Listen to today’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silk-logic-small-business-daily/id1841930957
Small Business Daily Podcast 01/03/2026
Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories:
Arya.ag raises ₹725 crore from GEF Capital Partners; to be IPO ready in 20 months
By Agnidev Supantha Bhattacharyya — January 2, 2026
Indian grain commerce platform Arya.ag raised ₹725 crore in equity led by GEF Capital Partners at a premium to its prior valuation, with plans to be IPO-ready in 15–20 months. The company will deepen farmer engagement and climate-smart ag practices, earmarking up to $6 million for strategic tech investments, while reporting H1 FY26 revenue up 28% to ₹300 crore and profits up 39%.
OpenAI Working on Three Hardware Devices — First Is a Smart Pen
By Jonas Sunico — January 2, 2026
OpenAI is reportedly moving into consumer hardware, starting with a contextually aware AI smart pen rooted in its acquisition of Jony Ive’s hardware startup io, with additional devices in the pipeline. Manufacturing is said to be shifting toward Foxconn in Vietnam as OpenAI seeks to avoid China, signaling a broader ecosystem play that stretches beyond software.
Meeting the Moment: Industry Leaders Chart the Course for Power in 2026
By Aaron Larson — January 2, 2026
Power-sector leaders say AI-driven forecasting and planning are becoming essential as electrification and data centers surge, while grid constraints and supply chains remain key bottlenecks. Utility-scale solar continues to expand, but interconnection delays and transmission buildouts will determine how quickly new generation reaches customers—pushing more organizations to consider on-site and distributed generation.
Reshaping the Power Grid: Driving Resilience Through DERs
By Darrell Proctor — January 2, 2026
Distributed energy resources (DERs)—from microgrids to virtual power plants—are becoming central tools for reliability, peak shaving, and cost control. With AI-enabled optimization and rapidly expanding battery storage, businesses and utilities can improve resilience, reduce infrastructure costs, and better match local supply with demand.
Even as global crop prices fall, India’s Arya.ag is attracting investors — and staying profitable
By Jagmeet Singh — January 1, 2026
Arya.ag closed an $81 million Series D led by GEF Capital as its secured warehousing-and-lending model keeps NPAs below 0.5% despite falling crop prices. Reaching up to 900,000 farmers across 12,000 warehouses, the startup posted ₹4.5 billion in FY25 net revenue and plans to scale AI tools, blockchain tracking, and smart farm centers en route to an IPO in 18–20 months.
XEROTECH LTD Launches CallGPT 6X, First AI Platform to Filter Sensitive Data Before It Leaves the Browser
By Noman Shah — January 1, 2026
XEROTECH’s CallGPT 6X offers client-side privacy filtering that scrubs sensitive data in the browser before any AI request is sent, unifying access to six providers and 20+ models with smart routing and editable artifacts. Aimed at teams juggling multiple tools and compliance needs, it adds real-time cost visibility and collaborative features with transparent, usage-based pricing.
China’s AI boom accelerates, the rise of physical AI, and Meta’s enterprise play
By Robert Hof — January 2, 2026
China’s AI surge is accelerating with a wave of IPOs from leading model and chip firms, while Meta’s acquisition of agent startup Manus signals a renewed push into enterprise AI. Meanwhile, “physical AI” is gaining traction, pointing toward the next wave of smart machines and robotics beyond today’s language models.
Taken together, these stories highlight a pivotal 2026 for small businesses: AI is moving from screens to devices and secure workflows, capital is flowing into resilient, tech-enabled supply chains, and energy strategies are shifting toward distributed, reliable power. The throughline is preparedness—adopting privacy-first AI tools, planning for grid constraints, and leveraging financing and technology to stay agile in a fast-changing market.
