elara india opportunities fund

US-based Silicon Road Ventures and veteran banker Ajay Mahajan have launched a Rs 150 crore fund targeting startups in agentic AI for commerce and retail. The Sebi-registered fund will back early-stage companies in e-commerce, supply chain, fintech, and retail operations, focusing on automated decision-making solutions rather than capital-intensive ventures.

In a decade, India built the world’s largest population-scale real-time payments system. It changed not just banking, but behaviour itself

Responding to queries from TOI readers as part of Mission Admission campaign, vice-chancellor of Osmania University, Kumar M, says the future will belong to students who can adapt and are willing to learn

Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal refutes claims of Gen Z avoiding work, arguing they seek meaningful roles over pointless tasks. A survey reveals 57% prioritize skill development, with 90% willing to accept lower pay for better learning. Mittal highlights this generation's focus on passion, ownership, and compounding growth, especially with AI integration.

Skyroot Aerospace has achieved unicorn status by raising $60 million at a $1.1 billion valuation, becoming India's first space tech unicorn. Co-led by Sherpalo Ventures and GIC, the funding will accelerate Vikram-1 launches, scale manufacturing, and develop Vikram-2. This investment underscores global confidence in India's private space sector.

S&P Global has said that the country has adequate financial buffers to manage a wider current account deficit that could emerge because of rising crude oil prices. India’s current account deficit has narrowed over the past few years, although fluctuations in global crude prices now pose a risk to that improvement.

SoftBank's Indian investments took a hit in the January-March quarter, with its portfolio losing over $600 million. Major companies like Swiggy and Ola Electric saw value dips, though Lenskart provided a small gain. This comes as many of SoftBank's recent Indian IPOs face investor concerns about profitability and growth.

India's skills conversation is shifting from identifying youth deficits to systemic improvements. Leaders discussed building smoother education-to-employment pathways, emphasizing collaboration between government, industry, and nonprofits. Emerging solutions focus on hyper-local training and early career guidance in schools to unlock youth potential.