Wednesday's news, 23 September.
A day of Indian startup money and moves. Ultraviolette raised $85 million to take its electric motorcycles to Europe, Japan and the US, Multiples led a $150 million round in Brahma AI, RPS Ventures sold part of its Meesho stake and Mastercard sold out of Pine Labs entirely. Byju's parent and Aakash settled their fight over a rights issue, L'Oreal's buy of Bare Anatomy maker Innovist cleared the competition regulator, and NPCI put nine UPI services into one AI assistant. The Hurun list put Gautam Adani back at the top, with AI minting 15 new names, and at 83 Ashok Soota is funding research into ageing. Abroad, Andreessen Horowitz started a school for high school graduates and OpenAI hired Patreon's co-founder to build for creators.
These are the stories the quiz is written from, so reading on answers it.
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Ultraviolette Automotive raises $85 million led by Yali Capital, TDK Ventures
Electric motorcycle maker Ultraviolette Automotive raised $85 million in a round led by Yali Capital and TDK Ventures. It will use the capital to scale production, develop new electric vehicle platforms and expand across Europe, Japan and the US.
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a16z is challenging Silicon Valley’s love for drop-outs by launching a school
Andreessen Horowitz is starting an academy for high school graduates, a move that challenges Silicon Valley's long-running love for dropouts. The programme sits somewhere between a trade school, the Y Combinator accelerator and Peter Thiel's Fellowship Program.
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RPS Ventures sells 0.9% stake in Meesho for Rs 899.7 crore
RPS Ventures sold a 0.9% stake in Meesho for Rs 899.7 crore, out of the 1.2% it held as of June 30. Norges Bank, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup were among the buyers, and Meesho's stock closed 1.6% lower at Rs 236.35.
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OpenAI nabs key Patreon execs ahead of upcoming announcement
OpenAI has hired three former Patreon executives to anchor its product strategy for creators. Sam Yam, who started Patreon 13 years ago, will lead Creator Product, joined by former product head Drew Rowny and engineering head Shannon Ma.
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Rabbit’s new AI agent doesn’t need an R1 to run
Rabbit, the company behind the R1 device, is releasing a standalone AI agent that works without its hardware. Its new OS3 runs in the cloud but operates locally on Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
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Byju’s parent Think & Learn, Aakash reach settlement over rights issue before NCLT Bengaluru
Think & Learn, the parent of Byju's, and Aakash Educational Services have settled their dispute over Aakash's rights issue. Senior advocates for the two companies told the Bengaluru bench of the NCLT during a hearing.
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Mastercard Exits Pine Labs Via ₹934 Cr Bulk Deal
Mastercard exited Pine Labs by selling its whole 4.31% stake through a bulk deal worth Rs 934 crore. Mastercard was an early backer of the company.
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Two Gen Z's saw a trend in pickle videos and built a brand around it. Now it’s worth $8.5 million
Good Girl Snacks, the company behind Hot Girl Pickles, was started by two Gen Z founders who bonded over pickle videos on TikTok. The brand has raised $3 million, is valued at $8.5 million and is stocked at Whole Foods Market and Erewhon.
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Zoho bets on AI to rewrite the enterprise software playbook
Zoho is betting on AI to rewrite how enterprise software is sold and used. Its Zia Chat puts one AI interface across more than 60 applications, and the company is adding seven industry-specific offerings to shorten deployment.
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Brahma AI raises $150M led by Multiples Alternate Asset Management
Brahma AI raised $150 million in a round led by Multiples Alternate Asset Management. The company is expanding from its media and entertainment focus into sports, healthcare and advertising while developing new AI applications.
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CCI clears L’Oréal India's acquisition of Bare Anatomy maker Innovist: All you need to know
The Competition Commission of India cleared L'Oreal India's acquisition of Innovist, the company behind Bare Anatomy. The founders will keep running the business, and its brands will move into L'Oreal's Consumer Products Division.
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The inverted clock of Ashok Soota: Why India’s serial IT builder gets bolder with age
At 83, Ashok Soota is funding research into human ageing and the brain. He built Wipro's IT business before taking both Mindtree and Happiest Minds public, and Mint profiles him as a serial builder who gets bolder with age.
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Zetwerk, Ayr Energy settle legal dispute, seek termination of USITC probe
Zetwerk and Ayr Energy reached a global settlement that ends disputes spanning Texas courts, Bengaluru proceedings and a USITC investigation. Both sides are now seeking termination of the US probe.
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BHIM MyUPI brings 9 UPI services into one AI assistant
BHIM MyUPI brings nine UPI services into one conversational AI assistant inside the BHIM app. It lets users track transactions, manage Autopay mandates, raise complaints and check fraud risks.
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Hurun Rich List 2026: Gautam Adani reclaims top spot as AI adds 15 new entrants, India gets 27 billionaires
The M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026 puts Gautam Adani and family back at number one. AI emerged as a new wealth-creation sector with 15 new entrants, and the number of Indian dollar billionaires reached a record.
