Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (January 23, 2026)

From Capri Sports’ Jinisha Sharma's long-term plan to build a multi-sport ecosystem for women to Juspay’s $1.2 billion valuation after fresh funding, Yourstory brings you today’s headlines across sectors.

Featured stories

UP Warriorz is just the beginning of Jinisha Sharma’s bigger play in women’s sport

Jinisha Sharma, Director of Capri Sports, which owns the UP Warriorz Women’s Premier League franchise. She leads the UP Warriorz franchise with the larger vision of investing in women’s cricket and creating purpose-led impact through sport. 

Backed by Capri Global Capital, she has led investments across cricket, kabaddi, and kho-kho, with a strong focus on grassroots development.

Jinisha says the decision to back a WPL team with roots in Uttar Pradesh was deliberate, combining long-term commercial potential with social impact. She believes women’s sport in India is at an inflection point, with growing brand interest and digital-first sponsorships, and sees women’s football as the next major growth opportunity. Read more.

Indian VCs call for policies to encourage deeper pools of domestic capital ahead of Union Budget

India—the third-largest startup ecosystem—stands on the shoulders of venture capital (VC) firms that make bold investments and back passionate founders to ring in the next startup success story. 

While the country has been reeling from a funding winter, which lasted from 2023 to 2024, the VC ecosystem has corrected its course and is in a phase of disciplined maturity. Last year, Indian startups raised $11 billion—the lowest since 2020—with VCs writing fewer but larger checks, signalling a cautious and selective approach. 

In 2025, many VCs also raised new funds, albeit calling for greater participation from domestic institutional investors. 

Latest news

Juspay valued at $1.2B after securing $50M from WestBridge

Payments infrastructure provider Juspay has secured $50 million in a Series D follow-on investment from WestBridge Capital, valuing the company at $1.2 billion, as it looks to expand its global footprint.

The transaction comprises both primary and secondary investments, providing liquidity to early investors and employees holding stock options, the Bengaluru-based company said in a statement. This marks the second such liquidity event Juspay has enabled in the past year.

The funding comes after a year of growth in transaction volumes. Juspay said its annualised total payment volume has crossed $1 trillion, with the platform processing more than 300 million transactions every day for clients including Amazon, Flipkart, Google, HSBC, IndiGo, Swiggy, and Zurich Insurance. Read more.

Funding news

PropertyPistol raises Rs 25 Cr in pre-Series B round led by Ashish Kacholia

Tech-enabled real estate platform PropertyPistol has raised Rs 25 crore in a pre-Series B funding round led by investor Ashish Kacholia. Existing investors also participated in the round.

The company plans to use the capital to expand its presence in the Dubai real estate market and strengthen operations across Delhi-NCR. It also aims to invest in its syndication-led distribution network and technology infrastructure.

Commenting on the fundraise, Ashish Narain Agarwal, Founder and Managing Director, said, “The fundraise serves as a strategic accelerator aligned with our ambition to build a future-ready, scalable, and high-governance distribution platform.”

Founded in 2012, PropertyPistol operates across India and the Middle East and has facilitated property transactions worth over $4 billion to date.

Cosmoserve Space secures Rs 5.5 Cr equity commitment on Bharat Ke Super Founders

Cosmoserve Space, a Hyderabad-based space technology startup, has secured a Rs 5.5 crore equity funding commitment on entrepreneurial television series Bharat Ke Super Founders.

The deal values the company at Rs 225 crore, with Dr Velumani committing Rs 5 crore for a 2.22% stake, subject to a follow-on raise. Additional investments were made by Shivam M and Srini S.

Founded by former ISRO scientist Chiranjeevi Phanindra, Cosmoserve Space is developing autonomous robotic spacecraft for space debris removal and in-orbit servicing.

The startup is currently in the product development phase and is targeting commercial deployment by 2028. The funding is aimed at advancing its Active Debris Removal systems amid growing global concerns around orbital congestion and satellite sustainability.

Other news

Moj Launches micro drama challenge with Rs 20 Cr annual budget

Short video platform Moj has launched the Micro Drama Challenge, an accelerator programme aimed at supporting studios producing vertical short-form drama content.

The initiative has an annual budget of over Rs 20 crore and will provide grants of ₹10 lakh each to 10 shortlisted studios in its first phase. Participants will compete for cash prizes and potential consideration for future Moj Originals.

Manohar Singh Charan, Co-Founder and CFO of ShareChat and Moj, said, “This recurring monthly accelerator programme acts as a launchpad, building a robust ecosystem that enables discovery of new storytellers.”

The programme targets India’s growing micro-drama audience and is designed to expand the supply of culturally rooted short-form content across genres. Applications are open until January 26, 2026.

Startup Policy Forum, MCA Hold First Startup Compliance Clinic in New Delhi

Startup Policy Forum (SPF), in collaboration with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, hosted the first Startup Compliance Clinic in New Delhi, bringing together over 75 startup founders, CFOs, and legal professionals.

The session focused on operational compliance issues including incorporation, share issuance, MCA filings, and inter-regulatory overlaps. Senior MCA officials engaged directly with participants to clarify processes and address concerns.

Speaking at the event, Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President and CEO of Startup Policy Forum, said, “The Startup Compliance Clinic is an effort to resolve the pain points of startups around compliance and ease of doing business.”

The initiative is designed as an ongoing platform, with multiple editions planned to institutionalise structured feedback between startups and the Ministry. SPF represents over 60 Indian startups with a combined valuation exceeding $100 billion.

Drip Capital signs MoU with Maharashtra govt to enable Rs 10,000 Cr MSME trade finance

Drip Capital Inc. has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Maharashtra to facilitate Rs 10,000 crore in collateral-free trade finance for micro, small and medium enterprise exporters over five years.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos and covers the period from 2026 to 2031. The initiative aims to improve access to working capital for Maharashtra-based exporters and support participation in global supply chains.

Commenting on the partnership, Pushkar Mukewar, Founder and CEO of Drip Capital, said, “Our collaboration with Government of Maharashtra will foster financial inclusivity and resilience among MSMEs.”

Drip Capital said it has facilitated over Rs 66,000 crore in trade financing for more than 11,000 businesses globally. The partnership is expected to support employment generation and strengthen MSME-led exports in the state.