India’s startup funding story is moving across both consumer products and deep technology. Home and kitchen brand Solara is in talks to raise $20–25 million from Faering Capital, while space startup Agnikul Cosmos has been selected for Rs. 200 crore support through the Technology Development Board’s RDI Fund.

The two developments serve very different purposes. Solara wants to expand a profitable consumer business. Agnikul is working on rocket technology that could make small satellite launches more flexible and affordable.

Solara funding plan and business model

Hyderabad-based Solara is reportedly in discussions to raise $20–25 million in a round led by Faering Capital. The proposed deal could value the company at around $100 million. It would also be Solara’s first institutional funding round. Mint reported that the company has appointed PwC as its banker.

Founded in 2021 by Amazon alumni Gopal Kolli and Swetha Padma Parvathaneni, Solara sells drinkware, cookware and kitchen appliances. More than half of its revenue now comes from appliances.

The company’s revenue reportedly increased from Rs. 22.7 crore in FY24 to Rs. 40.9 crore in FY25. Solara also became profitable in FY25, recording a profit of Rs. 1.5 crore.

How Solara may use the funding

Solara has not yet formally announced the final terms or a detailed allocation plan. However, the funding is expected to support the company’s expansion in several areas.

The money could help Solara launch more appliances, improve product design, build inventory and strengthen its supply chain. Consumer appliance companies need significant working capital because products must be manufactured, stored and delivered before revenue is received.

The company may also invest in marketing, online sales and offline retail. A wider service network could become important as it sells more appliances, because customers expect installation, repairs and warranty support.

Solara competes with established appliance companies and newer direct-to-consumer brands such as Curaa, The Indus Valley and Nestasia. Its main difference is the combination of attractive design, everyday kitchen use and a growing share of appliance sales.

Agnikul Cosmos and the Rs. 200 crore support

Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos is developing Agnibaan, a modular launch vehicle for small satellites. The company was founded by Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM and is incubated at IIT Madras.

Agnibaan is designed to carry different payload sizes and offer dedicated launches for small satellite companies. This can be useful for customers that do not want to wait for space on a larger rocket carrying another company’s satellite.

In July 2026, the Technology Development Board selected Agnikul for Rs. 200 crore support under the government’s Research, Development and Innovation Fund. Business Standard reported that the support was part of a larger programme covering 22 deep-tech projects.

There is an important detail here. TDB’s official records show that it had earlier sanctioned Rs. 18 crore for an Agnikul project with a total cost of Rs. 263.15 crore in an agreement signed in December 2024. The newer Rs. 200 crore figure relates to the RDI Fund selection and should not be confused with the earlier agreement. TDB records confirm the Rs. 18 crore commitment.

Purpose of the Agnikul support

The larger support is meant to help Agnikul move from testing and development towards commercial launch capability. The company can use such funding for rocket manufacturing, engine development, testing facilities, launch systems and mission control technology.

Agnikul’s technology includes a single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine and a modular design. The company is also working towards reusable launch vehicles. Reusability means parts of the rocket can be recovered, refurbished and flown again, potentially reducing the cost of future missions.

The company competes with Indian space startups such as Skyroot Aerospace, Pixxel and Dhruva Space, although their products and business models are not identical. Agnikul’s focus is on small launch vehicles, custom missions and a flexible approach to satellite deployment.

Why these developments matter

Solara represents the scaling of a consumer brand that has already reached profitability. Agnikul represents long-term investment in difficult engineering and strategic technology.

One company needs better distribution, product development and customer service. The other needs years of testing, manufacturing capability and regulatory approvals before it can operate regular commercial launches.

Conclusion and key takeaways

Solara and Agnikul Cosmos show two sides of India’s startup economy. Solara is using a consumer opportunity to build a larger home and kitchen brand, while Agnikul is working on infrastructure for the future space industry.

The Solara round is still under discussion. Agnikul’s Rs. 200 crore support has been reported under the RDI Fund, while its earlier TDB agreement involved Rs. 18 crore. Keeping these two commitments separate is important for understanding the actual funding picture.

Key takeaways –

• Solara is reportedly in talks to raise $20–25 million.
• The company was founded in 2021 by Gopal Kolli and Swetha Padma Parvathaneni.
• Solara plans to expand its kitchen appliances, products and distribution.
• Agnikul Cosmos has been selected for Rs. 200 crore under the RDI Fund.
• An earlier TDB agreement with Agnikul involved Rs. 18 crore.
• Agnikul is developing modular and potentially reusable launch vehicles for small satellites.

Baby-care quick commerce startup Kiddo has raised Rs.12.5 crore in a pre-seed round led by Campus Fund. The round also included participation from strategic angel investors.

Founded in 2025 by Ankit Kawatra, Kiddo is building a quick-commerce platform focused only on babies and young kids.

The company is currently live in parts of Delhi NCR and promises delivery of baby and kids’ products in around 30 minutes.

What Kiddo is trying to solve

Parents often need baby products suddenly. It could be diapers at night, baby wipes before travel, a feeding bottle, rash cream, toys, clothes or age-specific food items. Regular e-commerce may take a day or two, while general quick-commerce apps may not always have the right baby product or size.

Kiddo wants to solve this gap with a focused baby-care shopping app. Instead of treating baby products as one small category, it is building the whole experience around parents and children.

The startup says it offers more than 30,000 curated products across essentials, fashion and other kids’ categories. This matters because parents do not only want speed. They also want confidence that the product is safe, relevant and suitable for their child’s age.

Why the funding matters

As per UNI, the fresh Rs.12.5 crore funding will be used for customer acquisition, dark store expansion across Delhi NCR, technology development, product improvement and team building.

Dark stores are small local warehouses built only for fast delivery. They are not normal retail shops. For a baby-care quick-commerce startup, these stores are important because parents expect urgent delivery and correct product availability.

For example, if a parent in Gurugram needs diapers for a six-month-old baby, the app must show the right size, the right brand and deliver quickly. If the product is wrong or delayed, trust can break very fast.

Founder background

Ankit Kawatra is not new to operations-heavy businesses. Before Kiddo, he founded Feeding India, a food-recovery network that later became part of Zomato in 2019. He also worked at Zomato, where he handled large-scale operations, including food relief work during the COVID period.

This background is important because quick commerce is not only an app business. It needs strong operations, supply planning, delivery control and customer trust.

Startup aim

Kiddo’s aim is to become the default baby-care platform for urban Indian parents. The company is starting with Delhi NCR and may expand to more cities after strengthening its model.

Its focus is not just fast delivery. It wants to add life-stage intelligence, which means showing products based on the child’s age and parent needs. For a new parent, this can reduce confusion while buying.

Competitors and market challenge

Kiddo will compete with FirstCry, Hopscotch, Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart and local baby stores. FirstCry is strong in baby and kids’ products, while quick-commerce platforms are strong in fast delivery.

Kiddo’s challenge will be to combine both strengths – deep baby-care selection and quick delivery. It will also need to maintain product quality, correct sizing, brand trust and reliable availability.