Social Media Wars, GoKwik Axes 120 Jobs & More

Uniform Norms For Social Media

The IT ministry is crafting uniform standards for all messaging apps. But the timing is conspicuous. The move comes right as the username features of WhatsApp and Telegram are under scrutiny. So, what does this upcoming policy really mean?

The Regulatory Turn: MeitY is formulating the rules to ensure it doesn’t have to individually send notices to platforms to block a feature. The uniform standards will look to establish legal backing for blocking specific features across every messaging platform operating in India. In effect, the rules could curb feature rollouts and further tighten oversight. 

Nevertheless, the ministry plans to discuss the rules with all platforms before taking a final call on the matter. 

The WhatsApp Scrutiny: At the centre of the controversy is WhatsApp’s username offering, which lets users chat without sharing phone numbers. While Meta claims that the service can cut down phone number harvesting and reduce SIM-swap risks, MeitY has already halted the rollout of the feature and issued a notice to the platform, citing safety-related concerns.

The Collateral Damage: The dispute has spilled beyond WhatsApp to Telegram and Signal, both of which have been sent notices by the ministry. While the former two have already responded, Signal is yet to reply. Meanwhile, Zoho has pre-emptively disabled the username feature on its Arattai messaging app to align with government’s mandates. But the Centre’s issues are not without merit.

The Govt’s Contention: The Centre’s concern is that usernames could make impersonation easier and investigations harder. If users are able to hide phone numbers, officials fear that scammers could exploit the anonymity to run phishing schemes, financial frauds and digital arrest scams.

As the regulatory grip tightens, the coming months will decide if usernames become a regulatory red line. For now, here is all about Centre mulling a uniform protocol for messaging platforms…

From The Editor’s Desk

GoKwik Lays Off 120 Jobs

• The ecommerce enabler has fired 100-120 employees as part of a restructuring exercise carried out over the past few weeks. Part of its bid to automate operations, the layoffs primarily impacted the customer onboarding and tech teams.
• Founded in 2020, GoKwik offers software tools to help online brands improve checkout, reduce order returns, automate customer engagement and increase sales. The Z47 and Peak XV-backed startup has raised more than $68 Mn to date.
• This comes amid a broader wave of AI-driven layoffs in the Indian startup ecosystem. Earlier this year, Livspace fired 1,000 employees as part of its AI push, while Innovaccer trimmed 350 jobs to transition to an AI-native company. 

Weekly Funding Rundown

• Indian startups managed to raise $71.9 Mn across 17 deals last week, down 31% from $104.6 Mn raised across 21 deals in the preceding week. Elevate Education and Purple Style Labs took the biggest cheques home at $17.7 Mn and $17 Mn, respectively.
• Ecommerce emerged as the most-funded sector, attracting about $28.9 Mn across six deals. Meanwhile, early-stage startups also collectively raised about $11.2 Mn across five deals. 
• Venture debt firm Alteria Capital emerged as the most active institutional investor last week, backing the likes of Aukera and Milo Drive. 

Mixed Week For Startup Stocks

• Of the new-age tech stocks under Inc42’s coverage, 29 gained in the range of 0.24% to over 15% last week. The remaining 27 fell between 0.37% and 9.11%. While MapmyIndia and PW gained the most, Ola Electric and Pine Labs emerged as the biggest losers.
• The cumulative market capitalisation of 58 new-age tech companies stood at $134.45 Bn at the end of last week as against $139.29 Bn at the end of the preceding week. 
• Indian equities experienced a volatile week amid escalating tensions in West Asia and rising crude prices. However, the sell-off proved to be short-lived, as investor sentiment improved due to encouraging Q1 business updates and improving FPI flows. 

ideaForge Closes ₹500 Cr QIP

• The listed drone tech company closed its qualified institutional placement (QIP) by raising ₹500 Cr from a clutch of institutional investors. It allotted 62.89 Lakh shares to eligible buyers at an issue price of ₹795 per share. 
• NBFC Bengal Finance and Investment, Hara Global Capital, Arohi Asset Management, ACM Capital Management were among the investors that lapped up shares in the drone company. HDFC Mutual Fund and Mahindra Manulife also participated in the QIP.
• Founded in 2007, ideaForge designs and manufactures UAVs and drones. It also plans to introduce precision strike capabilities for small and medium multirotors and develop a large eVTOL hybrid platform. 

Genrobotics’ FY26 Show

• The robotics startup’s operating revenue rose 35% YoY to ₹43.7 Cr in FY26, while profit after tax nearly tripled YoY to ₹2.6 Cr in the fiscal under review. Meanwhile, EBITDA jumped 74% YoY to ₹6.6 Cr.
• Founded in 2017, Genrobotics builds robots for sectors such as medicine, oil and gas, defence and space. It operates a 30,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The startup has raised nearly $6 Mn to date.
• Going forward, the startup is now eyeing a revenue of ₹220 Cr in FY27, expanding production capacity and deepening its international presence. It is also looking to raise ₹150 Cr in a Series B round in the ongoing fiscal year.

Inc42 Markets

Inc42 Startup Spotlight

Can Speedioo Organise India’s Used Two-Wheeler Market?

India’s second-hand two-wheeler market is huge, but most of it still runs on guesswork and fragmented local dealers. As a result, both sellers and buyers face limited transparency in pricing, inspection and financing. Speedioo is trying to bring order to this chaotic market.

The Full-Stack Model: Founded in 2024, Speedioo manages the entire used-bike lifecycle, spanning sourcing, inspection, refurbishment, pricing, financing and retail distribution, This gives the Pune-based startup control over both supply quality and customer experience.

The Tech Angle: Speedioo is also building an AI-native tech stack to automate procurement, vehicle assessment, price discovery and inventory management. By pairing software with operational depth, the startup aims to make the used two-wheeler trade more efficient, repeatable and scalable.

Growing Early Traction: The startup claims to have crossed ₹30 Cr in GMV, sold more than 4,000 vehicles, and grown revenue 5X in the past year while staying EBITDA- and cash-flow-positive. It currently works with over 200 dealer partners across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune.

Going forward,  Speedioo is now preparing to expand into four more cities and cross the ₹100 Cr in ARR over the next 18 months. Operating within India’s $28.8 Bn used two-wheeler market, can Speedioo make buying used two-wheelers easy and efficient?

Infographic Of The Day

India’s beauty boom is being shaped by teenagers. Teens are emerging as one of the most influential cohorts in the homegrown beauty market, and brands are moving quickly to win them over. Here’s all about it…

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