Startup news and updates: daily roundup (October 12, 2026)

From Patna, India's Bharat Project, in collaboration with DPIIT and Startup India, unveiled ShuruKar, a nationwide district-level movement aimed at empowering young Indians to identify local problems and develop businesses to address them. The launch was marked by the presence of Shri Nitish Mishra, Minister for Urban Development and Housing in Bihar, along with founders, students, and young entrepreneurs from the state.

Ecommerce platforms in India witnessed a surge in sales during the first two days of festive shopping, with combined sales reaching approximately Rs 24,000 crore. Mobile phones dominated the sales landscape, accounting for the largest share in value terms, according to Redseer Strategy Consultants. The increased order volumes indicated a broader growth in India's festive e-commerce basket, with consumers diversifying their spending beyond mobile devices into fashion, electronics, and appliances.

Manufacturing marketplace Zetwerk, based in Bengaluru, announced its plans to go public with an IPO priced between Rs 143 and Rs 151 per share, aiming to raise Rs 5,012 crore. The IPO includes a fresh issue of shares and an offer for sale, expanding the company's public offering to Rs 5,012 crore from the initial Rs 2,600 crore. Zetwerk aims to leverage the IPO to further grow its manufacturing marketplace platform.

Strategic partnership between Kyndryl, WPP, and WPP Open has been expanded to support AI-powered transformation and growth initiatives. WPP will deploy Kyndryl's Agentic AI Framework and Kyndryl Bridge to optimize WPP's IT applications, enhance cloud operations, and bolster its Elevate28 strategy for cost efficiency. Kyndryl named WPP as its preferred global marketing partner, broadening their joint efforts in digital, experiential, and integrated marketing powered by WPP Open.

Additionally, Kyndryl Consult and WPP Enterprise Solutions will strengthen their go-to-market initiatives to help enterprise clients transform customer engagement through AI, data, and emerging technologies.

Fintech rewards infrastructure provider Hubble has partnered with consumer tech platform TimBuckDo to offer exclusive brand rewards to India's student community. With over 700,000 verified, educated college students participating in TimBuckDo's network, known as 'Doers', the partnership will provide students access to discounts and offers from more than 500 brands across 20+ categories.

The collaboration ensures students can maximize the value of their earnings by connecting rewards directly to their active income moments through TimBuckDo.