Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: In a bid to fuel the entrepreneurship dreams of college and university students with capital, credibility and conviction, Campus Fund (CF), [claimed to be India’s first and only SEBI-registered Category II fund that invests exclusively in student-led start-ups], is reportedly raising $100 million fund as venture capital firms are reportedly scouting college and university campuses for their next investments. Quoting reliable CF sources, media reports have stated that, “The CF is building a portfolio of about 60 student-led start-ups, chiefly EtheralX, Sarla Aviation, Digantara, Banza, Expand My Business, Raaz, D-Nome, We360, et al.” Media reports…
Author: Industry Odisha
Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: Investor interest in Indian consumer startups is rising as brands explore funding opportunities. Multiple consumer businesses are pursuing fundraising, secondary sales, mergers and acquisition opportunities. The activity signals growing investor confidence in consumer sector scalability and clear exit pathways. Several prominent consumer startups across home essentials, apparel, beauty and pet care are exploring transactions that underscore renewed capital deployment across the segment. The Souled Store, a pop-culture apparel brand, is preparing for a pre-IPO financing round. The company is in early-stage talks with investors including WhiteOak Capital and Abakkus. A ₹300–400 crore round would provide…
Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: Tata Group-owned Trent Limited is reportedly downing shutters on its affordable ‘Utsa’ brand stores gradually as it is being reportedly reasoned out that the ethnicwear format has failed to generate sufficient sales and profitability, but media reports have simultaneously not vouched for the veracity. As per media reports, “While over 20 stores have been opened across India, the first standalone store was opened in Pune in 2019, and four other major standalone stores were opened in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram among others.” Media reports added, “The ‘Utsa’ brand was initially a sub-brand within the…
Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: In a bid to resolve a major multi-state US lawsuit reportedly filed in 2023 alleging that the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram caused harm to the teenagers, the American social media giant Meta has reportedly agreed to a settlement amounting $18 billion on August 26, while it has also reportedly demanded that its rival social media platforms TikTok and YouTube should also adopt the similar safeguards. The allegations in the lawsuit reportedly claimed that, “Facebook and Instagram contribute to mental health issues like anxiety, depression and suicidal behaviour among the teenagers. Meta also improperly…
Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: India defeated world No. 5 Germany 3-1 in the fifth-place classification playoff Thursday. The victory secured India’s best Hockey World Cup finish since the inaugural tournament. In 1974, India finished fourth; this result marks significant progress after five decades. Navneet Kaur’s brace and Ishika Chaudhary’s goal proved decisive in Amstelveen’s memorable encounter. The opening half saw both teams adopt cautious approaches despite Germany possessing greater territorial control. Germany earned two penalty corners in the first fifteen minutes without creating decisive opportunities. Bichu Devi made important saves while Finja Starck matched her German counterpart’s defensive contributions.…
Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: Google announced a fifteen-billion-dollar, one-gigawatt data centre project in Visakhapatnam, India’s emerging AI hub. The facility, developed with Adani Enterprises and Bharti Airtel, represents Google’s largest global data centre. Announced October 14, 2025, construction began April 2026, with first phase expected mid-2028. Google intends to develop Visakhapatnam as an AI corridor anchoring additional technology investments regionally. The approvals speed demonstrates India’s improving ease of doing business significantly currently. Google executive Alexander Smith credited India’s single-window approval mechanism for accelerating the project. The mechanism coordinated land, power and associated clearances simultaneously, eliminating sequential approval delays. From…
Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 28: Chinese authorities warned that an artificial lake formed by debris blockage carries significant breach risk. Continued rainfall could increase water inflows to around three million cubic metres over three days. The lake’s failure could send floodwaters downstream, threatening areas including Gyirong Port and beyond. Meanwhile, rescue teams continue searching through thick mud for more than fourteen hundred missing. The warning underscores an emerging secondary threat amid already devastating humanitarian emergency conditions. The disaster has killed at least three hundred ninety-two people across the Nepal-Tibet border region. Nepali police reported that three hundred eighty-nine bodies had…
Bargarh, Aug 28: Odisha’s agricultural heartland, stands at a critical juncture. Once India’s largest rice producer, this district of 1.6 million hectares under cultivation continues to dominate the state’s rice economy, yet faces mounting pressure from competing regions and plateauing yields. Agricultural experts and officials now advocate for transformative investments—establishing a dedicated rice research centre, setting up farmer training institutes, and facilitating international exposure visits—as the pathway to reclaiming Bargarh’s status as the nation’s premier rice producing destination. The Current Landscape Bargarh’s agricultural calendar revolves around two principal cropping seasons: Kharif (monsoon) and Rabi (winter). The Kharif season, spanning June…
Industry Odisha Bureau,Aug 27: India’s major airport developers are executing a significant business pivot. Adani and GMR are aggressively expanding non-aeronautical revenue streams. The shift reflects a harder reality: passenger-traffic growth is decelerating across Indian airports. Non-aeronautical businesses retail, duty-free, food and beverage, lounges, parking already generate roughly half of operator revenues. Adani has set an ambitious target for 2030. The company aims to derive 70 percent of revenue from non-aero operations. Currently, non-aero contributes 56 percent of Adani’s total income. GMR Airports pursues a parallel strategy with different metrics. The operator expects its non-aero platform to sustain 15 percent…
Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 27: JSW MG Motor India confronts a critical competitive gap. The company’s sales grew just 18% in early 2026. India’s EV market expanded 77% in the same period. This widening gap forced a strategic reckoning. The joint venture’s market share collapsed to 23% this year. It held 29% a year earlier, losing ground steadily. Mahindra & Mahindra seized the number-two EV ranking. JSW MG’s Windsor model alone could not sustain momentum. The company responded with the Hector Tomahawk SUV launch Wednesday. The vehicle offers both fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains. It represents the company’s first…