Expansions, layoffs, funding, leadership moves, and policy shifts — with our take on what it means for hiring in India, today and over the next five years.
FLiCKA Cosmetics has scaled to a Rs 100 crore brand by prioritising physical retail distribution and product quality over heavy digital marketing spend. Co-founder Mohit Pardasani's background in traditional retail has shaped a business model that bets on in-store presence rather than influencer-led D2C plays. The brand's growth reflects a broader resurgence of retail-channel strategies within India's fast-expanding cosmetics sector.
Global real estate consultancy Knight Frank has placed Mumbai at 15th and Hyderabad at 27th position among 36 leading data centre markets worldwide in its newly released Global Data Centre Atlas 2026. The rankings highlight the growing operational scale of India's data centre infrastructure, underscoring both cities' rising importance in the global digital economy. This positions India as a serious player in a sector that is rapidly expanding across Asia-Pacific and beyond.
Mumbai-based investment firm Piper Serica has completed the first close of its Bharat Tech Fund at Rs 300 crore, targeting Indian startups building technology with global ambitions. Each portfolio company can expect to receive between Rs 25 and Rs 50 crore in funding. The fund is specifically focused on deeptech and globally competitive innovations originating from India.
Chennai-based deeptech startup Solinas Integrity, incubated at IIT Madras, has secured $5.5 million in fresh funding. The company develops AI-powered robotic systems designed to inspect, clean, and map underground water and wastewater networks, addressing critical issues like leakages, contamination, and the dangerous practice of manual scavenging. The investment is expected to fuel expansion of its technology and operations across India.
Bajaj General Insurance and global reinsurance giant Swiss Re are in discussions to form a commercial insurance partnership in India. The collaboration is aimed at covering complex risks in high-tech and manufacturing sectors, while also serving Indian businesses expanding internationally and foreign multinationals with a presence in India.
Mastercard's India head has publicly described UPI not as a threat but as a force that has broadened the digital payments ecosystem by bringing millions of new users into the fold. India now holds the largest digital payments market in the world by transaction volume, and Mastercard continues to invest in areas like cybersecurity and consumer trust. Regulatory frameworks and financial literacy are seen as the twin pillars sustaining this growth.
The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has amended the Drugs Rules, 1945, introducing provisions that can bar manufacturers and distributors from future licence applications if they are found to have submitted false or misleading information during the approval process. The Licensing Authority now has explicit powers to debar non-compliant entities. The move is aimed at raising the integrity of drug approval evidence across the industry.
Flexible workspace provider Smartworks has secured 141,000 square feet of office space in Delhi's Aerocity, one of the capital's most sought-after commercial corridors. The move is backed by strong business momentum, with the company posting 44% revenue growth in Q1 FY27. Smartworks now manages close to 17 million square feet of workspace across India and Singapore.
Honda has handed over development of a new multi-model vehicle platform to Tata Technologies, covering electric and hybrid variants. The deal is driven by Honda's need to cut costs and speed up its product pipeline. It marks a significant vote of confidence in India's capability to deliver complex automotive engineering at scale.
India's Ministry of Tourism and Netflix India have jointly launched a digital portal spotlighting real Indian locations featured in Netflix original productions. The initiative is designed to channel the storytelling power of streaming content into tangible tourism interest, while also reinforcing India's profile as a global filming destination. It marks a notable convergence of government cultural policy and a major streaming platform's content infrastructure.
Ola Electric is overhauling its go-to-market approach by moving away from a company-owned, direct-to-consumer sales setup toward a network of independent dealers spread across the country. The shift is aimed at deepening its geographic footprint and improving last-mile service reach. This marks a significant strategic pivot for a brand that built its early identity around an online-first, dealership-free model.
Gurugram-based travel technology company RateGain posted a consolidated net profit of nearly ₹95 crore in Q1 FY27, more than doubling its year-ago figure, while revenue surged 188% over the same period. The strong performance reflects accelerating demand for AI-driven SaaS solutions in the global travel and hospitality sector. RateGain, which counts major hotel chains and airlines among its clients, has been aggressively expanding its product and engineering capabilities.