Drones
Sarla Aviation Begins Ground Tests of Air Taxis in Bengaluru
SYL-X1 features a 7.5-metre wingspan and serves as a sub-scale platform for the company’s planned full-scale aircraft with a 15-metre wingspan.
The Left Shift Bureau
Funding
Bengaluru-Based Prosperr.io Raises $4 Mn to Build AI-Powered Tax Infrastructure for India
The startup offers an always-on tax platform for salaried individuals that adapts to financial goals, unlocks eligible deductions, and enables proactive advisor communication.
AI Startups
Yann LeCun’s Next Act: €500 Million AI Venture Focused on World Models
The venture, expected to be called Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI) Labs, is likely to be announced in January.
AI Models
Bengaluru-Based Gnani.ai Launches Indic Speech-to-Text Model Under IndiaAI Mission
Vachana STT supports multiple Indian languages and is built for deployment across sectors such as banking, telecom, and customer support.
Partnerships
TCS Partners with Workday to Unlock Power of Human Capital and Supercharge Workplaces with AI
Additionally, Workday and TCS will support universities and educational institutions in delivering connected student experiences.
Acquisition
Cursor Acquires Graphite to Build Next-Gen AI Coding Platform
The deal will combine Cursor’s AI coding capabilities with Graphite’s advanced review and merge tooling.
Databases
Snowflake Introduces Postgres on Its AI Data Cloud in Public Preview
Snowflake Postgres lets users create, manage and connect to dedicated Postgres instances directly through the Snowflake environment.
Developer's Corner
GitLab Launches Newer Version to Boost AI Automation, Governance, and Developer Tools
The 18.7 update strengthens the foundation for agentic AI workflows that help streamline repetitive development tasks and maintain organizational standards.
AI Models
Google Unveils FunctionGemma to Power Efficient On-Device AI Actions
FunctionGemma is built on the Gemma 3 270M architecture and fine-tuned specifically for function calling.
Partnerships
Adobe Taps Runway to Bring Next-Gen AI Video Creation to Firefly
Under the agreement, Runway has named Adobe its preferred API creativity partner, giving Adobe customers early access to Runway’s latest video generation models.
Acquisition
Salesforce to Acquire Qualified, Expanding Agentic AI Push in Marketing and Sales
Salesforce said the acquisition will accelerate the development of Agentforce Sales and Agentforce Marketing.
Funding
India Tech Funding Slips 17% in 2025, Early-Stage Deals Defy the Slowdown
Despite the slowdown, India retained its position as the world’s third-largest tech funding ecosystem, behind only the US and the UK.