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startups
375 ARTICLES
FirstCry’s Mideast conundrum
The Indian mother and baby products retailer has been slow to grow in the two largest markets of the Gulf. What gives?
25 Feb 2026
Inside the math of instant help startups
Millions of VC dollars are being splurged to service the last-minute needs of Indians—little revenue, increasing cash burn and far too many variables. At what point does it all come together?
17 Feb 2026
VC-funded startups are tempting women to join the instant house help business. Can it last?
In India’s instant house help sector, dominated by Snabbit, Pronto and Urban Company, domestic workers have nothing to lose and everything to gain. At least, for the time being.
12 Feb 2026
Swiggy sounds the alarm bells on quick commerce
Amid an irrational competition brewing in India’s quick-commerce sector, the food and grocery delivery company seems to be taking a far more conservative approach compared to its peers, despite having Rs 16,000 crore in the bank.
29 Jan 2026
Eternal’s leap of faith: exit Goyal, enter Dhindsa
Deepinder Goyal’s handing of Eternal’s reins to Albinder Dhindsa raises uncomfortable questions about timing, risk and whether shareholders are being asked to trust yet another reassuring narrative.
21 Jan 2026
BellaVita’s success has opened the floodgates to cheap fragrance brands
In less than five years, BellaVita has become one of the biggest fragrance brands in India. This has given several others confidence to follow the same playbook and sell cheap perfumes disguised as luxury.
19 Jan 2026
Why SoftBank has shunned India
For one of the world’s largest and shrewdest investors to entirely skip putting money in the country is a sign of how quickly the nature of the Indian startup ecosystem has changed.
15 Jan 2026
Eternal, Swiggy, Zepto are all unskilled worker arbitrage businesses
Exploitation of unskilled workers is at the heart of quick-delivery service businesses in India. They should be valued for what they are and not what they pretend to be, a trait that has taken a devious form of wanting it both ways.
04 Jan 2026
Indian consumer startups end 2025 on a high. Next year may not be so easy.
Stories of great outcomes and easy funding kept the sector on its toes. The momentum is expected to continue going into 2026, but startups may need to rethink their strategy.
29 Dec 2025
OYO gets shareholders’ nod for IPO
At an extraordinary general meeting held last weekend, the budget hotel chain operator received approval to raise Rs 6,650 crore through an IPO.
23 Dec 2025