Indian startups raised $1.4B in February; Brewing authentic kombucha

Modern problems call for modern solutions. 

One of the main issues with luxury wearable technology such as smart glasses is that they are indistinguishable from other glasses. This leads to privacy concerns as one may be recorded without consent. Now, an app–Nearby Glasses–can scan and alert users about any smart glasses nearby.  

Moving on, what happens when robots take on delivery jobs from gig workers? Humans turn to a new kind of work: robot wranglers. An article in the Los Angeles Times says bots used for deliveries are struggling to navigate the city. So much that human gig workers have to tend to these machines, from ensuring they are recharged to helping them get upright after a fall. 

Elsewhere, chip company NVIDIA has pledged $4 billion to advance optical technology for AI infrastructure through two multiyear strategic partnerships. The investment is split between two major optical technology firms, Lumentum and Coherent, to ensure that the next generation of data centres can handle the immense pressure of AI workloads.

ICYMI: From AI-related companies such as NVIDIA, TSMC and Broadcom to pharmaceutical major Eli Lilly, here are the world’s 50 most valuable companies in 2026. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Indian startups raised $1.4B in Feb
• Brewing authentic kombucha

Here’s your trivia for today: The 2005 documentary film The Smartest Guys in the Room was about which  troubled US corporation?

Funding

Indian startups collectively raised $1.4B in February 

Neysa’s $600 million fundraise lifted the overall venture capital inflow into the startup ecosystem in February. 

The total VC funding for February 2026 stood at $1.4 billion, which was a 110% increase when compared to February 2025 where the amount was $669 million, per data from YourStory Research. Compared to January 2026, the increase in funding was 52%, when the total was $927 million.

Key takeaways:

• If not for the Neysa transaction, the total funding raised would have been around the $800-900 million range, which could be termed as relatively average performance. It actually shows that there has not been any pickup in the overall funding momentum.
• In fact, during the month of February there were no $100 million plus deals outside of Neysa. The high value transactions for the month were: Drivn ($80 million), IDfy ($53 million), Temple ($54 million), and The Whole Truth ($51 million).
• As for sectors, AI led the pack, followed by cleantech and Direct-to-Home or D2C. Surprisingly, the fintech segment, which usually sits on top, was in fourth position in February.

Startup

Brewing authentic kombucha

In India’s fast-growing functional beverage market, kombucha has quietly found its way onto café menus, quick commerce platforms, and premium retail shelves. But according to entrepreneur Arvind Mohan, much of what is sold as kombucha in the country isn’t actually kombucha in the traditional sense.

Kumbayah Kombucha wants to change this. The startup, founded by Mohan and Ashvini Birghoffer, was officially founded in 2021. However, its journey began years ago in a home kitchen. 

New drink

• Kumbayah Kombucha has grown from a personal experiment into a brand selling over 1.5 million bottles annually across South India.
• At its core, kombucha is a probiotic drink made by fermenting tea and sugar with a live culture known as a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast).
• Today, Kumbayah is available all over Kerala, Madurai, Coimbatore, Chennai, Pondicherry, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

News & updates

• Rising prices: Global oil and gas prices rose on Tuesday as the Middle East crisis stopped energy exports from the region, ​with Iran attacking ships and energy facilities, closing navigation in the Gulf and forcing production stoppages from Qatar to Iraq.
• AI deal: Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, has said the company “shouldn’t have rushed” its recent deal with the US Department of Defense and outlined revisions to the agreement. The timing of the ChatGPT maker’s deal with the DoD prompted online backlash, with many users reportedly ditching OpenAI for Claude on app stores.

The 2005 documentary film The Smartest Guys in the Room was about which troubled US corporation?

Answer: Enron

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