Wyndham grows Indian portfolio with Ramada opening in Bodh Gaya

By

-

February 12, 2026

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has expanded its India portfolio with the launch of Ramada by Wyndham Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi, marking the brand’s official entry into Bihar. With this opening, Wyndham continues to strengthen its presence in high-growth spiritual destinations across the country.

Developed in partnership with Yatri Vihar Hospitality Private Limited, the 95-key property is strategically located near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mahabodhi Temple, making it a prime hospitality destination for domestic and international visitors. As a result, the hotel looks forward to serve travellers seeking proximity to one of Buddhism’s most sacred sites.

In addition, the hotel offers a comprehensive range of amenities, including a swimming pool, spa, health club, kids’ entertainment zone, amphitheatre, landscaped lawns, and multiple banquet venues. Meanwhile, its food and beverage offerings feature a speciality restaurant, coffee shop, and lounge, catering to diverse guest preferences.

Consequently, the property aims to accommodate a wide mix of pilgrims, leisure travellers, and business guests visiting Bodh Gaya for religious, cultural, or professional purposes.

Commenting on the launch, Rahool Macarius, Market Managing Director – Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said, “The opening of Ramada by Wyndham Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi underscores our commitment to supporting high-potential destinations with strong, reliable hotel offerings that serve the needs of today’s travellers. Ramada is a globally trusted brand known for approachable, full-service hospitality, and its presence in Bodh Gaya strengthens the city’s ability to welcome international pilgrims, leisure guests, and business visitors with confidence and consistency. We are pleased to collaborate with Yatri Vihar Hospitality Private Limited in bringing this project to life, and we look forward to contributing to the continued growth and visibility of the region’s tourism economy.”

Moreover, the hotel aims to boost the local tourism ecosystem while also supporting employment generation in the region. Through this development, Wyndham reinforces its long-term commitment to building hospitality infrastructure in emerging spiritual and cultural hubs across India.

The launch of Ramada by Wyndham Bodh Gaya Mahabodhi represents a strategic step in Wyndham’s India expansion strategy. By combining global hospitality standards with a prime spiritual location, the new property enhances Bodh Gaya’s appeal as a world-class destination and contributes meaningfully to the region’s tourism-driven economic growth.

W Health Ventures closes Rs 550-Cr Fund II to to back high-growth health startups

By

BRL Editor

-

February 12, 2026

0

Venture capital firm W Health Ventures has announced the initial close of its second fund, Fund II, at Rs 550 crore, while setting a final target of Rs 630 crore. With this milestone, the firm is strengthening its commitment to building and scaling healthcare companies across India and the US–India corridor by leveraging its proven company-building model.

Through this fund, W Health Ventures will actively support the creation, incubation, and expansion of healthcare startups that address critical gaps in clinical delivery and healthcare operations. Moreover, the firm will focus on developing technology-first, scalable healthcare solutions that can deliver long-term impact.

Commenting on the fund’s strategy, Managing Partner Pankaj Jethwani explained that the firm co-founds companies from inception, enabling founders to tackle underserved areas with deep operational involvement. “Our Fund I portfolio has already impacted 25 million lives globally, and we aim to scale this to a billion lives over the next two decades,” he added. In line with this vision, Fund II will incubate 8–10 new companies, deploying Rs 30–50 crore per venture.

As part of its early execution, W Health Ventures has already launched Everhope Oncology, a national oncology platform co-founded with Narayana Health, as the first company under Fund II. At the same time, the firm is incubating a stealth venture that is enabling US-based psychiatry clinics to expand access to advanced treatments for treatment-resistant depression.

Meanwhile, Partner Gaurav Porwal emphasised the firm’s strong backing from its limited partners and reaffirmed its focus on building foundational healthcare companies. He highlighted that W Health Ventures continues to prioritise high-impact sectors, including oncology, preventive healthcare, geriatrics, and chronic care management, where long-term innovation remains critical.

With the successful initial close of Fund II, W Health Ventures is reinforcing its position as a leading healthcare company builder, focused on scalable innovation and cross-border impact.

Grocery platform Elixiir Foods raises $9 Mn to build tech-driven omnichannel grocery platform

By

BRL Editor

-

February 12, 2026

0

Grocery platform Elixiir Foods raises $9 Mn to build tech-driven omnichannel grocery platform — Arvind Mediratta and Ambuj Narayan, Founders, Elixiir Foods

Grocery platform Elixiir Foods has secured $9 million in funding in a round led by 3one4 Capital, with participation from Incubate Fund Asia. With this investment, the NCR-based startup is accelerating its plans to build a technology-driven omnichannel grocery platform that focuses on fresh and gourmet food offerings.

Specifically, Elixiir Foods aims to offer a wide product range that includes dairy, meat, fresh produce, flours, rice, spices, beverages, ready-to-eat meals, and frozen foods, positioning itself as a comprehensive destination for premium grocery needs.

According to the company, Elixiir Foods will deploy the newly raised capital to launch its platform, strengthen its supply chain infrastructure, and build a robust technology foundation to support scalable operations.

Commenting on evolving consumer preferences, Arvind Mediratta, founder and chief executive of Elixiir Foods, said, “India is no longer looking only for basics. It wants healthier food choices along with authentic gourmet cuisines: not just from different regions of India, but from around the world.”

“We want to cater to the centre-of-the-plate consumption for middle-class and upper-income households. Our stores may even have roller mills for fresh atta, spices, coffee, and cold-pressed oils,” Mediratta added.

“Over time, we will expand to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and other million-plus cities where we can build density with five to six stores,” he said, adding that the company will continue to raise capital as it scales. The omnichannel neighbourhood store spanning across 3,000 sq ft will also house a central kitchen, bakery, and café, along with a digital layer promising 1–2 hour deliveries.

Founded by Arvind Mediratta and Ambuj Narayan, Elixiir Foods is deliberately positioning itself as an ‘affordable premium’ grocery brand, targeting consumers who seek quality, authenticity, and variety without paying luxury-level prices.

Elixiir Foods’ latest funding marks a significant step in its journey to reshape India’s evolving grocery landscape. As consumer demand shifts toward healthier and globally inspired food options, the company’s focus on technology, supply chain efficiency, and omnichannel distribution places it well to capture a growing segment of premium-seeking yet value-conscious shoppers.

Flipkart eyes food delivery launch ahead of planned IPO to broaden consumer play

By

BRL Editor

-

February 12, 2026

0

Ecommerce marketplace Flipkart, which entered the fast-growing 10-minute grocery delivery segment in late 2024, is now evaluating a move into another intensely competitive space—online food delivery, according to people familiar with the discussions. As part of this effort, the Walmart-owned company is targeting a pilot programme in Bengaluru between May and June, with a broader rollout likely by the end of this year or early next year, these people said.

Meanwhile, one of the sources explained the company’s thinking, stating, “Flipkart is evaluating the food delivery market while trying to identify a differentiated positioning in the space.”

Earlier, nearly two years ago, Flipkart—alongside consumer internet peers Ola and Paytm—outlined plans to enter food delivery through the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). However, that proposal failed to move beyond the planning stage.

At the same time, India’s food delivery market, valued at approximately $9 billion in fiscal 2025, is expected to expand sharply to $25 billion by FY30, according to estimates from brokerage firm Jefferies. Currently, Eternal-owned Zomato and Swiggy dominate the segment, while Rapido’s Ownly and smaller ONDC-based platforms continue to compete for market share.

Against this backdrop, Flipkart’s potential entry comes as competition in food delivery continues to intensify. Notably, 10-minute café-style delivery models are gaining traction even as overall market growth shows signs of moderation.

Meanwhile, the company has already started building a dedicated team to support the initiative.

After operating at the lower end of their guided 18–22 percent medium-term growth range for several quarters, food delivery leaders Zomato and Swiggy reported signs of improved demand during the October–December quarter. During this period, gross order value increased 21.3 percent year-on-year for Zomato and 20.5 percent for Swiggy.

At the same time, Flipkart—currently preparing for a public listing later this year—has increased investments in its quick commerce vertical, Minutes. According to people familiar with the developments, Minutes now operates more than 800 dark stores and plans to aggressively expand its network of micro-warehouses in the coming months.

In parallel, e-commerce majors, including Flipkart, have stepped up discounting in quick commerce to challenge established players such as Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy’s Instamart, as competitive intensity rises.

Overall, Flipkart’s push into new initiatives comes as the broader e-commerce sector shows early signs of recovery following a prolonged slowdown. Under the leadership of group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, the Flipkart Group narrowed losses across most entities in FY25 by reducing expenses, even as revenue growth remained subdued.

Despite these challenges, Flipkart’s core marketplace business recorded a 14 percent increase in revenue, reaching Rs 20,493 crore in FY25, underscoring steady progress as the company advances toward its IPO plans.

AI Inference startup Modal Labs in talks for new funding round at $2.5 Bn valuation

By

BRL Editor

-

February 12, 2026

0

AI Inference startup Modal Labs in talks for new funding round at $2.5 Bn valuation — Akshat Bubna & Erik Bernhardsson, Founders, Modal Labs

Modal Labs, a startup that specializes in AI inference infrastructure, is currently holding discussions with venture capital firms about a potential new funding round at an estimated valuation of $2.5 billion, according to four people familiar with the matter. If the deal closes at these levels, the round would more than double the company’s previous valuation of $1.1 billion, which Modal announced less than five months ago alongside its $87 million Series B funding.

Meanwhile, sources said that General Catalyst is holding talks to lead the new funding round. At the same time, insiders revealed that Modal’s annualized revenue run rate (ARR) stands at approximately $50 million. However, the discussions remain at an early stage, and the final terms could still evolve.

In response, Modal Labs co-founder and CEO Erik Bernhardsson denied that the company is actively raising capital and described his recent conversations with venture capitalists as general discussions rather than formal fundraising efforts. Meanwhile, General Catalyst declined to comment on the matter.

Notably, Modal focuses on optimizing AI inference, which refers to the process of running trained artificial intelligence models to produce outputs in response to user prompts. By improving inference efficiency, companies can significantly lower compute costs while also reducing latency between a user’s request and the model’s response.

Against this backdrop, Modal stands among a small but rapidly growing group of inference-focused startups drawing intense investor interest. Just last week, competitor Baseten announced a $300 million funding round at a $5 billion valuation, more than doubling its $2.1 billion valuation from September. Similarly, Fireworks AI, an inference cloud provider, raised $250 million at a $4 billion valuation in October.

Additionally, in January, the creators of the open-source inference project vLLM transitioned the tool into a VC-backed company called Inferact. The new startup raised $150 million in seed funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz, at an $800 million valuation. At the same time, reports said that the team behind SGLang commercialized its technology as RadixArk and secured seed funding at a $400 million valuation led by Accel, according to sources.

Modal Labs traces its origins to 2021, when Erik Bernhardsson founded the company after spending more than 15 years building and leading data teams. Previously, he held senior roles at companies such as Spotify and Better.com, where he served as CTO.

Earlier in its journey, Modal attracted backing from prominent investors, including Lux Capital and Redpoint Ventures, further cementing its position in the rapidly expanding AI inference infrastructure ecosystem.

Royal Orchid Hotels announces strategic divestment of Multi Hotels Limited

By

BRL Editor

-

February 11, 2026

0

Royal Orchid Hotels Limited (ROHL) has confirmed the successful execution of a definitive agreement to sell its subsidiary, Multi Hotels Limited, to Greenleaf Properties Limited, a Tanzania-based company. The company executed the agreement on January 29, 2026, following its earlier disclosure to the stock exchanges.

Consequently, Multi Hotels Limited ceased to be a subsidiary of Royal Orchid Hotels Limited with effect from January 29, 2026. Through this transaction, ROHL continues to advance its strategic objective of optimizing its portfolio, strengthening its balance sheet, and sharpening its focus on core hospitality operations across priority markets.

Furthermore, Multi Hotels Limited had not commenced commercial operations, and the divestment enables ROHL to unlock value while actively redeploying capital toward higher-growth opportunities, according to the company release.

From a financial standpoint, the total consideration for the sale of 100 percent equity in Multi Hotels Limited stands at $3,412,500. The company will receive the proceeds in installments within 120 days from the agreement’s execution date.

Additionally, Greenleaf Properties Limited operates as an independent entity, and the parties completed the transaction on an arm’s-length basis in full compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements. As part of the transaction, Chander K. Baljee, Chairman & Managing Director of Royal Orchid Hotels Limited, transferred his minority shareholding in Multi Hotels Limited along with the company’s stake.

Commenting on the development, Chander K. Baljee, Chairman & Managing Director, ROHL, said, “This strategic divestment reflects our continued commitment to disciplined capital allocation and long-term value creation. As Royal Orchid continues to expand and strengthen its core hospitality footprint, this transaction enables us to remain focused on opportunities that align closely with our growth vision.”

Meanwhile, Royal Orchid Hotels Limited continues to pursue expansion through a balanced mix of owned, leased, managed, and franchised properties. Moreover, the company remains confident about its long-term growth outlook, supported by India’s strong travel and tourism demand, the release added.

Tamara Leisure Experiences unveils ambitious expansion strategy across India

By

BRL Editor

-

February 11, 2026

0

Tamara Leisure Experiences has unveiled plans to launch nine new properties across India over the next three to four years, marking a significant expansion of its hospitality footprint. Through this growth initiative, the group will strengthen its presence across leisure, business, and experiential travel, while also making a strategic entry into the faith-led hospitality segment.

To support this expansion, the group confirmed that it will adopt a hybrid growth strategy, combining owned assets with a calibrated asset-light model. Moreover, Tamara Leisure Experiences will anchor all upcoming developments around sustainability, wellness, and technology, while prioritising location-led design and long-term community engagement.

Explaining the strategic direction, Samir MC, CEO of Tamara Leisure Experiences, said, “This phase of growth is rooted in Tamara’s foundation and is guided by three pillars. First, a destination-first lens that allows each property to emerge organically from its cultural and geographic context. Second, the thoughtful use of technology to enhance guest experiences, personalize journeys, and enable seamless interactions across touchpoints. And third, a commitment to responsible hospitality, where sustainability is embedded into design, operations, and long-term value creation.”

Under its 2030 vision, the group will introduce The Tamara Kaziranga, The Tamara Alleppey, and The Tamara Hosur. In parallel, the company will launch O by Tamara in Bodh Gaya and Whitefield, expand the Lilac brand to Velankanni, Kufri, and Kannur, and open Kalyana Mandapam in Madurai. Notably, eight projects will follow the owned-asset model, while Kufri will mark the group’s first asset-light signing. The company expects these properties to become operational between 2028 and 2030.

Highlighting the broader industry context, Samir added, “The Indian hospitality industry is at a clear inflection point, supported by sustained policy impetus and rising demand from both domestic and international travellers. Alongside leisure and urban hospitality, where we already have a strong presence, we see a clear opportunity to deepen our footprint in core categories and selectively enter the faith-led segment, which industry estimates to be valued at over $200 billion in India. While 8 of the launches will be our own investment, we have also signed our first asset-light deal in Kufri. As we step into FY27, we are actively evaluating opportunities pan-India across multiple segments.”

Meanwhile, industry estimates continue to signal strong momentum for India’s hospitality and tourism sector, which analysts project will reach approximately USD 60 billion by 2028. Growth remains driven by a sharp increase in domestic travel, with total trips expected to approach 5.2 billion by 2030, alongside a steady recovery in international arrivals.

Additionally, rising public and private infrastructure investments—including airports, rail connectivity, destination development, and sustainable hospitality formats—are accelerating growth across segments.

Currently, Tamara Leisure Experiences operates eight hotels across India along with one AYUSH hospital, reinforcing its diversified presence in wellness-led and experiential hospitality.

Tech-driven apparel sourcing & manufacturing platform Showroom B2B raises $17 Mn in funding to expand supply chain operations

By

BRL Editor

-

February 11, 2026

0

Tech-driven apparel sourcing & manufacturing platform Showroom B2B raises $17 Mn in funding to expand supply chain operations — Shubham Gupta & Abhishek Dua, co-Founders, Showroom B2B

Showroom B2B, an apparel sourcing and manufacturing company, has secured $17 million in a fresh funding round led by early-growth equity firm Cactus Partners. This capital infusion highlights rising investor confidence in technology-driven B2B apparel platforms serving India’s value and aspirational retail segments.

Moreover, the funding round combined both equity and debt, while Zephyr Peacock participated alongside existing backers Jungle Ventures, Accion Ventures, and NBD Ventures. This strong mix of new and returning investors reinforces the company’s scalable business model and long-term growth potential.

Going forward, Showroom B2B plans to channel the capital toward enhancing and scaling its platform while simultaneously expanding its customer base and entering new market segments. In addition, the company intends to strengthen its supply chain infrastructure and execute multiple strategic growth initiatives to improve operational efficiency.

Highlighting the company’s priorities, cofounder Abhishek Dua said, “We will continue investing in systems, people, and manufacturing capabilities that allow us to serve customers with greater speed, predictability, and operational depth.” Through these investments, the company aims to deliver faster turnaround times and more reliable manufacturing outcomes.

Founded in 2020 by Abhishek Dua and Shubham Gupta, the B2B apparel platform serves retailers, brands, and buying houses across diverse market segments. Furthermore, Showroom B2B provides an end-to-end solution covering design, manufacturing, and logistics, catering to product categories such as denim, T-shirts, kurtis, and kidswear.

Previously, the company raised $6.5 million in 2023 in a funding round led by Jungle Ventures, which helped lay the foundation for its current scale and platform development.

Commenting on the latest investment, Amit Sharma, general partner at Cactus Partners, said, “Showroom B2B targets the burgeoning aspirational consumer segment … manufacturing apparel and optimising supply chain for value retail players and incrementally for D2C brands.” This focus positions the company at the intersection of value retail and fast-growing D2C demand.

Additionally, Mukul Gulati, managing partner at Zephyr Peacock, added, “The platform streamlines manufacturing, product discovery, sampling, and order execution, significantly reducing time-to-market while optimising working capital.” These capabilities enable apparel brands to operate more efficiently in an increasingly competitive market.

Showroom B2B’s latest $17 million funding round strengthens its ability to scale technology-led apparel manufacturing and sourcing solutions. With strong investor backing, a comprehensive end-to-end platform, and a clear focus on supply chain optimisation, the company is well positioned to accelerate growth and redefine efficiency across India’s B2B apparel ecosystem.

Xumane launches Xumane Recruit to transform hiring with AI-driven precision

By

BRL Editor

-

February 11, 2026

0

Xumane, a leading provider of ESOP advisory, financing, and liquidation services, has announced the launch of Xumane Recruit, an AI-powered recruitment platform built to deliver greater speed, clarity, and precision across the entire hiring lifecycle. With this launch, Xumane expands its mission of enabling intelligent decision-making into the rapidly evolving recruitment space.

Unlike conventional applicant tracking systems, Xumane Recruit places AI-led interviews at the core of hiring decisions rather than treating them as an add-on. As a result, the platform empowers organizations to move away from intuition-based recruitment and adopt structured, consistent, and data-driven candidate evaluation.

As hiring processes become increasingly complex, Xumane Recruit simplifies the journey from “Hi” to “Hired” through a tightly integrated workflow. Specifically, the platform combines intelligent screening, automated scheduling, structured interviews, scoring mechanisms, and real-time analytics. Consequently, hiring teams can assess candidates fairly and consistently at scale while significantly reducing operational burden.

Highlighting the need for transformation in recruitment, Avinash Gautam, Product Head – Xumane, said, “Hiring today needs to be faster, fairer, and far more precise than traditional methods allow. Manual screening, unstructured interviews, and gut-based decisions simply don’t scale. With Xumane Recruit, we’ve reimagined precision hiring through AI-led interviews and intelligent evaluation, helping teams hire better, reduce effort, and make confident decisions at speed.”

Moreover, organizations already using Xumane Recruit have reported tangible performance gains. These include up to 95% faster time to hire, an 87% reduction in recruitment costs, and a 54% increase in successful hires. By replacing fragmented recruitment workflows with a unified, future-ready hiring architecture, the platform enables teams to focus on candidate quality instead of administrative overhead.

At the core of Xumane Recruit lies its AI-led interview engine, which actively guides interviews, evaluates candidates objectively, and delivers actionable hiring insights. Key platform capabilities include:

Structured, bias-reduced interviews that ensure consistent candidate evaluation
Smart screening and resume parsing to identify relevant talent faster
Automated scheduling and coordination to minimize recruiter effort
Centralized dashboards and real-time analytics for complete hiring visibility

Together, these features allow organizations to hire faster without compromising on quality, ensuring that every interview contributes meaningful insight.

In addition, Xumane brings deep enterprise expertise to the recruitment domain. The company earned recognition in G2’s Winter 2024 and Spring 2025 Reports, securing ten top badges across categories such as High Usability and High Performance. Building on this momentum, Xumane Recruit extends the company’s commitment to scalable, intelligent decision-making into talent acquisition.

Further reinforcing its leadership in AI-driven hiring, Xumane hosted the Recruit AI Summit in November 2025 in New Delhi. The summit brought together CXOs, founders, CHROs, and talent leaders to examine how AI-led interviews and predictive analytics are reshaping recruitment. Industry leaders from Microsoft, Perfetti Van Melle India, Pernod, DLF, Havells, and other prominent organizations shared insights, positioning the event as a powerful forum for collaboration and thought leadership.

The launch of Xumane Recruit marks a significant step toward redefining how organizations hire at scale. By embedding AI-led interviews at the heart of recruitment, delivering measurable efficiency gains, and enabling unbiased, data-backed decisions, Xumane Recruit positions itself as a next-generation platform built for the future of hiring.

Consumer lending startup Olyv secures $23 Mn to scale operations and strengthen its product offerings

By

BRL Editor

-

February 11, 2026

0

Consumer lending startup Olyv secures $23 Mn to scale operations and strengthen its product offerings — Rohit Garg, co-Founder of Olyv

Bengaluru-based consumer lending startup Olyv has successfully raised $23 million in a new funding round, with backing from Fundamentum Partnership and SMBC Asia Rising Fund. This fresh infusion of capital marks a significant milestone in the company’s growth journey and reinforces investor confidence in India’s expanding digital lending ecosystem.

According to Rohit Garg, cofounder of Olyv (formerly Smartcoin), the company plans to deploy the capital strategically. Specifically, Olyv will allocate 50% of the funds to capitalise its NBFC, while it will use the remaining amount to scale operations and strengthen its product offerings.

Furthermore, Garg highlighted the funding split, stating that approximately $13 million came from Nandan Nilekani-backed venture capital firm Fundamentum, while around $8 million was contributed by SMBC Asia Fund. This diversified investor participation underscores strong institutional interest in Olyv’s long-term vision.

Outlining the company’s expansion roadmap, Garg said, “We are doing personal loans; we plan to get into unsecured business loans for the self-employed, offer credit on UPI rails, and also get into insurance distribution.” Through this multi-pronged approach, Olyv aims to broaden access to credit while deepening its presence across multiple financial services verticals.

In addition, the consumer lending startup is preparing to apply for an insurance broking licence, enabling it to extend beyond lending into insurance distribution. By doing so, Olyv intends to evolve into a more comprehensive financial services platform. Founded in 2017, the startup already counts Lightrock and Accion among its existing investors.

At present, Olyv is distributing personal loans worth Rs 4,000 crore on an annualised basis, reflecting strong demand and operational scale. Looking ahead, the company has set an ambitious target to build assets under management (AUM) worth $1 billion within the next three years.

From a financial performance standpoint, Olyv delivered robust results in FY25, reporting total revenue of Rs 350 crore alongside a net profit of Rs 26 crore. These numbers highlight the company’s ability to scale profitably in a competitive fintech landscape.

Olyv’s latest funding round positions the Bengaluru-based fintech for accelerated growth across lending, UPI-based credit, and insurance distribution.

With strong backing from marquee investors, a profitable business model, and a clear expansion strategy, Olyv is actively strengthening its footprint in India’s rapidly evolving digital financial services market.

CONNECT WITH US