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From Apple's iPhone sales bonanza to Lenskart's IPO, YourStory brings you the latest news from India’s tech and impact ecosystem. Featured News How rural women in Rajasthan turned a water crisis into a movement for empowerment In Rajasthan’s Alwar district, over 850 women across 18 villages have turned a deep water crisis into a model of empowerment through the Sujal Saheli initiative. Launched under the Hinduja Foundation’s Jal Jeevan programme, the project trains women in water conservation, hygiene, leadership, and livelihoods. Members have built over 600 rainwater harvesting systems and revived traditional tanka storage methods, improving access to drinking water and irrigation. Beyond infrastructure, the movement has transformed gender roles—women now manage accounts, lead community meetings, and run small enterprises in food processing and tailoring. Read more. How India’s heat crisis is reshaping work and well-being India’s 2025 Lancet Countdown warns of escalating health and economic losses from climate change, as 2024 saw an average of 19.8 heatwave days and 733 recorded heatstroke deaths across 17 states. Heat exposure caused 247 billion lost labour-hours, hitting agriculture and construction hardest, while air-pollution-related deaths cost $339.4 billion—9.5% of GDP. The report notes a 23% global rise in heat-related mortality since the 1990s. With informal workers facing extreme heat without protection, experts urge faster fossil-fuel phase-outs, stronger primary healthcare, and city designs for heat resilience—measures the Lancet calls “the most impactful health interventions of this century.” Latest News Apple wraps up an ‘extraordinary’ year with $416B revenue, sets ‘all-time record’ in India Apple capped what CEO Tim Cook called “an extraordinary year” with record-breaking results, posting an all-time high revenue of $416 billion for fiscal 2025, fuelled in part by surging iPhone demand and an all-time revenue record in India. The tech giant wrapped up FY25 with a net profit of $112 billion, up 19.5% YoY. “We are heading into our busiest time of year with our best ever lineup. In the last few months, we have opened new stores in emerging markets like India,” Cook noted. The iPhone maker expanded its retail presence in India, opening two new stores in Bengaluru and Pune last month. Lenskart raises Rs 3,268 Cr from anchor investors prior to IPO Eyewear retailer Lenskart Solutions Ltd on Friday said it raised Rs 3,268.36 crore from 147 anchor investors prior to its initial public offering, according to a stock exchange filing. The company has allotted 8,13,02,412 equity shares at the upper end of its price band of Rs 402 per equity share. Key global marquee investors who were allocated shares include the Government of Singapore, T Rowe Price, Goldman Sachs, Steadview Capital, and JPMorgan, amongst others. Amazon’s continued cloud strength drives Q3 earnings Amazon posted robust third-quarter earnings, driven by the continued strength of its cloud unit. Increasing demand for AI and enterprise services lifted revenue and overall profitability. The Seattle-based company reported a net income of $21.2 billion for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025, a 38.6% increase from $15.3 billion in the same period last year. The company’s cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS), delivered an operating income of $11.4 billion, up 9.6% year over year, accounting for 65.5% of Amazon’s total operating income of $17.4 billion. Fertility startup Pluro raises Rs 125 Cr Series A funding from Bessemer Venture Partners Pluro Fertility, a healthcare partnership platform, has raised Rs 125 crore ($14 million) in a Series A funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners at a valuation of Rs 1,000 crore ($113 million). Prominent angels, including Vikram Chatwal (MediAssist), Dharmil Sheth and Hardik Dedhia (PharmEasy/All Home), Salil Musale (Astarc Ventures), Shalibhadra Shah and Niket Shah (Motilal Oswal), Karan Kapur (K Hospitality), also participated in this round. Pluro will use the fresh capital to expand its network presence, invest in technology, and deepen clinical capabilities in advanced reproductive science. Read more. Tryfacta plans $100–150M IPO on GIFT City exchange US-based AI-driven staffing and technology company Tryfacta Inc., led by Adesh Kumar Tyagi, is preparing to file draft papers for a $100–150 million IPO on the GIFT City exchange by October 2025. If successful, Tryfacta will be the second company after XED to list on the platform. Founded in 1996 by Adesh and Ratika Tyagi, Tryfacta serves over 200 US government clients across 40 states. Its proprietary AI systems power federal and healthcare projects, including multi-billion-dollar defense and cybersecurity contracts. Beyond Renewables raises Rs 5 Cr to tackle India’s solar waste challenge Climate-tech startup Beyond Renewables & Recycling has raised Rs 5 crore in a pre-seed round led by Momentum Capital to build India’s first large-scale solar waste recycling ecosystem. Founded in 2024 by Manhar Dixit and Vedant Taneja, the company uses proprietary technology achieving over 95% recovery of materials such as silver and silicon from end-of-life solar panels. Co-investors include Venture Catalysts, IIMA Ventures, and Oorjan Cleantech. Beyond Renewables is commissioning its first facility in Rajasthan, with 2,000 metric tons of solar waste in the pipeline. The funding supports its plan to scale partnerships and strengthen India’s circular solar economy amid rising PV waste, projected to reach 1.2 million tons by 2040. ZEPIC launches AI-Driven Instagram automation for performance marketing Marketing technology firm ZEPIC has launched Instagram Automation, becoming the first AI platform to turn every Instagram interaction into a conversion opportunity. The feature integrates AI-led automation, omnichannel engagement, and a unified customer data view within ZEPIC’s Composable Marketing OS. It enables brands to analyse DMs, comments, and story reactions in real time, triggering personalised responses and measurable conversions. Supporting over 44 languages, the system connects Instagram with commerce, CRM, and behavioural data, helping brands create localised, revenue-driven experiences. (Edited by Jyoti Narayan)
