Top stories on ETtech: States of AI; The qcomm ad overload

Happy Wednesday! Indian states are rolling out ‘ mini AI missions’ with a focus on local needs. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.

Also in the letter:
■ ETtech Done Deals
■ RIL’s qcomm play
■ Semiconductors at Sanand
Mini ‘AI Missions’ sprout in states boosting adoption and innovation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a national priority in India – it's going local. Several states are now launching their own ‘mini AI missions’ to boost adoption across key sectors, improve public services, and build on the momentum of the India AI mission.

States of AI:

• Rajasthan unveiled its draft AI policy earlier this month, offering financial incentives for AI-led innovation, provisions for establishing data and compute platforms, and outlining ethical principles.
• Maharashtra greenlit the MahaAgri-AI policy for the farming sector, with a broader mandate in the works.
• Odisha launched its own AI mission in May.
• Haryana approved a Rs 474 crore outlay for the Haryana AI Development Project.
• Telangana, an early mover, introduced its AI mission in 2020 and followed up with a detailed AI strategy last year, including subsidised compute and a 200-acre “ AI City” on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Areas of focus:

• Building open data platforms and compute infrastructure.
• Applying AI to strengthen governance.
• Enabling deeper research collaborations.
• Prioritising high-impact sectors like agriculture, education, and healthcare.
• Skilling the workforce for an AI-ready future.
• Creating formal/informal coordinating mechanisms.

Quote, unquote: “Having their own policies ensures that innovation is not just top-down, but also rooted in local needs and realities,” said Vinay Butani, partner, economic laws practice.

Teething problems: States face initial challenges, including infrastructure availability, skill gaps, funding and investment, and the population-scale rollout of use cases to drive adoption, as well as managing bias and fairness aspects, said Anurag Dua, Partner, EY India.
Quick commerce users fume as pop-ups and ads run riot on apps

Feeling swamped by ads, pop-ups and banners every time you fire up a quick commerce app? You’re not imagining it.

Tell me more:

• ET ran a survey that reveals what many users have already sensed: 62% said they’ve noticed a sharp uptick in visual clutter on these apps.
• Almost all respondents said the interfaces now feel chaotic, and navigating them has become a hassle.
• Instead of browsing, many people simply head straight to the search bar and exit quickly.

Increasing pressure: With competition heating up and pressure to turn profitable, quick commerce platforms are throwing everything at the wall: flashy graphics, in-app games, animated banners, and a growing stream of sponsored content.

Also Read: Quick commerce sprints ahead but still a small slice for FMCG giants


Why is this happening?

• The number of sponsored products and brands on these apps has shot up.
• In FY25, Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart together made over Rs 3,000 crore in ad revenue.
• As they expand into tier-II and tier-III cities, these apps are loading up with hyperlocal elements to reel in new users.
• Quick commerce began as a way to fulfil urgent purchases. Today, it’s evolving into a full-blown marketplace, with the experience changing rapidly as platforms pursue scale and profitability.

Also Read: Booming quick commerce platforms spot a big surge in ad revenues
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ETtech Done Deals: GoKwik raises funds for international expansion
(L-R) Ankush Talwar, Chirag Taneja and Vivek Bajpai, cofounders, GoKwik

Ecommerce enablement platform GoKwik raised $13 million in an equity funding round led by RTP Global. Existing investors Z47, Peak XV Partners and Think Investments also participated in the round.

Funding history: In May 2022, GoKwik had secured $35 million from investors, including RTP Global and Think Investments. The Delhi-based startup has raised $68 million since its inception in 2020.

Use of proceeds: GoKwik plans to use the fresh funds to accelerate its international expansion and invest further in its AI-led commerce stack.

Ex-Swiggy CTO’s trading platform bags fresh funds
Dale Vaz (Left) and Manish Jain

Sahi, the stock trading platform founded by former Swiggy chief technology officer Dale Vaz and ex-Kotak Securities executive Manish Jain, has raised $10.5 million in a funding round led by Accel and Elevation Capital.

Funds for innovation:

• The new capital will finance product innovation, particularly in automation.
• Sahi will roll out new automation tools, including visual no-code strategy builders and multi-leg options execution capabilities.
• It is also set to launch its trading website this week, expanding beyond its mobile and desktop offerings.

Significance: The fundraise comes as the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), eases algorithmic trading for retail investors, with the new rules taking effect from August 1, 2025.

Deftech startup Armory raises Rs 13 crore

Counter-drone technology manufacturer, Armory, raised Rs 13 crore in a funding round led by early-stage investor GrowX Ventures. Industrial 47, Antler, AC Ventures, Dexter Ventures, and several angel investors also participated in the round.

Objectives: The company will utilise the funds to accelerate research and development, expand manufacturing capacity, and speed up deployment cycles for its products.
Other Top Stories By Our Reporters

JioMart unlikely to break into quick commerce top tier, says BofA: Reliance Retail’s JioMart—without dark stores and amid intense competition—will not be one of the top two players in the Indian quick commerce space, brokerage firm BofA Global Research stated.

Micron makes headway with Sanand chip facility: The US-based chipmaker has started certification for the cleanroom—a highly controlled environment essential to semiconductor manufacturing—in the first phase of the unit.

Top brass churn continues at ONDC: Arvind Gupta, an independent director at Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), has resigned from the post, becoming the latest senior executive to leave the government-backed ecommerce network.

Automation Anywhere catches India Inc’s eye: The agentic automation solutions provider is seeing rising demand from Indian enterprises, as opposed to global capability centres (GCCs) being the predominant clients five to six years ago.
Global Picks We Are Reading
■ Can the Gulf buy its way to AI supremacy? ( Rest of World)

■ How AI infiltrated perfume ( The Verge)

■ Court filings reveal OpenAI and io’s early work on an AI device ( TechCrunch)