Business
Ronnie Screwvala: No funding winter for startups with real business models
There is no funding winter for startups and unicorns with great and real business models and for those building organisations to outlast all others, according to Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founder and Chairperson of higher education platform upGrad.
In an interaction with Screwvala said that even today, there are investments being closed daily across multiple sectors, as the world faces a great deal of uncertainty over multiple macro-economic factors.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Q: How do you look at the current wave of ‘funding winter’ in India?
A: I am always amused to hear this phrase ‘funding winter’, heard it so often in the last 15 years. I always thought only God was responsible for the multiple seasons we enjoy each year but of late, the private equity (PE) investor community is taking that place with their own patent on seasons.
Summer is when you bask in your own self-made glory, excesses and intoxication of hyper valuations, where no one is accountable and everyone is told to make hay while the sun shines.
Monsoon (unique to India) is a realisation that when ‘it rains it pours’ — good or bad.
Then, of course, is Winter, the time to re-write the same 50-page presentation that in summer months said exactly the opposite — the time to reverse the same intoxication of fund raise, valuations and hyper so-called growth with ‘one time’ write downs and blame the whole world, war, inflation and more, that was lurking around the whole summer but no one wanted to put their glasses on.
Seriously though, there is no funding winter for companies with great and real business models and for those building organisations to outlast all others. Even today there are investments being closed daily across multiple sectors — maybe not with the maverick investors who may be.
Let’s face it, the markets have corrected 10-12 per cent, that’s it. Overall, it is still way higher than pre-Covid and if you look, many companies are at their all-time high. This is also the best time for real businesses and mature founders not inflated with valuations to go out there.
Every company worth its value has to go through multiple seasons, over and over again, and the right ones grow and mature from that.
Also in Winter, the most elegant of snow leopards come out to hunt and be predators, and so Winter is the time for those who want to build to outlast and who want to be predators.
Q: The edtech sector is witnessing layoffs. Is this because funding dried up or there is more to it?
A: There is absolutely no ‘dry spell’. Just because a few handful of start-ups got crazily funded, made them lose all focus, pushed to grow and diversify are now being forced by those same investors to wake up and smell the coffee, does not mean there is any dry spell.
They were misguided by themselves and their Board and now are correcting themselves, unfortunately at the cost of valued working colleagues, but they are the exception, not the trend at all.
Never in a 100 years of education and ‘LifeLongLearning’ has there been a more opportune time to disrupt scale and include millions of college learners and working professionals to re-invent, re-skill and get onto a new growth path in their careers. India is also placed brilliantly to open up the higher education market in Asia and around the world.
We, at upGrad, have stayed away from the hubris of distraction and focused on outcomes and impacting careers.
Let there be no mistake, there is no better time than now. K12 went through its Covid bump and it is now seeing much needed correction, but the majority of companies in edtech are just getting started.
Q: How do you look at the global macroeconomic conditions that have engulfed economies the world over?
There were some interesting themes across the three days at the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos. Here are some takeaways:
A) Those who were questioning the end of globalisation had not really spent enough time defining what that meant in the first place, before sounding the death knell on it. Globalisation is here to stay as the world consumer wants it that way. An 18-year-old Zayda in Bangladesh wants to own an Apple iPhone and the 22-year-old Amari in Zambia wants to graduate from a UK university.
While the world leaders have in their own way created barriers, through war or threats of war and more insular growth, the seven billion+ people on this planet will not let that happen and globalisation will prevail.
B) There is a reskilling revolution that is happening and will be a tsunami over the next decade across the world. Better education and lifelong learning — accessible and affordable to all — digitally can and will add a massive $8 trillion to the global GDP in this decade. Power shifts in countries will take place based on the workforce and their population being ready for the jobs of tomorrow and also be the learning capitals of the world.
C) India also has the place and the position to be the new voice of global leadership — largest democracy, fastest growing economy and a world leader with clarity, conviction and an agenda to put it at the centre-stage in the world.
D) There is no doubt that the world is going to pass through a very, very challenging time. With food being disproportionately available to countries around the world, the poor will get poorer even if the rich do not get richer. Covid is not leaving the planet in a hurry but has got us all hyper alert on health enough to take notice of even Monkeypox – something that was prevalent in Africa for years but ever since it hit the “western” world.
And the war is not going away in a hurry and it will be interesting to see how engaged the West stays as the war prolongs or will they lose interest if it does not serve their agendas.
The big question we also need to track is how polarised the world will get in the next two-three years. All of this will call for incredible world leaders and leadership in politics and in building business and organisations.
Business
Dharavi Experience Centre will build trust among area residents: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, Oct 2: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the ‘Dharavi Experience Centre’ will not merely showcase blueprints of the redevelopment project but allow the area’s residents to directly experience their future homes, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.
In an interaction with the media, he stated that this initiative will help curb rumours, misconceptions, and incomplete information, creating an atmosphere of trust around the redevelopment.
CM Fadnavis inaugurated the state-of-the-art ‘Dharavi Experience Centre’, which offers physical and digital previews of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project plan, rehabilitated homes, industrial spaces, and upcoming social infrastructure, built near the BKC in the PMGP Colony’s H Block.
The event was attended by Adani Group Managing Director Pranav Adani, BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Mumbai Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) CEO Dr Mahendra Kalyankar, Dharavi Redevelopment Project CEO and SRA Secretary Vipin Paliwal, Adani Navbharat Developers Private Ltd (the Special Purpose Vehicle executing the redevelopment project) CEO Anil Sardana, among others.
After inspecting the centre, Fadnavis said: “Dharavi is not just a slum; it is a major economic engine. A significant economy thrives here through Kumbharwada’s pottery industry, leather business, food processing, plastic recycling, and various micro, small, and medium enterprises. The redevelopment plan respects these industries and focuses on providing them with better, well-planned workspaces. This is an effort toward comprehensive urban transformation while preserving Dharavi’s existing social, cultural, and economic identity.”
He added that this serves as an ideal example of the urban transformation taking place across the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Chief Minister noted that the ‘Dharavi Experience Centre’ will provide real-time information to everyone on how the Dharavi redevelopment project will look, what Dharavi is today, and how its structure will evolve in the future. This centre will play a crucial role in addressing the questions and confusion among Dharavi residents regarding their future post-redevelopment. He expressed confidence that by offering information on homes, roads, open grounds, social amenities, and employment opportunities all under one roof, the centre will be valuable for citizens, stakeholders, and urban planning researchers across the country.
The Dharavi Experience Centre highlights the journey from Dharavi’s present to its future transformation through modern audio-visual and digital technology. During his visit, CM Fadnavis also launched a special song titled “Dharavi Ka Kal”, sung by renowned singer Shankar Mahadevan, portraying the changing face of Dharavi, and released the book “Mere Sapno Ki Dharavi”.
Business
Markets extend weekly losing streak as FII selling, global risks weigh

Mumbai, Oct 2: Indian equity markets extended their losing streak to an eighth consecutive week on Thursday as benchmarks fell about 3 per cent each amid persistent foreign fund outflows, elevated US bond yields and geopolitical concerns.
Nifty 50 closed at 22,421.95, a decline of 3.1 per cent against the previous Friday’s closing of 23,140.5.
Similarly, Sensex declined 2.7 per cent to 71,909.7 compared with 73,895.7 a week earlier.
Broader markets also declined with midcap and smallcap indices falling 3.5 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively.
Sector-wise, BSE IT index was the only gainer, rising 0.2 per cent over the week.
In contrast, auto sector was the worst-performing sector, falling 5.5 per cent followed by consumer durables, down 5.3 per cent. FMCG and metal indices declined 4.2 per cent each, while energy, healthcare and realty indices fell between 3.3 per cent and 3.6 per cent. While banking, capital goods and power indices declined 2.4 per cent, 2.4 per cent and 2.6 per cent, respectively.
The latest decline marks the longest weekly losing streak for the benchmark indices in nearly 25 years.
Moreover, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to sell Indian equities, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) provided some support, cushioning the decline.
According to market experts, investor sentiment remained weak due to persistent geopolitical tensions, elevated crude prices, foreign fund selling and concerns over monetary policy.
Crude oil prices remained above $100 a barrel amid continued geopolitical tensions, while the US 10-year Treasury yield remained elevated, adding to pressure on emerging-market assets.
They further noted that the southwest monsoon ended with a 13 per cent rainfall deficit, raising concerns over agricultural output and food inflation.
The recent increase in minimum support prices for key rabi crops has also added to expectations of a cautious monetary policy stance, according to the experts.
Moreover, the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee is scheduled to meet next week, with the policy decision due on October 7.
In addition, the coming week will also mark the start of the second-quarter earnings season.
The near-term market outlook could remain sensitive to global yields, crude oil prices, foreign fund flows and geopolitical developments, while the upcoming earnings season will provide further direction to equities, according to analysts.
Business
Adani Green Energy expands battery storage capacity to 6.63 GWh in just 14 months

Ahmedabad, Oct 1: Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) on Thursday said it has expanded its operational Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity to 6.63 gigawatt-hours (GWh) at Khavda, Gujarat, from 3.55 GWh in June 2026.
India’s largest renewable energy company now accounts for more than 50 per cent of the country’s operational BESS capacity of about 12.6 GWh.
“Reaching 6.63 GWh of operational battery storage in just 14 months is a significant milestone for AGEL and India’s clean energy transition. At this scale, storage can make renewable power firmer, more reliable and dispatchable when the grid needs it,” said Sagar Adani, Executive Director, Adani Green Energy.
“As India’s power demand grows, we will continue to scale energy storage solutions, both battery and pumped storage, to support a more resilient, lower-carbon grid,” he noted.
The 6.63 GWh BESS can store enough clean energy to power around two million homes a day, and support peak electricity demand of cities like Nagpur, Patna or Vizag for several hours.
This BESS capacity at Khavda is equivalent to battery storage capacity of more than 150,000 mid-sized EVs and can store enough energy daily to meet almost twice the Delhi Metro’s estimated daily electricity requirement, underscoring the unprecedented scale of the installation.
The scale-up to 6.63 GWh strengthens the integration of renewable energy into the grid by enabling clean power to be stored and dispatched when required, said the company.
This milestone also consolidates Khavda’s position as the world’s largest operational battery energy storage installation at a single location.
The BESS is integrated with AGEL’s renewable energy (RE) development at Khavda, where the company is developing a 30 GW RE plant across 538 square kms of barren land.
The BESS uses lithium-ion battery technology, integrated with an Energy Management Systems (EMS) and automated telemetry to manage charging and discharging, optimise system performance and support grid services. Battery storage can improve grid stability, manage peak demand, reduce energy curtailment, and enable renewable power to be delivered when required.
AGEL said it is on track to add over 10 GWh of BESS capacity in FY 2026-27 and is targeting 50 GWh of storage capacity over the next 5 years.
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