Amazon to enter q-comm🛵
Blinkit growing in smaller cities, Zerodha eyes greater synergies, Market share cap a spoiler for IPO plans: PhonePe, Funding Deals and more.
Good morning and welcome to Thursday’s edition of Rise & Shine!
“Learning is never done without error, and defeat.”
— Vladimir Lenin
Today, Lenin's quote invites us to embrace the inherent challenges of learning, reminding us that mistakes and setbacks are essential parts of the educational journey.
Each mistake and each defeat are not just obstacles, but crucial learning tools that pave the way to deeper understanding and mastery.
Tech Updates
Amazon India to enter quick commerce
Amazon is now eyeing India’s quick commerce market. The e-commerce giant plans to enter the space, currently dominated by the likes of BlinkIt and Zepto, in the first quarter of 2025. The development comes shortly after Amazon’s local rival, Flipkart, entered the quick commerce business with Flipkart Minutes. Meanwhile, Tata Digital-owned BigBasket has also announced its 100% pivot to the quick delivery space.
Blinkit seeing growth in smaller cities: Zomato CFO Akshant Goyal
Quick commerce platform Blinkit is witnessing growth in smaller cities and plans to widen its footprint gradually, Akshant Goyal, chief financial officer (CFO) of its parent company, Zomato, said. According to several brokerage firms, Blinkit contributes more to Zomato’s market cap than its mainstay food delivery business.
Zerodha eyes greater synergies between trading, wealth management apps
Stock broking company Zerodha is looking to enhance its long-term wealth management offerings. It is exploring ways to better integrate its existing stock trading platform, Kite, and the mutual fund distribution platform, Coin.
Market share cap directive a spoiler for IPO plans: PhonePe’s Nigam
PhonePe chief executive Sameer Nigam said the 30% market share cap directive on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) segment is hindering the fintech major’s initial public offering (IPO) plans. “We cannot go public if there is uncertainty on the regulatory side. If you are buying a share at Rs 100 and you price it assuming we have 48-49% market share, then there is uncertainty about whether it will come down to 30% and by when,” Nigam said.
Funding Deals
Post-sales service firm Servify has raised Rs 84 crore ($10 million approximately) in a fresh tranche of a Series D round from Bajaj Holdings, Trifecta, and Innoven Capital in a mix of equity and debt.
Health-tech startup Sunfox Technologies has secured Rs 15 crore in a pre-Series A funding round led by Venture Catalysts along with participation from Finvolve through the IA Growth Opportunities Fund I and Brew Opportunities Fund, as well as Universal Group, RP Singhvi Group, and others.
Gurugram-based femtech startup Laiqa Wellness has raised Rs 15 crore in its seed round from IvyCap Ventures.
Bengaluru-based biotechnology firm Cambrian Bioworks has secured $1.45 million in its seed round led by the Irani family office, which has invested in several private ventures across the globe. The round also saw participation from the company’s CEO and co-founder, Vaibhav Hegde.
Fintech startup ProFinTech Technologies has raised $1.4 million in a seed round co-led by HNIs and the family office of K.I. Varaprasad Reddy, Rahul Gedupudi, Sreeman Chalasani & Srinivas Kalagara, and others.
🧑🏻🍳 Short Story: The Resilient Chef
Carla, a novice chef, was eager to perfect her baking skills. Each attempt at creating the perfect sourdough bread ended in disappointment—either the texture was off, or the flavor didn't meet her expectations.
However, instead of giving up, Carla used each failed loaf as a lesson. She adjusted her techniques, experimented with different fermentation times, and tweaked her recipes based on what had not worked before.
After many trials and even more errors, Carla finally baked a loaf that was everything she hoped for—crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, with just the right tang. This success was sweeter for all the defeats that preceded it.
Carla learned that in the kitchen, as in life, perseverance in the face of failure is often the key ingredient to success.
Tweet of the day🐥
As you go about your day, remember that every error and defeat you encounter is an opportunity to learn and improve.
Embrace these moments, analyze what went wrong, and use that knowledge to refine your approach.
Rise & Shine encourages you to view each challenge as a step towards greater success.
Have an insightful and productive Thursday!
Thanks for reading till the end!