👨🏽‍💼 AI is changing the hiring game

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31 July 2025 View in Browser

Hello,   Who’s hungry for takeout?   Zomato parent Eternal is still confident in the long-term growth of its food delivery business, despite the general sluggishness of the current macroeconomic environment.    Zomato continues to hold a long-term growth outlook of over 20% yearly net order value growth—the value of all goods sold on the platform minus discounts. It cited low penetration of restaurant food as well as increasing urbanisation and per capita income in India as its base.    Meanwhile, Blinkit is now piloting deliveries of prescription medicines in select Bengaluru pin codes, including medications for respiratory, heart, eye and ear conditions as well as neurocare.    Freshworks, too, is optimistic about the year ahead. The firm raised its full-year revenue guidance on the back of increasing customer adoption, and now expects FY25 revenue to be between $822.9 million and $828.9 million.   AI is also helping safeguard lives with critical climate risk assessments. A public research body in Italy is using an AI assistant to gauge landslide risks in high-exposure areas in the country.    Meanwhile, India is doing its part to monitor climate risks—with eyes in the sky. ISRO and NASA have collaborated to launch a $1.5-billion radar imaging satellite.    The satellite will map the planet every 12 days using a 240-km-wide radar swath, offering data to scientists and disaster response agencies to enhance global monitoring of climate change.   In today’s newsletter, we will talk about  AI is changing the hiring game Swiggy’s Q1 FY26 results in focus Powering India’s pickleball craze Here’s your trivia for today: Which is the most translated book in the world?

Interview AI is changing the hiring gameArtificial intelligence may be evolving at breakneck speed, but in talent acquisition, one truth still holds: only humans can truly judge humans—at least for now.   In a conversation with YourStory during an upGrad Rekrut event, Daryl Pinto, India Head of Talent Acquisition at Microsoft, spoke about how AI is reshaping talent acquisition, from automation and ethics to the importance of upskilling, expectations of Gen Zs, and the enduring value of the human touch in hiring.   Lessons: According to Pinto, smaller and mid-size firms are more open to letting AI pick their top hires. Larger firms are staying cautious. AI is evolving too fast, and the ethical guardrails haven’t caught up. Microsoft has moved beyond Tier I institutes, says Pinto. The company is recruiting from 70–80 campuses through hackathons and digital outreach, which helps uncover hidden talent. When asked for tips for those in the job market, Pinto had this to say, “First, be curious. Be open to learning, ask a ton of questions, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes—that’s the only way to learn. I tell my managers to make mistakes and learn from them. That’s how all of us grow.” Know More

Funding Alert Littlebox: $2.1M | Undisclosed Flexprice: $500,000 | Pre-Seed Heizen: $500,000 | Pre-Seed

Ecommerce Swiggy’s Q1 FY26 results in focus Bengaluru-based Swiggy is set to announce its financial results for the first quarter (Q1) of FY26 at the close of markets today.   Sriharsha Majety-led Swiggy is expected to report a modest sequential increase in losses for the April–June quarter (Q1 FY26), even as its quick commerce and food delivery businesses continue to post strong year-on-year growth, according to brokerage estimates.   Key takeaways: ​JM Financial Institutional Securities expects the company, on a consolidated level, to report an EBITDA loss of Rs 990 crore and a net loss of Rs 1,130 crore, slightly higher than the Rs 960 crore and Rs 1,080 crore losses in Q4 FY25. Axis Capital, in its report, forecasts Swiggy to report Rs 4,868 crore in consolidated revenue, up 10.4% quarter-on-quarter and 51% year-on-year. It expects net loss to come in at Rs 1,018 crore for the quarter.  Swiggy’s results will be closely watched following Blinkit’s strong showing last week, where the Eternal-owned platform posted 135% YoY GOV growth and surpassed Zomato’s food delivery unit in order value. Know More

Startup Powering India’s pickleball crazeFounded this May, Kolkata-based Picklebay has emerged as India’s first tech-integrated, end-to-end platform dedicated entirely to pickleball.    Within just two months of its launch, Picklebay has over 1,100 registered users, with metro cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata showing the strongest traction. Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad are next in line for expansion. Know More

From the CapTable Frame by frame: Reading the finer details in Lenskart’s DRHP Nearly half a billion Indians need vision correction. Over 200 million don’t have access to it. For years, that massive unmet need has been the backbone of Lenskart’s pitch, a vertically integrated eyewear company aiming to fill one of India’s most overlooked consumer healthcare gaps.    Since its founding in 2010, the company has positioned itself as part manufacturer, part retailer, and part tech platform in an industry where eyewear is as much about fashion as it is about function. It has raised over a billion dollars in primary and secondary funding from marquee global investors.   Now, Lenskart has entered a new phase—one that will invite a lot of public scrutiny. Its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) opens up the inner mechanics of one of India’s most recognisable direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands.   The numbers stand out: Rs 6,652 crore in FY25 operating revenue, a network of over 2,700 stores, and international operations across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The company also reported bottomline profitability in FY25, a milestone that many new-age tech companies have yet to achieve and are often grilled about by investors.   Lenskart’s operations span manufacturing, retail, and technology, making it structurally different from new-age consumer businesses. While it has positioned itself as a tech-enabled, vertically integrated eyewear brand focused on affordability and access, the DRHP offers a more detailed view of how that model functions: from in-house production in Bhiwadi to its expanding omnichannel presence and a network of domestic and overseas subsidiaries.   As Lenskart prepares to go public, its evolution from a niche online eyewear seller to a multi-market retail operation will come under closer scrutiny. For all the narrative consistency Lenskart has maintained publicly—on solving access and affordability—the IPO will test whether those claims hold up under financial transparency.    Here’s a quick breakdown of key themes that stand out from Lenskart’s DRHP. Continue Reading

Bharat ke Innovators

Indigenous livestock revolution Blending biotech and tradition, Verdant Impact is building climate-resilient dairy solutions for small-scale farmers across India. Know More     Making cancer care affordable Bengaluru-based biotech startup NKure Therapeutics is on a mission to democratise access to immunotherapy using Natural Killer cells, revolutionising how cancer is treated in India. Know More

News & Updates

Tariff troubles: US President Donald Trump said he would impose a tariff rate of 25% on India’s exports to the US starting on August 1 and suggested he would add an additional penalty over the country’s energy purchases from Russia. Grocery boost: Kraft Heinz beat estimates for quarterly results on Wednesday, helped by resilient demand for its pantry staples and condiments in the United States as consumers tried to stretch their household budgets. Uncertainty: Adidas shares tumbled after the sporting goods company posted lower-than-expected sales and confirmed its outlook amid persistent uncertainty around the impact of US tariffs.

Did you know?

Which is the most translated book in the world? Answer: The Bible. It’s been translated into over 3,300 languages, including fictional ones such as Tolkien’s Elvish language Quenya, Klingon, and Na’vi.

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