Swiss Beauty Select targets ₹100-Cr revenue with offline expansion

September 26, 2026

Swiss Beauty Select, the premium makeup arm of Swiss Beauty, is targeting more than 100% growth in the current fiscal year and aims to cross Rs 70 crore in revenue. As the two-year-old brand enters its third year, it also plans to reach Rs 100 crore in revenue in FY27-28, said Mohit Goyal, cofounder & director, Swiss Beauty.

Select generated around Rs 35 crore in FY25-26 and now serves as Swiss Beauty’s premium offering for increasingly evolved consumers. The brand focuses on skincare-infused, high-performance makeup across its portfolio.

Furthermore, Swiss Beauty expects Select to contribute around 10% of the company’s targeted Rs 750-800 crore revenue in FY26-27. The contribution could rise to around 15% when Select crosses Rs 100 crore in the following fiscal.

“For the next financial year, FY27-28, we aim to clock Rs 100 crore from Select alone,” Goyal said.

Meanwhile, Select continues to expand its product portfolio. The brand currently offers around 35 parent SKUs and 350-400 child SKUs, including variants across different shades. Over the next three months, it plans to introduce around 100 additional child SKUs through 10-15 new launches.

Swiss Beauty has invested approximately Rs 40-50 crore in building Select so far. Going forward, the company plans to increase spending on product development, marketing, and distribution as the premium brand expands.

Offline expansion will remain a key growth driver for Select. Swiss Beauty currently operates around 40-45 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) and plans to increase this number to 60-70 by the end of this year.

In addition, the brand has entered modern trade through Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop and already has a presence in around 70% of their stores.

“The modern trade growth channel is evolving for us now. Select’s audience has evolved, so this is the right platform and fitment for us. That is one of our growth engines,” Goyal said.

The company is also expanding Select through general trade outlets supported by beauty advisors, high-street stores, and regional chains. The expansion will particularly focus on South India, while the brand continues to accelerate its direct-to-consumer (D2C) business.

Currently, Swiss Beauty generates 70% of its business through offline channels and 30% through online channels. However, the company expects the mix to shift to 65% offline and 35% online next year as its digital business expands.

With new product launches, increased investment, and a wider retail presence, Swiss Beauty is positioning Select as a key growth engine for its premium makeup business over the next two financial years.

AI startup Sol raises $4 Mn to build proactive AI email assistant

BRL Editor

September 26, 2026

AI startup Sol raises $4 Mn to build proactive AI email assistant — Anish Karan, Prateek Srivastava, and Ranjith Nair, co-founders, Sol

AI startup Sol has emerged from stealth with $4 million in funding led by General Catalyst and Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from DeVC, Peercheque, and Kunal Shah.

The AI startup will use the fresh capital to support research and development as well as go-to-market initiatives. In addition, Sol plans to allocate funding towards LLM processing and tooling costs, hiring, and working with customers across different markets.

Founded in August 2025 by Anish Karan, Prateek Srivastava, and Ranjith Nair, Sol is developing a proactive AI assistant that identifies commitments users make through email and begins working on the tasks required to fulfil them.

The startup primarily targets founders, executives, and professionals in sales, marketing, consulting, recruiting, and agencies who manage significant volumes of email as part of their daily work.

Sol aims to address a common workplace challenge: professionals frequently make commitments through email, such as sending an analysis, sharing a proposal, reviewing a document, or arranging a meeting. However, completing these commitments often requires users to work across multiple applications and tools.

Instead of asking users to create separate tasks or issue additional prompts, Sol identifies commitments and their surrounding context directly from Gmail. It then begins preparing the work required to complete those commitments.

For instance, when a user commits to sending an analysis, Sol can conduct research and prepare a document. Similarly, when an email involves coordinating with another person, the assistant can propose a meeting based on the context.

Beyond these capabilities, Sol can create presentations, draft email responses, and coordinate meetings. The startup therefore aims to move AI assistance beyond simple prompt-based interactions and towards proactive task execution.

“People whose work runs through email often have to repeat themselves: first in email, then again when they ask an AI tool to act. There’s no good reason for that. If I’ve already said I’ll do something, there should be an AI that gets started on it. We shouldn’t have to become experts in AI to benefit from it. AI should learn how to use the right tools and skills behind the scenes so people can focus on the work they’re uniquely good at while Sol does the heavy lifting and gives them a simple way to approve or edit the work,” said Anish Karan, CEO of Sol.

Sol operates through a dedicated computer environment that allows the assistant to use a browser and work across different tools. Furthermore, the system has a library of more than 100 skills designed to handle different types of professional tasks.

However, the assistant keeps users in control of final actions. Sol cannot send, schedule, or share anything without the user’s approval. Users can review, edit, or approve the work before the assistant takes any external action.

Users can also connect their Gmail accounts to Sol, enabling the assistant to identify what the startup calls “open loops” in their inboxes. The system does not require users to manually tag, forward, or file emails before it can identify these outstanding commitments.

On the data privacy front, Sol states that it does not use customer information to train AI models. The startup also said that its AI providers have configured their systems to disable training on customer data.

Sol currently operates through selective access as the company prepares to expand availability. Meanwhile, General Catalyst and Nexus Venture Partners have backed the startup’s approach to developing AI assistants that can act proactively rather than relying primarily on individual user prompts.

Akarsh Shrivastava, partner at General Catalyst, said the founders’ approach to the problem and product design had stood out to the firm.

“Sol’s problem is simple and deeply felt: if you’ve said you’ll do something, AI should already be doing it. Their consumer obsession and design philosophy stood out to us, and that’s exactly what this moment needs,” Shrivastava said.

Jishnu Bhattacharjee, partner at Nexus Venture Partners, said, “What got us excited about Sol is that Anish and team are building AI that just knows when to act and proactively does the right things. There is no learning curve; it’s AI that just works.”

With its new funding, Sol plans to advance its underlying AI technology, expand its team, and increase customer adoption as it develops its vision for proactive AI-powered workplace assistance.

Summit Hotels signs 24-Key property in Samthar, West Bengal

BRL Editor

September 26, 2026

Summit Hotels & Resorts has signed a 24-key property in Samthar, an emerging mountain destination in West Bengal, as the hospitality company expands its presence across lesser-explored destinations in the Eastern Himalayas. Scheduled to open in October-November 2026, Summit Samthar—The OtiEat Collection will join the company’s recently launched OtiEat portfolio, which focuses on destinations located beyond established tourist circuits.

Located around 30 km from Siliguri, Samthar offers a setting surrounded by forests, tea gardens, and Himalayan landscapes. Unlike established hill stations in the region, the destination remains relatively underexplored and provides opportunities for nature-led and slow travel, hiking, and birdwatching.

The upcoming property will feature 24 rooms facing Kanchenjunga, with each room offering a private balcony. In addition, the resort will include an in-house restaurant, private lawn, tea garden, children’s play area, common sitting spaces, and extensive outdoor areas.

“Samthar represents exactly the kind of destination we believe has considerable potential for the next phase of leisure travel in the region. Our experience in the Eastern Himalayas has shown us that when hospitality reaches a lesser-known destination, its impact goes beyond the hotel itself. It creates local employment, generates demand for transport and other services, and allows us to source produce and everyday requirements from local shops and suppliers. We have seen this around properties such as Summit Bougainvillea Tea Resort in Tindharia, Summit Tashi Ghang Heritage Resort in Pelling, and Summit Enigma Resort & Spa in Lamahata. Our aim in Samthar is to become part of the local economy while introducing more travellers to the destination without taking away the character that makes it worth discovering,” said Sumit Mitruka, Founder & CEO, Summit Hotels & Resorts.

Furthermore, the signing advances Summit Hotels & Resorts’ strategy of moving beyond established tourism centres and entering smaller destinations across the Eastern Himalayas. Destination development forms a key part of the OtiEat Collection, with the company expecting hospitality investments to support local employment, tourism services, and longer visitor stays.

For Samthar, Summit expects the new property to introduce the destination to a broader leisure audience. At the same time, the resort could encourage travellers to extend their North Bengal itineraries and explore lesser-known areas of the region.

The new signing also forms part of Summit Hotels & Resorts’ broader portfolio strategy, which operates across three propositions. OtiEat focuses on emerging destinations, Signature offers premium destination hospitality, while Mandir centres on spiritual tourism.

Through these three propositions, Summit Hotels & Resorts continues to expand its hospitality presence across diverse travel destinations while developing properties around emerging leisure, premium, and spiritual tourism markets.

Prestige Estates shelves ₹2,700-Cr hotel business IPO plans

BRL Editor

September 26, 2026

Realty firm Prestige Estates has withdrawn plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of its hotel business, citing strategic considerations and uncertain market conditions. The company had earlier planned to raise up to Rs 2,700 crore through the public issue.

Prestige Estates Projects Ltd’s subsidiary Prestige Hospitality Ventures Ltd (PHVL) had filed a Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in April last year to initiate the IPO process.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that its board had decided to “withdraw the DRHP on account of strategic considerations and uncertain market conditions.” However, PHVL could file a fresh draft red herring prospectus with Sebi in the future if market conditions become suitable and the company receives the necessary approvals.

Meanwhile, Prestige Estates has secured a separate investment commitment for its hospitality business. In August this year, the company announced that Canada-based investment firm CPPIB would invest up to Rs 3,000 crore in its hospitality arm.

Under a binding framework agreement, CPP Investment Board Pvt Holdings Inc. (CPPIB) and PHVL agreed on the proposed investment. CPPIB plans to deploy up to Rs 3,000 crore in PHVL through multiple tranches.

The investment provides PHVL with an alternative source of capital as Prestige Estates puts its proposed public offering on hold. At the same time, the company retains the option of returning to the IPO market when conditions become more favourable.

Bengaluru-based Prestige Estates ranks among India’s major real estate developers and operates across multiple segments. The company develops residential properties, offices, malls, and hotels across several major Indian cities.

Furthermore, Prestige Estates has built a sizeable hospitality portfolio as part of its broader real estate business. Through PHVL and its hotel assets, the company continues to expand its presence in India’s hospitality sector while evaluating different funding options for future growth.

The decision to withdraw the current DRHP therefore does not permanently rule out a public listing for PHVL. Instead, the company has indicated that it may revisit the IPO plan after assessing market conditions, securing the required regulatory approvals, and considering its broader strategic priorities.

Sanyark Space raises $2 Mn to build LEO Satellite Constellation

BRL Editor

September 26, 2026

Sanyark Space, co-founded by former ISRO scientist Akhileshwar Reddy and Masters’ Union Cohort 3 student Raghava Kundrapu, has raised $2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Avaana and AUM Ventures. Avaana invested $1.5 million, while AUM Ventures contributed $500,000 to the round.

The Bengaluru-based space technology startup is developing a software-defined low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation that combines precision navigation and secure IoT communication on a single platform. With this approach, Sanyark Space aims to build satellite infrastructure capable of supporting applications that require both accurate positioning and secure connectivity.

The company’s Navigation-Communication (NAV-COM) system targets both defence and commercial applications. Consequently, Sanyark Space is positioning its technology at the intersection of deeptech, space technology, and strategic infrastructure.

Sanyark’s core proposition centres on integrating navigation and communication capabilities within a single satellite constellation. The startup plans to develop space infrastructure that can support precision navigation alongside secure communication requirements across multiple use cases.

Furthermore, the company will use the newly raised capital to accelerate the development of its NAV-COM system. The funding will also support Sanyark’s broader objective of developing strategic space infrastructure for India.

Raghava Kundrapu, who was part of Masters’ Union’s third cohort, co-founded the company with Akhileshwar Reddy, a former ISRO scientist. Together, the founders are working on the satellite platform and underlying technology required to integrate navigation and communication capabilities into a unified constellation.

The NAV-COM platform is being developed for applications across defence and commercial sectors. In particular, Sanyark Space aims to address requirements related to precision positioning, navigation, and secure IoT connectivity.

Meanwhile, the $2 million investment marks Sanyark Space’s pre-seed funding round and provides the startup with capital to advance its satellite constellation and core technology. Going forward, the company plans to focus on developing its NAV-COM system and building the space infrastructure required to support its targeted applications.

Dextr AI Raises $6.7 Million to Expand AI Agents for Hospitality

BRL Editor

September 25, 2026

Hospitality-focused AI startup Dextr AI has raised $6.7 million in seed funding in a round led by Elevation Capital, with participation from Foundation Capital. The company plans to use the funding to develop its products, expand its team and software integrations, and scale deployments across hospitality markets.

Founded in July 2025 by Sajid Shariff and Scott Arnold, Dextr develops specialised AI agents for hospitality businesses. Its technology supports guest management, reservations, back-office operations, staff management, sales and marketing.

The startup said its platform is currently deployed across hundreds of properties in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. These include franchised properties operating under brands such as Hilton, Wyndham, Best Western and IHG.

Dextr processes more than one million interactions each month. Its technology also handles tens of millions of dollars in payments through phone reservations each month for its customers. The company initially focused on handling guest requests before expanding into reservations and other hotel operations.

Its current portfolio includes AI agents for voice reservations, guest management, workforce operations, and sales and marketing. The agents are designed to integrate with existing hospitality systems, allowing operators to use the technology without replacing their underlying systems.

Dextr is also launching Doss Gen 1, a command layer that enables hotel employees to control its AI agents through plain-language text or voice instructions. The system includes role-based permissions, an audit trail and controls designed to support consistency across multiple properties.

The company has also reported improvements in online ratings following deployments of its guest-management technology. According to Dextr, properties using its Alfred agent recorded an average increase of 0.4 points in online travel agency ratings within 90 days.

“Hospitality operators have a deep staffing shortage that leads to gaps in service, revenue leakage, broken guest experience, and overworked staff. Our mission is to enable a fully agentic workforce that fills in the gaps, and enable staff to focus their time where it really matters – on guests,” said Sajid Shariff, co-founder and CEO of Dextr AI.

“The speed at which Dextr is winning hospitality is a testament to the urgency of the problem,” said Krishna Mehra, partner at Elevation Capital.

Dextr’s latest funding comes as hospitality businesses increasingly explore AI applications across reservations, guest communication and internal operations.

NILE Hospitality Signs 90-Key Hampton by Hilton at Navi Mumbai International Airport

BRL Editor

September 25, 2026

NILE Hospitality has signed its seventh Hampton by Hilton hotel, a 90-key property located at Navi Mumbai International Airport. The signing marks the hospitality company’s first hotel agreement in the Mumbai metropolitan region.

The new property is part of NILE Hospitality’s strategic licensing agreement with Hilton to develop 75 Hampton by Hilton hotels across India. The agreement also supports the brand’s expansion into India’s upper-midscale hospitality segment.

“We are excited to bring Hampton by Hilton, Navi Mumbai Airport to Mumbai and offer this iconic brand to travelers seeking trusted hospitality from one of the most globally recognized names among leading hotel brands. Hampton has long captured the love of guests, and NILE Hospitality’s proven record of management expertise is perfectly placed to serve the evolving needs of today’s travelers. As our debut hotel in Mumbai and 7th Hampton property under development, this milestone reflects our strong and diversified brand portfolio, underscores our flexible, comprehensive support to our owners and partners, and a strong desire to contribute to the country’s growing hospitality sector.” said Vikram Singh Chauhan, Founder and CEO, NILE Hospitality.

The development comes as NILE Hospitality continues to expand its presence in India’s growing hospitality sector through its Hampton by Hilton portfolio.

Thomas Cook India Expands Bengaluru Presence with New RR Nagar Outlet

BRL Editor

September 24, 2026

Thomas Cook India has expanded its retail presence in Bengaluru with a new outlet in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar (RR Nagar). The addition takes the company’s network to 13 outlets across Bengaluru and 18 across Karnataka.

Located in South-West Bengaluru, RR Nagar is an established residential and lifestyle destination with a strong base of affluent and upper-middle-class households, technology professionals and students. The area also has connectivity to established residential neighbourhoods and emerging growth corridors, making it an important retail hub for customers across a wider catchment.

The new outlet will serve customers from Ideal Homes Township, BEML Layout, BHEL Layout, Remco Layout, Gnanabharathi and Kengeri Satellite Town. Its catchment will also extend to Uttarahalli, Hosakerehalli, Nayandahalli, the Mysore Road corridor, Chandra Layout and southern parts of Vijayanagar.

The outlet’s proximity to Bengaluru’s technology and education hubs also gives it access to a young, mobile and internationally oriented customer base.

The outlet will primarily cater to families and technology professionals. Its offerings include International and Domestic Holidays, Group Tours, Personalised Holidays, Cruises and value-added services such as Travel Insurance.

Customers can also use Thomas Cook’s AI-powered booking platform for personalised vacation planning. The platform allows customers to check availability and make reservations in real time.

Bengaluru travellers are increasingly using public holidays and weekends to take multiple short breaks and mini-cations throughout the year. This has extended travel beyond traditional holiday seasons.

There is also growing interest in experiential holidays, with travellers seeking distinctive experiences and greater personalisation instead of relying only on conventional destination itineraries.

Cruise holidays and charter-led journeys are gaining traction among travellers from Bengaluru. Thomas Cook India has also launched exclusive charter flights from Bengaluru to Lakshadweep for the year-end holiday season.

Pilgrimage and spiritual tourism continue to see growing demand. Thomas Cook India has strengthened its Spiritual Tourism portfolio to serve this segment, with destinations including Kailash Mansarovar, Char Dham, Puri, Kashi, Ujjain and Ayodhya.

Bengaluru travellers are also showing growing interest in newer destinations such as the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya, Iceland, Antarctica and Seychelles.

At the same time, travellers are increasingly looking for differentiated and immersive experiences while exploring destinations beyond conventional itineraries.

Popular international destinations include Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy and Spain in Europe; Finland, Norway and Sweden in Scandinavia; the Czech Republic and Hungary in Eastern Europe; Australia and New Zealand; South America; Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Japan and South Korea; as well as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Within India and the Indian subcontinent, key destinations include Kashmir-Leh, Northeast India, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala, Sri Lanka and Andaman.

Anarock Acquires 51% Stake in Architecture & Interior Design Firm, DSP Design Associates

BRL Editor

September 24, 2026

Mumbai, 24 September 2026 – Anarock, one of India’s leading real estate services companies, today announced the acquisition of a 51% stake in DSP Design Associates, a multidisciplinary architecture, master planning, and interior design practice. This deal brings together real estate advisory & transaction capabilities of Anarock Group with over three decades of design legacy of DSP, whichwe believe positions the combined entity to offer clients an integrated, end-to-end real estate & design proposition across India and select overseas markets.

DSP Design Associates, over the years has built a strong presence across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, NCR, and Hyderabad, supported by 320+ professionals in India. The firm has delivered over 1,000 projects across geographies and is ranked 42nd-largest architecturalpractice globally on the WA100 2026 list, and 5th-largest interior design firm on International Giants List 2026.

DSP will continue to be led by its founding leadership with overarching guidance from Anarock, ensuring continuity in brand, management, client relationships,and design excellence culture following the transaction.

“DSP’s design pedigree and blue-chip client base make it a natural extension of the Anarock real estate ecosystem. It is a logical fit for and furtherance of our Project Management & Engineering Services (PMES) and advisory business lines and allows us toscale faster while staying true to and amplifying scope of services we offer to our clients. Together, we can offer developers and corporates a seamless journey from site selection and transactions to design and build, unlocking significant value across theasset lifecycle,” said Anuj Puri, Founder & Chairman, Anarock Group.

“This partnership allows us to scale higher and faster while staying true to the design philosophy and client relationships we have built over decades. While the foundation we have built remains unchanged, Anarock now gives us the platform to expand acrossnew geographies and service lines.” said Bimal Desai, Co-Founder and Principal, DSP Design Associates.

DSP’s practice spans three core capabilities – master planning, architecture, and interior design & design-build services across commercial IT parks, mixed-use developments, residential, retail and hospitality sectors, with over 125 million sft of ongoing projects. On the commercial side, the firm has worked with CapitaLand, Mapletree, Sattva, Tata Realty, Bagmane Developers & Purvankara, to name a few. On residential and mixed-use projects, DSP has worked with leading developers including Adani Realty, L&T Realty, Emaar and Piramal Realty, among others.

The firm’s interior design arm has worked with 50 Fortune 500 companies, offering both design consultancy and design-and-build services through a curated contractor panel, with marquee clients spread across global technology, financial and professional services,and life-sciences organisations.

About Anarock

Anarock is one of the leading independent real estate services companies operating across India and the Middle East. Established in2017, Anarock draws upon a legacy of over three decades of real estate expertise and advises clients across various property sectors including residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, land, industrial and flexible workspaces.

With a team of over 2,300 professionals as of March 31, 2026, Anarock delivers integrated real estate solutions spanning investmentbanking, bespoke research, strategic advisory and valuations, project management and engineering services and enterprise community management. Backed by predictive AI/ML models and generative AI tools, CRM infrastructure and deep and long-standing relationshipswith developers, corporate occupiers, investors and government bodies, the Company combines market intelligence, technology and disciplined execution which we believe creates long-term value across the real estate lifecycle.

For more information, please visit www.anarock.com

About DSP Design Associates

DSP Design Associates is an Indian-born global architecture, master planning and interior design practice with over three decades of cumulative experience and 360-degree capability spanning architecture, interior design, design-and-build, master planning and smart building advisory. Operating across Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad, the firm serves commercial, corporate, residential, and hospitality clients globally and holds a 49% stake in Education DesignInternational (EDI), a company specialising & focusing on educational institutions designs globally.

For more information, please visit www.dspdesign.co

Fuel Cycle Launches Global Capability Center in Mumbai to Advance AI-Powered Consumer Insights

BRL Editor

September 24, 2026

National, India, 24th September, 2026: Fuel Cycle, a US-based AI-powered consumer insights and market research platform, today announced the opening of its Global Capability Center (GCC) in Navi Mumbai, marking an expansion of the company’s global technology and product operations. Located in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, the center will serve as a strategic hub for Engineering, AI and Product Development. The GCC is being set up with an initial planned capacity of 50, with room to scale further over the coming quarters. The company aims to invest in scaling the centre, which is expected to become a key part of FuelCycle’s global product and technology organization.

The Navi Mumbai GCC is part of Fuel Cycle’s broader vision to build the technology infrastructure for the next generation of market research. As organizations look to understand customers faster and make decisions using a wider set of consumer signals, Fuel Cycle is bringing AI, research methodologies, owned customer communities and behavioral data into a connected platform. The India centre will contribute to this vision by building core product capabilities and strengthening engineering and data infrastructure and working closely with teams across the US and other global markets. The expansion also reflects the company’s long-term focus on tapping India’s technology and AI talent to build products for a global customer base.

Commenting on the announcement, Daryush Laqab, Chief Product and AI Officer, Fuel Cycle, said, “The way enterprises understand consumers is entering a fundamental transition. AI is creating an opportunity to move from fragmented research and point-in-time insights towards systems that learn continuously and help teams make decisions much faster. Our Navi Mumbai centre will be an important part of building that future. We see India not simply as a delivery location, but as a strategic product and AI hub where teams can help shape the technologies that will define the next generation of market research. Over the coming years, we intend to build deep capabilities here across AI, engineering and product development while creating opportunities for teams in India to work on technology with global impact.”

Going forward, Fuel Cycle plans to focus on hiring talent across AI/ML, data engineering, product engineering, UX, research technology, cloud infrastructure, etc. Over the next 3-4 years, the GCC is expected to take on greater ownership of global product development, supporting Fuel Cycle’s broader roadmap to build a more AI-native and continuously learning consumer insights platform.

About Fuel Cycle

Fuel Cycle helps leading brands build deeper, more continuous understanding of their customers. Our AI-powered platform brings together owned customer communities, behavioral and insights data, and every research method, including quantitative, qualitative and UX research, helping teams get to better answers faster. With every study building on what came before, Fuel Cycle helps organizations learn continuously, move faster and make more informed business decisions.

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