5251: India's unicorn reset; How Paytm's headwind became a tailwind; and Why IT companies are trimming bench sizes

In today’s Tech3 from Moneycontrol, the government notifies its Rs 62,500-crore mobile manufacturing scheme as it pushes for deeper local sourcing. Rapido’s Ownly reaches 50,000 daily food orders in Bengaluru, two senior executives exit Flipkart, Crane doubles down on India’s deeptech and AI startups, and Atomberg files draft IPO papers with a fresh issue of up to Rs 450 crore.

In today’s Tech3 from Moneycontrol, Indian app developers face a September 15 KYC deadline for overseas payments, while Zerodha brings mutual funds to its Kite trading app. TCS has deployed a digital experience monitoring tool on company laptops, and babycare quick-commerce startup Peeko raises Rs 67.4 crore in a Series A round.

In today’s Tech3 from Moneycontrol, fintech funding activity picks up across savings, wealth management, banking infrastructure and lending. India’s IT majors are taking different approaches to their AI strategies, while KKR invests in BookMyShow as competition in entertainment and ticketing intensifies. And Shiprocket makes its stock market debut at a 35 percent premium after its IPO was subscribed nearly 100 times.

In today’s Tech3 from Moneycontrol, Razorpay brings AI deeper into payments with a foundation model trained on nearly 3 trillion data points across 4 billion transactions. Odisha raises its semiconductor subsidy under Semicon 2.0 as it targets more OSAT, packaging and component companies. In Bengaluru, ORRCA wants major road works delayed until the Namma Metro becomes operational, while Swiggy reshuffles leadership across Instamart and its food delivery business.

In May this year, India’s top court recognised timely trauma care for road accident victims as part of the Right to Life under Article 21. SaveLIFE foundation was instrumental in paving the way for this milestone. In this episode of Unusual Suspects, founder & CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, Piyush Tewari and Vikram Bhat, the CEO of SCALE, share their learnings on turning a people’s movement into public systems change. Can successes like SaveLIFE’s be replicated and adapted to new geographies? What can be repeated and what cannot? Piyush and Vikram bring their deep insights into all this and more in a chat with host Gaurav Choudhury.

In today's Tech3 from Moneycontrol, The government steps up its electronics manufacturing push as ECMS clears Rs 7,877 crore of projects, while India’s quick-commerce market crosses 9.5 million daily orders. Canva is expanding its AI and enterprise ambitions in India, now its fourth-largest market, and Zetwerk moves closer to its IPO with a Rs 2,600-crore fresh issue, an OFS and a DRHP that highlights both improving operating performance and key risks.

In today's Tech3 from Moneycontrol, India’s IT services firms are facing margin pressure as AI-driven deflation and tougher client negotiations push discounts higher. Meta’s advertising systems come under NHRC scrutiny over allegations involving paid promotion of sexually explicit content. Meanwhile, festive hiring is picking up, with quick commerce expected to lead temporary recruitment. And Zetwerk moves closer to its IPO with plans to raise Rs 2,600 crore through a fresh issue, alongside an OFS by existing shareholders.

Food businesses are increasingly held accountable not just for what’s on the plate but also for where the ingredients have been sourced from. The global shift to more ethical and sustainable sourcing highlights the need to secure supply chains now. India is the world’s second largest egg producer, but much of the traditional farming here relies on battery cages. In this episode of Unusual Suspects, Jayasimha Nuggehalli, the Co-founder and Chief Programme Officer of Global Food Partners, sits with host Gaurav Choudhury to share his rich insights about building higher welfare production systems in the food sector and how such models can be scaled in India.

In today's Tech3 from Moneycontrol, Infra.Market takes an unusual route to the public markets by merging with listed Shalimar Paints, while SBI Mutual Fund raises its stake in Urban Company. Meanwhile, Mirae Asset and Bluehill.VC add fresh capital to India’s startup ecosystem, with AI, deeptech and advanced manufacturing in focus. Tamil Nadu announces over Rs 1 lakh crore in investment commitments, while Mamaearth parent Honasa Consumer reports a 119% jump in Q1 profit.

In this episode of Tech3, we look at N Chandrasekaran’s decision to step down as Tata Sons chairman and what it could mean for TCS, Tata Digital and the group’s newer bets. We also track Accel’s $550 million India fund, Cursor’s plans for its first India office and Lenskart’s sharp rise in quarterly profit, driven by stronger revenue growth, higher eye tests and a modest increase in average selling prices.