The fund corpus includes a dedicated coinvestment envelope of $50 million for partnering with the parent fund in womenled startups. Vertex Ventures said that the strategic move is in line with its commitment to fostering more opportunities for women entrepreneurs, as over 35 percent of the startups in its Fund IV portfolio already have at least one female founder.

We can easily say that in the modern directtoconsumer (D2C) world, Influencers are the celestial connectors of the digital era, bridging the gap between D2C dreams and human reality. In the enchanted realm of D2C startups, where dreams take flight on the wings of innovation, a new celestial force has emerged to guide their trajectory.

Insider surveyed 34 early-stage investors — including Bain Capital Ventures, Point72 Ventures, and Index Ventures — about the hottest fintechs to watch. VCs nominated a mix of startups in their portfolios and those in which they had no financial interest. In total, investors identified 54 up-and-coming fintechs that hadn’t raised beyond a Series C.

Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India closed its fifth and biggest fund at $541 million to back startups in the region, defying a slowdown in the global technology sector during a tumultuous year. The sum includes a $50 million vehicle that will pump in additional capital alongside its main fund into startups led by women founders, the Singaporebased firm said in a statement on Tuesday.

Startups are opting for advocacy programmes by their employees to promote their rewards and recognition policies and learning and development opportunities in an attempt to woo potential recruits amid growing competition. The strategy is a revamp of the traditional mode of presenting a company’s employee value proposition through official social media handles, awards and personalised branding initiatives. Advocacy also results in significant savings in marketing costs compared with celebrity branding.

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) on Tuesday (September 120 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private lender ICICI Bank to support the startup ecosystem in the institute. The premier technological institution said that this partnership will empower startups and innovators at its Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC).

The Indian startup ecosystem has lauded the inclusion of startups in the New Delhi Leaders Declaration for the first time ever in the history of G20. Industry stakeholders say that the move will lead to easier access to capital, reduce regulatory hurdles, and may revive funding activity.

The country has launched a Startup20 initiative under its G20 presidency, which is aimed at strengthening India s already booming startup ecosystem. The Startup20 engagement group invites active participation on the part of stakeholders from the global startup ecosystem, including investors, entrepreneurs, and influencers, to discuss topics such as macroeconomic concerns, challenges faced by entrepreneurs, and the path forward.

These centers serve as focal points for knowledge dissemination, research, and skill development, driving significant progress in various sectors. One such notable example is the establishment of CoEs under the UP Startup Policy, which has paved the way for transformative growth in emerging fields.

As technology is predicted to alter how we live and work, it continues to command attention. Small businesses developing AI advances are luring sizable investments from IT behemoths as well. Here are the 10 best funded AI startups in the world