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Funding news

WTF secures seed funding led by Dholakia Ventures

WTF, a technology-driven platform for modernising neighborhood gyms, has closed its seed funding round, led by Dravya Dholakia of Dholakia Ventures. The round also saw participations from investors such as Arjun Vaidya, Nitish Mittersain of Nazara Technologies, Shashvat Nakrani of BharatPe, and Rohit Kapoor of Swiggy.

The funding will enable the startup to expand its reach, improve its technology, and continue to provide exceptional service to its members.

WTF is transforming traditional gyms into fitness hubs by offering a 360-degree experience, including gym access, personalised nutrition plans, workout classes, and advanced fitness tracking. This approach boosts gym revenues by 8-10X within a year.

WTF manages 10 gyms and focuses on member retention, leading to significant growth and profitability. It has introduced 24 new features, including advanced workout scheduling and a comprehensive nutrition system, to optimise processes and enhance member experiences.

Karna D Shinde invests in Navaux to advance ACTIVH blood test for early cancer detection

Karna D Shinde, an early-stage angel investor, has invested significantly in Arkansas-based Navaux to develop ACTIVH, an innovative blood test, aimed at enhancing early cancer detection and treatment monitoring.

The investment will help Navaux to establish connections in the Indian healthcare industry as it prepares to introduce its solutions to the market.

Navaux’s ACTIVH test is a noninvasive, quick, and easy method that detects elevated Hepsin levels in tumors. It aids in early detection, provides insights into tumor characteristics, and offers potential metastasis. It’s more affordable than traditional methods.

Other news:

TechEagle and ideaForge partner to Boost UAV innovation; ideaForge invests in bridge round

TechEagle Innovations has partnered with UAV technology ideaForge Technology Limited to revolutionise UAV technology and drive innovation in the drone industry. The strategic alliance aims to leverage the strengths of both entities, with ideaForge participating in TechEagle’s recent Bridge Financing Round.

TechEagle aims to establish the world’s largest on-demand drone logistics network, enabling swift package deliveries and reducing life-threatening incidents. It utilise advanced drones and software for aerial logistics services in e-commerce, hyperlocal delivery, logistics, and healthcare.

IdeaForge and TechEagle are working on small, tactical, and middle-mile logistics platforms, which will redefine new frontiers in drone logistics with their advanced capabilities.

Asteria Aerospace introduces SkyDeck for advanced drone data analytics

Asteria Aerospace, a drone technology company, has launched SkyDeck, which offers a self-service SaaS solution for drone data management, enabling businesses to streamline operations for both users and service providers.

SkyDeck is a cloud-based platform offering advanced tools and analytics for industries like GIS, construction, oil and gas, and agriculture. It provides secure, centralised drone data management, intuitive visualisation, collaboration, and reporting tools for efficient site inspections and monitoring.

With pre-built AI models, SkyDeck facilitates proactive decision-making. It also streamlines workflows for drone service providers by integrating project management, flight planning, and execution, and offers a unified drone data repository for collaboration and analysis.

Asteria Aerospace Ltd is a full-stack drone technology company that provides actionable intelligence from aerial data. It develops customised drone solutions for government and enterprise customers using in-house hardware design, software development, and manufacturing capabilities.

Asteria is a trusted partner in various sectors, including defence, homeland security, agriculture, oil & gas, energy, utilities, telecommunications, mining, and construction.

Atsuya and Ghafa partner to develop IoT and AI-Powered energy solutions in UAE

Atsuya Technologies and Ghafa Sustainability Energy Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on innovative sustainability and energy projects in the UAE, a provider of sustainability and energy solutions.

The partnership aims to create IoT and AI-powered energy efficiency and sustainability solutions in the UAE. The partnership combines Atsuya’s technological expertise with Ghafa’s energy sector experience, focusing on energy monitoring, sustainable technologies, research, knowledge sharing, and capacity-building initiatives.

Under this agreement, Ghafa will offer expertise and resources in sustainability, collaborate with UAE stakeholders, and ensure regulatory compliance. Atsuya will provide technological innovations, support project implementation, and engage with Indian stakeholders for project development.

Kotak Mahindra Bank and NSRCEL launch fifth women startup programme cohort

Kotak Mahindra Bank and NSRCEL-IIM Bangalore have launched the fifth Cohort of the Women Startup Programme, aiming to empower female entrepreneurs across India. The initiative, launched under KMBL’s Corporate Social Responsibility commitment towards Education & Livelihood, supports ambitious and innovative women by enabling them to build scalable businesses.

The Women Startup Program in India has empowered over 23,053 women in various sectors, including technology, healthcare, and agriculture, and supported over 590 ventures and created 2,083 jobs. The program will begin with a five-week Foundation of Entrepreneurship course and a virtual pre-incubation phase, followed by a five-month incubation at NSRCEL. The program focuses on crafts, tech, and healthcare/life sciences, offering a new lateral entry option and INR 3 crore awards for top ventures.

The programme provides structured learning in business planning, marketing, finance, and operations, with mentorship from industry experts. It emphasises networking and community building, connecting women entrepreneurs and industry leaders. Participants gain access to IIMB faculty, infrastructure, startup kits, and legal advice.