commission of India for abuse of dominant position in the OTT messaging market. #SupremeCourt #India #Meta #Privacy #TargetedAds #Marketing #StartupUpdates #Startupro

A Bengaluru-based tech professional has triggered a wider debate on ethical hiring in startup culture after sharing his layoff experience online. Jeevan, whose video has gone viral, said he was laid off just days before completing his three-month probation, despite putting in what he described as his “blood and sweat” for the role. According to him, his access was abruptly revoked, Slack deactivated, and he was escorted out, only to later hear a shocking admission from the founder. The decision to dissolve his entire team, he claims, had been under discussion for nine to ten months, well before he was hired. This raised a troubling question: why were new employees brought in for roles already marked for closure? Jeevan said the team was pushed to deliver immediate results without proper knowledge transfer, and later blamed for not meeting expectations. He argued that this was not a sudden business call, but a calculated move to extract short-term labour before letting employees go. Being offered 1.5 months’ severance, he said, does little to address the career gap, mental exhaustion, and broken trust that follow such layoffs. Calling this trend “ethical bankruptcy,” he warned that while job security may be fragile in today’s startup ecosystem, basic transparency and professional integrity should not be optional. #Bengaluru #Startup #Unethical #Layoffs #ToxicCulture #StartupUpdates #Startupro