Indian vibe-coding startup Emergent triples valuation to $300M with $70M fundraise

By Jagmeet Singh • January 20, 2026 • Source

Emergent raised $70 million led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Khosla Ventures, tripling its valuation to $300 million as it claims $50 million ARR and 5 million users. The AI “vibe-coding” platform helps entrepreneurs and small businesses design and deploy apps without large engineering teams, and aims to surpass $100 million ARR by April 2026. The round signals renewed investor appetite and SoftBank’s return to Indian tech bets.

India’s MSMEs get a digital makeover to compete with global suppliers

By Dhirendra Kumar • January 20, 2026 • Source

India plans to equip 72 million MSMEs with shop-floor digital tools—like machine monitoring and energy management—starting with a World Bank-backed pilot in Gujarat under the RAMP scheme. Startups empanelled by the National Productivity Council will deploy plug-and-play kits at ₹50,000 per unit through March 2027 to boost productivity, traceability, and energy efficiency. The upgrade targets fewer export rejections and stronger integration into global value chains.

Reps launches to help teams train for AI-powered execution

By Kyt Dotson • January 20, 2026 • Source

Reps unveiled an AI platform that makes “execution readiness” measurable by capturing practice signals—screen recordings, drafts, and voice notes—to spot what’s working before go-live. With Profiles, Exchanges, and APIs, the tool helps leaders close the visibility gap between strategy and day-to-day AI-enabled execution. It’s designed to reduce costly missteps by letting teams rehearse and refine processes before outcomes are on the line.

Everstone combines Wingify and ABTasty for $100M+ digital experience optimization platform

By Jagmeet Singh • January 20, 2026 • Source

Everstone is merging India’s Wingify with France’s ABTasty to form a $100M+ revenue digital experience platform serving 4,000+ customers, with no layoffs planned. The combined company will invest in AI-led experimentation and personalization to give marketers and product teams a more integrated toolkit. The move reflects broader PE-driven consolidation in enterprise SaaS as buyers pursue scale and AI readiness.

Legal AI startup Ivo raises $55 million in latest funding round

By Reuters • January 20, 2026 • Source

Ivo raised $55 million at a reported ~$355 million valuation to expand its AI contract review platform used by companies like Uber, Shopify, and IBM. The company says breaking reviews into 400+ AI tasks improves accuracy versus generic chatbots and helps unlock insights from legacy deals. Funds will go toward hiring as demand grows for tools that speed legal workflows while managing risk.

Warehouse automation startup Unbox Robotics raises $28 million led by ICICI Venture

By Puran Choudhary • January 20, 2026 • Source

Unbox Robotics secured $28 million to scale its modular, AI-driven sorting robots deployed across India, Europe, and soon the U.S., using both direct sales and Robot-as-a-Service models. With roughly 500 robots already in the field, the company cites labor shortages and peak-season volatility as key drivers for automation. The capital will fund engineering, product acceleration, and international expansion, with some secondary to reward employees.

Travel firms tune into AI tech big time

By Swathi Moorthy • January 20, 2026 • Source

Indian travel platforms like Ixigo, MakeMyTrip, RateGain, and Scapia are investing heavily in GenAI for personalized planning and faster customer support, as sector adoption rose to 35% in 2024 from 4% in 2022. Case studies show AI slashing disruption response times, while startups build curated, interest-based trip experiences. Scaling remains a challenge, but firms see AI as critical to growth and differentiation.

Ethernovia raises more than $90M to advance Ethernet packet processors for automotive and edge AI

By Duncan Riley • January 20, 2026 • Source

Ethernovia raised over $90 million to accelerate Ethernet packet processors that serve as the “nervous system” for software-defined vehicles and intelligent machines. Its chips aggregate and route high-bandwidth sensor and AI data with low latency, enabling zonal and centralized architectures for autonomy. Investors say the platform removes critical networking bottlenecks across automotive, robotics, and industrial AI.