CYK Hospitalities facilitates major F&B expansion across Indian markets

May 27, 2026

CYK Hospitalities has facilitated multiple food and beverage expansion and leasing mandates across key Indian markets during the last quarter, reinforcing the growing momentum in India’s organised F&B and restaurant sector. Through these mandates, the consultancy supported several leading food brands as they expanded across retail, commercial, and high-footfall destinations.

The consultancy worked with brands including Boba Bhai, Dohful, Freddo Bakehouse, Harley’s Bakery, Ka Ching, Chai Garam, and Waffle World across several formats, including kiosks, quick service restaurants, bakehouses, and standalone outlets.

Additionally, a significant portion of the leasing and expansion activities took place across major retail and commercial hubs such as Worldmark Gurgaon, Global Foyer, DLF Midtown Plaza, and Airia Mall. At the same time, CYK Hospitalities noted that organised food and beverage brands are increasingly expanding beyond metropolitan cities into emerging urban centres and high-growth regional markets.

According to the consultancy, brands now prioritise audience alignment, operational efficiency, scalability, and long-term sustainability while selecting expansion locations. Consequently, restaurant and café operators have shifted their focus from aggressive store launches to strategically planned market penetration.

Commenting on the industry trend, Simranjeet Singh, Director, CYK Hospitalities, said, “As organised F&B brands mature, market-specific growth plans are becoming less about securing space and more about securing the right market opportunity. The focus has shifted towards creating long-term value rather than pursuing visibility-driven growth.”

Furthermore, Pulkit Arora, Director & Culinary Expert, CYK Hospitalities, highlighted the importance of adapting food concepts to local ecosystems and customer behaviour. He said, “Consumer expectations differ across locations, and successful expansion depends on how effectively a concept aligns with the ecosystem around it. The emphasis today is on building formats that can sustain themselves within a market rather than simply increasing store count.”

The latest expansion mandates underline the rapid evolution of India’s organised food and beverage sector, where brands increasingly rely on data-driven location strategies, consumer-focused formats, and scalable business models to drive long-term growth. As India’s retail and hospitality landscape continues to expand across Tier I, Tier II, and emerging urban markets, consultancies like CYK Hospitalities are playing a critical role in shaping the next phase of restaurant and café expansion across the country.

WeRoad raises $58 Mn to expand social travel platform into the U.S.

BRL Editor

May 27, 2026

WeRoad has raised $58 million in a Series C funding round led by Airbnb as the Milan-based group travel startup prepares for its first major expansion beyond Europe. Through the latest funding round, the company has increased its total capital raised to nearly $100 million and plans to use the fresh investment to accelerate its entry into the United States, starting with Austin.

The investment highlights growing investor confidence in the evolving social travel industry, where companies increasingly focus on facilitating real-world human connections rather than simply offering booking platforms. At the same time, rising concerns around loneliness, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z consumers, continue to create new opportunities for startups building community-driven offline experiences.

While much of the technology industry currently prioritises artificial intelligence, WeRoad has positioned itself within the expanding “IRL economy,” a category of startups that monetise in-person interaction instead of digital screen time. Additionally, companies such as Timeleft, 222, and Pie are also exploring similar concepts through social dinners, clubs, local events, and community-focused gatherings.

The founders of WeRoad — Paolo De Nadai, Fabio Bin, and Erika De Santi — created the company after experiencing the growing challenge of finding meaningful travel companions as adults.

“It started from a very personal need. When you finish college and start working, it becomes harder to find people to travel with. Friends were settling down, having kids, moving away, or simply couldn’t align schedules anymore,” De Nadai said. “My cofounder Fabio and I both tried companies offering similar group travel experiences for solo travellers, but while the trips were good, something was missing. The guides were professional local experts, and the groups were mixed in age, and people didn’t really see eye to eye. People were traveling together, but not really connecting.”

In response, the founders redesigned group travel around shared interests, compatible age groups, and stronger social interaction. Consequently, WeRoad primarily targets younger travellers by organising trips around themes such as beach vacations, skiing, adventure travel, and lifestyle-focused experiences.

“We asked ourselves, ‘What if we created trips for Millennials and Gen Z travellers, bringing together people from the same age groups with shared cultural references but completely different backgrounds, and focused on creating real bonds between them?’” De Nadai added.

Before each journey begins, WeRoad adds travellers to WhatsApp groups managed by group leaders so participants can start interacting before departure. Typically, each travel group includes between eight and fifteen people.

“The biggest concern people have is rarely the destination,” De Nadai said, explaining that travellers often worry more about social compatibility within the group. Therefore, WeRoad intentionally designs itineraries around group dynamics and schedules collaborative or adventurous activities early in the trip to encourage interaction and break social barriers.

Most of the company’s itineraries last between 10 and 12 days. However, WeRoad has also introduced shorter weekend travel formats to attract first-time users and younger consumers seeking flexible travel experiences. According to the company, nearly 60% of travellers eventually book another trip through the platform.

Instead of using traditional tour guides, WeRoad appoints “group leaders,” coordinators closer in age to the travellers who act more like companions than instructors. Currently, the company works with more than 4,000 group leaders globally.

“We’re not looking for destination experts but for people with travel experience and strong soft skills. Can they lead a group, handle tension, adapt when plans change, and help strangers connect?” De Nadai said.

Meanwhile, WeRoad has expanded beyond travel services by launching WeMeet in 2025, an app dedicated to local in-person gatherings, including dinners, yoga sessions, hikes, running clubs, after-work social events, and board game nights. The company stated that more than 50,000 people attended WeMeet events across 35 cities last year, while the app achieved over 150,000 downloads.

Furthermore, WeRoad plans to use WeMeet as a central pillar of its U.S. expansion strategy. Instead of immediately expanding nationwide, the company intends to focus on a select group of cities beginning with Austin, where it will recruit group leaders, organise local events, and establish community partnerships before scaling operations further.

“We’ll be launching WeMeet events across multiple U.S. cities throughout 2026, starting with Austin because of its incredible energy and vibrant community scene,” De Nadai said.

Although questions remain around whether companies can build sustainable businesses focused on loneliness and social connection, investors continue to place strong bets on the sector’s long-term potential.

WeRoad reported €130 million in revenue in 2025, marking a 30% year-on-year increase, while the company organised trips for more than 100,000 travellers during the year alone. Since launching in 2017, WeRoad has facilitated travel experiences for more than 300,000 customers across over 1,000 itineraries worldwide.

The latest funding round and U.S. expansion plans position WeRoad among the fastest-growing players in the social travel and community-driven experience economy. As younger consumers increasingly prioritise meaningful human interaction, shared experiences, and community-based travel, companies like WeRoad could reshape the future of global tourism and experiential networking.

Cygnett Hotels & Resorts announces Cygnett Inn Motihari in Bihar

BRL Editor

May 27, 2026

Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has announced the signing of Cygnett Inn Motihari, a new brownfield hospitality project in Motihari, Bihar, as the company continues to strengthen its footprint across emerging Tier II and Tier III markets in India. Through this latest expansion, the hospitality chain aims to capitalise on the rising demand for branded accommodation and organised event infrastructure in rapidly developing regional cities.

The upcoming property will operate under the Cygnett Inn brand, which serves the contemporary midscale hospitality segment. Moreover, the company has designed the hotel to cater to business travellers, leisure guests, and social events in the region.

Located in Bihar’s East Champaran district, Motihari has steadily evolved into a growing commercial and cultural hub due to improving connectivity, expanding trade activity, and rising educational and business movements. Additionally, the city continues to attract attention because of its historical association with Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha movement. As a result, the region has witnessed increasing demand for organised hospitality and modern event venues.

The hotel will offer 70 well-appointed rooms along with several guest-focused amenities, including an all-day dining restaurant, swimming pool, gymnasium, and spa facilities. Furthermore, the project will place strong emphasis on meetings, conferences, celebrations, and social gatherings, positioning the property as a key hospitality destination in the region.

A major highlight of the development will be its large-scale banqueting and event infrastructure. The property will feature three event venues, including a 5,500 sq. ft. banquet hall connected to a sprawling 17,000 sq. ft. outdoor lawn. Consequently, the hotel will become a preferred venue for weddings, corporate events, social functions, and large gatherings. In addition, the property will include two dedicated meeting spaces measuring approximately 1,600 sq. ft. and 575 sq. ft., respectively, for conferences, private meetings, and business events.

Commenting on the announcement, Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder & Managing Director, Cygnett Hotels & Resorts, said, “Hospitality demand in India is increasingly expanding beyond traditional metro markets. We are witnessing growing demand for quality branded accommodation and event infrastructure across emerging cities, driven by regional economic activity, improving connectivity, and evolving travel patterns. Motihari represents an important market with strong long-term potential, and this signing aligns with our strategy of strengthening our presence across high-growth destinations.”

The company expects the hotel to become operational by the end of this year, further reinforcing Cygnett Hotels & Resorts’ expansion strategy in high-growth regional markets across India. With hospitality demand rising beyond metropolitan cities, the new Motihari project highlights the growing importance of Tier II and Tier III destinations in shaping the future of India’s hotel and tourism industry.

Meta India cuts jobs across ad sales and marketing amid global AI restructuring

BRL Editor

May 27, 2026

Tech giant Meta has laid off nearly a dozen employees in India across functions including ad sales, marketing, and individual contributor roles, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move aligns with the company’s ongoing global restructuring strategy as Meta aggressively expands its focus on artificial intelligence and operational efficiency.

According to one executive aware of the development, the impacted employees received termination emails without prior discussions. “Similar to the global layoffs, the impacted employees received cold emails, and have been offered four-six months’ salary as severance,” the executive said. The source also stated that the company did not hold any formal conversations with the affected workers before issuing the notices.

Meta India did not respond to detailed queries regarding the layoffs. Industry estimates suggest that Meta employs around 400 people in India, although the company does not publicly disclose country-specific workforce numbers.

Recently, Meta initiated one of the largest restructuring exercises in its history by cutting nearly 8,000 jobs globally, representing almost 10% of its worldwide workforce. Reports revealed that the company informed several affected employees through emails sent as early as 4 am. At the same time, Meta reassigned nearly 7,000 employees to AI-focused projects and operational initiatives while also reducing managerial layers within the organisation. Reuters reported last week that the layoffs and transfers together affected nearly 20% of the company’s workforce.

Furthermore, internal memos reportedly revealed that Meta aims to create “flatter” and “more agile” organisations capable of moving faster in the AI era. Gale reportedly informed employees that the restructuring would help establish smaller teams with greater ownership while shifting company resources toward AI-native initiatives.

Meanwhile, Meta significantly increased its investment commitments toward artificial intelligence infrastructure and innovation. During the March quarter earnings meeting, the company raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to between $125 billion and $145 billion, reflecting a nearly 87% year-on-year increase.

Defending the layoffs internally, Mark Zuckerberg told employees, “Success isn’t a given. AI is the most consequential technology of our lifetimes.” He further added in an internal memo, “The companies that lead the way will define the next generation.”

The latest Meta layoffs in India highlight the growing transformation within the global technology sector as companies increasingly prioritise artificial intelligence, automation, and leaner organisational structures. As major tech firms continue reshaping their workforce strategies, AI-led restructuring is likely to redefine hiring patterns, operational models, and future job roles across the industry.

Fairdeal.Market raises $15 Mn to expand B2B Quick Commerce Network

BRL Editor

May 26, 2026

Fairdeal.Market, a B2B quick commerce platform, has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments, with participation from WaterBridge Ventures and Incubate Asia Fund.

The startup plans to utilise the fresh capital to expand its dark store network, strengthen its technology and data infrastructure, deepen retailer engagement, and enhance last-mile delivery capabilities. At present, the platform operates across the Delhi-NCR region.

Founded in 2022 by brothers Prateek Bansal and Yash Bansal, Fairdeal.Market focuses on enabling faster and more reliable inventory access for kirana stores through a technology-enabled B2B quick commerce model. The platform currently delivers more than 1,000 SKUs to retailers within 60 minutes by combining real-time inventory visibility, transparent pricing systems, and rapid fulfilment operations.

Prateek Bansal said, “India’s kirana stores are the backbone of the country’s retail economy, yet the procurement infrastructure serving them has barely evolved in decades. The inefficiency isn’t incidental; it’s structural. If we can help millions of small retailers operate better every day, the impact will go far beyond commerce, it will strengthen local economies across the country.”

According to the company, it has scaled to more than 20,000 active retailers across Delhi-NCR over the last six months. The startup stated that its operating model is specifically designed around the replenishment frequency and operational requirements of kirana retail businesses.

Yash Bansal said, “We started Fairdeal with a simple belief that every retailer, no matter how small, should have access to reliable inventory and the ability to grow with confidence.”

Following the latest funding round, the company is now preparing to expand beyond Delhi-NCR into additional metropolitan markets across India. The startup aims to scale its network to more than one lakh retailers during the current financial year.

Rohit Sood said, “FairDeal is building a new operating model for wholesale procurement in India. What Prateek and Yash understood early was that quick commerce in wholesale is not just about convenience; it fundamentally improves inventory turns, shelf efficiency, and replenishment reliability for kirana stores.”

The funding reflects the growing momentum within India’s B2B commerce and retail technology ecosystem, where startups are increasingly leveraging data infrastructure, quick commerce logistics, and supply chain digitisation to improve operational efficiency for small retailers and strengthen local retail economies.

Flexprice Raises $1.5M Seed Round Led by Shastra VC, with participation from TDV Partners and Anupam Mittal

BRL Editor

May 26, 2026

National, India – 26th May 2026: Flexprice, the open-source usage billing infrastructure built for AI-native and API-first enterprises, today announced a $1.5M seed funding round led by Shastra VC, co-led by Anupam Mittal founder of People Group and one of India’s most prominent entrepreneurs and TDV Partners, who doubled down on their initial investment in the company.

Following Flexprice’s initial funding round in July 2025, which was focused on expanding the engineering team, accelerating integrations with leading payment gateways, and deepening its open-source ecosystem the company has now entered its strongest growth phase to date. Flexprice grew 6X in revenue last quarter, while event processing volume scaled 20x over the past year to more than 20 billion events per month. Today, its infrastructure powers usage-based billing for some of the fastest-growing AI companies globally, processing real-time data across token consumption, API calls, GPU hours, and hybrid pricing models at enterprise scale.

“If billing doesn’t work, we don’t make money. Flexprice lets us focus on the core business instead of building billing as a second product.” — Shubhendu Shishir, Head of Engineering, Simplismart, an AI infrastructure SaaS platform.

Building on this momentum, the new funding will support two priorities accelerating global expansion across the US and Europe, building new product surfaces that extend Flexprice beyond billing into AI-native finance. Covering metering, revenue recognition, and financial reporting through AI workflows.

The funding marks a significant step in the company’s journey to redefine how software companies manage and automate their revenue infrastructure.

Founded for the AI Economy

AI companies today deliver value by the token, the API call, and the second, but the billing systems they rely on were built for flat-rate subscriptions from a different era.

That mismatch is no longer just a technical inconvenience. Revenue infrastructure accounts for roughly 7-10% of COGS, one of the largest cost centres in software businesses. Yet it has seen the least innovation of any layer in the stack. The AI boom has made this acute. Companies launching AI-powered products face dramatically higher infrastructure costs, usage patterns that change week to week, and customers who expect pricing that reflects actual value, not a flat monthly fee. Most billing systems simply weren’t built for this reality.

Flexprice, founded in late 2024 and headquartered in New Delhi, with teams across San Francisco and Bengaluru, was designed from the ground up for this reality. The platform handles real-time usage ingestion, complex entitlement management, and continuously evolving pricing logic without forcing companies into rigid workflows or opaque systems.

“In our conversations with AI companies, one theme came up repeatedly: traditional billing systems are breaking under new AI business models. Software pricing is rapidly shifting from seat-based subscriptions to usage-based and increasingly outcome-based pricing, creating a level of complexity most existing infrastructure wasn’t designed to handle. What stood out about Flexprice was the strength of the engineering vision – an open-source, real-time billing platform purpose-built for modern AI products, while integrating cleanly into existing systems. The early traction reinforced how urgent and universal this need is. We invested because we believe Flexprice is building foundational infrastructure for the next generation of AI-native software companies.” — Avijeet Alagathi, Managing Partner, Shastra VC.

The platform currently offers:

• Open-source, self-hostable architecture built in Go, with ClickHouse for high-throughput metering, Kafka for event-driven pipelines, and Temporal for workflow orchestration

• Real-time ingestion pipeline handling 20B+ events/month at sub-second latency

• Support for any pricing model: pay-as-you-go, prepaid credits, volume tiers, seats, hybrid, and (coming soon) outcome-based pricing

• Developer-first APIs and SDKs for real-time usage tracking, event instrumentation, and quota gating

• Native integrations with Stripe, Adyen, and Razorpay

• Real-time analytics dashboards and invoice visibility for customers and internal teams

“Billing is the hardest layer to get right, and the most consequential when you get it wrong, so that’s where we started. But billing is just the foundation of a much larger stack that every software company runs on. The bigger picture is full revenue automation: from the first usage event to the last dollar recognized, giving AI companies the infrastructure to experiment, iterate, and scale their monetization in real time without being held back by systems that were never built for them,” said Manish Choudhary, CEO, Flexprice.

Built in Go with ClickHouse for high-throughput metering, Kafka for event-driven pipelines, and Temporal for workflow orchestration, it is infrastructure-grade by design capable of handling the volume and precision that enterprise AI workloads demand. With 3 API integrations, companies can deploy a complete billing and metering system and go live without rebuilding their data pipelines.Flexprice is fully open-source and self-hostable, companies get enterprise depth with zero vendor lock-in, something no closed-source billing platform can offer.

A $4B Market Ripe for Disruption

The market for modern AI billing infrastructure is estimated at $4 billion and growing at a 20% CAGR. The broader SaaS billing market is projected to reach $20.3 billion by 2033. Flexprice is positioned to serve both the growing base of 70,000+ AI-native startups globally and large enterprises evolving their monetization strategies for AI.

“We’re seeing a generational shift in how software is priced and delivered, driven by AI and usage-based models. Flexprice is building the foundational infrastructure required for this new paradigm. Their open-source approach, combined with deep technical execution and a clear product vision, positions them to become a category-defining company in the revenue stack.” — Ujwal Sutaria, General Partner, TDV Partners.

About Flexprice

Flexprice is an open-source billing and metering platform designed for the modern generation of AI and Agentic companies. It helps teams implement real-time, usage-based, and flexible pricing with developer-first tooling, full transparency, and zero vendor lock-in. Founded in 2025 and headquartered in Bengaluru, Flexprice is on a mission to build the world’s first AI-native revenue stack. The company offers integration with popular payment providers like stripe, Ayden, Razorpay helping teams eliminate vendor lock-in.

Asia’s Power Players converge in Phuket at TMN’s Business Icons of Asia

BRL Editor

May 26, 2026

As the global economy undergoes a significant recalibration driven by geopolitical shifts, Asia has emerged as the world’s most consequential growth corridor. Realizing this potential, however, requires a new era of leadership where economies move beyond individual market focus to prioritize shared opportunities and collective resilience. The way forward demands a dynamic generation of influential leaders who can successfully transform trade, trust, and organizational scale across a multipolar world. The landmark inaugural edition of Business Icons of Asia 2026, organized by Team Marksmen Network, successfully captured this dynamic momentum in the scenic locale of Phuket.

Focused on the theme “Asia Ascendant: Leadership, Trade & Trust in a Multipolar World,” the gala industry celebration served as a high-level platform for Asia’s most influential minds to shape the future of regional growth. By bringing together a high-powered congregation of 20+ elite speakers, and an exclusive gathering of 100+ business leaders who represented the who’s who of Asia Inc., this one-of-a-kind forum provided a clear roadmap for achieving the region’s ambitious goals.

The evening featured profound insights from a distinguished lineup of regional experts and industry titans. Rishi Kapoor, CEO & Director, Team Marksmen Network, opened the proceedings with a stirring address on the region’s unique trajectory, stating, “Asia is not a region that is responding to change; it is writing some of its own. The leaders we honour tonight understand that the most durable currency in business is not capital; it is trust.”

This sentiment was echoed in a strategic opening conversation that featured CP Gurnani, Co-Founder & Vice Chairman, AIONOS and Advisory Board Member, Team Marksmen Network. The event was further elevated by the presence of Raywat Areerob, Chief Executive, Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization as our Chief Guest, and Anuparph Vachvanichsanong, Deputy Chief Executive, as our Special Guest.

Highlighting Phuket’s legacy as a crossroads of commerce, Vachvanichsanong remarked, “The foundation of growth remains the same: trust, openness, and the willingness to see across a border or a sea and say, ‘Let us build something together.’ That is what Phuket believes, and that is what Asia, at its best, has always stood for.”

The forum’s intellectual core was driven by high-impact exchanges. A panel discussion titled “Trade, Trust & Transformation: Strengthening Asia’s Economic Core” featured Dr. Kengkran Louvirojanakul, CEO, B2G Solutions; Michael Kenner, CEO, FazWaz; Prinn Panitchpakdi, CEO, Four Seasons Advisory; and Suresh Venkatachari, CEO, QuantumNexis.

The discussions focused on the critical intersection of regulatory frameworks and market trust in driving regional stability. Further conversations saw Sanjay Jain, Group CEO, PDS Limited, offer a ringside view to unlocking cross-market synergies, and Hrishi Gandhi, Chief Growth Officer, LEAPIndia Ltd., provided actionable insights on navigating structural shifts across diverse Asian markets.

Adding further depth, Prof. Dr. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, Chairman of the Nation-Building International Institute, delivered a masterclass on “Leadership for Tomorrow.” He challenged the audience to rethink Asia’s role in the global order, saying, “Asia must think of itself not merely as a region of growth, but as a Region of Responsibility. In a multipolar world, trust is not just a virtue; it is hard strategic power.”

The highlight of the evening was a gala ceremony thatcelebrated the architects of Asia’s transformation. This landmark recognition was divided into two categories: the Legacy of Excellence Honor, recognizing legendary figures, and the Business Icons of Asia, celebrating contemporary leaders driving regional impact.

Those accorded the Legacy of Excellence Honor included:

• (Honorary) Brig Dr Arvind Lal, Padma Shri, Executive Chairman, Lal Path Labs

• Anand Rathi, Chairman, Anand Rathi Group

• C.P. Gurnani, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, AIONOS

• Prof. Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, Chairman, Nation-Building International Institute

The Business Icons of Asia recognised on the day included:

• Abhishek Mishra, Director & Co-Founder, Transport one by Delhivery

• Arvind Mehta, Chairman & Managing Director, WelsetPlast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd.

• Dipali Goenka, Managing Director & CEO, Welspun Living Ltd

• Dr. Kengkran Louvirojanakul, CEO, B2G Solution Co.

• Dr. Rajiv I. Modi, Chairman and Managing Director, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited

• Dr. Sanjeev Seth, Managing Director, IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company Limited

• Kavita Verma, CEO, Maxwell Energy Systems

• Ketan Patel, President, Personal Systems, HP

• Nitesh Bansal, CEO & Managing Director, R Systems

• Prinn Panitchpakdi, CEO, Four Seasons Advisory

• Sachin Seth, Regional Managing Director, CRIF India and South Asia

• Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director (South Asia and Middle East), NICE

• Sanjay Jain, Director, Group CEO, PDS Limited

• Shashwat Sharma, Managing Director & CEO, Airtel

• Shri Madan Mohan Mohanka, Chairman, Tega Industries Limited

• Shrikanti Nilange, Founder and Director, SunergizeEnergy Solutions

• Sunu Mathew, Managing Director & CEO, LEAPIndia Limited

• Suresh Venkatachari, Chairman, QuantumNexis

The event successfully showcased the extraordinary impact of leaders who are actively architecting Asia’s ascent to the upper echelons of the global pecking order. The evening concluded with a networking dinner, reinforcing the trust-led partnerships that will power a progressive, multipolar world.

To know more, write to contact@teammarksmen.com

About Team Marksmen Network

Team Marksmen Network is India’s fastest-growing B2B media firm, dedicated to creating impactful platforms that inspire thought leadership and foster collaboration. Through initiatives like Marksmen Daily, they help organizations and leaders navigate critical issues and create meaningful change through unique brand solutions.

abcoffee raises ₹61-Cr to accelerate expansion across India

BRL Editor

May 25, 2026

abcoffee raises ₹61-Cr to accelerate expansion across India — Abhijeet Anand, Founder & CEO of abCoffee

India’s organised coffee retail market continues to witness rapid growth as changing consumer habits, rising urban demand, and digital-first consumption patterns reshape the country’s café ecosystem. In the latest funding development within the sector, abcoffee has raised ₹61 crore in a Pre-Series B funding round led by Kliff Ventures, the newly launched consumer retail fund established by K Hospitality Corp.

The round also saw participation from Hero Enterprise Partner Ventures, Merisis Venture Fund, and Stride Ventures.

According to the company, the fresh capital will be used to accelerate its cluster-led expansion strategy across existing and new markets. The startup plans to deepen its presence across Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Bengaluru while expanding into office-centric, residential, and transit-led micro-markets where affordable premium coffee remains underserved.

A substantial portion of the funding will also be allocated toward strengthening technology infrastructure, customer engagement initiatives, subscription-based offerings, backend operations, supply chain systems, product innovation, and operational efficiency.

Founded in 2022 by Abhijeet Anand, the startup currently operates more than 90 outlets across major Indian cities through compact, high-efficiency store formats designed for daily coffee consumption. The brand positions itself around accessible premium coffee, offering beverages brewed using single-origin coffee beans alongside matcha and protein-based drink offerings.

The company stated that it recorded strong growth momentum during FY26, with revenue doubling year-on-year and store-level EBITDA increasing by 193.2% compared to the previous year. According to the startup, customer loyalty has also strengthened significantly, supported by a repeat customer rate of nearly 60%.

Technology continues to play a central role in the company’s operating model. abcoffee revealed that 54% of takeaway orders are currently placed through its mobile application, driven by strong traction across subscriptions, pre-orders, and digital engagement channels. The startup’s subscription ecosystem reportedly accounts for nearly half of all app-based orders and pre-sells more than 40,000 cups of coffee and beverages every month for future consumption.

Abhijeet Anand said, “Coffee in India is moving from an occasional café experience to an everyday habit. abcoffee was built for that shift. Our model is simple: great coffee, served fast, priced accessibly, available wherever the customer needs it. This fundraise is a strong validation of our belief that India needs a new kind of coffee company, one that is smartly designed in format, technology-led in experience, and built for repeat consumption. With this capital and the operating depth of Kliff Ventures and K Hospitality, we are focused on scaling abcoffee into India’s default habit coffee brand.”

Karan Kapur added, “We believe abcoffee has the potential to emerge as the leading brand in India’s rapidly growing coffee category. We are excited to back Abhijeet, who over the past 4 years has scaled and built a differentiated business with strong customer love, disciplined execution and a compelling right to win. Through Kliff Ventures, we look to partner with ambitious founders building scalable and enduring consumer retail brands, and we are excited to join abcoffee in the journey ahead.”

The funding highlights the growing investor confidence in India’s fast-evolving coffee and food retail sector, where changing urban lifestyles, rising digital adoption, subscription-led consumption models, and premium yet affordable offerings are driving the next phase of growth in consumer retail and café culture.

Home Services startup Pronto faces scrutiny over wearable camera privacy concerns

BRL Editor

May 25, 2026

India’s rapidly expanding AI-powered consumer internet ecosystem is facing renewed scrutiny over privacy and data governance after controversy emerged around wearable camera usage by home services startup, Pronto. The issue has triggered a broader industry debate around how companies collect, process, and potentially monetise data generated inside private homes as artificial intelligence systems increasingly rely on real-world activity datasets to automate and understand physical tasks.

According to people familiar with the matter, the controversy has now drawn the attention of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which has reportedly taken cognisance of concerns linked to recordings captured within households under India’s evolving privacy and data protection framework. However, sources close to the development stated that the company has not yet received any formal communication from the ministry.

“The company hasn’t taken this decision in haste. The decision only involves a very small subset of users and is not targeted at the larger user base. If the ministry or any other government department would like to take a closer look at the books, the company will be happy to engage,” sources close to the company said.

The controversy intensified after reports surfaced regarding a limited pilot programme involving wearable cameras used during household services including cleaning and kitchen-related work. The discussion has since evolved into larger concerns around how AI startups and consumer internet platforms may eventually use activity data captured inside homes to develop future artificial intelligence systems.

Industry observers tracking the sector noted that the development reflects a broader global trend where AI companies are increasingly seeking access to real-world behavioural datasets to train systems capable of understanding repetitive physical workflows and human activities.

Within the home services sector, operational activities such as utensil cleaning, housekeeping, and kitchen workflows could potentially help companies improve worker training, operational efficiency, workflow intelligence, and AI-driven automation systems. Analysts and industry executives believe recordings generated from real-world environments are becoming increasingly valuable assets for companies building next-generation AI infrastructure.

Sources close to the matter added that Pronto internally views AI-linked initiatives as a long-term strategic opportunity beyond operational efficiency improvements. “Partnerships with global AI labs could eventually open up another stream of revenue, help improve payouts for partners on the platform, and keep pricing competitive,” sources added.

The debate also comes at a time when India’s instant home services sector is witnessing rapid expansion driven by rising consumer adoption and investor interest. Industry estimates suggest that combined monthly active users across platforms such as Urban Company, Pronto, and Snabbit crossed 10 million earlier this year. Both Pronto and Snabbit have also secured fresh capital in recent months to expand their rapid home-services offerings.

At the same time, privacy experts and policy observers argue that India’s current data protection and privacy architecture remains insufficiently equipped to regulate how AI-linked recordings captured within private spaces are stored, processed, reused, or integrated into future machine learning systems. Even in cases where companies claim that recordings are temporary, optional, or deleted after a specific duration, consumers currently have limited independent visibility into how these safeguards are implemented or whether portions of the data continue to influence AI systems after deletion.

The development highlights the growing intersection between artificial intelligence, consumer technology, privacy regulation, and ethical data governance as companies increasingly embed AI systems into everyday consumer services and real-world environments.

Ramee Group expands East India presence with new property in Gaya

BRL Editor

May 23, 2026

India’s hospitality sector continues to expand into emerging tourism and pilgrimage destinations as rising domestic travel and improving infrastructure create new growth opportunities across regional markets. Strengthening its presence in East India, Ramee Group of Hotels has announced the launch of its upcoming hospitality property in Gaya, reinforcing the group’s expansion strategy across high-potential travel destinations.

The upcoming development reflects the company’s growing focus on emerging hospitality markets that cater to spiritual tourism, leisure travel, and business visitors. Gaya has continued to witness increasing domestic and international tourist arrivals, supported by enhanced connectivity, tourism infrastructure development, and rising demand for professionally managed accommodation.

Saurabh Gahoi said, “East India remains a key focus market in the company’s expansion plans, with Gaya emerging as a strategic hospitality destination due to its religious importance, growing tourism landscape, and improving infrastructure. The property aims to offer a seamless and guest-centric experience for both pilgrimage and business travellers. Recognised for its cultural and spiritual significance, Gaya continues to attract domestic and international visitors year-round. Enhanced connectivity, rising tourism activity, and increasing demand for quality accommodation are further strengthening the city’s position as a promising growth market for the hospitality industry.”

According to the company, the property is being designed to combine modern comfort with experience-led hospitality offerings. The hotel will feature well-appointed guest rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, banquet facilities, and an open-to-sky jacuzzi experience aimed at both leisure and business travellers.

The project is also expected to position itself as a destination for weddings, conferences, social events, and corporate gatherings, supported by nearly 4,000 square feet of dedicated banquet and event spaces.

The expansion comes amid growing momentum within India’s spiritual tourism and regional hospitality sectors, where destinations with strong cultural and religious significance are witnessing increased investment from hotel operators and real estate developers. Cities such as Gaya are increasingly emerging as strategic hospitality markets due to rising tourism demand, infrastructure upgrades, and improving accessibility.

As hospitality brands continue to diversify beyond metro cities, emerging pilgrimage and cultural destinations are becoming an important part of long-term growth strategies within India’s travel and tourism industry.

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