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Starlink & Amazon's Kuiper Sign First India Broadband Deals

Starlink and Amazon Kuiper India satellite broadband deals

Space companies Starlink (Elon Musk) and Amazon's Project Kuiper have inked their first commercial satellite broadband deals in India, partnering with VSAT service providers even before India has formally allocated satellite spectrum. The partnerships pave the way for enterprise and government broadband services, positioning both to compete with other LEO broadband services like Eutelsat's OneWeb.

SatSure Partners with Dhruva Space for EO Solutions

Earth-observation analytics firm SatSure signed an MoU with space startup Dhruva Space to deliver end-to-end EO solutions. The partnership combines SatSure's decision-intelligence analytics with Dhruva's satellite platforms to create a full-stack EO-as-a-service offering for strategic and commercial clients in agriculture, disaster monitoring, and defense using indigenous technology.

Walko Food Acquires Mumbai's Meemee's Ice Creams

Walko Food Company (parent of NIC Ice Creams) has acquired Mumbai-based Meemee's Ice Creams to enter India's premium artisanal desserts market. The deal gives Walko ownership of Meemee's experimental ice-cream cakes and handcrafted offerings, marking its entry into India's dynamic artisanal dessert segment as consumer demand grows for innovative, experience-driven treats.

Zomato's Goyal Co-Founds LAT Aerospace for Regional Aviation

Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal has co-founded LAT Aerospace with Surobhi Das, focusing on regional aviation. LAT plans to design low-cost, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft to improve India's tier-2/3 connectivity. Their vision is to build a "bus in the sky" network with affordable 24-seat flights operating from compact airstrips closer to small towns.

Amazon Wins ₹23.7 Crore in Future Group Arbitration

Singapore's SIAC has awarded Amazon ₹23.7 crore in damages in its arbitration clash with Future Group. The panel found that Future Retail breached its exclusivity agreement with Amazon when Future signed deals with Reliance Industries. Amazon is also entitled to recover about ₹77 crore in legal costs, further vindicating Amazon's contract claims from the 2019 stake sale battle.

TomTom Cuts 300 Jobs to Embrace AI Transformation

Dutch mapping firm TomTom announced it will cut about 300 jobs (around 10% of its workforce) as it restructures to "embrace artificial intelligence." The cuts affect roles in application layer, sales, and support teams as TomTom shifts toward a product-led strategy with AI-driven features, transforming from hardware navigation devices to AI-powered software services.

Intel CSO Departs Amid Management Shakeup

Intel's Chief Strategy Officer Safroadu Yeboah-Amankwah will depart June 30, 2025, as part of a broader management shakeup under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Some responsibilities are being reassigned to Sachin Katti, elevated to Chief Technology and AI Officer. This comes amid reports Intel plans to cut over 20% of its global workforce starting mid-July.

Jumbotail Becomes New Indian Unicorn with $120M Series D

Jumbotail B2B Grocery Platform

Bengaluru-based B2B grocery marketplace Jumbotail raised $120 million in a Series D funding round led by Standard Chartered's SC Ventures, with participation from existing backers including Artal Asia. This brings Jumbotail's total funding to about $263 million.

The round likely values Jumbotail at roughly $1 billion post-money, making it a new Indian unicorn as the startup expands its digital supply-chain platform. The company recently acquired fintech platform Solv India to strengthen its offerings for small retailers and distributors.

Jumbotail's success reflects the growing digitization of India's traditional supply chains, as B2B marketplaces help streamline distribution from manufacturers to millions of small retailers across the country.

Startup Funding Roundup: Deep Tech to Consumer Brands

  • Sthyr Energy (deep-tech): Raised $1M seed funding for zinc-air batteries. Founded by IIT Madras researchers, the company's mechanically rechargeable zinc-air system uses non-flammable, water-based electrolyte for safe, long-duration energy storage targeting grid and renewable applications.
  • Aukera (lab-grown diamonds): Raised $15M Series A led by Peak XV Partners, with Fireside Ventures participating. The Bengaluru-based brand will expand its physical retail footprint and omnichannel distribution in India's growing synthetic diamond market.
  • ShopOS (e-commerce AI): Raised $20M led by Binny Bansal's 3STATE Ventures. Founded by ex-Flipkart/Scapic engineers, ShopOS offers integrated AI modules for content creation, marketing, and store management, replacing fragmented online-retail tools.
  • Raphe mPhibr (defense drones): Raised $100M Series B led by General Catalyst. The Noida-based company designs military and surveillance UAVs, reportedly India's largest-ever drone funding round to expand R&D and local production capacity.
  • Kalshi (prediction markets): Closed $185M Series C led by crypto-focused VC Paradigm. The federally regulated exchange allows betting on political and weather outcomes, valued around $2B post-money as prediction markets expand.
  • Airial Travel (AI travel): Closed $3M seed led by Montage Ventures. Founded by ex-Waymo and Meta engineers, Airial's app uses AI to turn TikToks and Instagram Reels into real, bookable trip plans.
  • Portal Biotech (biosensors): Raised $35M Series A co-led by NATO Innovation Fund. The UK-based company makes AI-powered pathogen sensors using protein sequencing to detect biological threats on-site within hours.

Curefoods Files for ₹800 Crore IPO

Quick-service restaurant operator Curefoods (master franchisee of Krispy Kreme India) filed draft papers with SEBI for an initial public offering targeting ₹800 crore. The Bengaluru company plans to raise ₹800 crore through fresh issue, plus an offer-for-sale of up to 4.95 crore shares.

Curefoods will use proceeds to fund expansion of delivery-first outlets under brands like The Better Burger and Daily By BigBasket as competition intensifies in India's QSR sector.

OpenAI "Recalibrates" Compensation to Counter Meta's AI Talent Poaching

Amid Meta's aggressive recruitment of top AI researchers, OpenAI leadership announced a compensation "recalibration" to retain talent. According to an internal memo, OpenAI's Chief Research Officer told staff the company is "recalibrating comp" and devising new rewards to head off Meta's poaching of scientists.

The memo—sent after four senior OpenAI researchers jumped ship to Meta—signals OpenAI will proactively match offers and compensate its team to stay competitive in the AI talent wars.

Wimbledon Replaces All Line Judges with AI System

In a tournament first, Wimbledon announced it will replace all line judges with the Hawk-Eye "Live" electronic line-calling system starting in 2025. The All England Club confirmed automated line calling will be used on all 18 courts, eliminating roughly 300 line-judge roles.

Officials said the technology—already in use at other Grand Slams—will boost accuracy while keeping players' conditions consistent. The decision balances Wimbledon's tradition with innovation after extensive testing.

Trump Claims TikTok Buyer Found

TikTok acquisition news

Former U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News on June 29 that he has "found a buyer" for TikTok, claiming "a group of very wealthy people" will acquire the app. Trump said he expects to announce the buyer's name within a couple of weeks, pending Chinese approval of the deal.

He did not identify the buyer but insisted one is lined up to take over TikTok's U.S. operations. The White House and TikTok owner ByteDance have not confirmed any sale process.

Vitalik Buterin Critiques Worldcoin’s Centralized Digital ID Model

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has voiced strong privacy concerns about Worldcoin’s use of biometric iris scans to create a single, persistent digital identity for each user. He warns that even with privacy-preserving tech like zero-knowledge proofs, Worldcoin’s “one-person-one-ID” approach risks undermining user anonymity and the ability to maintain multiple online personas—a core principle for privacy, safety, and free expression online.

Buterin argues that centralizing identity in this way could make it easier for governments or corporations to surveil, coerce, or censor individuals, and that requiring strict identity uniqueness strips users of pseudonymity and flexibility. He notes that similar digital ID models are emerging globally, raising concerns about a worldwide shift toward standardized, centralized digital identities.

Instead, Buterin advocates for decentralized, pluralistic identity systems—where users can maintain different identities across platforms, verified by multiple institutions rather than a single authority—to better protect privacy and reduce the risks of profiling and misuse. In his words: “Requiring a single identity for all interactions effectively collapses user privacy. The very structure of one-person-one-ID limits our ability to create separate personas for different facets of life.”

Crane Collapse at SpaceX Starbase Under Investigation

Cranes at SpaceX Starbase

A crane collapse on June 23 at SpaceX's Starbase (Boca Chica, TX) facility has drawn scrutiny, but both SpaceX and the new city of Starbase have remained silent on casualties. The accident occurred during cleanup of rocket stage parts, with video showing no workers injured.

City officials have not publicly acknowledged the incident, and OSHA is investigating. SpaceX has not commented, leaving local authorities and the public awaiting updates on the cause and consequences.

Global Tech Industry Consolidation Continues

The global tech sector shows continued consolidation with companies restructuring for AI-focused growth. From TomTom's workforce reduction to embrace AI transformation, to Intel's management shakeup under new leadership, established tech giants are repositioning for the next wave of innovation.

Meanwhile, the AI talent war intensifies as companies like OpenAI and Meta compete aggressively for top researchers, driving compensation packages to new heights and reshaping the competitive landscape in artificial intelligence development.

This dual trend of operational streamlining and talent investment highlights the strategic priorities of technology companies as they navigate the transition to AI-driven business models and seek sustainable competitive advantages in rapidly evolving markets.