Welcome to a new edition of ETtech Unwrapped – our weekend newsletter packed with the most important stories this week. Let’s take a look.

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Masayoshi Son, CEO, SoftBank

SoftBank eyeing buyout deals in India to push AI-led IT, BPO operations: SoftBank is scouting for acquisitions in India’s IT-enabled services (ITeS) sector, shifting focus from high-growth tech startups in line with its global AI ambitions.

Mini ‘AI missions’ sprout in states boosting adoption, innovation: 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.

O-1 for the books! Elite talent finds new route to US: With the H-1B visa becoming increasingly unreliable, a growing number of ambitious professionals are turning to the O-1A visa to chase their American dream.


Ride-hailing firms to seek GST clarity from indirect taxes regulator: Cab aggregators are preparing to make new representations to the Central Board Of Indirect Taxes and Customs concerning the contentious issue of the applicability of Goods and Services Tax (GST) for services offered under the subscription-based SaaS model.


Also Read: Karnataka AAR moves to reverse Namma Yatri business GST ruling

After 41 years, there’s an Indian in space: The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission crew, including Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this week.

Qcomm users fume as ads run riot on app screens: Feeling swamped by ads, pop-ups and banners every time you fire up a quick commerce app? You’re not imagining it. An ET survey showed that 62% users have noticed a sharp uptick in visual clutter on these apps.


Drone maker Raphe mPhibr lands $100 million: After the equity funding round led by Silicon Valley investor General Catalyst, the startup has been valued at $900 million.

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Amrish Rau, CEO, Pine Labs

Pine Labs files for IPO; Peak XV, PayPal to cut stakes: The merchant payments platform’s public offering will comprise a Rs 2,600 crore fresh issue, along with an offer for sale (OFS) of up to 147.8 million shares.

Shadowfax to take confidential route to D-Street: Logistics startup Shadowfax is poised to confidentially submit draft papers for its IPO to the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), within a month


Another listing from JSW stables soon: JSW One Platforms, the unicorn B2B ecommerce venture of the JSW Group, is planning to go public within 18–24 months as it aims to break even this financial year, CEO Gaurav Sachdeva, told us in an interview.

Wakefit files DRHP for IPO with Sebi: Bengaluru-based Wakefit has filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with markets regulator Sebi, looking to raise Rs 468 crore through a fresh issue.

IPO timing unclear as digital lenders shift focus to balance sheets: Digital lending startups closed FY25 with mixed results. While some posted profit growth, others slowed down disbursals to maintain capital buffers in a volatile regulatory environment.

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Indian IT’s Europe deal momentum on the rise: With Indian IT firms facing headwinds in their largest market, the United States, due to policy and trade uncertainties, Europe has emerged as a bright spot. After three subdued quarters,

Accenture Q3 numbers show road’s still bumpy for IT companies: The latest financial report by the global IT major suggested continued demand slowdown for the $280 billion Indian software outsourcing business amid weakened deal bookings and elevated levels of uncertainty.

Meet the firms taking a big bite of Apple’s India manufacturing pie: Apple is significantly expanding its manufacturing footprint in India, driven by a strategic diversification away from China and propelled by government incentives like the PLI scheme.


More Android phones sail to foreign shores via India: Not just iPhones, shipments of Android phones from India to the US are also witnessing strong growth, driven by the Trump administration’s tariff policies as well as the Indian government’s export push.

Google, Meta at loggerheads over age-verification methods for child users: Internet giant Google and social media major Meta recently reiterated their differences on how to verify the age of child users on digital platforms — the latter has suggested using app stores, a motion the former has warned against.

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AI, the doctor’s new stethoscope: Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as an unlikely ally for India’s healthcare sector, grappling with rising hospital patient loads and limited medical staff.

AI can transform India’s healthcare sector, says Apollo's Shobana Kamineni: “We don’t have enough doctors, nurses, or healthcare facilities. But we have enough people who are tech-enabled and can be upskilled,” said the promoter director of Apollo Hospital.

AI in healthcare: ‘Star-crossed Lovers’: A Crunchbase report shows that over $7.5 billion was invested in AI healthcare startups, with the figure already kissing $1.68 billion at the end of February 2025.