PM Modi wants BRICS to help 100 startups scale yearly; Shuddh Swad turns Bihari thekua into a Rs 1 Cr D2C business

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged BRICS to assist 100 startups annually in expanding to other member markets. This initiative is gaining traction within the formal BRICS policy, with the New Delhi Declaration endorsing a network of startup incubators and proposing a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund. The declaration also highlights a focus on deep cooperation in digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cross-border payments, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) financing.

Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel, a telecommunications giant, has advocated for a uniform sovereign tech stack policy to ensure local data residency in India while maintaining data sovereignty. The company is constructing 100-megawatt data centers in the coming years and is focusing on the demand for sovereign cloud infrastructure.

AI has become a strategic priority for many businesses, especially in the banking and finance sectors. Companies are actively developing robust security measures, with Navi, an AI-driven fintech firm, leading the charge. Navi emphasizes the importance of building deep in-house capabilities in decisioning and risk models rather than merely acting as a distribution platform.

Gen Z consumers are driving the growth of fast commerce platforms, with Flipkart Minutes experiencing a 4X year-on-year increase and expanding to over 1,200 micro-fulfilment centers across 150 cities. This trend showcases the significant influence of younger demographics in shaping e-commerce markets.