30 Startups To Watch: Startups That Caught Our Eye In May 2026

With the war in West Asia looming over India’s business environment, May brought a slower, more cautious rhythm to the country’s startup ecosystem. 

The world’s third-largest startup market spent much of the month in a defensive mode, with listed and late-stage startups leaning into earnings disclosures to woo investors even as the broader ecosystem was hit by layoffs, controversies and macroeconomic strain.

The month saw startups like Apna Mart, Adda247 and Innovaccer lay off employees in droves, citing higher AI adoption and cost pressures. At the same time, it also brought to the fore uncomfortable questions around the human cost of AI expansion. 

Meanwhile, quick home services startup Pronto came under scrutiny after it emerged that the startup had retrofitted gig workers with cameras to train robots, raising potential privacy concerns. Then, recurring reports of user harassment by gig workers reignited debate over the checks and balances at aggregator platforms. 

The broader economic backdrop also offered little relief. The West Asia conflict continued to keep crude prices elevated, while the Indian Rupee weakened further, adding fresh pressure to operating costs, margins and investor sentiment. 

In tandem, funding momentum cooled noticeably. Indian startups raised just $579 Mn in May, down 28% month-on-month.

Yet the month was not without bright spots. 

Skyroot Aerospace became India’s first spacetech unicorn. Elsewhere, investors such as 3one4 Capital, Lightrock, Mettle Capital and Oister Global doubled down on homegrown innovation by launching new funds aimed at long-term bets in emerging sectors.

Amid this backdrop, we are back with the monthly edition of “30 Startups To Watch”, powered by Peak XV Partners, to shed the spotlight on some of the key early stage innovators in India’s startup ecosystem. 

The 70th edition of Inc42’s flagship series brings early stage startups from segments like semiconductors, D2C, and deeptech, among others. With that said, here are the new-age tech ventures that made the cut for this month’s edition of ’30 Startups To Watch’.

Editor’s Note: The list below is not a ranking of any kind. We have listed the startups alphabetically.

Adiabatic | Boosting EV Performance With Intelligent Battery Packs

High temperatures and battery degradation remain major challenges for electric vehicles (EVs) in tropical regions. Conventional lithium-ion battery packs often overheat during heavy usage, affecting safety, reducing battery life, and causing fluctuations in vehicle range.

Founded in 2022 by Darshan Meher, Adiabatic develops lithium-ion battery packs for electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, e-cycles, and drones. Its packs are built for extreme weather conditions. 

The startup’s key innovation is a proprietary battery management system (BMS) that connects to a smartphone, allowing users to monitor battery temperature and overall battery health in real time. This helps reduce the risk of overheating and improves battery performance.

The startup claims to have deployed more than 15,000 lithium-ion battery packs and operates a 6,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in MIDC Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar.

It has partnered with over 25 OEMs and served more than 200 customers so far.

Adiabatic operates in India’s rapidly growing EV battery market, which is expected to reach $16 Bn by 2034. Supported by seed funding, the startup plans to increase production at its Ahmednagar facility and expand its partnerships with commercial delivery fleets across western India.

AI Library | Simplifying How AI Agents Function 

As enterprises increasingly adopt Generative AI, many struggle with concerns around data privacy, inaccurate outputs and the challenge of generating meaningful returns. As a result, businesses are looking for specialised AI solutions for specific industries and compliance requirements.

Founded in 2023 by Arani Chaudhuri, Sandeep Singh Bhadwal and Abhimanyu Sharma, AI Library is building a secure B2B AI platform that helps enterprises automate complex workflows using specialised AI systems. 

Part of the global enterprise and B2B Generative AI market, projected to reach over $1 Tn by the early 2030s, AI Library’s key offering is a unified infrastructure layer designed to simplify how AI agents function within enterprise environments. 

The platform acts as a central orchestration layer, giving AI agents structured access to tools, workflows, APIs, storage, and retrieval systems through a single interface.

This reduces the need for fragmented integrations.

The platform has already processed more than 13 Mn agent actions in production environments. AI Library focuses on helping enterprises automate software delivery workflows, from solution design and code generation to deployment and optimisation. Instead of billing customers based on time spent, the startup follows an outcome-based pricing model tied to measurable business results.

Its customers include Tally Solutions, Times Group, Burger Singh and DeKoder. Across these engagements, AI Library claims to have helped improve finance automation, sales conversions, customer support efficiency, and broader enterprise operations.

Akinna | Putting Indian Craftsmanship On Global Luxury Map

Founded in 2024 by Annika Saraf and Sanchit Goyal, Akinna is a luxury leather handbag brand that aims to put Indian craftsmanship on the global luxury map.

The startup combines Italian-inspired design with handcrafted production in India to create premium leather handbags that balance modern aesthetics with timeless craftsmanship.

The idea for Akinna took shape after the founders spent several years working and studying in Europe’s luxury and fashion industry. 

During their time abroad, the duo noticed that while India is a key manufacturing hub for many global luxury brands, its craftsmanship rarely gets recognised as part of the luxury story. The startup was born out of a desire to change that.

The brand’s handbags are handcrafted in India using full-grain leather sourced from local tanneries, while its design draws inspiration from Milan’s luxury culture.

Operating as a digital-first brand, Akinna sells directly to consumers through its website. It does not rely on traditional retail channels.

Earlier this year, AKINNA showcased its collection at Milan Fashion Week, marking an important milestone for the young brand. The startup is targeting India’s largely unorganised handbag market, which is expected to cross the $11.5 Bn mark by 2033.

Alphadroid | Reinventing The Indian Hospitality Space

Businesses across hospitality, retail, and healthcare are grappling with rising labour costs and high employee turnover, particularly for repetitive operational tasks. This often impacts efficiency and makes it harder to deliver consistent customer experiences.

Founded in 2023 by Sanjeev Kumar and incubated at IIT Lucknow, Alphadroid is building autonomous service robots designed to handle routine customer-facing tasks.

The startup offers five types of conversational service robots capable of carrying payloads ranging from 40 kg to 250 kg. These robots can integrate with building infrastructure such as elevators as well as third-party software systems, enabling them to operate seamlessly across different environments.

Alphadroid offers its robots through a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, with subscription plans ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹80,000 per month.

This allows businesses to deploy robotic solutions without making large upfront investments.

The startup operates in the fast-growing global service robotics market, which is expected to reach $132 Bn by 2034. Following a recent ₹36 Cr funding round, Alphadroid plans to expand beyond hospitality and strengthen its presence in logistics and healthcare warehousing.

Banza | Build Your AI Twin

Founded in 2024 by Mehdi Abdi, Aditya Vijaykumar, and Suraj Mulla, Bengaluru-based Banza is building an AI system that learns from a user’s activity across different apps and platforms to offer highly personalised recommendations and decision-making support. 

The startup believes the future of AI lies in giving individuals greater control over their own data, rather than leaving that value with large platforms.

At the heart of Banza’s approach is the idea that today’s digital experiences are fragmented. While Spotify understands a user’s music preferences, YouTube tracks viewing habits, Swiggy knows food choices, and Uber captures travel patterns, these platforms operate in silos. Banza aims to bring these signals together to create a more complete understanding of the user.

Using this unified view, the platform can deliver contextual recommendations across different aspects of daily life. This could include shopping suggestions based on spending habits and style preferences or entertainment recommendations tailored to a user’s interests, viewing behaviour and mood.

The startup says its platform is built on encrypted data vaults, consent-based data sharing, and privacy-focused AI systems to allow users to retain ownership and control of their personal information.

As it works towards building a broader consumer AI ecosystem, Banza claims to have crossed 1 Lakh downloads.

The startup operates in the global consumer AI and personalisation market, expected to surpass $674 Bn by 2030, fuelled by the rapid adoption of GenAI technologies and increasing digital consumption.

BluJ Aerospace | Making Aviation Simpler & Sustainable 

Founded in 2022 by Maruthi Amardeep Sri Vatsavaya and Utham Kumar Dharmapuri, BluJ Aerospace is developing autonomous electric and hydrogen-powered eVTOL aircraft to transform regional cargo transportation across difficult and underserved terrains. 

The Hyderabad-based deeptech startup is addressing a major logistics challenge where transporting industrial equipment, defence supplies, and critical cargo to remote locations remains slow, infrastructure-heavy, and carbon-intensive.

Built on its proprietary modular “VANTIS” architecture, BluJ Aerospace’s aircraft combine lightweight composite airframes, autonomous flight systems, and zero-emission propulsion technologies to enable point-to-point freight movement without requiring traditional airport infrastructure or long runways. 

The startup caters across industrial logistics, defence supply chains, mining, infrastructure development and power transmission sectors operating in geographically complex regions.

Backed by Endiya Partners and Rainmatter, the startup has raised more than $3 Mn. It recently unveiled its Gen-2 prototype of its eVTOL, which is 40% lighter and has a payload capacity of up to 200 kg. Commercial deployment of its cargo-focused aircraft is currently targeted for 2027 as the global advanced air mobility market continues to expand rapidly, becoming a $137 Bn opportunity by 2034.

Bobakat | Brewing India’s Bubble Tea Craze

As India’s premium beverage market grows, consumers are increasingly seeking new, differentiated experiences beyond traditional coffee and tea chains. While bubble tea has gained popularity in recent years, the category still offers limited options, leaving room for brands to focus on quality, authenticity, and customer experience.

To tap into this opportunity, Rupali Ambegaonkar and Sannjeev Rao founded Kathy’s Beverages, the startup behind the bubble tea brand Bobakat, in 2024.

Bobakat is a D2C beverage chain that is focused on making premium bubble tea more accessible to urban Indian consumers. The brand offers a range of bubble tea drinks made using specialised tea blends, authentic tapioca pearls and fruit jellies.

In an increasingly competitive beverage market, Bobakat is betting on four key differentiators: a quality-first approach to its products, a clearly defined target audience, a carefully designed in-store experience, and a store format that can be scaled efficiently across locations.

Since its launch, the brand claims to have served more than 10 Lakh customers and recorded strong double-digit year-on-year growth. It aims to reach ₹100 Cr in net sales over the next 36 months.

The Mumbai-based startup plans to open 35 new stores by FY27, followed by 50 stores each in FY28 and FY29.

At the heart of Bobakat’s business model is India’s growing bubble tea market, which is projected to become a $219 Mn opportunity by 2033.

BuildWright | AI Support Brain For Engineering Teams

As software systems become increasingly complex, engineering and support teams are often forced to sift through multiple tools, ticketing systems, chat threads, dashboards and documentation repositories to diagnose and resolve issues. Much of the knowledge generated during these investigations remains locked within individual teams or employees, making it difficult to reuse when similar problems arise.

This fragmented approach leads to repeated investigations, slower incident resolution, longer downtime, and significant productivity losses. The challenge becomes even more acute as organisations scale, with valuable troubleshooting knowledge frequently getting lost due to employee turnover or poor documentation practices.

Founded in 2025 by former Zaggle CFO Srikanth Gaddam and ex-CreditVidya CTO Pochadri Ariga, Hyderabad-based BuildWright is building an AI-native platform designed to help enterprises investigate and resolve gaps while retaining operational knowledge across software systems.

The startup uses AI agents, contextual memory systems, and domain-specific knowledge orchestration to automate investigation workflows and capture insights generated during issue resolution. Its goal is to ensure that knowledge gained from one incident can be reused across the organisation rather than remaining locked within individual teams.

Instead of depending on static documentation or fragmented ticketing systems, BuildWright is developing a continuously learning operational intelligence layer that can understand engineering context, trace previous investigations, and assist teams during escalations and incident management.

BuildWright operates in the fast-growing enterprise AI market, which is projected to become a $70 Bn opportunity by 2030, driven by companies increasingly adopting AI-powered workflows to improve engineering operations, automate support functions, and strengthen enterprise knowledge management.

Ctruh | Infrastructure Layer For Spatial Internet

As businesses look for more immersive ways to engage customers online, technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and AI are becoming increasingly important. 

This shift is driving interest in the spatial internet, which is a 3D, interactive version of the internet that blends digital experiences with the physical world.

Founded by Vinay Agastya in 2023, Ctruh is building infrastructure for this emerging spatial internet ecosystem. 

The startup helps enterprises create immersive digital experiences through solutions such as 3D walkthroughs, AR demos, 3D animations, configurators, and high-quality 3D renders.

At the core of its offering is a proprietary low-code 3D engine that enables immersive experiences to run across devices without requiring users to download an app or purchase specialised hardware.

The startup’s GenAI-powered product, VersaAI, can convert images, text and videos into production-ready 3D assets.

Another key product, Commverse Studio, allows brands to build interactive 3D shopping experiences without writing code, making it easier for businesses to adopt immersive commerce.

Ctruh serves customers across industries including ecommerce, automotive, real estate, tourism and healthcare. It operates in India’s rapidly growing extended reality (XR) market, projected to surpass $66 Bn by 2034. As adoption accelerates, the sector is also attracting increasing investor interest.

DAZZL | Beauty At Home In Minutes

Finding time for salon appointments can sometimes be difficult for busy urban consumers. While home-service platforms offer convenience, customers often still need to schedule appointments in advance.

Founded by former Nexus Venture Partners executive Komal Solanki and ex-OYO leader Ashish Bajpai, DAZZL is building a hyperlocal beauty and personal care platform focused on instant, on-demand grooming and wellness services.

Through its mobile-first platform, DAZZL delivers salon, grooming and massage services to customers’ homes within 10 to 15 minutes of booking. The startup works with trained and verified beauty professionals who arrive equipped with the required products and tools, enabling a salon-like experience at home.

Unlike traditional salon aggregators, DAZZL does not require users to schedule appointments in advance or meet minimum order values. Instead, it is positioning itself as a convenience-first platform for consumers who want on-demand grooming services.

The startup primarily caters to working professionals, young urban consumers, and households seeking quick, hassle-free beauty and wellness services.

Based in Bengaluru, DAZZL has already seen early adoption across premium residential communities and apartment complexes, where busy professionals and families are increasingly seeking instant access to salon-quality services without leaving their homes. 

With this, DAZZL is looking to carve a niche in India’s broader on-demand home services market, which is expected to become a $1 Bn opportunity by 2030.

Gamehok | Building Social Layer In Gaming 

From once being a mere afterthought, esports has picked up steam within the Indian gaming ecosystem. With more than 1,500 competitive Indian esports players and counting, the industry is on track to cross the $300 Mn mark by 2030. Not to mention, the competitive gaming community is growing significantly. However, it still lacks a unified platform devoted to the community. 

The gap was identified by Roushan Kumar, Abhijeet Kumar and Sweta Rani after observing the fragmentation in the market. They found that opportunities were scattered across multiple platforms, discovery was difficult, grassroots gamers had limited visibility and community engagement largely disappeared outside of gameplay sessions.

Founded in 2024, Gamehok is an AI-powered gaming and esports platform that is focused on enabling gamers to compete, engage, learn, create content and build digital identity within gaming ecosystems.

It streamlines competition logistics, offering automated match matchmaking, tournament bracket generation and instantaneous anti-cheat screening. It provides an all-in-one hub where brands can host branded tournaments and gamers can track individual performance statistics while earning verifiable rewards.

Within six months, Gamehok claims to have reached 25K+ users organically, hosted 1,000+ tournaments with full occupancy and achieved 50%+ monthly active user engagement. 

Gatisheel | Transforming Water Infrastructure

Managing water infrastructure often involves manual monitoring and on-site intervention, making the process time-consuming and inefficient. This can lead to water wastage, higher operating costs, equipment failures and delays in responding to issues across farms, municipal networks and industrial facilities.

Founded in 2023 by Aman Kumar Vig, Utkarsh Shah, and Palak Thakral, Gatisheel develops smart IoT hardware and automation software for water infrastructure management.

Its core functionalities include:

• Remote Monitoring & Control: Controls motors, pumps and valves from anywhere 
• Intelligent Scheduling: Sets precise timers and daily schedules for automated irrigation and water distribution
• Equipment Protection: Provides intelligent fault alerts and step-by-step troubleshooting to prevent motor damage
• Analytics & Usage Insights: Tracks real-time water flow, electricity consumption, and tank levels to optimise usage and prevent wastage

The founders began by studying farming practices across Haryana and identifying key challenges faced by farmers in managing water resources. Based on these insights, they launched a remote water management device in 2023, followed by a monitoring app in 2024. Last year, the startup expanded its offering with a B2B enterprise portal.

Gatisheel operates in India’s growing water and wastewater management market, which is expected to reach $7.7 Bn by 2032. The startup plans to expand its presence across municipal bodies and industrial zones in the coming year.

GOAT Robotics | Robots For Material Transport

Internal movement of materials is still one of the biggest sources of inefficiencies inside factories and warehouses. Industries still rely heavily on manual labour and fragmented processes, which can trigger production delays, safety hazards and severe labour shortages.

Founded in 2023 by Muthu Vangaliappan T, Mugesh S, Naveen S and Dharmaraj T, GOAT Robotics positions itself as a turnkey intra-logistics automation startup rather than a robot seller. Its core idea is simple: businesses do not just need machines, they need an integrated system that can map operations, move goods autonomously and plug into existing enterprise software without disrupting production.

GOAT Robotics’ stack is built around three layers:

• GT-Bots: Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) built for material transport
• Hardware Integration Modules: Modular attachments, namely Lift Mate, Conveyor Mate, Towing Mate, that adapt robots to specific factory workflows.
• GT Studio: A centralised software ecosystem handling fleet management, navigation and seamless integration with existing enterprise ERP/WMS systems.

Operating on a B2B and Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, GOAT Robotics claims to serve more than 15 clients across FMCG, automobile and pharmaceutical sectors. 

In FY26, the startup reported a revenue of ₹10.8 Cr, deployed 25 robots and raised ₹13 Cr in funding from Pontaq and Equentis. With expansion underway across India, the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, the startup is targeting revenue of over ₹100 Cr by 2029.

As Indian SMEs look to improve efficiency and productivity, demand for accessible automation solutions is rising. GOAT Robotics is trying to fill this gap with its scalable systems in India’s industrial robotics and automation market, expected to become a $3.5 Bn opportunity by 2030.

Hyetron Energy | Making Green Hydrogen Commercially Viable

Green hydrogen is widely seen as a key component of the clean energy transition, but its adoption remains limited by the high cost of production. Traditional PEM electrolysers rely on expensive materials, while conventional alkaline systems often struggle to operate efficiently with the variable power output generated by solar and wind energy.

Founded in 2024 by Anoop Selvaraj and Ullattil Vivek, Hyetron Energy is developing advanced electrolyser systems aimed at making green hydrogen production affordable and scalable.

The startup specialises in engineering solutions that integrate electrolysers with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Its goal is to reduce the cost of green hydrogen production while improving the flexibility of hydrogen generation systems.

At the core of its offering are patented Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolysers, designed for off-grid applications and better able to adapt to fluctuating renewable energy inputs than traditional systems.

Operating in India’s emerging green hydrogen sector, which is expected to become a $10 Bn market by 2030, Hyetron plans to launch industrial pilot projects and establish an MW-scale manufacturing facility to support the country’s goal of reaching 5 MMT of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Instafix | Reinventing How Smartphones Are Repaired

As more Indians upgrade to premium smartphones and consumer electronics, the need for reliable after-sales support is growing. However, the device repair market remains highly fragmented, forcing consumers to choose between expensive OEM service centres and local repair shops that either lack consistency, transparency or accountability.

This challenge led former Blinkit operators Aniket Kale and Chetan Chauhan to launch Instafix in 2025. 

Instafix offers an on-demand doorstep smartphone repair service, where certified technicians visit customers and complete repairs in as little as 30 minutes. To provide greater transparency and peace of mind, repairs are carried out in front of the customer.

The startup also offers up to 12 months’ warranty on repairs and claims its services can cost up to 50% less than those offered by OEM service centres. 

By combining convenience, speed, and warranty-backed support, Instafix aims to make repair a credible alternative to device replacement. 

While it currently focuses on smartphones, the startup plans to expand into other categories over time and carve a niche for itself in India’s ₹15,500 Cr consumer electronics repair economy.

Jurisphere | Building A Collaborative Workspace For Lawyers

Legal teams spend a significant amount of time on repetitive and document-heavy tasks such as legal research, contract drafting, document review and regulatory analysis. These processes are often time-consuming, expensive and dependent on manual effort.

Founded in 2024 by Manas Khandelwal, Varun Khandelwal and Sumit Ghosh, Jurisphere is building an AI-native platform designed to streamline legal workflows and improve the delivery of legal services.

The platform helps legal professionals automate routine tasks by extracting clauses, summarising lengthy documents, conducting case law research, structuring chronologies, and assisting with regulatory queries. It also supports the drafting of contracts and other legal documents, enabling teams to work more efficiently.

Jurisphere claims that more than 500 teams across law firms, enterprises and public institutions already use its platform for legal research, document review, drafting and collaboration.

Jurisphere is currently evolving into an AI-enabled legal marketplace that combines workflow automation with a network of independent lawyers and law firms.

Through this model, lawyers gain access to qualified demand and AI-powered workflows, while clients can easily find suitable legal experts as per their requirements.

As AI disrupts the legal sphere, Jurisphere is eyeing a share of India’s legal tech market, which is projected to become a $2.3 Bn opportunity by 2030.

Legend of Toys | High Octane Toys For All Ages

India’s toy industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by government support for domestic manufacturing, stricter quality standards and reduced reliance on imports. Consumers are also increasingly looking for toys that offer better quality, durability, and engagement beyond simple play. The Indian toys market is projected to touch $7.8 Bn by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 12.52%.

Founded in 2024 by ISB alumni Afshaan Siddiqui and Vinay Jaisingh, Legend of Toys is building a toy brand focused on performance, storytelling, and collectability.

The startup’s product portfolio includes RC drift cars, off-road RC trucks, tabletop RC drift cars, and high-speed RC cars, priced between ₹1,599 and ₹8,799. 

The startup is also building a larger fictional universe in which each character has its own backstory and role, turning individual toys into parts of an interconnected narrative. 

Legend of Toys claims to have achieved an ARR of ₹30 Cr within 18 months of launch and is growing at around 20% month-on-month. It also says a significant portion of its sales comes through its D2C channel.

Mecha Systems | Building Modular Linux-based Computing Devices

As consumer electronics become increasingly closed and difficult to repair, developers and hardware enthusiasts are finding it harder to customise devices for specialised use cases. At the same time, growing interest in open-source hardware, edge computing and self-hosted systems is creating demand for more flexible and developer-friendly computing platforms.

Founded by Shoaib Merchant in 2022, Mecha Systems is building open, modular Linux-based computing devices for developers, makers and hardware enthusiasts.

Its flagship product, Comet, is a handheld Linux computer designed around an open architecture that allows users to modify and expand the device based on their needs. 

Unlike conventional handheld devices, Comet supports hardware extensions through M.2 modules, enabling capabilities such as LTE connectivity, LoRa communication, NVMe storage, and alternative wireless chipsets.

The device also provides access to hardware interfaces, including GPIO, UART, SPI and I2C, making it suitable for embedded development, industrial applications, field diagnostics and custom hardware projects.

With Comet slated for commercial launch soon, Mecha Systems is positioning itself at the intersection of open-source computing, embedded systems, and developer hardware.

The startup’s broader vision is to build long-lasting, repairable computers that give users greater control over how their devices are used and upgraded.

The startup operates in India’s growing IT hardware market, projected to reach $31 Bn by 2031.

MHYTH | Building A Premium Shapewear Brand From India

India’s innerwear market is witnessing a shift as younger consumers increasingly seek products that offer a better balance of comfort and style. While mass-market brands often focus on functionality and affordability, premium international labels can be expensive and may not always cater to the preferences and needs of Indian consumers.

Founded in 2025 by Mitali Rai, Bengaluru-based MHYTH is a D2C intimate wear and lifestyle brand targeting the premium innerwear segment.

The brand offers products across categories such as bras, panties, lingerie, shapewear, nightwear, corsets, and stockings. MHYTH aims to differentiate itself through fabric quality, fit, design, and modern silhouettes tailored for younger urban consumers.

Operating through a digital-first model, the startup sells via its own website as well as ecommerce marketplaces. It plans to complement its online presence with offline and omnichannel retail initiatives in the future.

MHYTH is tapping into India’s growing premium innerwear market, which is expected to surpass $20 Bn by 2030, driven by rising disposable incomes and increasing demand for fashion-led intimate wear products.

MioPods.Space | Building Private Workspaces At Airports

For many business travellers, airports often double up as temporary workplaces. However, finding a quiet and private space to take calls, attend meetings, or work between flights remains a challenge.

Founded by Vikas Sethia in 2025, MioPods.Space is building on-demand private workspaces for professionals travelling through airports and transit hubs.

The startup has deployed its first IoT-enabled pods at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

Travellers can access the pods through a QR code-based system that handles authentication, payment, and entry without requiring an app download.

Usage currently starts at ₹299 for the first 30 minutes.

Each pod is equipped with acoustic insulation, silent ventilation, ergonomic seating, adjustable desks, charging points, ambient lighting, and IoT-enabled access controls, allowing users to work, attend meetings, or make calls without interruptions.

Operating on a B2B2C model, MioPods is currently in the MVP stage. The startup claims that more than 2,000 travellers have used its pods during pilot trials at Hyderabad airport and says it is in discussions with airports in Delhi and Mumbai for expansion.

Over the next few years, MioPods plans to expand across major Indian airports and build a wider network of productivity-focused transit spaces.

Mushloop | Biological Authentication Markers

Counterfeit products remain a major challenge across industries such as pharmaceuticals, FMCG, automotive components and industrial manufacturing. 

Existing authentication systems often rely on synthetic markers, specialised scanners, or complex verification processes, which make them costly and difficult to scale. At the same time, industries are increasingly looking for sustainable alternatives to traditional materials and chemical-based manufacturing inputs.

Founded in 2023 by Tamil Nadu-based entrepreneur Tanush Prem, Mushloop is a biotechnology startup developing biological authentication markers, fungal pigments and mycelium-based materials using fungi and agricultural waste.

Its flagship product, LoopAuth, is a biological authentication marker designed to help brands verify product authenticity and combat counterfeiting. The startup claims that the technology creates a unique spectral fingerprint during the fungal fermentation process, enabling products to be authenticated under standard UV light without the need for proprietary scanners or centralised databases.

Beyond authentication, Mushloop is also building LoopDye, a platform that develops fungal-based pigments for applications across textiles, industrial coatings, inks, and packaging. 

The startup operates in India’s growing anti-counterfeiting and brand protection market, estimated to become a $12 Bn opportunity by 2033. It is also exploring mycelium-based packaging materials as sustainable alternatives to styrofoam and other petroleum-derived products.

Naviget | Building An EV-First Airport Mobility Network

Despite the presence of several ride-hailing platforms, Indian consumers continue to face issues such as ride cancellations, surge pricing, repeated destination calls, and inconsistent service quality, particularly for airport and intercity travel.

Founded in 2025 by Anmol Sharma and Yash Garg, Bengaluru-based Naviget is building an EV-first mobility platform focused on delivering reliable airport transfers, intercity rides, hourly rentals, and corporate travel services.

Rather than owning vehicles, the startup works with fleet operators and standardises vehicle quality, chauffeur training, ride protocols, and customer support across cities. The platform offers fixed fares, luggage-friendly vehicles, dashcam-enabled rides and 24×7 human support.

Naviget has also developed Naviget MCP, an integration layer that allows AI assistants, concierge platforms, travel services, and enterprise tools to directly integrate ride-booking workflows.

Since launching in March 2026, the startup claims to have onboarded more than 10 fleet operators across six cities, providing access to over 2,000 EVs. Naviget claims that it has served around 15,000 users till now. Its revenue run rate for FY26 stood at ₹1.2 Cr.

Looking ahead, Naviget plans to expand its operator network and strengthen its presence in the broader Indian mobility ecosystem, a sector that is expected to cross $23 Bn by 2035.

Neocambrian AI | Scaling Data for Physical AI 

While much of India’s AI startup ecosystem is focused on building applications on top of existing AI models, a smaller group of companies is working on the foundational infrastructure needed to power the next wave of AI innovation. 

One of the biggest challenges in robotics and embodied AI is the lack of high-quality real-world data that can help machines understand and perform physical tasks.

Founded in 2025 by Abhinav Kukreja, Neocambrian AI is building the data and hardware infrastructure required to train robotics and physical AI systems.

The startup develops specialised hardware setups, including stereo egocentric capture rigs and Dex-UMI devices, that record human actions in real-world environments. These datasets can then be used to train vision-language-action (VLA) models, which help robots understand instructions and translate them into physical actions.

Neocambrian AI is focused on capturing data from activities such as manufacturing and other forms of physical work, where understanding human movement and decision-making is critical for training autonomous systems.

The Delhi NCR-based startup is betting on the rapid growth of the physical AI market, which is expected to reach $15.24 Bn by 2035. Growth in the sector is expected to be driven by advances in edge AI computing and real-time decision-making capabilities for robots.

Nishorama | Building Ethnic Wear For Gen Z

While traditional Indian ethnic wear remains popular during weddings and festive occasions, many younger consumers find it too heavy, restrictive, or impractical for everyday use. At the same time, there is growing demand for clothing that combines the comfort of Western silhouettes with the richness of Indian textiles and design.

Founded in 2024 by Ramnek Chhipa and Ria Mehta, Nishorama is a digital-first fashion brand catering to Gen Z consumers with modern ethnic and fusion wear.

The startup creates everyday apparel using breathable Indian fabrics such as cotton and linen, reimagining them in contemporary, relaxed silhouettes designed for everyday wear rather than special occasions.

Its goal is to make Indian-inspired fashion more versatile and accessible for younger consumers.

Nishorama operates with an agile, fast-fashion supply chain that allows it to respond quickly to changing consumer preferences and social media-driven trends. This enables the brand to refresh its catalogue frequently while keeping products affordably priced.

The startup is tapping into India’s growing fashion ecommerce market, which is expected to surpass $43 Bn by 2030. Looking ahead, Nishorama plans to strengthen its D2C presence and expand distribution through partnerships with leading fashion quick-commerce platforms.

The brand claims to have generated ₹8 Cr in revenue within the first 10 months of operations, signalling early demand for its take on contemporary Indian fashion.

NORI | Luggage Brand For Indian Women

India’s luggage market, although vast in size, is still not relevant to how women travel today. Most bags are still built for a generic user, leaving a huge gap for design, storage and ergonomics that reflect women’s actual needs. Enter NORI, a startup that is trying to fill this gap.

Founded in 2025 by Meenakshi Vyas and Rashika Nayak, NORI is positioning itself as India’s first travel gear brand made exclusively for women. It sells luggage and travel accessories tailored to women’s packing habits, organisational preferences, and ergonomic needs. 

Its range includes hard-shell luggage, weekenders, travel bags, foldable totes and packing organisers. The brand combines female-centric design thinking with a ‘Made in India’ manufacturing model, using a hybrid sourcing approach and local assembly to keep production flexible. As it scales, NORI is expanding its online presence while establishing premium offline retail touchpoints across metro cities.

In a category long dominated by legacy names like VIP Industries, Samsonite and Safari, NORI is trying to stand out by making the product itself the point of difference. The brand is betting that as more women travel independently and frequently, demand for purpose-built travel gear will continue to rise. At the heart of this opportunity is India’s luggage and bags market, which is expected to become a ₹26,700 Cr opportunity by 2028.

NYVO Money | Your Family’s Finance Fitness Coach

Buying insurance in India can often be confusing. Many consumers struggle to understand policy terms, compare plans, or assess how much coverage they actually need. 

The problem is compounded by commission-driven sales practices, where agents may be incentivised to recommend products that offer higher commissions rather than those best suited to a customer’s requirements.

Founded in 2024 by former slice CFO Harsh Soni, NYVO Money is building a conflict-free insurance advisory platform designed to make insurance decisions more transparent and customer-centric.

As an IRDAI-registered insurance advisory platform, NYVO positions itself as an alternative to traditional insurance distribution models. The startup connects customers with salaried advisors who help them evaluate and compare policies across more than 30 insurers without pushing specific products. It also follows a zero-spam approach to simplify the insurance-buying experience.

Beyond policy selection, NYVO focuses heavily on claims support. Its platform offers lifetime claims assistance, helping customers navigate hospitalisation, paperwork, claim processing, disputes, and escalations with insurers when required.

The startup claims to have served more than 1,000 families and reviewed over 1,500 insurance policies so far. It claims to maintain a 99% claims success rate.

NYVO primarily caters to first-time insurance buyers, self-employed professionals, creators, gig workers, NRIs, and families managing insurance needs for ageing parents. As insurance awareness and adoption continue to rise across India, the startup is looking to carve out a niche in the country’s growing insurance advisory market, expected to become a $60 Bn opportunity by 2030.

RenaissThera | India’s Answer To Ozempic

Diabetes and obesity are an emerging epidemic in India. Yet, most effective therapies are often expensive, injectable and hard to access. RenaissThera is trying to plug this gap by using AI to build oral drugs that are potentially cheaper and far easier to manufacture. 

Founded in 2023 by ex-Deloitte chief medical officer Ramkesh Meena and VedTechBio’s cofounder Sudhir Nagarajan, RenaissThera is building AI-powered small-molecule therapies for obesity, diabetes and cardio-metabolic diseases. 

The startup is using generative AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and identify novel oral alternatives targeting GLP-1 and GIP receptors. It claims its approach can reduce development timelines and manufacturing complexity compared to peptide-based therapies.

The startup recently achieved a discovery milestone in its oral obesity drug programme, with its GIPR-targeting molecules advancing towards lead optimisation and pre-IND studies (non-clinical and animal experiments for new drugs). 

Having raised seed funding, RenaissThera has built a leadership and scientific advisory team with experience across global pharma and biotech companies like Pfizer, Merck, and InveniAI. RenaissThera is positioning itself to carve a niche in the global obesity drug market, which is projected to reach $67 Bn by 2034. 

The startup is addressing a major gap in the global obesity and diabetes treatment landscape, where highly effective GLP-1 and related therapies remain expensive and largely inaccessible outside developed markets. 

Reslink | Mobile-First Solar Platform For Indian EPCs

India’s rooftop and commercial solar market is growing fast, but the execution layer is still stuck in slow, fragmented workflows. Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies often lose days due to delays between site surveys, design, proposal creation, and handoffs. This is the gap that Reslink is trying to fill with its mobile-first platform. 

Founded in 2023 by Shashank Jha, Reslink is building a mobile-first energy intelligence platform designed to digitise the entire solar EPC workflow. In addition to 3D solar design, the platform enables teams to conduct shadow analysis, energy simulation, bill of materials planning, proposal generation, and project management directly from a smartphone. 

Its platform also supports satellite imagery-based remote design and integrated cost proposal models for commercial customers.

Reslink claims to be the world’s first mobile-first 3D solar design and energy simulation platform for EPCs. Within four months of launch, the startup claims to have onboarded more than 4,500 solar EPC companies across India. India’s solar energy market is expected to become a $25 Bn opportunity by 2030, creating room for software that can make EPC operations more efficient and scalable. 

Thrive WellBeing | Making Protein A Staple In Your Diet

Despite growing awareness around nutrition and fitness, a large section of Indians still struggle to meet their daily protein requirements. This is because many rely on traditional staples such as roti and rice for their everyday meals.

Incorporated in 2026 by Aryan Batra and Harsh Sehrawat, Thrive WellBeing is building a nutrition-focused food brand centred on high-protein everyday staples.

Thrive WellBeing operates in India’s $258 Bn functional foods market, where rising awareness around fitness, preventive healthcare and protein consumption is driving demand for healthier everyday food products.

Its flagship product, AlphaGrain High Protein Atta, is designed to help consumers increase their protein intake through regular home-cooked meals without making significant changes to their diet. The product combines whole wheat and defatted soy to deliver 28 grams of protein per 100 grams while retaining the taste, texture, and cooking experience of traditional atta.

The startup positions itself as a clean-label nutrition brand focused on making healthier eating more accessible and practical for Indian households. Rather than encouraging consumers to rely on supplements, Thrive WellBeing aims to integrate protein into foods that people already consume every day.

Yotuh Energy | Decarbonising Cold-Chain Logistics

Cold-chain logistics plays a critical role in transporting food, medicines, and other temperature-sensitive products. 

However, most refrigerated transport vehicles still rely on diesel-powered cooling systems, which increase fuel costs, generate emissions, and can struggle to maintain consistent temperatures during transit. These challenges often result in product spoilage and operational inefficiencies.

Founded in 2022 by IIT Delhi alumni Vivek Mahindrakar, Shaivee Malik and Dharmik Bapodara, Yotuh Energy is developing zero-emission electric refrigeration systems for commercial cold-chain vehicles.

The startup manufactures battery-powered cooling units that operate independently of a vehicle’s engine, eliminating the need for diesel-powered refrigeration.

This helps fleet operators reduce fuel consumption and lower their environmental impact.

At the core of its solution is a proprietary thermal storage technology designed to retain cooling efficiently and maintain stable temperatures for extended periods. This is particularly useful during multi-stop delivery routes, where frequent door openings and delays can affect temperature-sensitive cargo.

Yotuh Energy operates in India’s growing cold-chain logistics market, which is expected to surpass $33 Bn by 2031. The startup plans to increase production of its refrigeration units and deepen partnerships with commercial vehicle manufacturers as it looks to expand adoption across the logistics sector.

Edited by Shishir Parasher
With inputs from Venu Rathore

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