Pune Startup Helps Reduce Carbon Footprint, and More

Pune Startup Helps Reduce Carbon Footprint

By 2030, India plans to use more renewable energy and produce less pollution. A startup called BiofuelCircle from Pune allows users to buy and sell unique items such as blocks manufactured from residual agriculture waste like mustard husks, peanut shells, and wood chips. 

These blocks called briquettes can replace fossil fuels like coal or oil. They are produced by numerous small firms in rural areas. However, the app from BiofuelCircle connects these small firms with large organisations that require these briquettes. These large corporations produce goods like paint, tyres, soda, and medicines. 850 people are currently selling these blocks on the BiofuelCircle app, and more than 150 companies are purchasing them. It is significant since practically every business seeks to reduce pollution.

Indian Millet Startup With Rs. 16 Crore Yearly Turnover

A significant part of rural India relies on millet crops like bajra, jowar, etc. for food. There are very few homes that prefer millet roti to wheat chapatis. Sharmila Jain Oswal, a Pune resident, capitalised on it by founding a start-up that now generates millions of dollars in revenue each year from the sale of millet-based goods.

After receiving his political science bachelor's degree, Sharmila Jain Oswal's son was at home when the epidemic hit the country. The idea for their business, "Gud Mom," came from a conversation about millets and the scarcity of nutrient-dense food options.

Millet noodles, spaghetti, biscuits, crackers and herb sticks are just a few of the items that 'Gud Mom' sells on their website, on Amazon and in other shops. The company now has more than 5,000 millet farmers working alongside it nationwide, and it makes more than Rs. 16 crore in revenue per year.

Now, she claims, she eagerly anticipates the day when millets will be distributed via the PDS since they are healthier than wheat and rice. Sharmila added that they ought to be included in the programme for the mid-day meal in order to encourage more usage.

Former Flipkart Executives E-Commerce Startup Raises $6.7 Million

Flash.co, an online power shopping platform launched by Ranjith Boyanapalli, a former SVP of Flipkart, revealed on Tuesday that it has raised $6.7 million (roughly Rs. 60 crore) in a Pre-Series A fundraising round co-led by current investor PeerCapital and led by Blume Ventures.

According to a press statement, the startup's fundraising has surpassed $12.5 million (roughly Rs. 111 crore) in just five months since its incorporation. The app offers an email framework to secure e-commerce procedures and appeals to power shoppers.

In 2022, the startup received $5.8 million (roughly Rs. 52 crore) as seed capital. Customers may track their orders, gain insight into their spending, avoid scams, and accrue rewards with Flash.co's email tool. The platform has now garnered over 8 million emails using Flash email IDs and over 1 million orders across 1000+ companies in conjunction with 70 brands. The company intends to use the money to increase its infrastructure and employees. By 2024, the business also intends to enter the international market.

Nvidia and Samsung-Led VC Raises Debut Fund

Former executives from Samsung and Nvidia created Global Frontier Technology Ventures (GFT), a venture capital business, and it succeeded in securing $140 million for its first fund. The company, which has its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, will concentrate largely on making investments in deep tech and early-stage artificial intelligence (AI) enterprises.

The fund will focus on financing in the United States and Israel, according to co-founder Jeff Herbst, since the revolutionary potential of AI and data science creates enormous opportunities for entrepreneurs utilising these technologies.

Herbst formerly worked for Nvidia in business expansion and startup financing. The other founding member, Jay Eum, was formerly the managing director of Samsung's corporate investment division.

Past transactions made by GFT Ventures include the US health software business Mighty Health, the US data engineering platform automation platform Switchboard, and the South Korean autonomous trucking company Mars Auto. Asian investors have shown a lot of interest in the fund, and they have contributed the majority of its funding.

Bubblemaps Raises EUR 3 Million to Make ‘Google Analytics of Web3'

The blockchain sector has been through significant, dramatic change recently, and Bubblemaps, a startup data visualisation company based in Paris, was able to secure EUR 3 million (roughly Rs. 27 crore) as part of its crowded seed investment round. Bubblemaps, a company well-known for its cutting-edge graphics that simplify complex blockchain data for users, aspires to grow into the Google Analytics of Web3. 

With over 100,000 monthly users and 70,000+ followers on X, the site has already experienced rapid expansion as part of its long-term growth goal since 2022.

Additionally, significant cryptocurrency celebrities have posted Bubblemaps' in-depth research on social media, such as the one that exposed VC firm a16z's expanding control over decentralised exchange (DEX) Uniswap. These studies have caught the interest of major industry participants. 

The venture was co-founded by engineers from CentraleSupélec, Nicolas Vaiman and Léo Pons, as well as Arnaud Droz, an accomplished international businessman from ECE Paris, and Cameron McIntosh, a seasoned marketing professional from the UK.