{
  "id": 3627147,
  "title": "ET Startup Awards 2026 | Comeback Kid: Mukund Jha returns stronger with AI bet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/et-startup-awards-2026-comeback-kid-mukund-jha-returns-stronger-with",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-27T00:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Economic Times Tech",
    "slug": "economic-times-tech",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/et-startup-awards-2026-comeback-kid-returning-stronger-with-ai-bet/articleshow/133548499.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mukund Jha, the co-founder and former chief technology officer of Dunzo, has been hailed as a comeback kid in the 2026 ET Startup Awards. Jha's journey from Dunzo to Emergent, an AI-powered platform for building web and mobile applications, showcases his resilience and ambition in the face of setbacks. Dunzo, once a prominent hyperlocal delivery startup, faced challenges including delayed salaries, job cuts, and a failed funding cycle. Despite these hurdles, Jha's efforts at Emergent, which has raised $130 million at a $1.5 billion valuation and reported a $120-million annualized revenue run-rate, make him a standout candidate in the Comeback Kid category. Jha's success story is a reminder to entrepreneurs that one big success can overshadow past failures, and that taking bold risks can lead to significant achievements.",
  "summary": "Emergent cofounder Mukund Jha has won the Comeback Kid award at the ET Startup Awards 2026, marking a return after the collapse of Dunzo. The jury recognised his second act with AI startup Emergent, which recently raised $230 million at a $1.5 billion valuation and built more than 12 million applications through its AI-powered platform.",
  "key_points": [
    "Mukund Jha returns as comeback kid in 2026 ET Startup Awards.",
    "Former Dunzo CTO launches AI platform Emergent.",
    "Emergent raised $130M at $1.5B valuation, $120M annual revenue."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}