Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (September 17, 2026)

India's semiconductor sector is expanding with Applied Materials and Lam Research investing heavily in the country. Lam Research plans to set up India's first silicon component manufacturing facility, alongside advanced R&D and supplier partnerships, investing approximately Rs 10,000 crore. Applied Materials will invest $5 billion in India over a decade, including a 140-acre research park, expanding its supply-chain capacity by 10X by 2035, and doubling its R&D workforce.

Meanwhile, fintech is experiencing debate around UPI merchant payments, with a proposed 0.4% fee on transactions above Rs 2,000, capped at Rs 300 for transactions of Rs 75,000 and above. This could generate new revenue for payments players, though its impact on profitability and customer behavior remains uncertain. Multiple startups are also securing funding, including DheyaTech, which raised Rs 43 crore led by Avaana Capital for scaling production and building a testing facility; Enlight Metals, which secured $1.5 million from Exar North Group for an AI-enabled metal procurement platform; Factrika, which raised Rs 8.9 crore in seed funding led by Info Edge for its on-demand industrial workforce platform; Ecosys, which raised Rs 5 crore pre-Series A led by GVFL Prarambh Fund for ecommerce and quick-commerce expansion; and Crowwd, which raised Rs 2.5 crore in angel round led by over 30 investors for its wealth-tech infrastructure.

Swiggy has introduced an Early Cashout feature for delivery partners, allowing payouts on demand within an hour through a three-step in-app process.