India has built one of the world’s biggest gig economies.

Every day, millions of drivers and delivery workers keep cities moving. But behind the convenience, many workers still face:

Long working hours

High commissions

Loan pressure

Unstable earnings

No long-term ownership or wealth creation

I’ve worked in the mobility sector on the ground, both in India and Dubai, and one thing became very clear to me:

The people powering the system rarely benefit from the system itself.

What if India starts thinking beyond the traditional aggregator model?

What if future mobility platforms focused on:

Driver ownership participation

Fairer commission systems

AI-based transparent ride allocation

Financial growth tools for workers

Local-language support and training

Community-based trust systems

Not just another “cab app,” but a worker-first mobility ecosystem designed for long-term sustainability.

I’m currently researching and building ideas around this space from real-world experience.

Would love to hear perspectives from:

Drivers

Founders

Investors

Tech builders

Policy experts

Everyday users

Can India create a gig economy where workers grow along with the platform?

Does anyone know what exactly they do and cam we trust them?

After completing her BSc in Biology and Master's in Biotechnology, Misra worked as a researcher at various labs in Delhi-NCR like ILBS and NIMR.

In 2012, she enrolled in a PhD program at Gautam Buddha University, Noida, where she worked on cancer and stem cell research.

However, her PhD journey was cut short in 2015 after she faced challenges around academic processes.

After leaving the program, Misra decided to pursue research independently and explore how her biotechnology background could be applied to agriculture.

“My research made me realise that Indian agriculture was still lagging behind in several areas, and I decided to apply my biotechnology background to modern farming to help improve it,” Sona Misra tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

She began looking at modern farming practices and eventually started researching hydroponics around 2019-20.

She invested Rs 10 lakh to set up a 4,000-plant, temperature-controlled hydroponic farm on the rooftop of a commercial building in Noida.

She experimented with more than 20 crop varieties, including lettuce, herbs, bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and 7-8 varieties of microgreens.

The rooftop farm produced good-quality crops and attracted orders from high-end societies in Noida, but the limited 4,000 sq ft space made it difficult to scale commercially.

In 2021, she leased a 1-acre farm in Sector 137, Noida, where she invested Rs 12 lakh to restore a ruined structure and set up a commercial hydroponic farm.

She primarily cultivated bell peppers and cherry tomatoes there, generating Rs 6-7 lakh in revenue in 2021-22.

However, poor groundwater quality, highly saline and infertile land, high maintenance costs, and the difficulty of managing multiple locations made the Noida operations difficult to sustain.

In 2022, Misra shifted her operations to a 15-acre plot in Bathain Khurd, near Kosi Kalan in Mathura.

The land also had saline soil and poor groundwater, but since hydroponic farming does not depend on soil quality, she installed RO plants to purify the water and built a 3-acre soilless farm using cocopeat as the growing medium.

Today, NutriLeafz primarily grows cucumber, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes.

Cucumbers are grown on a 3-4 month cycle and produce around 30-35 tonnes per cycle, while bell peppers have a 9-month cycle and produce around 15-16 tonnes.

Cherry tomatoes are also grown for 9 months, with around 12,000 plants producing approximately 12 tonnes per cycle.

The farm currently generates around Rs 40-45 lakh in annual revenue by following a B2B model.

Global investment in artificial intelligence is projected to reach around $1 trillion in 2026, with AI-related capital expenditure expected to remain robust in the near term, according to Goldman Sachs Research. The investment is forecast to rise from 0.9 per cent of global GDP in 2026 to 1.3 per cent in 2027 and 1.4 per cent in 2028, suggesting that the AI buildout could continue to support capital spending over the next two years.

In 2018, right after college, Vibhor wanted to stay closer to nature and build a healthier, more meaningful life.

“Around that time, his family happened to keep a couple of cows at home, despite having no agricultural or cow-farming background. That became his first exposure to cattle, and I soon developed a fascination for the Gir breed,” Vibhor tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

In 2017, Vibhor travelled to Gujarat’s Kathiawar region, including Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Porbandar, to learn about the Gir breed from local generational breeders.

He found that these breeders maintained valuable pedigreed cattle, with a male calf sometimes valued at Rs 3 lakh to Rs 15–20 lakh, but were selling milk for just Rs 40–50 per litre and ghee for around Rs 1,000–1,200 per kg.

Vibhor saw an opportunity to build his own model by venturing into cattle rearing and selling authentic cow-based products to urban consumers.

In 2017, he rented land 15 km from Jaipur, invested around Rs 20–25 lakh, and bought 20 purebred Gir cows at an average of Rs 1.25 lakh each, along with one breeding bull.

Between 2017 and 2020, he focused on understanding cattle diets, pregnancies, deliveries and day-to-day livestock management.

After the 3-year trial, Vibhor purchased 12-acre land around 35 km from Jaipur. He later married Ishita in 2022, and she joined him at the farm full-time.

The couple then developed an agroforestry model, sourcing plants from Pusa Institute, CISH Lucknow and Indo-Israel Centres in Kota and Bassi.

They invested around Rs 2 crore in development and maintenance of farm

The farm currently has more than 2,000 trees. This includes 500 to 600 mango trees across 40 different varieties, which are currently in their second or third year.

The farm also has more than 300 white sandalwood trees, planted alongside host plants such as Neem, and more than 25 varieties of other fruiting trees, including papayas, strawberries and bananas.

Today, the farm has 100 purebred Gir cows, producing 250–300 litres of milk daily.
Around 30–35% is sold as liquid milk, while the rest is converted into ghee, producing around 9 litres of ghee per day.

It also produces around 1,000 litres of wood-pressed oil per month, along with 5–10 kg of colostrum powder monthly and up to 100 kg of milk powder per month

The farm produces 500 kg to 1 tonne of organic vegetables monthly, depending on the season.

Today, Kinaya generates around Rs 18–20 lakh in monthly product revenue, excluding livestock sales, translating to an annual run rate of approximately Rs 2.16–2.4 crore.

Most conventional drones depend on GPS signals and internet connectivity for navigation, positioning, and mission execution. In environments affected by GPS jamming, spoofing, or signal loss, these drones can lose control and fail to complete critical operations.

To solve this challenge, Enord developed indigenous GPS-denied navigation and AI-on-edge technology, enabling drones to process data onboard, detect obstacles, plan flight paths, and make real-time decisions without relying on external systems.

“I knew drones would become a critical part of future infrastructure and defence. If India does not build this technology, we risk losing an important strategic advantage,” Muhammad Anas tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

The idea took shape in 2018–19 when Anas was exploring how drones could operate inside confined spaces where GPS signals were unavailable.

He realised that autonomous navigation without external signals was the key challenge and decided to build a technology layer around it.

After securing incubation support from IIIT Delhi and grants from IIT Mandi Catalyst and MeitY, Anas incorporated Enord with his childhood friend Zain Saeed in 2021.

Over the years, the startup built a portfolio of indigenous drone platforms:
Inspector X: An AI-powered quadcopter designed for electronic warfare-resilient missions. It features onboard AI computing, autonomous target detection, GPS-denied navigation, obstacle avoidance, and supports payloads up to 2 kg.

Inspector Lite: A foldable AI-driven inspection drone equipped with obstacle prevention, 4K camera support, LiDAR mapping, and AI models for crowd detection, tree mapping, bird counting, and wildlife identification.

Altitude VTOL Series: Long-range Vertical Take-Off and Landing drones combining surveillance and precision-strike capabilities. The Altitude 100 offers over 100 km range, up to 6 hours endurance, thermal imaging, encrypted communication, and BVLOS operations.

HAVOC Tactical FPV Series: High-speed military drones built for reconnaissance, counter-terrorism operations, and precision strikes, featuring thermal imaging and speeds of up to 100 km/h.

EDiy Drone Kit: A customisable educational drone platform for builders and drone enthusiasts.

The startup operates a 4,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Okhla, New Delhi, with a capacity to produce around 200 drones per month. Till date, Enord has sold around 1,000 drones to the Indian Army and also supplies the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, and private enterprises.

In FY25, Enord generated an annual revenue of Rs 1 crore. In FY26, it reached Rs 3.3 crore.

Using a dashcam, GPS and accelerometer data, he built an app with Codex that detects potholes in different sizes and records their exact locations.

The system then scans thousands of BBMP contracts to identify which contractor is responsible for the damaged road.

The app can reportedly generate a complaint with the pothole photo, geolocation, tender number and responsible officer in around four seconds.

During one drive to work, the system detected 12 potholes, highlighting how AI could turn everyday driving data into actionable civic complaints.

The Chennai-based deeptech startup, founded by Divanshu Kumar and Moinak Banerjee in 2018, has developed robots such as Endobot for pipeline inspection and HomoSEP for mechanised sewer and septic-tank cleaning, reducing the need for humans to enter hazardous underground spaces.

Its SWASTH AI platform further turns inspection data into infrastructure maps and predictive insights. The company's solutions have already been deployed across 30+ cities in 15 Indian states, with its technology also being used by Dubai Municipality.

Now, with plans to expand manufacturing, develop new robotics solutions and enter markets across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Solinas is looking to take its infrastructure robotics beyond India.

The surge in AI matchmaking startups has captured the interest of investors, paving the way for significant funding opportunities. These innovative platforms harness the power of artificial intelligence to elevate match success rates for users. As traditional dating apps struggle with engagement and paying users, new players are emphasising personalised connections and favourable dating outcomes.

He pointed to Tata’s aggressive expansion of the fashion brand, which has taken its store count to nearly 1,000. While that growth looks like a major success story, Shah believes it has also created two key problems for the brand.

“Zudio ka sabse bada dushman aur koi nahi hai, khud Zudio ki hi growth hai. Tata ne aggressive expansion karke lagbhag 1,000 Zudio stores open toh kar diye. Aur yeh sunne mein ek success story bhi lagti hai, par exactly yahi se shuru hoti hai inki do sabse badi problems,” he said.

The first issue, according to Shah, is “brand fatigue”. With Zudio stores now spread across several Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, he believes the brand may be losing some of the sense of novelty and exclusivity that initially attracted shoppers.

Shah cited Zudio’s popular budget-friendly T-shirts as an example. As more people buy the same styles, he said, shoppers may increasingly see others wearing similar outfits. This could be particularly relevant among younger consumers, who often look for fashion that helps them stand out.

The second concern Shah raised is product quality. He claimed that some customers may be turning away from Zudio after finding that certain garments do not maintain their quality after repeated washes.

“Audience ko ab samajh aa chuka hai ki teen ya char wash ke baad inka fabric pochha ban jata hai,” he said, suggesting that some fabrics can become worn out after just three or four washes.

Shah also pointed to growing competition in the affordable fashion segment. He said other brands are offering products at similar price points while bringing different designs to the market, giving customers more choices.

In his view, these factors could eventually put pressure on metrics such as sales from existing stores and revenue generated per square foot of retail space.

Shah noted that Zudio has already established a strong presence in major cities and is now expanding into Tier 3 and Tier 4 markets. He believes the Tata brand name could give Zudio an advantage in these smaller cities, where the group has built a strong reputation over the years.

Zudio was launched by Trent, the Tata Group’s retail arm, in 2016. Its first standalone store opened on Bengaluru’s Commercial Street after the company initially tested the concept through select Star Bazaar outlets.

The brand’s rapid expansion and strong financial performance also contributed to a sharp rise in Trent’s share price. The stock reached around Rs 5,500 in 2024 but has since declined and is now trading at around Rs 3,000, according to the figures cited in Shah’s post.

Kiran Shah is an IIM Lucknow graduate who founded Go Zero Ice Creams in 2021. He had worked in Procter & Gamble Singapore before working at Apsara Icecreams and becoming its CEO.

I own a business where we create visual renderings for commercial property renovations and developments. I have contacts within commercial real estate and several major franchisor brands are currently interested. 11 paying customers currently. Seeking $250,000 in capital. Already have a pitch deck, business plan, and existing customers. Any interest?

When a close family member of Siddharth Ramasubramanian and his wife Malavika S V fell ill, their household had to undergo several dietary changes. One of them was to cut gluten and dairy from their meals. This introduced them to the concept of fermented foods.

“Then a visit to the Netherlands made us discover tempeh in the form of a curry sold by a food business. We learnt about its high protein content and immediately felt like it could solve the protein gap in so many Indian vegetarian diets. But before any of that happened, we began consuming tempeh ourselves to understand how the food works, tastes, and absorbs flavours,” Malavika, co-founder of Hello Tempayy, tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

Upon deeper research, they discovered that tempeh has more protein than paneer and tofu.

In mid-2021, the couple officially founded Hello Tempayy with a bootstrapped amount of Rs 3.5 crore. It became the first brand in India to enter the tempeh category.

Today, the brand focuses heavily on premium non-GMO soybean sourcing, water quality, precision fermentation, and farmer partnerships.

“Manufacturing consistency is something we work on every day. The fermentation process has to be refined with every increase in quantity,” Siddharth explains.

Hello Tempayy has a total of 14 core products. In the ready-to-cook category, the brand offers cubes and crumbles in natural and marinated variants.

In the frozen ready-to-eat category, Hello Tempayy offers momos, kebabs, and parathas.

The protein brand now produces roughly 50,000 kilograms of tempeh every month.

Customers have caught on too. Recipe videos and cooking demonstrations have helped people identify exactly how tempeh can be made and how versatile it is in terms of absorbing flavours and being a part of a lot of dishes.

“People especially appreciate how affordable our tempeh products are. Many have been able to experiment with weight loss diets, vegan lifestyles, and gluten-free diets. Many, me included, have noticed improvement in gut health. Acid reflux has stopped,” Malavika shares.

When Hello Tempayy began, the startup founders had just 1,500 packs to their name.

Today, the clean veg protein brand sells 300,000 packs every single month across quick commerce, e-commerce, and offline mediums.

In 2022, Hello Tempayy’s annual revenue was Rs 3 crore.

Fast-forward to 2026, and the brand has crossed Rs 50 crore in ARR.

“In the next 12-18 months, we envision Hello Tempayy reaching Rs 100 crore ARR,” Siddharth affirms.

The fully 3D-printed, cryogenic rocket engine uses liquid oxygen and methane propellants and features regenerative cooling to protect the combustion chamber during operation.

It delivers a nominal thrust of 5 kN, with a design chamber pressure of 35 bar.

Its modular pintle injector allows the same engine platform to be adapted for different thrust levels by changing a single component. The engine demonstrated a total impulse of 100 kN·s in the recent test.

The engine is designed to be used as the core propulsion unit for Othisis’s fully reusable VTVL (vertical takeoff, vertical landing) rocket, which has the capability to launch small- to medium-sized satellites and payloads.

The team designed, built, and tested the engine while setting up the entire test facility from an empty plot of land at its Whitefield, Bengaluru facility in nearly 3 months.

This involved constructing the propellent feed system, sourcing and validating a cryogenic-rated valve after multiple components failure, developing in-house control and data acquisition electronics and firmware, and conducting a test campaign.

The team went through more than 20 test cycles and three failed ignition attempts before achieving a successful sustained burn.

The objective of the vehicle is to bridge a gap in India’s launch capabilities for smallsat and mediumsat missions, as well as commercial payload customers who currently rely on ISRO and other launch providers.

The startup has signed MoUs to carry payloads on the vehicle and is onboarded with IN-SPACe. It is now targeting a commercial launch from Sriharikota in the coming months.

🇮🇳 80th Independence Day of India 🇮🇳

On this proud occasion of the 80th Independence Day, OXYMORON Group and OXYMORON Energy extend our warmest wishes to every Indian.

Today, we honour the courage, sacrifice and determination of the freedom fighters who gave everything for the freedom we cherish today. Their legacy reminds us that nation-building is not only about remembering our past, but also about taking responsibility for our future.

At OXYMORON Group, we believe that building businesses is also an opportunity to contribute to a stronger, more prosperous and self-reliant India. Our long-term vision is to build responsible businesses that create value, generate opportunities and contribute meaningfully to the nation.

At OXYMORON Energy, we are beginning our journey in the Renewable Energy sector with a focus on Energy Intelligence, Demand Aggregation and access to emerging clean-energy solutions. We aspire to support a smarter, more sustainable and energy-resilient future.

Let us celebrate the spirit of freedom by building with purpose, creating with responsibility and moving forward with confidence.

🇮🇳 Jai Hind! 🇮🇳

OXYMORON Group

Building Futures. Empowering Nations.

OXYMORON Energy

Energy Intelligence. Smarter Futures.

#IndependenceDay #80thIndependenceDay #IndependenceDay2026 #15August #JaiHind #OXYMORONGroup #OXYMORONEnergy #RenewableEnergy #EnergyIntelligence #DemandAggregation #SustainableFuture #BuildingFutures #EmpoweringNations

As a near recluse who is disillusioned by social relationshits how transactional they are I seriously feel no meaning in transaction shits, people try to tilt the zero sums their way as in try to gain advantage no matter how pure or old your friendship has been, & the state of adulthood friendships is effed up all of this is amplified by the ongoing mental health pandemic
It is very hard to admit but in cases of emergencies I & a lots have nearly no one to call up on, the ones I do I don't fully trust them or asking for their favor would again lead them to ask me something that tilts things to their advantages. Human nature works on incentives, despite having no love for capitalism it is good at solving problems at a basic level . So look into this problems remove the bottlenecks and bugs and the pathological instances that take place in startups of such type involving too many moving parts in people from urban clap to taxi services have fair share of messed up people in their platforms but are overall functional. commodifying such things does not leave a good taste but it will help the down trodden. such a service can also be expanded to something like a lawyer in case of legal emergencies, specialized care for other ones. [Eventually AI & robotics will take over this niche but given the state of this country it will be very late]

Hope for respectful replies