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AI-native film studio TakeTwo hits Rs 100 crore valuation in pre-seed round
BENGALURU: TakeTwo is betting that the future of Indian cinema will be written by algorithms as much as auteurs. The AI-native film studio has raised pre-seed funding at a valuation of Rs 100 crore, drawing backing from US-based Afore Capital and Canada’s Inovia VC, as investors warm to artificial intelligence transforming visual storytelling.
Founded in 2025, TakeTwo is building a full-stack, AI-powered film studio that embeds artificial intelligence directly into professional production workflows. The aim is audacious but simple: enable directors and production houses to create complex, VFX-heavy cinematic worlds at a fraction of today’s cost and time.
The capital will be used to strengthen technical infrastructure and scale TakeTwo’s team of “creative technologists”, as the company positions itself as a core technology partner for India’s film industry at a time when AI adoption across production is accelerating.
Founded by Rudresh Upadhyaya and Raghav Katta, TakeTwo was conceived in a shared room during Y Combinator’s AI Startup School. The founders, blending startup experience with a passion for cinema, set out to solve what they describe as the industry’s biggest choke point: spiralling VFX costs and punishing timelines that constrain creative ambition.
Unlike conventional AI software vendors, TakeTwo operates as a full-stack studio. It executes VFX-heavy sequences, stylised inserts and surreal environments while ensuring outputs integrate seamlessly into standard colour grading and editing pipelines. The company serves both large production houses and independent filmmakers, widening access to high-end visual capabilities.
“Our objective is to bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI research and the rigorous demands of professional cinema,” said Upadhyaya. “This valuation is a testament to the immediate value we are providing to filmmakers who need to scale their visual ambitions without the constraints of traditional timelines.”
The founders are keen to draw a distinction between TakeTwo and typical SaaS platforms. The studio positions itself as a creative partner rather than a peripheral tool, combining AI expertise with deep understanding of cinematic craft. The scale and complexity of India’s film industry also provide what the company describes as a rich data advantage, enabling the training of custom AI agents tailored to local production needs.
The timing is favourable. India’s media and entertainment market, valued at about $30 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $48 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of roughly 9.8 per cent. Within that, animation and VFX alone are expected to touch $2.2 billion by 2026.
Globally, momentum is even sharper. The AI video market, estimated at $3.86 billion in 2024, is forecast to swell to $42 billion by 2033, expanding at a CAGR of 32 per cent, according to Grand View Research.
TakeTwo says it is already collaborating with several leading Indian directors, embedding its AI-native pipelines into mainstream productions to create high-fidelity visual IP with reduced overhead. While the studio currently relies on advanced APIs, it plans to deploy proprietary AI agents customised for the nuances of Indian cinematography.
With backing from Afore Capital, the world’s largest pre-seed venture firm, and Inovia VC, the company plans to expand its technical and creative footprint across India and overseas markets.
As production budgets climb and audience expectations rise, Indian cinema is under pressure to deliver spectacle without excess. TakeTwo is wagering that AI can square that equation. If it succeeds, the next era of filmmaking may be less about stretching budgets, and more about stretching imagination.
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Delhivery chairman Deepak Kapoor, independent director Saugata Gupta quit board
Gurugram: Delhivery’s boardroom is being reset. Deepak Kapoor, chairman and independent director, has resigned with effect from April 1 as part of a planned board reconstitution, the logistics company said in an exchange filing. Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive of FMCG major Marico and an independent director on Delhivery’s board, has also stepped down.
Kapoor exits after an eight-year stint that included steering the company through its 2022 stock-market debut, a period that saw Delhivery transform from a venture-backed upstart into one of India’s most visible logistics platforms. Gupta, who joined the board in 2021, departs alongside him, marking a simultaneous clearing of two senior independent seats.
“Deepak and Saugata have been instrumental in our process of recognising the need for and enabling the reconstitution of the board of directors in line with our ambitious next phase of growth,” said Sahil Barua, managing director and chief executive, Delhivery. The statement frames the exits less as departures and more as deliberate succession, a boardroom shuffle timed to the company’s evolving scale and strategy.
The resignations arrive amid broader governance recalibration. In 2025, Delhivery appointed Emcure Pharmaceuticals whole-time director Namita Thapar, PB Fintech founder and chairman Yashish Dahiya, and IIM Bangalore faculty member Padmini Srinivasan as independent directors, signalling a tilt towards consumer, fintech and academic expertise at the board level.
Kapoor’s tenure spanned Delhivery’s most defining years, rapid network expansion, public listing and the push towards profitability in a bruising logistics market. Gupta’s presence brought FMCG and brand-scale perspective during a period when ecommerce volumes and last-mile delivery economics were being rewritten.
The twin exits, effective from the new financial year, underscore a familiar corporate rhythm: founders consolidate, veterans rotate out, and fresh voices are ushered in to script the next chapter. In India’s hyper-competitive logistics race, even the boardroom does not stand still.
Brands
Brnd.me enters Europe as haircare brands power global expansion
Bengaluru: Brnd.me, the global consumer brands company formerly known as Mensa Brands, has entered the European market following strong momentum across the Middle East, the United States and Canada.
The company has launched across the UK, Germany, France and Spain, with plans to expand into Italy, the Netherlands and Poland over the next year. The push is being led by its haircare and aromatherapy brands, Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure, marking Brnd.me’s first structured expansion into Europe.
The European beauty market represents a total addressable opportunity of over $4 billion across haircare and aromatherapy, supported by high digital adoption and demand for accessible, performance-led products.
Brnd.me’s hair care and aromatherapy business currently operates at an annual run rate of around $6 million, with Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure delivering roughly 10 per cent month-on-month growth, driven by expansion and rising repeat demand.
To support regional growth, the company has appointed a general manager based in Germany and is evaluating investments in warehousing and local team expansion.
Early traction has been strong. Within weeks of launch, Botanic Hearth’s rosemary hair oil ranked among the top five hair oils in Germany, signalling strong consumer pull in a competitive market.
Brnd.me founder and chief executive officer Ananth Narayanan, said Europe represents the next phase of the company’s international strategy. He added that the European business is expected to scale to a $10 million annual run rate by the end of 2026, with long-term ambitions to reach $60 million over the next six years.
The company’s Europe strategy centres on digital-first distribution, repeat demand and TikTok-led discovery, alongside direct-to-consumer expansion to strengthen brand equity and margins.
The move also aligns with growing EU–India trade engagement, supporting long-term sourcing and cross-border supply chains.
Brands
TechnoSport taps quick commerce with launch on Slikk’s 60-minute platform
NATIONAL: TechnoSport has launched on Slikk, the ultra-fast fashion app offering 60-minute delivery, as the activewear brand accelerates its push into quick commerce to capture Gen Z and young millennial shoppers.
The debut brings more than 150 high-performance styles to Slikk’s platform, with an average selling price of Rs 450, expanding TechnoSport’s reach across over 80 pin codes.
The partnership follows strong momentum for TechnoSport across Q-commerce channels, where the brand has recorded around 60 per cent volume growth over the past six months. The company expects quick commerce to contribute nearly 20 per cent of its revenue in the coming years as hyperlocal delivery gains scale.
Slikk, which recently raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed, has rapidly gained popularity among youth consumers seeking speed, trend relevance and impulse-led shopping experiences.
Activewear remains one of Slikk’s fastest-growing categories, driven by shoppers increasingly treating fitness-led fashion as an everyday essential. The platform has reported a 30-fold year-on-year increase in items sold, reflecting rising demand for performance wear that blends comfort with style.
TechnoSport chief executive officer Puspen Maity, said the collaboration would help the brand engage more closely with young consumers whose fashion choices are shaped by instant needs and lifestyle aspirations. He added that rapid delivery bridges the gap between intent and purchase, allowing shoppers to access activewear exactly when they want it.
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