Salon makeover, but with AI; Chennai’s first disabled-friendly gym

Hello,

At this year’s WWDC, the spotlight is on Apple’s AI releases…or rather, a conspicuous lack of.

Beyond macroeconomic headwinds and unfavourable US trade policies, the iPhone maker’s struggles with artificial intelligence have been seen as an existential risk by analysts. 

Apple’s developer conference this year isn’t expected to have much to show for itself in lieu of AI features and products either. This, in turn, could highlight the company’s continuing shortfalls with AI, threatening weakness for its shares going forward. 

That’s not the only thing weighing on Apple’s stock—on the regulatory front, courts in the US and Europe are poised to pull down the walls around Apple's App Store, with many questioning whether its fees are warranted. 

Here’s what you can expect from WWDC this year, though. 

Back home, CRED just raised $72 million from investors, at a cost—valuing the company at nearly half of what it was in 2022. 

In other news, Shein and Reliance Retail are ramping up their partnership, with plans to rapidly expand their Indian supplier base and start international sales of India-made Shein-branded clothes within six to 12 months.

The goal is to have 1,000 Indian suppliers making apparel, up from 150 currently. 

As far as exports are concerned, India has many untapped avenues—even T20 cricket could end up becoming the next viral cultural export, right behind yoga and big fat Bollywood weddings. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Salon makeover, but with AI
• Chennai’s first disabled-friendly gym
• Humaira Mushtaq to make racing history

Here’s your trivia for today: What were the first words Edison spoke into the phonograph he invented?

Startup

Salon makeover, but with AI

In February 2023, Abhinand Pandya joined hands with Kahaan Vada to launch Goodlii, a B2B2C platform that caters to salons and their customers.

From personalised style suggestions to virtual hairstyle previews, Goodlii aims to create a tech-first salon experience for Indian users. But behind the sleek features is a larger mission: to bring structure and scale to one of India’s most unorganised service sectors.

Salon ready:

• Goodlii offers more than just appointment booking. The AI engine stores haircut and service history, so users don’t need to take photos of their look every time. The app suggests when it’s time for a touch-up and even recommends styles based on past preferences. 
• The company follows a subscription-based model for salons, offering three plans: Rs 7,500 (basic), Rs 10,500 (standard), and Rs 12,500 (premium) per year.
• Goodlii is bootstrapped, with an initial investment of Rs 2.5 crore funded through a mix of personal savings and bank loans. The startup has now secured its first round of external funding from Favcy Venture, which has valued the company at Rs 20 crore in exchange for a 5% stake.

Funding Alert

Startup: Sanlayan

Amount: Rs 186 Cr

Round: Series A

Startup: Vecmocon

Amount: $18M

Round: Series A 

Startup: Kazam

Amount: $6M

Round: Series B

Social Impact

Chennai’s first disabled-friendly gym

For women with disabilities, especially from underserved backgrounds, access to sports is barred by infrastructure, cost, and social expectations. A new gym in Chennai’s Better World Shelter is changing that.

Inclusive space:

• Established in 2016 by Dr Aiswarya Rao—a pediatrician and disability rights activist—the shelter operates under the Dorcas Research Centre for Education, Art, and Culture, in collaboration with the Greater Chennai Corporation.
• For young girls with disabilities from under-resourced backgrounds, sports can be a powerful turning point—offering not just physical strength, but a pathway out of isolation, early marriage, and lifelong dependency.
• What makes them disabled-friendly is an adjustable seat position that allows users to move from their wheelchairs on to the padded seats of the equipment with ease and independence. The handles on all equipment are thicker, have ergonomic, contoured grips, and have soft, non-slip surfaces.

Sports

Humaira Mushtaq to make racing history

From the valleys of Kashmir to the global racetracks, Humaira Mushtaq’s journey is a story of grit, speed, and shattering stereotypes. As the only Indian woman competing at the British GT Championship 2025, she is not just racing cars—but is also racing towards change.

Bharat ke Innovators

Capturing carbon with microbes

Founded in June 2018, Caliche aims to target one of the most pressing global challenges: carbon emissions from heavy industries.

News & updates

• Split: Warner Bros. Discovery plans to split into two public companies by next year. WBD will separate into a streaming and studios company, which will include its movie properties and streaming service HBO Max, and a global networks company, which will include CNN, TNT Sports, and Discovery, among other businesses.
• EV plans: Tata Motors plans to invest up to $4.1 billion over the next five years to cement its position as India’s top EV maker amid rising competition and a push to adopt clean cars. The company will nearly double its portfolio from eight models to 15, launch more EVs and compressed natural gas cars and enhance the vehicles' technology features.
• Funding: Qualcomm agreed to acquire Alphawave, which designs semiconductor tech for data centres, for about $2.4 billion, as it expands into the booming AI data center market, sending shares of the British semiconductor company surging more than 22%. 

What were the first words Edison spoke into the phonograph he invented?

Answer: “Mary had a little lamb”.

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