30 Startups To Watch: Startups That Caught Our Eyes In October 2025

SUMMARY

October was agog with excitement — be it Indian D2C brands benefitting from the rollout of GST 2.0, ecommerce and quick commerce players wrapped up the festive season with record-breaking sales, or even the Indian startup funding crossed the $1 Bn mark

Despite a cautious global environment, Indian startups showed remarkable resilience and several listed tech ventures posted consecutive profitable quarters — proof that profitability-first stories are becoming the norm rather than the exception

In the 64th edition of Inc42’s flagship series, we spotlight startups tackling real-world challenges with practical and impactful solutions — from AI-driven supply chain platforms and robotics to sustainable packaging and agritech innovations

October was a cheerful month for the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem — Indian startup funding crossed the $1 Bn mark, and a wave of promising IPOs added to the festive mood

Meanwhile, D2C brands benefited from the rollout of GST 2.0, while ecommerce and quick commerce players wrapped up the festive season with record-breaking sales.

Funding activity also picked up pace, driven by large late-stage rounds, even as early stage capital continued to support new-age consumer brands, SaaS startups, and AI-led enablers.

Despite a cautious global environment, Indian startups showed remarkable resilience. More bootstrapped founders gained meaningful traction, and several listed tech ventures posted consecutive profitable quarters, proof that profitability-first stories are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Against this backdrop, we are back with the 30 Startups To Watch — Inc42’s monthly series putting the spotlight on the most-promising early stage ventures.

Whether pushing deeptech commercialisation or taking India-born products global, October’s edition reflects the energy, creativity, and determination that define the country’s startup landscape.

So, without further ado, here are our picks for the October edition of Inc42’s 30 Startups To Watch.

Editor’s Note: The list below is not a ranking but rather a window into ventures that have caught our eye last month.

&Done | Advanced Haircare For Indian Hair

India’s booming beauty market still leans on haircare products made for Western hair and climates. This leaves Indian consumers with formulas that don’t truly address their needs. Not to mention, heat, humidity, and hard water make hair damage worse.

Born from cofounder Saumya Yadav’s own struggle with postpartum hair loss, &Done creates biotech-powered, salon-tested formulations for Indian hair.

Founded in 2023 by Yadav and ex-Bulbul cofounder Atit Jain, the brand sources premium ingredients from labs in Japan, the UK, and the US.

The D2C brand uses actives like arginine-glycerin, olive squalane, and amino polymers in its multi-functional formulas.

The brand claims that its patented ‘Core Restore’ treatment repairs 50% of hair damage in one sitting and retains 95% strength even after bleach.

With India’s professional haircare market projected to grow at 11% CAGR to reach $959.6 Mn by 2031, &Done is tapping into a massive whitespace by bringing high-performance, science-backed haircare designed for Indian consumers and proving that local problems deserve locally optimised innovation.

AkashaLabdhi | Home Among The Stars

As humanity prepares for longer stays in orbit with deeper space missions, there’s a clear shortage of affordable and scalable space infrastructure that is livable.

Founded in 2023 by Siddharth Jena, Manjesh Mohan, and Manoj Mohan, AkashaLabdhi is developing expandable space habitats and dual-use defence technologies to enable sustainable living in orbit.

Its flagship concept, the Antariksh HAB, is an inflatable space habitat that expands in orbit to accommodate six to sixteen crew members.

Its habitats have use cases ranging from microgravity research to orbital logistics and space tourism.

Incubated at IISc Bengaluru (FSID) and IIT Roorkee (TIDES), AkashaLabdhi is trying to redefine orbital infrastructure in India’s spacetech market, projected to breach the $44 Bn mark by 2033. A SpaceX-led deployment of AkashaLabdhi’s first habitat prototype is planned for early 2026.

BacAlt Biosciences | Turning Waste Into Next-Gen Ingredients

Most everyday products are made using synthetic polymers, which are materials derived from non-renewable resources. These are harmful to the environment, and there aren’t yet enough sustainable alternatives that can match their cost or performance.

Founded in 2023 by Shruti Kutmutia and Pranav Nair, BacAlt Biosciences is developing a new class of bio-based polymers using non-sterile fermentation tech that converts agro-waste into high-performance bacterial polymers.

Based in Bengaluru, the startup transforms post-harvest waste into biopolymers and specialty ingredients that function as natural thickeners, stabilisers, and moisture-binding agents.

Focused on replacing synthetic polymers across industries such as cosmetics, home care, agriculture and pharmaceuticals, BacAlt’s technology saves energy and cuts down waste.

The startup plans to recycle over 60,000 kg of farm waste every year.

Amid the growing demand for clean-label, sustainable materials grows worldwide, BacAlt is at the crossroads of biotech, circular economy, and materials science. It largely operates in the Indian sustainable biopolymers market that is expected to grow to approximately $844.2 Mn by 2032.

BefiSc | Simplifying KYC For Fintechs

Financial institutions, fintech startups, and digital lenders often struggle with complex customer onboarding and compliance processes. Lengthy verifications, fragmented data sources, and constantly changing KYC norms slow down customer journeys, leading to higher drop-offs, fraud risk, and operational costs.

Founded in 2022 by Shobhit Goyal and Abinash Kumar, BeFiSc simplifies compliance with its unified KYC API platform that enables fast, secure, and fully compliant customer verification.

The platform aggregates multiple government and private data sources into a single API layer, allowing financial institutions to complete KYC in seconds while adhering to the RBI and SEBI norms.

Its modular suite covers identity checks, anti-money laundering (AML) screening, address verification, and video KYC. Together, these help in reducing fraud and improving conversion rates for digital onboarding.

The Indian fraud detection and prevention market, which includes identity verification, KYC/KYB compliance, and digital fraud risk management solutions such as those offered by The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of about 20.9% between 2024 and 2030 to reach around $3.89 Bn by 2030.

Bharat Intelligence | Embedding AI In India’s Agricultural Heart

India’s agricultural sector continues to grapple with a persistent labour shortage, driven by seasonal migration and growing disinterest in farm work. This scarcity disrupts critical activities such as sowing and harvesting, reducing productivity and threatening farmer incomes amid changing climate patterns and market volatility.

Trying to solve this problem is Bharat Intelligence. Founded in 2024 by Azhaan Merchant and Gourav Sanghai, the startup leverages AI to bridge the gap between farmers and available labour.

Their AI-driven platform accurately predicts labour demand, schedules work crews, and connects farmers with skilled workers through its intuitive vernacular interfaces.

By accounting for migration cycles, crop seasons, and local trust networks, Bharat Intelligence provides a much-needed digital solution that streamlines labour coordination, thereby enhancing rural workforce efficiency and access, and ultimately helping Indian farmers overcome labour bottlenecks.

Biokraft Foods | Pioneering India’s Cultivated Meat Revolution

India’s meat consumption is rising steadily. This has, in turn, put pressure on the country’s meat supply chains. Growing consumer demand, along with environmental and ethical concerns, has sparked the search for sustainable alternatives. However, the challenge lies in developing plant or cell-based meats that can truly match conventional meat in taste and texture.

Founded in 2023 by Kamalnayan Tibrewal, Biokraft Foods is pioneering cultivated meat in India through 3D bioprinting and cell-cultured technology.

Using immortalised chicken cells from eggs and scaffold-based bioinks, the startup recreates meat-like structures that replicate real chicken in both texture and flavour.

Biokraft is also developing supermarket-grade cultivated trout fillets in partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (ICAR-DCFR), targeting commercial rollout by 2026.

With India’s alternative protein market projected to reach $737 Mn by 2033 and the cultivated meat market expected to grow from $12.4 Mn in 2022 to $539 Mn by 2030 (60.2% CAGR), Biokraft is stirring a food revolution.

BytePe | Making Premium Smartphone Ownership Affordable

In India, premium smartphones remain out of reach for most consumers due to high upfront costs and limited access to affordable credit. Traditional EMIs come with rigid terms, long lock-ins, and little flexibility, making frequent device upgrades both inconvenient and expensive.

Founded in 2024 by ex-Yaantra founder Jayant Jha, BytePe is redefining smartphone ownership through its subscription-led model. The startup recently launched India’s first subscription-based smartphone service, allowing users to access the latest iPhone 17 series and other premium devices at monthly fees lower than EMIs, with full damage protection and annual upgrades.

Starting at INR 999 per month, users can upgrade, swap, or return devices anytime.

As India’s smartphone market surpasses 160 Mn annual shipments, consumer preference is shifting toward asset-light ownership. With India’s device-as-a-Service (DaaS) market expected to soar from $0.54 Bn in 2021 to $87 Bn by 2030, BytePe aims to lead this transition — starting with smartphones and expanding towards a subscription ecosystem for all personal electronics.

Capslock Marketplaces | Consumer Tech Platforms For Regional Audiences

India’s “next billion” internet users — largely from non-metro regions — often face digital products built for English-speaking urban audiences. This mismatch leaves a vast segment of users underserved, with limited access to relevant, easy-to-use digital platforms that reflect their languages, habits, and cultural contexts.

Founded in 2022 by ex-Dukaan executives Md Wasim Ali and Azhar Rabbani, and ex-GoKhelo founder Ayush Singh, Capslock Marketplaces is building “Bharat-first” consumer tech platforms for regional audiences.

Its flagship app, VoiceClub, uses voice and audio formats to make content creation and consumption accessible to low-literacy and vernacular users.

Meanwhile, Zinglish, its AI-powered English learning app, helps users gain fluency through interactive and contextual learning. Together, the two apps have already crossed 1.1 Cr downloads.

With India’s non-metro internet user base expected to reach 900 Mn by 2030 and the vernacular internet market valued at over $5 Bn annually, Capslock Marketplaces is focussed on creating new digital experiences rooted in India’s language diversity and cultural reality.

CoreShield | Powering Critical Infrastructure Security With AI

India’s growing geopolitical complexity and increasing threats to defense, energy, and public infrastructure have made real-time, coordinated security intelligence more critical than ever.

However, existing defence and civil protection systems often operate in silos — cameras, sensors, and communication networks function independently, leading to fragmented intelligence and delayed response during emergencies.

Founded in 2023 by Chandan Singh Rathore, a former Indian Air Force squadron leader, ex-Palo Alto Networks executive Bhavya K and Rana Amit K N, CoreShield Technologies is building AI-driven situational awareness and command systems that unify video, audio, and data intelligence to protect national and critical assets.

Operating from IIT Delhi’s Research & Innovation Park, the startup develops indigenous platforms that integrate real-time video and acoustic analytics, AI-based decision orchestration, and secure data-flow monitoring — enabling defense and infrastructure agencies to detect, analyse, and respond to threats in seconds.

Designed for both military and civil use, CoreShield’s systems enhance situational awareness and enable faster, data-driven responses.

India’s defence tech market is projected to grow from $7.6 Bn in 2025 to $19 Bn by 2030, while the IoT security market is set to reach $2.34 Bn by 2033. With defence modernisation and AI adoption on the rise, it would be interesting to see how CoreShield powers the next generation of indigenous, AI-driven defence systems.

DashamLabs | The Future Of High-Performance Insulation Products

Industries lose significant amounts of heat energy every year due to poor insulation, which is a silent but costly drain on both operational efficiency and carbon goals. While high-performance materials like aerogels can minimise energy loss, they are too expensive and difficult to scale for widespread industrial use.

Founded in 2023 by Ankit Jhanwar, Apoorv Balwani, and Devakar Dhingra, DashamLabs is building India’s first scalable platform for aerogel-based insulation.

Its proprietary process produces flexible silica aerogel sheets that are lightweight, hydrophobic, fire-resistant, and stable up to 1000°C. These next-generation insulation materials help make energy efficiency accessible to sectors such as oil & gas, EVs, defence, and infrastructure.

Operating in India’s aerogel insulation market, which is expected to reach $3.5 Bn by 2031, DashamLabs aims to position India as a global hub for affordable, high-performance insulation.

DRIVE FITT | A Complete Fitness Ecosystem

While India’s love for cricket runs deep, access to premium fitness and sports training facilities remains limited.

For many aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts, traditional gyms fail to provide the motivation, structure, or holistic approach that blends sport, strength, and recovery.

Founded in July 2024 by Bollywood actor Preity Zinta, cricketer Shubman Gill, and Australian entrepreneurs Mark Sellar and Deke Smith, DRIVE FITT is redefining fitness through a cricket-inspired sports club experience.

The 24/7 clubs combine cricket training, gym workouts, yoga, and elite recovery services under one roof, with programmes designed by players like Gill, Chris Lynn, and Ryan Harris.

Its memberships range from daily passes of up to INR 1,000 to annual plans of INR 35,000, offering flexible access to high-end facilities and round-the-clock training.

With plans to open 300 franchises in three years, DRIVE FITT is tapping into India’s rapidly growing fitness market, projected to reach $4.5 Bn by 2030 (15% CAGR).

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Driveo Electric Mobility | An Extensive Array Of Mobility Solutions

India’s commercial mobility sector is rapidly shifting towards electric vehicles, but adoption remains slow due to high upfront costs, fragmented maintenance ecosystems, and uncertain resale or asset recovery. For fleet operators in logistics, last-mile delivery and shared mobility, owning and managing EVs is both capital-heavy and operationally complex.

Founded in 2022 by Vikas Jain and Abhishek Sikka, Delhi-based Driveo Electric Mobility offers a full-stack EV leasing platform tailored for commercial fleets.

Its integrated model combines vehicle leasing, maintenance, charging, parking and fleet analytics, allowing businesses to go electric without any upfront investment or ownership risk. Driveo’s flexible tenures (up to four years for three-wheelers and five for four-wheelers), real-time fleet monitoring, and guaranteed uptime make fleet electrification predictable and hassle-free.

With India’s commercial EV market expected to touch $150 Bn by 2030, Driveo is simplifying access to EVs. It aims to deploy 50,000 EVs within five years.

Epicure Robotics | Powering India’s Next Wave Of Smart Food Retail

Traditional kiosks and QSR outlets face challenges such as rising labour costs, inconsistent food quality, hygiene concerns, and limited operating hours. As consumer demand shifts toward faster, contactless, and reliable food service, existing formats struggle to deliver efficiency and scalability.

Founded in 2022 by Gokulraj KS and Aditya Mehta, Bengaluru-based Epicure Robotics is tackling this gap with its proprietary PARK (Platform for Automated Robotic Kiosks) system. The platform integrates precision robotics (0.01 mm accuracy), modular dispensers, and analytics software to prepare and serve custom food and beverages within minutes — fully autonomously.

With India’s quick-service and kiosk market rapidly adopting automation, Epicure is redefining how food is prepared and served in public spaces with its plug-and-play robotic kiosks.

The startup has already deployed kiosks in Bengaluru.

It serves 40+ beverage options in under 60 seconds. As robotic kitchens and contactless dining gain traction, Epicure aims to be the foundation for India’s next wave of smart food retail.

Fery Rides | Zero-Anxiety Mobility Solution For Women, By Women

Every day, millions of Indian women stare directly in the face of safety concerns while travelling. Traditional ride-hailing platforms lack dedicated safeguards and opportunities for women drivers, leaving a large gap in inclusive urban mobility.

Founded in 2023 by Ajay Kumar, Vindhya Mehrotra, and Himanshu Chaubey, Fery Rides is a women-led, women-only ride-hailing platform.

The app connects women commuters with trained, verified women drivers called “Sister Partners” and includes real-time tracking, SOS alerts, and WhatsApp support.

All Fery rides use electric vehicles, reinforcing its commitment to safety and sustainability.

With over 65,000 rides completed and 250+ women drivers onboarded, Fery is focussed on redefining what safe travel means for Indian women.

The women-led ride-hailing segment, currently valued at around $10 Mn, could grow to as much as $500 Mn by 2030 as adoption accelerates. By addressing both gender safety and livelihood creation, Fery wants to be a crucial part of this very urban mobility revolution.

Fragaria | Premium Indian Berries For The World

India’s premium fruit market is fragmented and import-reliant. Local production struggles with climate limitations, leading to inconsistent quality, high prices, and low availability of fresh, premium-grade fruits.

Founded in 2024 by Harish Varadharajan, Timothy Chad van Niekerk, and Damian López-Salazar, Fragaria is building a high-tech berry cultivation platform using controlled-environment agriculture.

Combining hydroponics, LED-assisted growth, and precision climate control, the startup sustainably grows strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries year-round under its “Oh! Fruits” brand.

With rising demand for high-quality, locally grown produce, Fragaria’s model bridges the divide between innovation and accessibility. Backed by a $2 Mn war chest, it’s expanding to a new Bengaluru facility capable of producing 120 kg of berries daily. With this, it wants to set the stage for India to become a trusted source of world-class, homegrown berries.

Harpy Aerospace | Building India’s Next-Gen Drones

India’s growing need for drones in defence, surveillance, and industry is constrained by heavy reliance on imports and limited local innovation. Most UAVs currently available lack the endurance, adaptability, and reliability needed for India’s challenging terrains and diverse mission profiles.

Founded in 2023 by aerospace engineer Shashank Shekhar, Harpy Aerospace is developing indigenous, high-performance UAVs for both defence and industrial use.

Its flagship Harpy V-series offers long-range endurance, AI-driven flight control, and modular payload systems, suitable for missions ranging from tactical surveillance to logistics and disaster response.

Operating in India’s UAV market, projected to grow from $0.47 Bn in 2025 to $1.39 Bn by 2030, the startup is laser-focussed on building in-house propulsion and communication systems to ensure data security and reduce import dependency.

HYDGEN | On-Site, On-Demand Green Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen’s potential as a clean fuel is immense, but supply chains remain costly and inefficient, with transport and purification accounting for nearly 70% of total costs.

Founded in 2024 by Manipaddy Krishna Kumar and Goutam Kumar Dalapati, Singapore-based HYDGEN is tackling this challenge through on-site hydrogen generation.

Its proprietary Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolysers convert water and electricity into high-purity hydrogen directly at industrial sites, reducing dependence on large production plants and costly logistics.

HYDGEN’s modular systems (ranging from 1 kW to 100 kW, with a 250 kW stack in development) deliver 99.97% pure hydrogen while eliminating transport costs and avoiding the expense of platinum-group catalysts.

Operating in the Indian hydrogen-generation market, projected to grow to about $19.80 Bn by 2030, the startup serves industries such as chemicals, metals, cement, and mobility, helping them switch from grey to green hydrogen without overhauling existing infrastructure.

As India accelerates its National Green Hydrogen Mission, HYDGEN’s decentralised model offers a scalable and cost-efficient alternative to mega export-focussed projects.

Ignosis | Powering Next Generation Of Lending

Despite India’s fintech boom, more than 300 Mn individuals and over 80% of MSMEs still struggle to access formal credit. A key barrier lies in the lack of structured income data and insights needed to assess risk and underwrite loans effectively.

Founded in 2022 by Nirav Prajapati and Chintan Sheth, Ignosis is building open-banking infrastructure to power India’s next generation of lending. Its AI-driven platform offers account aggregator (AA) connectivity and financial data intelligence through plug-and-play APIs for banks, NBFCs, and insurers.

Its modules for identity and income verification, portfolio analytics, and digital onboarding help clients automate risk evaluation and credit decisions.

As India scales its digital public infrastructure, Ignosis sits at the heart of a global $196 Bn AI-in-finance opportunity.

By democratising access to financial data, the startup is helping lenders extend credit responsibly and inclusively, closing the gap for millions of underserved consumers and MSMEs.

Intervue.io | Technical Hiring Gets An Upgrade

As India’s tech ecosystem continues to expand rapidly, hiring skilled engineers remains a major challenge. High recruitment costs, long hiring cycles, and a shortage of qualified interviewers make it difficult for companies to scale their teams efficiently.

Founded in 2022 by Rahul Arora, Pushpender Singh Rautela and Anurag Arora, Intervue.io offers an end-to-end platform for technical hiring — from coding assessments to live proctored interviews.

Its collaborative coding environment supports 30+ programming languages, enabling companies to conduct interviews seamlessly and evaluate candidates with precision.

Intervue.io also helps reduce time-to-hire while improving the quality of technical recruitment.

With India’s recruitment software market projected to surpass $120 Mn by 2033, Intervue.io is striving to become the go-to platform for tech hiring in India.

Kleanup Games | Retro Indie Games For The World

India’s gaming industry, expected to grow from $15.3 Bn in 2024 to $35.6 Bn by 2030, remains dominated by global studios and publishers. Despite a huge player base of over 450 Mn, only a few homegrown developers are creating original titles rooted in Indian culture and storytelling.

Founded in 2025 by Jaiwanth Shanmugam, Kleanup Games is building original, globally competitive indie games from India. Its debut title, “CHROMADI”, is a retro-style arcade shooter.

Recognised by the KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI), Kleanup has secured up to $150K in funding and mentorship to refine its design and global publishing strategy.

Kleanup Games sits at the intersection of cultural storytelling and global demand for indie games. By merging Indian creativity with world-class design and nostalgic appeal, the studio aspires to carve out its niche in the fast-growing Indian and international games market.

Orbit Wallet | One Card For All Travel & Payment Needs

Urban commuters in India often juggle multiple cards and apps for metro, bus, toll, parking, and retail purchases. This fragmented experience slows digital adoption and prevents seamless integration between transport and everyday payments.

Founded in 2023 by Harshvardhan Zaveri, Aman Bisht and Shikha Chouksey, Bengaluru-based Orbit Wallet is simplifying urban payments with its RuPay and NCMC-enabled Orbit Card.

The reloadable card works across metros, buses, fuel stations, and millions of retail outlets.

Through its app, users can top up instantly, tap to pay anywhere, and access offers across more than 22 Mn merchants. Backed by 100X.VC, the startup aims to merge mobility and payments into one smooth experience.

With India’s smart-card metro networks expanding and the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) ecosystem gaining traction, the unified transit-and-payments market is set to exceed the $4 Bn mark by 2030.

Ozi | Quick Delivery App For All Baby Needs

Urban parents in India often struggle to find baby-care essentials, especially during late-night emergencies or last-minute outings.

While quick commerce players like Blinkit, Instamart and Zepto have introduced baby-care categories, they don’t always cover the full range of products or ensure consistent availability.

Founded in July 2025 by ex-Zoplar cofounder Amit Shah, Ozi is a baby-first quick commerce platform that delivers premium baby-care products within 30 minutes.

Operating in India’s baby-care quick commerce market, projected to touch nearly $1 Bn by 2030, Ozi is capturing a high-frequency, high-trust category, which covers everything from teething rings to infant wear.

The platform offers trusted brands like Nestlé, Huggies, Chicco, and Cetaphil through its mobile app and currently serves key urban locations.

Plenome Technologies | Blockchain-Powered Infra For Secure Healthcare & Governance Data

India’s healthcare and public-sector systems face a dual challenge — managing vast volumes of sensitive data while relying on ageing, insecure legacy infrastructure. At the same time, interoperability and user privacy remain major roadblocks, leaving hospitals, patients and government bodies working within disconnected silos.

Founded in 2023 by IIT Madras Prof Prabhu Rajagopal, Vijayaraja Rathinasamy and Anirudh Varna, Plenome Technologies builds blockchain and AI-driven infrastructure for secure data capture, sharing and analytics across healthcare and governance.

Incubated at IIT Madras, the startup has developed products such as Ashwin AI, a voice-enabled data capture platform; BlockTrack, an organ-donation database; and BlockVote, a remote-voting solution.

Its patent-backed architecture ensures consent-driven, auditable and tamper-proof data exchange across hospitals, clinics and public agencies.

With India’s healthcare SaaS market projected to reach $3 Bn by 2030 and decentralised data models gaining adoption across governance, Plenome is bridging deeptech innovation with mission-critical public infrastructure.

Plush Miles | Powering Premium EV Rides For Corporate India

India’s growing urban workforce and corporate travellers are increasingly seeking cleaner and more comfortable mobility options. Yet, most existing fleets still rely on internal combustion engines

Founded in 2025 by former StrideOne AVP Khushali Nanavaty, Gurugram-based Plush Miles is building a premium electric mobility platform.

The startup operates a fleet of luxury electric vehicles catering to corporate travel, airport transfers, and intra-city commutes. Currently operational only in Gurugram, Plush Miles has completed over 1,500 rides since its launch in July.

By managing its own fleet and using advanced fleet management technology, the company ensures high utilisation, zero tailpipe emissions, and consistent service quality.

With India’s EV fleet market projected to surpass $2 Bn by 2030, driven by corporate sustainability goals and rising demand for green transport, Plush Miles seems to be filling the void left by BluSmart.

ProXpense | Helping Businesses Manage Travel & Expenses Effortlessly

Managing business travel and expenses (T&E) remains a major challenge for companies worldwide — manual claim processes, scattered booking systems, and weak policy checks slow down finance teams, raise costs, and frustrate employees.

Founded in 2025 by ex-Freshworks sales head Himanshu Singh and Big Radar founder Sandeep Singh, ProXpense is a SaaS startup automating the entire T&E lifecycle through AI-driven tools and omnichannel booking interfaces.

Its platform allows bookings via WhatsApp, Slack, Teams or email, links corporate cards for real-time expense tracking, and uses an “Intelli-Audit” engine to flag policy breaches instantly.

The system also supports automatic receipt matching, department-level spend analytics and a multilingual voice interface that works in over 150 languages.

With business travel rebounding and enterprises demanding better spend control, the global SaaS expense management market is projected to grow from $5.6 Bn in 2024 to $12.05 Bn by 2029. In this market, ProXpense aims to help organisations move faster and spend smarter.

Quenzy | Gut-Friendly Sodas

India’s soft-drink market is overflowing with sugary, high-calorie options that lack nutritional value. Health-conscious consumers often struggle to find fizzy beverages that balance flavour with wellness, especially in the premium segment.

Founded in 2025 by Anushka Sharma, Quenzy offers a range of prebiotic sodas crafted for consumers who want guilt-free indulgence.

Each can contains under 15 calories, 5g of prebiotic fibre, and no added sugar.

As India’s non-alcoholic beverages market races past the $30 Bn mark and urban consumers shift towards healthier choices, Quenzy is defining the premium, low-calorie soda category with a probiotic and prebiotic twist. Overall, the startup aims to make wellness-driven refreshment the new normal for India.

Unmannd | Building Deeply Intelligent UAVs For Defence Forces

India’s defence sector is rapidly modernising, and unmanned aerial systems are becoming vital for logistics, surveillance and tactical operations. Yet most available drones are imported, expensive, and ill-suited for India’s diverse terrains and strategic needs.

Founded in 2025 by Yeshwanth Reddy and Hemaditya Prasad, Bengaluru-based Unmannd builds high-performance drone platforms for India’s defence and industrial sectors.

Its “Titan30” drone supports heavy-lift logistics, while the “Fury” interceptor autonomously detects and neutralises aerial threats.

The startup’s systems integrate AI-driven autonomy, mesh networking and aerospace-grade avionics to function reliably even in GPS-denied environments.

With India targeting a $25 Bn defence manufacturing economy and unmanned systems identified as a national priority, Unmannd is positioning itself as a key indigenous supplier in a market projected to reach $1.81 Bn by 2030.

xSpecies AI | Building Full-Stack Humanoid Robotics Platform

India is moving into an era where robots will play a vital role across logistics, defence, and personal assistance. However, most advanced robotic systems are still imported, which makes them expensive, less adaptable, and difficult to scale for Indian conditions.

Founded in 2025 by Srikanth Vidapanaka (a former Ola Electric AI director) and Puneet Panwar (ex-BARC scientist), Bengaluru-based xSpecies AI is building a full-stack robotics ecosystem — spanning hardware, software and AI — for general-purpose and humanoid robots.

Its lineup includes the AIWare engine (a vision-language-action AI system), the HANDY robotic arm for logistics, and the MANAV humanoid robot.

All development and manufacturing are India-based, with incubation support from the Scaler School of Technology Innovation Lab.

As sectors like ecommerce, healthcare, and smart infrastructure adopt robot-led operations, the global robotics market is expected to reach tens of billions of dollars by 2030. Positioned at the intersection of deeptech research and local manufacturing, xSpecies AI aims to make India a hub for affordable, scalable humanoid robotics.

Zealthix | Digitising India’s Vast Healthcare Infra

India’s healthcare system is fragmented. Insurers, hospitals and diagnostic labs work in silos. This slows down claims, drives up costs and makes it difficult to scale digital or cashless health plans.

Founded in 2023 by Abhishek Kumar and Dr Avinash Gupta, Gurugram-based Zealthix offers a cloud-native SaaS platform that connects payers, brokers and providers on one infra.

Its system supports partner management, payment reconciliation, discovery, booking and insurance tech compliance. All of this allows faster, more efficient rollout of OPD and comprehensive health plans.

Having already onboarded 20+ paying customers, Zealthix is building the tech backbone for interoperable, cashless healthcare delivery in the country’s healthcare SaaS market, expected to touch $3 Bn by 2030.

Zukunu | Smart Automation For Fashion Industry

The global apparel manufacturing industry runs on outdated tools — spreadsheets, WhatsApp updates, and disconnected ERP systems. This lack of digitisation causes frequent delays, miscommunication, and high wastage, costing brands millions every year in rejections and excess inventory.

Founded in 2024 by Srajan Kumar Saxena, Abhishek Kumar Srivastava, Prateek Chandra Nigam and Syed Rifath Noweid, Zukunu offers an AI-powered SaaS platform that automates apparel supply chain operations.

Its collaborative software connects brands and manufacturers in real time, helping them monitor production, optimise material usage, and reduce wastage through predictive analytics.

The startup is developing a B2B SaaS platform that uses AI-powered learning and communication bots to drive supply chain excellence across the global apparel and fashion industry — a $1.7 Tn market growing at 7.2% annually but still reliant on fragmented systems and manual coordination.

With manufacturing hubs across India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh still running on legacy systems, Zukunu’s technology aims to modernise one of the world’s largest but least digitised industries.

Edited By Shishir Parasher