Abhishek Sharma

Kluisz.ai, led by former OYO senior executive Abhinav Sinha, has raised $9.6 million (INR 82.9 crore) in seed funding. The round was led by RTP Global and saw participation from Unicorn India Ventures, Blume Ventures Founders Fund, Climber Capital, and prominent angels. Founded in early 2025, Kluisz.ai is building an open-source, AI-native cloud platform to help enterprises deploy and manage AI and edge computing workloads. Check out the full funding details : https://lnkd.in/gjs3UKNB Team Kluisz Abhinav Sinha | Venkata Surya Tej | Vamshidhar Reddy | Abhijeet Singh | #oyoCOO #OYOemployee #AiStartups #SeedFunding #CloudStartups #FundingUpdates #startupro #startupUPdates

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Does your VC join you in the trenches? 🤨 Kiran Venkatesh, founder of FrontM, shares what sets Motion Ventures apart: not just capital but true collaboration. From strategy to the small stuff, the team locked in with him in Bangalore to pressure-test ideas, challenge assumptions, and go deep into the details that actually move the needle. Because founders don’t just need funding. They need partners who get #BuildingMaritime #MVFounders Shaun Hon Belle Lim Cliff Tan

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Edtech firm Scaler ropes in Abhinav Vijayvargiya as its new CFO Scaler, an Indian edtech firm, has appointed Abhinav Vijayvargiya as its Chief Financial Officer. He will lead the company's financial functions. Vijayvargiya brings over 14 years of experience from tech startups and FMCG giants. He aims to steer Scaler towards profitability and strengthen financial discipline. Scaler is also expanding into deep-tech and AI, partnering with startups and IIT Roorkee. https://lnkd.in/dWabs4yi #Scaler #Edtech #CFOAppointment #AbhinavVijayvargiya #StartupFinance #AI #DeepTech #IITRoorkee #Profitability #Leadership

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Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal has confirmed the edtech firm is exploring possible M&A opportunities amid reports of a $300–$320M acquisition offer from upGrad. Marking 10 years since launch, he acknowledged a sharp valuation reset but said the company is now leaner, focused, and financially stronger. Key takeaways  *Reported acquisition talks in the $300–$320M range *Valuation reset from $3.5B (2021) to under $500M today *Annual burn reduced from ₹1,400 crore to under ₹175 crore *FY25 revenue at ₹826 crore with losses down 31% Unacademy says it will pursue a deal only if it results in a stronger combined business. #Unacademy #Edtech #Startups #MergersAndAcquisitions #GauravMunjal #TechNews #StartupIndia

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Fireside Ventures, founded by Kanwaljit Singh and Vinay Singh, is gearing up to raise $230 million for its fourth fund — maintaining the same fund size as its previous raise in 2022. The Bengaluru-based consumer-focused VC firm has already initiated conversations with existing and new limited partners (LPs), including a growing interest from global investors seeking exposure to India's thriving startup ecosystem. Since its inception in 2017, Fireside has backed brands like Honasa Consumer (Mamaearth), Boat, Yoga Bar, The Sleep Company, and many others, managing assets worth over Rs 3,000 crore today. The fourth fund marks an important step as Fireside Ventures continues its journey to fuel the next generation of consumer brands in India. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gAtHEHVG #venturecapital #startupnews #fundraising #startupecosystem #firesideventures #consumerbrands #startupindia #privateequity #indiainvestments #fundraise2025

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InfoEdge Ventures-backed NextLeap Acquires PM School With this acquisition, the goal is to build India’s most accessible and effective product management education ecosystem Read full story on: https://lnkd.in/gAmswgXQ Arindam Mukherjee | Kushaal Devanahalli | Ankit Bareja | Nikunj S. Annurag Batra | Noor Fathima Warsia l Chetan Mehra l Resham Suhail

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Insights from ‘EdTech for Equity’: Reinforcing KITE’s Vision for Public Education. +++ Today's Fireside Chat with Kavita Sanghvi , Director - Education, Kotak Education Foundation, at the ‘EdTech for Equity - Critical Conversations’ conference provided an invaluable platform to discuss KITE's journey. It was a privilege to elaborate on the journey, challenges, and successes of implementing EdTech across Kerala’s public education system. My responses consistently highlighted our foundational principles: 1. FOSS (Free and Open Source Software): A commitment to accessible, adaptable, and cost-effective technological solutions. 2. Teacher's Autonomy: Empowering educators as central figures in digital integration, not just users. 3. Pedagogy-based Digital Content: Ensuring technology serves learning objectives, driven by educational theory, not just novelty. The engagement underscored the critical role of these pillars in building a robust, equitable, and sustainable digital learning environment for all students. My sincere thanks to IT for Change ( specially to Gurumurthy Kasinathan ) and Critical EdTech India for organizing this vital dialogue. #EdTechForEquity #KITEKerala #FOSS #TeachersAutonomy #Pedagogy #PublicEducation #DigitalTransformation #ITforChange

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In this episode of Front Page, Pulkit Jain, Co-founder at Vedantu, takes us through the company’s remarkable journey from crisis to profitability. He reflects on the turbulent post-pandemic reset that hit the entire edtech sector and how Vedantu navigated layoffs, funding pressures and an uncertain market. Pulkit shares how long-term belief, deep co-founder trust and disciplined restructuring became the foundation of Vedantu’s turnaround. From cutting costs thoughtfully to resisting rushed decisions on offline expansion, every move was made with clarity and intent. He also reveals how going deeper into India’s regional markets helped reduce acquisition costs, improve retention and rebuild sustainably. A powerful story of resilience, strategy and conviction shaping Vedantu’s next chapter.

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Empowering Indian Startups: Exclusive Insights from Svetha Ravi, Managing Director of Arali Ventures. The Indian startup ecosystem is evolving unprecedentedly, and visionaries like Svetha Ravi, Managing Director of Arali Ventures, are shaping its future. In an exclusive interview with Indian Startup Times, Svetha shares her insights on investment strategies, emerging trends, and the operator-led approach that sets Arali Ventures apart.  Key Takeaways: ✅ Operator-Led Investing: Arali Ventures goes beyond the capital, offering hands-on strategic guidance and mentorship. ✅ Startup Evaluation: Market size, tech differentiation, and founder adaptability are key investment criteria. ✅ Emerging Trends: AI, deep tech, and increased tech adoption in manufacturing & agriculture are driving change. ✅ Resilience & Growth: Staying disciplined during market fluctuations has led to successful exits and sustainable growth. From backing DeepMatrix, Jidoka, Quash, and Grocoms to fostering innovation across industries, Arali Ventures continues to champion transformative startups. For founders navigating today’s market: Focus on scalability, financial prudence, and real-world impact. Read the full interview for more insights! https://lnkd.in/g9GH3v9P #Startups #VentureCapital #AraliVentures #AI #DeepTech #Entrepreneurship #Innovation Sandhya Bharti R. Chandra Bhumika Rawat

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A remarkable milestone and an inspiring testament to what vision, resilience, and customer-first thinking can achieve! In episode 4 of Blume Ventures Podcasts, our Founder Deep Kalra and Co-Founder Rajesh Magow, talk about the extraordinary 25 years journey of MakeMyTrip, a company that scaled to ₹60,000 crore - driven by bold ideas, disciplined execution, and a relentless focus on solving real problems for real travelers. It reflects how clarity of purpose and a strong, values-led culture can transform a business into an industry-defining leader. Key takeaways highlighted in the episode: -The importance of solving real user problems over chasing trends. -How clarity of purpose + strong execution builds long-term value. -Why culture, agility, and trust are at the heart of sustainable growth. A compelling watch for anyone interested in leadership, product excellence, and business transformation. Congratulations to all the teams and leaders whose passion, innovation, and commitment continue to shape the future of MakeMyTrip. Follow the link to watch the entire episode- https://lnkd.in/eSwcEP-d #MakeMyTrip #Tech #MMT

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Vivek Mehta, Partner - ABC Consultants, shares his insights in an article for Mint, on Eternal’s workforce expansion in the context of high-growth playbooks seen across scaling ventures. Read the full story - https://lnkd.in/ddVJ86DF #ExecutiveSearch #LeadershipHiring #TalentAdvisory #ABCConsultants

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"I" in #AI stands for the intelligence. It is the brain, not the mind. Mind is much broader than brain. It encompasses all of your faculties, knowledge, experiences, consciousness, sub-consciousness, guts, hunches, wisdom and much more. Indian philosophies express idea of mind in at least 10 different ways with a specific word to capture its essence. Each word seems like synonym of other yet subtly different. While AI models are getting better at replicating brain, it is still long time away from replicating mind. Till such time, humans will be required to perform certain roles and they can massively outperform by leveraging AI tools.

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Mudit Kumar Joins Ideabaaz as Co-Founder & COO Mumbai-based startup discovery and funding platform Ideabaaz has named Mudit Kumar as its Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, marking a significant step forward in its mission to democratize access to startup capital and mentorship across India — especially in emerging cities. With nearly 20 years of experience in private banking, strategic investing, and startup mentorship, Mudit brings deep financial expertise and a founder-first mindset. His leadership journey includes key roles at LGT Wealth India, ICICI Securities, and Aditya Birla Group. At LGT Wealth India, he advised ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and startup founders — while actively investing in early-stage ventures across climate tech, spacetech, healthtech, legal tech, and fintech. https://lnkd.in/eCKwXTKU Raj Nayak | Jeet Wagh | Ashwin kumar | #StartupIndia #LeadershipNews #Ideabaaz #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #MuditKumar #FounderNews #StartupEcosystem #InclusiveInnovation #COOAppointment #WealthToWisdom #EarlyStageInvesting #IndianStartups #MediaUpdate

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