Spencer’s Retail enters into q-comm 🛵
Bounce Infinity launches 15-min charge scooter, Microsoft rebrands Office suite, Zomato invests in Blinkit, Funding Deals and more.
Good morning and welcome to Wednesday’s edition of Rise & Shine!
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.”
— Benjamin Spock
Today, Benjamin Spock’s reassuring words remind us of our wisdom. Trusting our instincts and abilities can lead to confidence and clarity, even in uncertain times.
By believing in ourselves, we unlock the confidence to take bold steps and embrace our inner strength.
Tech Updates
Spencer’s Retail forays into quick commerce
Spencer’s Retail, the retail division of the RP Sanjiv Goenka group, has entered the quick commerce market with its new venture, Jiffy. The service will initially launch in Kolkata, followed by an expansion to other regions of West Bengal and then to Uttar Pradesh (UP). The retailer currently operates 89 stores across West Bengal and UP. The RPSG Group is reintroducing Spencer’s app under the brand name ‘Jiffy’, offering merchandise delivery within 30 minutes.
Bounce Infinity launches 15-min charge scooter at Bharat Mobility Expo
Bounce Infinity has launched its latest electric scooter, featuring LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries, in collaboration with Clean Electric at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025. This scooter aims to transform urban mobility with fast charging, longer battery life, and convenience. The new Bounce Infinity scooter charges fully in just 15 minutes, minimizing downtime. It includes a Type 6 connector for compatibility with public fast-charging stations and offers 2 kWh and 4 kWh variants, providing ranges of 80 km and 160 km.
Microsoft rebrands Office suite to Microsoft 365 Copilot, emphasising AI
Technology giant Microsoft has reportedly retired the iconic Office brand, rebranding its productivity suite as Microsoft 365 Copilot. This move highlights the company's strategic shift towards integrating artificial intelligence (AI) across its product ecosystem. The rebranding, first spotted by Windows Latest, includes a redesigned logo and user interface, with a stronger focus on Copilot features and an enhanced user experience. The new logo features an M365 badge atop the Copilot emblem.
Zomato invests Rs 500 Cr in Blinkit
Food tech giant Zomato has invested Rs 500 crore (nearly $60 million) in its quick commerce subsidiary, Blinkit, bringing its total investment in the quick commerce segment to Rs 2,800 crore since the acquisition. The capital injection into Blinkit comes just two months after Zomato raised Rs 8,500 crore through a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP).
Funding Deals
Nazara Technologies Limited has raised Rs 495 crore (nearly $60 million), led by Axana Estates LLP, whose designated partners include Arpit Khandelwal, founder and managing partner of Plutus Wealth Management LLP, and Mithun Sacheti, founder of Caratlane.
D2C skincare brand Deconstruct has secured Rs 65 crore ($7.7 million) in funding from L’Oréal’s VC fund BOLD, V3 Ventures, and DSG Consumer Partners, with additional participation from existing investors Kalaari Capital and Beenext.
Snabbit, a quick service app providing on-demand home services, has raised $5.5 million in a Series A round of funding, led by Elevation Capital, with participation from Nexus Venture Partners. The round also saw participation from prominent angels including Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal, Gaurav Munjal, and Niraj Singh.
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand KisanKonnect has raised $4.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Mistry Ventures. The round also saw participation from Times Group’s Brand Capital, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, VC-Grid, Vishwang Desai, and prominent family offices.
BPR Hub, a San Francisco and Bengaluru-based AI-powered compliance management platform for manufacturers, has closed its $2.6 million seed funding round, co-led by Accel and Kae Capital.
Omni-channel healthcare brand Zeelab Pharmacy has raised $2.4 million in its maiden funding round led by OTP Ventures.
ProcureYard, a B2B commerce platform for raw materials, has raised a seed round of $1.72 million led by Powerhouse Ventures. The round also saw participation from Java Capital, 2am VC, and well-known angels Abhishek Goyal, Co-founder, Tracxn, and Rajesh Sawhney, Founder, of GSF.
Healthcare platform Raaz App has raised $1 million in a funding round led by early-stage venture fund Fireside Ventures. Campus Fund, Altaf Saiyed, Better Capital founder Vaibhav Domkundwar, and others participated in the round.
Cloud-based post-production software company Postudio has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Audacity Venture Capital.
Coffee and dining experience brand Chelvies Coffee has secured $1 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by Endurance Capital. An additional $500,000 in debt financing is currently in process.
D2C lingerie brand Krvvy, a new-age functional innerwear & shapewear brand for women, has raised Rs 6.1 crore around $705K in its pre-seed round co-led by Titan Capital and All In Capital. Other angel investors, such as Nikita Gupta (co-founder of Housepital), Emmanuel Suraj (CEO of DefinEquity), Anuj Jain (VP of Investwell), and Anubhav Arora (Head of Credit at Metalbook), also participated in the round.
Deep-tech company Prantae Solutions has raised Rs 5 crore in a seed funding round led by the IAN Group, with participation from investors such as IAN Alpha Fund, Samir Kalia, Deepank Kumar, and Nitin Zamre.
Mouth freshener brand JoySpoon has raised Rs 56 lakhs in its ongoing seed round, bringing total funding to Rs 1.81 crore. The latest round was led by Dishit Nathwani, with participation from Prateek Toshniwal, Abhinav Jain, and Ankit Jain, CFOs at CoinDCX, PharmEasy, and others.
Hatsun Agro Product Limited (HAP), a dairy product manufacturer, has announced the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Milk Mantra for Rs 233 crore ($27.5 million).
Commercial refrigeration company Elanpro has acquired a 41% stake in smart vending startup Wendor, aligning with its strategy to lead the retail industry's shift towards AI and IoT-driven solutions.
Edtech platform BrightCHAMPS has acquired the Indian K12 education marketplace Edjust to fortify global expansion. The cash and stock deal concludes BrightCHAMPS’s fourth acquisition since its inception in 2020 – Education10x (2021), Schola (2022), Metamorphosis Edu (2023), and now Edjust (2024).
Agritech platform DeHaat has acquired AgriCentral from Olam Agri through an all-cash deal.
🗣️ Short Story: The Confident Speaker
Emma, a young professional, was asked to give a presentation at a company meeting. Nervous and unsure of her abilities, she almost declined. But remembering Spock’s words, she chose to trust her preparation and instincts.
The presentation was a success, and Emma realized she knew far more than she gave herself credit for. That moment of trust became a turning point in her career.
Tweet of the day🐥
Today, trust in your abilities and the knowledge you’ve accumulated. You are more capable than you realize.
Rise & Shine is here to remind you that confidence starts from within.
Have a confident and self-assured Wednesday!
Thanks for reading till the end!