Easy-peasy apps for enterprises; Building your entrepreneurial brand

Hello,

It’s a no-go for bike taxis in Karnataka, at least for now.

On Wednesday, the Karnataka High Court ordered the suspension of all bike taxi operations within six weeks, effectively grounding bike services on apps like Rapido, Uber, and Ola.

Elsewhere, India’s pioneering online travel company, MakeMyTrip, has completed 25 years of existence. The journey, according to Deep Kalra, Founder and Chairman, hasn’t always been smooth sailing, with the company, at one point in time, having enough resources for just one month of rent and payroll!

Moving on to the world of tech, can Meta succeed where Google failed?

The Facebook parent is reportedly developing a higher-end version of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses with a built-in screen to launch as early as the end of the year, per Bloomberg. Codenamed Hypernova, the glasses will retail for north of $1,000 compared to the current Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses that start at $299.

Among other things, Meta’s latest device can run apps and display photos. The bigger question is: Will Meta finally bring smart glasses into the mainstream? 

Speaking of Meta, the company’s head of artificial intelligence research is leaving the company. 

Joelle Pineau, Meta’s vice president of AI research, announced her departure in a LinkedIn post, saying her last day at the social media company will be May 30. The news comes at a time when Meta is pouring billions into its AI programmes to compete against rivals Google and OpenAI.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• TableSprint’s AI-powered app creation tools
• Building your entrepreneurial brand
• Venture debt leads funding wave

Here’s your trivia for today: Which singer-songwriter has won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, a Pulitzer, and a Nobel?

Startup

TableSprint’s AI-powered app creation tools

In a world where digital transformation is critical for business success, the ability to rapidly develop and deploy custom applications remains a significant challenge for many organisations. 

Enter TableSprint, an AI-powered platform reimagining how apps are built and disrupting the enterprise software market. Founded in 2024 by Abhijeet Kumar and Chirag Jadhav, the Bengaluru-based AI app builder platform is designed to help businesses build, automate, and scale applications with enterprise-grade capabilities.

No-code apps:

• TableSprint’s breakthrough innovation is its AI Consult system, which Kumar describes as an analyst, developer and cloud architect rolled into one, which is available 24/7. Users simply describe what they need in conversational language, and the AI translates those requirements into functional software.
• The startup’s AI-driven chat UI competes with platforms like Replit and Bolt for its user experience and onboarding. However, the core product is equipped to handle enterprise-grade workflows, automation, and app development, allowing the company to attract both SMBs and enterprises. 
• TableSprint monetises its AI app builder through tiered pricing. It offers a Free Forever plan with essential features like unlimited forms, app templates, and support for up to three users, as well as a custom-priced Enterprise plan for larger enterprises with advanced needs.

<Funding Alert>

Startup: Infinity Fincorp Solutions,

Amount: $40M

Round: Extended Series A

Startup: RapidClaims

Amount: $11M

Round: Series A + Seed

Startup: Stance Health

Amount: $1M

Round: Pre Seed 

Interview

Building your entrepreneurial brand

Establishing a strong brand is a crucial mode to success in corporate life. The first step towards that goal, according to Bayer’s comms leader, is to find what sets you apart from others and enrich it.

As part of YourStory’s She Means Business series, a conversation between Ethimo Ethnics Founder Vanshika Kaushik and Cluster Comms Head–Bayer Rachana Panda explored leadership, branding, and navigating male-dominated spaces, offering valuable insights into the challenges and successes of women in entrepreneurship and corporate leadership.

Breaking barriers:

• On brand-building, Panda stressed that every individual, company, and entity has a unique selling point. “A brand is the perception you create about yourself. You have to stand by it and work towards creating trust,” she said, adding that branding is about consistency, ethics, and integrity.
• Panda emphasised that entrepreneurship is not defined by gender; both men and women share similar goals and visions for their businesses. However, women, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, often have to work harder to prove themselves.
• Talking about work-life balance, Panda acknowledged that it varies across career stages and individual circumstances, but advocated for flexibility in corporate environments. She also advised young women stepping into entrepreneurship or corporate roles to cultivate curiosity and ask the right questions.

Venture Funding 

Venture debt leads funding wave

Amidst India’s maturing venture capital ecosystem, startups are increasingly looking to venture debt as an attractive option to secure growth capital without diluting their stakes in the company, a report by VC firm Stride Ventures in collaboration with Kearney said.

According to the ‘Global Venture Debt Report 2025’ report, venture debt (VD) is gaining prominence across India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe. India has emerged as the key driver of this trend, with the country’s VD market growing at a 58% CAGR, touching $1.23 billion in 2024.

Growth capital:

• Fintech, consumer tech, and cleantech segments have seen rising interest for venture debt in the country, with Bengaluru seeing 40% of the deal volumes, followed by Delhi-NCR and Mumbai.
• Nearly 61% of founders surveyed for the report noted that venture debt is a preferred tool for runway extension and working capital management. Indian startups also see a rise in time gaps between subsequent funding rounds, especially in the early and growth stages.
• Additionally, 40% of the respondents cited venture debt’s growing role in pre-IPO bridge financing. As startups flock to public bourses, many companies look to debt to help scale and stabilise operations. The remaining 37% said that debt was important in managing inventories and capital expenditure financing.

News & updates

• Trade war: US President Donald Trump prepared to impose sweeping new tariffs in an escalation of an ongoing trade war. The new duties are due to take effect immediately after Trump announces them, while a separate 25% global tariff on auto imports will take effect on April 3.
• Quarterly drop: Tesla Inc’s vehicle sales fell 13% last quarter to an almost three-year low, as the carmaker retooled factories around the globe to produce the redesigned Model Y and dealt with international backlash against Elon Musk.
• Overhaul: Boeing Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg said the US planemaker has implemented sweeping changes to reduce the number of defects and hitches in its production line, as he faced questions from US senators about the company’s recovery from several high-profile accidents.

Which singer-songwriter has won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, a Pulitzer and a Nobel?

Answer: Bob Dylan

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