Industry Trends

AI a key enabler for next phase of Indias telecom evolution: TRAI Chief

Lahoti was speaking at a Pre-Summit Event of the India - AI Impact Summit 2026 on the theme "AI in Telecommunication". "AI is no longer a futuristic idea for telecom - it is now a foundational capability. From network automation to spam detection, AI is already shaping how telecom services are delivered and experienced at scale," he said.

Industry Trends

Rapido revenue rises 44% to Rs 934 crore in FY25, cuts losses by 30% to Rs 258 crore

Bengaluru-based ride-hailing major Rapido reported operating revenue of Rs 934 crore in FY25, a year-on-year increase of 44% from Rs 648 crore in the previous fiscal, according to its consolidated financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies. Including interest income of Rs 69 crore from investments, the company’s total income stood at Rs 1,003 crore for the year. Rapido’s revenue model continues to pivot around subscriptions and diversified service lines. Subscription income from captains and users purchasing ride passes and platform benefits surged nearly 14-fold to Rs 275 crore in FY25, emerging as one of the fastest-growing components of its top line. The company follows a zero-commission, subscription-based model for three-wheeler and four-wheeler cabs, while continuing to charge commissions on bike taxis. Platform commissions from two-wheeler services generated Rs 277 crore during the year, but declined 23.5% year-on-year. The fall comes amid regulatory uncertain...

Industry Trends

WEF 2026: Electrification and automation will stay key growth drivers, says ABB CEO

ABB CEO Morten Wierod said India is currently the company’s fourth-largest market globally, but the target is to move it to the third position before 2030. He added that the internal mandate to the team is to achieve this milestone earlier than planned, reflecting ABB’s strong commitment and confidence in the Indian market.

Startup Funding

B2B-focused VC firm Exfinity Venture Partners launches Rs 1,100 crore Fund IV

Exfinity Venture Partners has filed with SEBI to launch its fourth fund, targeting a corpus of Rs 1,100 crore, as the deeptech focused venture capital firm builds on recent cross-border exits and a full capital return from its 2016-vintage Fund II. The Bengaluru-based firm plans to retain an early-stage investment strategy for Fund IV, while allocating a larger share of capital to follow-on rounds. The shift reflects the longer build and commercialisation cycles typical of deep-tech businesses, partners Chinnu Senthilkumar and Jesper Ludolph told ETEntrepreneur. Cheque sizes are expected to rise modestly, with Exfinity continuing to target 10–20 per cent ownership in portfolio companies. Fund IV will focus on semiconductors, physical AI, advanced compute, robotics and enterprise AI software. It will also expand into newer categories such as photonics, quantum computing, hydrogen and energy systems, life sciences, climate technology and mobility. The firm has not previously invested ...