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Alivaa Hotels & Resorts Ventures into Heritage Hospitality with the Inclusion of Heritage Lotwara Fort, Dausa, Rajasthan

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DAUSA, RAJASTHAN— Alivaa Hotels & Resorts is thrilled to announce a landmark expansion into the heritage hospitality space with the inclusion of Heritage Lotwara Fort in Dausa, Rajasthan, into its prestigious collection.

This significant partnership marks the 15th property to join the Alivaa portfolio and represents the group’s inaugural heritage property, signaling a new chapter in its growth trajectory.

Perched amidst the lush, fertile plains of Dausa, Heritage Lotwara Fort is a magnificent 17th-century edifice built by Thakur Ganga Singh. This historic “Garh” (fort) holds deep roots in the Royal Amber State and later the Jaipur State, belonging to the brave Kilanot clan of the Kacchawa Dynasty.

Unique to its location, the fort stands on the banks of the sacred Banganga River, believed to have emerged from Arjuna’s arrow during the Mahabharata. The surrounding village of Lotwara is affectionately known as “Peacock Town” due to its abundant peacock population, offering a truly enchanting experience. Later, the Garh was meticulously restored by the late Thakur Giriraj Singh Ji and opened as a hotel, offering a serene retreat for architecture lovers seeking peace and harmony amidst nature.

Guests at Heritage Lotwara Fort can immerse themselves in the authentic Rajputana style through exquisitely designed rooms like the “King’s Room” and “Queen’s Room,” featuring intricate details, natural light, and royal furnishings. The property also boasts traditional courtyards, a historic “Kachehri” (court), and charming “Chhatries” (cenotaphs) on its rooftops, all spread across 52,300 sq. ft.

This strategic acquisition underscores Alivaa Hotels & Resorts’ unwavering commitment to expanding its footprint across the diverse landscape of India, offering guests unique and enriching experiences. Heritage Lotwara Fort, a majestic historical edifice nestled in Dausa, Rajasthan, boasts a rich legacy spanning centuries, having witnessed numerous historical events and serving as a testament to the region’s rich Rajput heritage. Its intricate architecture and storied past offer a glimpse into the regal heritage of the region, providing guests with an unparalleled opportunity to immerse themselves in authentic Rajasthani culture and history.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Heritage Lotwara Fort into The Alivaa Hotels & Resorts collection,” said Akash Bhatia, CEO of Alivaa Hotels & Resorts (Managed & Franchise Business). “Venturing into the heritage segment comes with immense responsibility, and it’s a responsibility we embrace with dedication. We are committed to preserving the rich history and architectural grandeur of Lotwara Fort while delivering the exceptional hospitality Alivaa is known for.”

Vikramjit Singh, founder of Alivaa Hotels & Resorts, commented, “The addition of Lotwara Fort is a testament to our vision of creating a diverse and captivating portfolio that caters to the evolving preferences of travelers. This move not only strengthens our presence in a key tourism destination like Rajasthan but also allows us to contribute to the preservation of India’s magnificent heritage.”

Mrs. Aventika Rathore, Proprietor of Shaurya Hospitality, added, “We are incredibly excited to partner with Alivaa Hotels & Resorts. Their expertise in hospitality management, combined with their commitment to excellence, makes them the ideal partner to ensure Heritage Lotwara Fort continues to offer an authentic and memorable experience to its guests while preserving its legacy.”

Thakur Lokendra Giriraj Singh Lotwara, owner of Heritage Lotwara Palace, stated, “Bringing Heritage Lotwara Fort into the Alivaa Hotels & Resorts family is a momentous occasion. We are confident that Alivaa’s commitment to quality and their deep understanding of the hospitality sector will not only enhance the guest experience but also ensure the enduring legacy and preservation of this historic property for generations to come.”

About Alivaa Hotels & Resorts: Alivaa Hotels & Resorts is a vibrant and expanding hospitality group dedicated to creating exceptional guest experiences. With a diverse collection of hotels and resorts operating under the Alivaa and The Hoften brands, the company focuses on quality, innovation, and guest delight, aiming to create unforgettable stays in both established and emerging travel destinations.

Grammarly to acquire Superhuman to boost AI productivity platform

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Shishir Mehrotra, CEO, Grammarly

Grammarly has entered into an agreement to acquire Superhuman, an email productivity tool, as part of its broader strategy to develop an AI productivity suite and expand its business offerings, executives said.

While the San Francisco-based firms did not reveal the deal’s financial details, Superhuman—once known for its invite-only model and lengthy waitlist—was last valued at $825 million in 2021 and currently generates around $35 million in annual revenue.

Grammarly’s acquisition of Superhuman comes on the heels of its recent $1 billion funding round led by General Catalyst, providing the company with ample resources to build a suite of AI productivity powered workplace tools.

Founded in 2009, Grammarly boasts over 40 million daily users and generates more than $700 million in annual revenue. The company is also considering a rebrand as it looks to expand its offerings beyond grammar correction.

Superhuman, backed by over $110 million in funding from investors such as IVP and Andreessen Horowitz, has focused on streamlining email productivity through AI integration.

According to the company, its users send and reply to 72% more emails per hour, and the use of its AI tools for composing emails has grown fivefold over the past year. However, it faces increasing competition as major email providers like Google and Microsoft continue to enhance their platforms with AI capabilities.

“Email continues to be the dominant communication tool for the world. Professionals spend something like three hours a day in their inboxes. It’s by far the most used work app, foundational to any productivity suite,” said Shishir Mehrotra, CEO of Grammarly. “Superhuman is the obvious leading innovator in the space.”

Last year’s purchase of startup Coda gave Grammarly a platform for AI agents to help users research, analyze, and collaborate. Email, according to Mehrotra who co-founded Coda, was the next logical step.

Superhuman CEO Rahul Vohra will join Grammarly as part of the deal, along with over 100 Superhuman employees.

“The Superhuman product, team, and brand will continue,” Mehrotra said. “It’s a very well-used product by tens of thousands of people, and we want to see them continue to make progress.”

Vohra said that the deal will give Superhuman access to “significantly greater resources” and allow it to invest more heavily in AI, as well as expand into calendars, tasks, and collaboration tools.

Mehrotra and Vohra see an opportunity to integrate Grammarly’s AI agents directly into Superhuman, and build the tools for enterprise customers.

The goal is to enable users to access a network of specialized AI agents that can draw information from their digital workflows—like emails and documents—helping them save time on tasks such as searching for data or writing responses. At the same time, the company is stepping into a highly competitive AI productivity market, going up against major players like Salesforce and a growing number of startups.

Data centre infrastructure startup CIMware raises $2.3M in funding

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Rajiv Ganth, founder and chief executive, CIMware

CIMware, a startup focused on data centre infrastructure, has secured $2.3 million in its first institutional funding round, which was led by Transition VC.

The funds will be used “to create a commercially viable networking smart switch (hardware production)”, to hire a software team, and to cover operating expenses, CIMware founder and chief executive Rajiv Ganth said.

The proposed smart switch will increase a data centre’s “capacity and capability by four to eight times, using our memory-based connection technology,” he said.

Founded in 2022 and based in Bengaluru, CIMware is developing a composable infrastructure switch that seamlessly integrates compute, storage, and networking within a single rack. As a result, this solution supports data centers that power cloud services, video streaming platforms, social media, and other similar infrastructure.

“We are essentially coming up with a different kind of technology that helps all the server CPUs connect,” Ganth said. “We unite them through memory…which is the basic unit for any computing engine,” he explained.

He expects to deploy the product in a data centre within the next nine months.

“We will initially produce a maximum of 80 to 100 units of CIMs (composable infrastructure module), and later, based on demand, we will manufacture thousands of switches,” he added.

The deep tech firm also aims to enhance its product engineering and technology, prioritizing faster deployment and developing end-to-end support—from compute to storage.

CIMware plans to drive direct sales in both India and the US. It is currently onboarding partners and distributors across the US and Europe, with the goal of expanding its footprint in AI-driven data centres, telecom networks, and enterprise cloud systems over the next two years.

“All over the world, there is huge demand for cloud infrastructure, with America being number one when it comes to technological implementation and innovation. Our initial focus will be on the US, UK, Japan, and South Korea. We will start our sales initiatives in these four countries in about six months,” Ganth said.

The early-stage startup is targeting a revenue of $175 million by 2026–27.

Commenting on the investment, Shoeb Ali, cofounder and managing partner of Transition VC, said, “Data centres have become increasingly power and energy hungry due to the rising demand for artificial intelligence and data-intensive applications. They face challenges related to physical space, power supply, and outdated infrastructure.”

Zoomcar partners with Cars24 to enhance vehicle quality and safety

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Zoomcar Holdings announced a strategic collaboration with CARS24 aimed at enhancing vehicle quality and safety in the self-drive car rental space through technology-driven inspections and monitoring.

As part of the partnership, CARS24 will carry out pre-delivery inspections (PDIs) on newly listed host vehicles and install GPS tracking systems to boost transparency, safety, and the overall guest experience, the company said in a statement.

The pilot phase will begin with vehicles in Delhi, with potential expansion depending on its success.

“At Zoomcar, enhancing the guest experience is a constant priority,” said Anirudh Lamba, Head of Brand & Partnerships at Zoomcar. “This partnership allows us to introduce an added layer of safety, accountability, and transparency, ensuring every vehicle meets a higher standard before it goes live on our platform.”

Certified experts from CARS24 will carry out comprehensive inspections of vehicles’ mechanical, electrical, and safety systems. Vehicles that meet the required standards will earn a “verified” tag on Zoomcar’s platform, assuring renters of their quality and enabling hosts to potentially earn higher returns.

Gajendra Jangid, co-founder and CMO at CARS24, said, “We’ve inspected over a million cars across India, and one thing is clear: trust in used vehicles is built on transparency and data. The self-drive rental space has grown rapidly, but quality standards haven’t kept pace.” He further added, “Through this partnership with Zoomcar, we are bringing the same inspection rigor that powers India’s used car ecosystem to a new category, giving hosts more control and guests more confidence.”

Additionally, the GPS devices will support real-time vehicle tracking and monitor driver behavior, helping to prevent unauthorized use and encourage safer driving practices.

This strategic partnership between Zoomcar and CARS24 marks a significant step toward raising standards in the self-drive car rental industry. By combining tech-enabled inspections, real-time tracking, and verified vehicle listings, the collaboration aims to enhance safety, ensure transparency, and deliver a superior experience for both renters and hosts.

Keystone Realtors aims ₹4,500-Cr from Mumbai redevelopment project

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Keystone Realtors Ltd will redevelop an 11.19-acre site in Mumbai and, furthermore, expects to generate over ₹4,500 crore in sales revenue from the free saleable area.

Mumbai-based Keystone Realtors, known for selling properties under the Rustomjee brand, ranks among the leading real estate developers in India.

In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, the company informed that “it has received the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for the redevelopment of GTB Nagar in Sion, one of Mumbai’s most impactful urban transformation projects, being undertaken in collaboration with MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority).”

Spanning approximately 11.19 acres, this large-scale redevelopment project will directly benefit over 1,400 families. Moreover, it aims to unlock nearly 20.7 lakh square feet of saleable area, generating an estimated Gross Development Value (GDV) of ₹4,521 crore.

Keystone Realtors stated that this project further reinforces its commitment to inclusive, community-first development. By strategically partnering with public bodies, the company aims to transform Mumbai’s aging housing stock into modern, resilient, and future-ready neighborhoods.

Established in 1995, Keystone Realtors Ltd has completed 37 projects and is currently working on 16 more. To date, the company has delivered over 26 million square feet of developed space and has a robust pipeline of over 40 million square feet under planning and construction.

Logistics startup Shadowfax files confidential prospectus for its IPO

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hadowfax founders (left to right) Vaibhav Khandelwal, Praharsh Chandra, Gaurav Jaithliya & Abhishek Bansal

Logistics startup Shadowfax Technologies Limited has submitted a confidential draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for its proposed initial public offering (IPO).

Sources indicate that the company plans to raise ₹2,000–₹2,500 crore through its IPO, combining fresh equity issuance with an offer for sale (OFS) by existing investors. Shadowfax is reportedly targeting a valuation of around ₹8,500 crore.

In its latest funding round held in February 2025, Shadowfax secured both primary and secondary investments at an estimated valuation of ₹6,000 crore.

According to a report, Shadowfax will use the proceeds from the fresh issue to expand capacity, accelerate growth, and strengthen its network business.

The e-commerce segment continues to be the company’s main revenue source, accounting for approximately 75% of its total business. The remaining 25% comes from quick commerce and hyperlocal delivery services.

Several prominent investors, including Flipkart, TPG, Eight Roads Ventures, Mirae Asset Ventures, and Nokia Growth Funds, have backed the logistics startup.

Shadowfax Technologies faces competition from several major players in the logistics space, including Delhivery, Shiprocket, XpressBees, and LetsTransport, among others.

Founded in 2015 by Abhishek Bansal and Vaibhav Khandelwal, Shadowfax Technologies has emerged as one of India’s leading logistics and delivery service providers, with a strong focus on e-commerce, hyperlocal, and quick commerce solutions.

The company, moreover, is known for harnessing technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to build a responsive and efficient logistics network, which effectively serves diverse industries and complex delivery needs.

As a key player in the e-commerce logistics sector, Shadowfax offers end-to-end delivery solutions for businesses. In response to rising demand for faster delivery services, the company has significantly expanded its footprint in the hyperlocal and quick commerce segments, enabling fast intra-city deliveries for sectors like groceries, pharmaceuticals, and other time-sensitive categories.

Shadowfax has built an extensive logistics network, covering more than 2,200 cities and over 14,300 pincodes across India, allowing it to effectively cater to a wide and diverse customer base nationwide.

In a move to enhance its service capabilities, the company acquired tech-driven logistics firm CriticaLog in January 2025. This strategic acquisition has bolstered Shadowfax’s presence in specialized sectors such as healthcare, automotive, and IT supply chains, further enriching its service offerings and operational depth.

AI compliance startup Zango secures $4.8M funding to accelerate growth

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Ritesh Singhania & Shashank Agarwal, co-founders, Zango

AI compliance startup Zango has secured $4.8 million in a seed funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners. The round also saw participation from South Park Commons—Zango’s first backer and incubator—as well as notable investors including Richard Davies (CEO of Allica Bank), Alan Morgan (Senior Partner for Financial Services at McKinsey EMEA and Chairman of Adfisco), Mark Ransford of Notion Capital, No Label Ventures, and Start Ventures.

The newly raised capital will support team expansion in London and Bengaluru and fuel the development of additional product modules for Zango’s AI-native Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform. The company also aims to broaden its reach beyond banking to include other financial services sectors, such as insurance and asset management.

Zango, meanwhile, leverages regulation-aware AI agents to continuously monitor regulatory changes through horizon scanning. As a result, it can detect compliance gaps in real time and ensure that firms stay audit-ready—without causing operational slowdowns or unexpected surprises.

“We don’t sell a platform—we sell a solution,” said Ritesh Singhania, co-founder of Zango. “Our AI agents are paired with humans-in-the-loop to ensure 100 per cent accuracy. Peace of mind doesn’t come from a tool; it comes from a result. That’s why we win against consultants—because they don’t just sell software, and neither do we.”

The AI compliance startup stated that Novobanco—Portugal’s fourth-largest bank—and other established financial institutions already use Zango, while leading neobanks in the EU and UK, including Monzo and Juni, continue to adopt the platform.

Serial entrepreneurs Ritesh Singhania and Shashank Agarwal co-founded the startup, bringing deep expertise in regulatory technology. Singhania founded ClearGlass, a pension compliance platform, and served as Head of Technology at Simplitium, which NASDAQ later acquired. Agarwal co-founded Third Watch, an AI-driven fraud detection startup acquired by Razorpay (valued at over $7.5 billion), and later led trust and compliance engineering at PhonePe, which is preparing for India’s largest IPO.

“The global regulatory landscape is ripe for disruption,” said Anand Datta, partner at Nexus Venture Partners. “Ritesh and Shashank, with their first-hand, proven expertise, developed Zango’s first-principles approach: uniquely marrying cutting-edge AI with human compliance expertise. Their AI-led solution is already augmenting compliance teams and increasing their efficiency at global financial institutions. We’re incredibly excited to be part of their journey.”

AppsForBharat raises $20 Mn in Series C funding

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Prashant Sachan, Founder & CEO, AppsForBharat

AppsForBharat, the company behind the devotional app Sri Mandir, has secured ₹175 crore (approximately $20 million) in a Series C funding round. The investment was led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital, with continued support from existing backers such as Nandan Nilekani’s Fundamentum, Elevation Capital, and Peak XV Partners.

The funding comes amid a surge in demand for online puja services and spiritual engagement, particularly among younger audiences and the Indian diaspora in the post-pandemic era. This trend has encouraged platforms like Sri Mandir to strengthen both their technological offerings and on-ground presence.

The Bengaluru-based startup plans to utilize the capital to scale its operations across 20 temple towns in India, including Ayodhya, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Haridwar. The company will use the funds to set up logistics and service fulfillment hubs, hire more personnel in temple towns, and develop AI-powered features to enhance the app’s user experience.

Founder and CEO Prashant Sachan said, “With this fundraise, we are entering the next phase of growth, scaling temple partnerships, improving digital infrastructure for temples, and building AI capabilities to serve our users better.”

Sachan mentioned that the company is establishing fulfillment hubs to streamline the delivery of ritual-related products such as prasad and offerings (charhawa), which were previously handled through informal channels.

“We are investing in temple towns, setting up logistics and fulfillment hubs that will generate local employment and power services like Charhawa and Prasad delivery,” he said.

Launched in 2020, AppsForBharat introduced its platform Sri Mandir to allow users to book online pujas, perform rituals at partner temples, receive prasad, and access a wide range of devotional content.

Over the past year, the company reported that 12 lakh devotees have performed 52 lakh pujas and offerings across more than 70 partner temples.

“In the last 12 months, 12 lakh devotees have done pujas and charhawas 52 lakh times. Our key business metrics have doubled in the last six months,” Sachan said.

Sachan also outlined the company’s AI roadmap.

“We are investing in creating an assistance layer, an AI agent that acts like a family pandit. It will help users with rituals, processes, and context-specific devotion based on region, community, and faith,” he said.

This feature, currently in limited release, is expected to be rolled out publicly within a month.

He clarified that the AI capability leverages AppsForBharat’s internal content repository. “We’re not building foundational models, but we’ve created one of the largest verified devotional content libraries over the last four years, which powers our AI assistant.”

The company generates revenue exclusively from paid services on its app, with about 7 percent of users currently paying for services.

“Sri Mandir is a free app with paid services. 7% of our users pay for rituals like puja and charhawa; all our revenue comes from these services,” Sachan noted.

Sri Mandir also has a global user base, with nearly 20 percent of its demand coming from the Indian diaspora in the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

“Our operations are in India, but we’re acquiring users globally, especially NRIs. They engage with our services, like online puja, from anywhere,” Sachan said.

On job creation, Sachan said the company expects to employ 500–1,000 people or gig workers across fulfillment hubs in temple towns over the next couple of years. “Each hub will hire 10–20 locals,” he said.

AppsForBharat is also exploring new product lines but is cautious about entering saturated categories like astrology marketplaces.

“We won’t do astrology the way marketplaces do it, no pay-per-minute consultations. But we offer free services like Kundli creation and daily analysis,” Sachan said.

The company’s most recent fundraise prior to this round was $18 million in its Series B in 2024. SIG, which held a small stake from that round, has significantly increased its investment in this round. Sachan said, “We had more offers but chose to raise a modest round with existing backers as we were dilution sensitive.”

Sachan added that two of India’s top 10 temples are expected to onboard the platform soon, though details are yet to be announced.

The company’s focus, he said, remains on building trust in a traditionally fragmented and informal faith-tech ecosystem.

“Devotion is a low-trust space. People doubt how a temple can partner with a company. But when they try it once and receive a Prasad box, they come back.”

B2B ecommerce platform Jumbotail secures $120 Mn in funding

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L-R: S Karthik Venkateswaran and Ashish Jhina, Co-founders, Jumbotail

B2B e-commerce platform Jumbotail has secured ₹1,027 crore in a funding round led by SC Ventures, the investment arm of Standard Chartered, the company announced on Monday.

With this latest round, Jumbotail’s total funding has reached ₹22,566.85 crore.

The company will use the newly raised capital to develop AI-native solutions and reinforce its market leadership.

Additionally, the e-commerce platform confirmed the completion of its acquisition of Solv India—a B2B commerce and financial services platform incubated by SC Ventures. The deal received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

“Together with Solv, we now help thousands of brands and MSME sellers reach over 500,000 small retailers across more than 400 cities and towns in India,” Ashish Jhina, co-founder and COO of Jumbotail, said.

Jumbotail and Solv are jointly catering to kiranas, MSMEs, and brands across a wide range of categories. Specifically, their offerings span food and grocery, apparel and fashion, home furnishings, toys and sports, footwear, and consumer electronics.

“This integration represents a leap forward in our shared mission to empower MSMEs through technology and financial inclusion, which is a core theme for SC Ventures. Jumbotail and Solv now form a platform committed to responsible innovation with real impact for India’s entrepreneurs,” Gautam Jain, member of SC Ventures, said.

Together, both companies aim to unlock new opportunities for brands to scale rapidly and efficiently across the country by leveraging their combined strengths in e-commerce platforms, credit offerings, and go-to-market and marketing solutions.

“With strong fundamentals, a clear path to profitability, and a motivated, mission-driven team, Jumbotail and Solv are together well positioned to lead India’s B2B commerce transformation across categories of mass market consumption,” Jumbotail co-founder and CEO S. Karthik Venkateswaran said.

UrbanVault launches two new coworking centres in Gurugram, plans ₹100-Cr investment in FY26

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Coworking space provider UrbanVault has made its entry into the Gurugram office market by launching two new centers spanning a total area of 35,000 square feet.

The Bengaluru-based company announced on Monday that it plans to invest over ₹100 crore in expansion during the current fiscal year. The newly opened centers are located on Golf Course Road, Sector-54, Gurugram.

Amal Mishra, CEO of UrbanVault, said, “Delhi NCR is one of the most important office markets in the country and plays a pivotal role in our national growth strategy… We plan to invest over Rs 100 crore in 2025-26 to fuel our expansion across key commercial hubs in India.”

The two newly launched centers, located in Paras Twin Tower, Gurugram, offer a combined 35,000 square feet of Grade A workspace with around 700 premium seats, with pricing starting at ₹12,000 per seat.

UrbanVault also stated that it is actively exploring expansion opportunities in other high-potential micro-markets of Gurugram, including Sector 44, Udyog Vihar, and Golf Course Extension Road. Additionally, the company is planning to enter the Noida market in the near future.

“We are witnessing strong demand across all our markets and expect to close FY26 with an annual revenue run rate of over Rs 250 crore. Our growing pipeline of projects, backed by robust market fundamentals and customer trust, positions us well for sustained long-term growth,” Mishra said.

UrbanVault currently manages a portfolio of over 2.5 million square feet and 40,000 seats, providing customized workspace solutions tailored to businesses of all sizes. The company has an established presence in Bengaluru, Pune, and Gurugram.

On the potential of the Gurugram market, real estate consultant Vestian CEO Shrinivas Rao said, “Flex spaces have been a major driving force in the Indian office market lately. It accounted for 13 percent of the pan-India absorption in the past four quarters, with a significant contribution from Gurugram.”

As per Vestian data, nearly 14 lakh square feet of office spaces were leased by co-working operators in Gurugram last calendar year.

“The presence of high-quality Grade-A office spaces commanding premium rentals, coupled with substantial demand from major conglomerates and the rising prominence of GCCs, has significantly propelled the growth of flex spaces in Gurugram,” Rao added.

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