Archives March 2026

Mumbai, Maharashtra, Mar 23: Max Fashion marked a defining milestone this year as the brand completed 20 years in India, celebrating the journey with a runway showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week. Over the past two decades, the brand has grown alongside India’s rapidly evolving retail landscape, establishing itself as one of the country’s most recognisable destinations for accessible, trend-driven fashion.

Today, Max Fashion operates over 520 stores across 220+ cities in India, with a strong pan-India presence, steadily expanding its footprint to reach consumers across regions.

What began as an international entrant into the Indian market has evolved into a brand that resonates with millions of consumers nationwide. Known for bringing contemporary fashion to a wide audience, Max continues to stay closely aligned with the changing style sensibilities of young, value-conscious consumers.

Sumit Chandna, CEO of Max Fashion said, “Completing 20 years in India is a significant milestone for Max Fashion. Over the past two decades, India has become one of our most important markets, shaped by the evolving aspirations of young consumers seeking both style and accessibility. Our participation at Lakmé Fashion Week reflects how we continue to stay connected with India’s dynamic fashion culture while delivering contemporary fashion at scale. As we look ahead, we remain committed to expanding our presence and strengthening our connection with consumers across the country.”

To mark the milestone, Max returned to the Lakmé Fashion Week runway for the second consecutive year with a 35-look showcase that reflected the brand’s evolving fashion identity. Choreographed by Lubna Adams and styled by James Mizo, the presentation brought together movement, styling and contemporary silhouettes aligned with how India’s new generation approaches fashion today.

Adding to the moment were brand ambassadors Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Alaya F, who took to the runway as showstoppers. At the centre of the showcase was the concept “Unserious Everything,” a creative direction that celebrates fashion as playful, expressive and instinctive, while remaining rooted in everyday wearability.

The collection unfolded through three distinct style narratives, Urban, Sports Core and Core Casual, moving from expressive streetwear and sport-inspired dressing to relaxed, versatile silhouettes. Together, the looks reflected Max’s approach to fashion: accessible, expressive and deeply connected to a new generation of consumers.

More than a runway presentation, the showcase marked a significant moment in Max Fashion’s 20–year journey in India, reflecting the brand’s continued growth, evolving design language and strong connection with the country’s dynamic fashion culture.

• Eximius Ventures Launches “Pre-seed Investment Playbook 2026” Report on the ‘First Cheque’ Economy noting the increasing role of family offices, with over 300 entities managing approximately $30 billion in assets, gradually increasing their exposure to venture investments.
• India’s pre-seed ecosystem has grown 3X since 2020 and is the only stage seeing YoY growth, even as fewer than 20% of startups reach Series A and Tier-2 cities alongside micro-VCs reshape early-stage investing.

Eximius Ventures, India’s first dedicated pre-seed VC fund, today released its latest report, India’s Pre-seed Startup Landscape 2026, offering a comprehensive view of the country’s evolving “first cheque” ecosystem. Developed in collaboration with 1Lattice, their research partner, the report is underpinned by robust data and analytical rigor, and captures how early-stage investing is becoming more disciplined, execution-focused, and structurally critical to venture outcomes.

At a time when late-stage funding remains cyclical, the report highlights that pre-seed has emerged as the most resilient and fastest-growing segment of venture capital in India, expanding nearly 3X since 2020 and being the only stage to show consistent year-on-year growth in 2024–25.

“The Indian startup ecosystem is at a defining inflection point. As outlined in our report, capital is no longer converging; it is fragmenting, demanding far greater precision and conviction at each stage. This shift is most visible at the pre-seed stage, which has scaled nearly 3X since 2020 and remains the only stage seeing consistent YoY growth. Yet, with fewer than 20% of startups reaching Series A within four years, the ‘first cheque’ is no longer just catalytic, it has become a critical filter for founder quality, capital efficiency, and early execution discipline,” said Pearl Agarwal, Founder & Managing Partner, Eximius Ventures.

“The pre-seed segment in India is witnessing a fundamental shift, from being purely exploratory capital to becoming a critical filter for quality. With a fivefold increase over the last five years and continued growth even in a subdued funding environment, it stands out as the most resilient stage in the ecosystem. The rising presence of second-time founders further reinforces this shift towards stronger execution and more disciplined venture building,” said Devmalaya Mukherjee, Director, Financial Investors, 1Lattice.

India continues to be the third-largest startup ecosystem globally, with over 200,000 recognized startups. However, the report identifies a critical structural challenge, fewer than 20% of startups successfully transition to Series A within four years, underscoring the importance of stronger early-stage support.

India’s Startup Funnel is Expanding, But Graduation Remains Limited

While startup creation in India continues to accelerate, the journey from idea to scale remains highly selective. The report emphasizes that pre-seed capital is no longer just early funding, it is a critical filtering and enabling layer that determines long-term success.

Investors are increasingly prioritizing execution discipline, early traction, and monetization clarity even at the pre-seed stage, marking a shift from the earlier “growth-at-all-costs” approach.

Rise of Micro-VCs and Operator-Led Funds

A key trend shaping the ecosystem is the rapid rise of micro-VCs and operator-led funds, with participation growing nearly 4X since 2021. These investors are writing smaller, high-conviction cheques while offering hands-on operational support.

Additionally, former founders are entering venture capital as operator-investors, bringing execution expertise and founder empathy into early-stage investing.

Tier-2 India Emerges as a Major Startup Hub

The report highlights a significant geographic shift, with nearly 50% of DPIIT-recognized startups now originating from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

Cities such as Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, and Surat are emerging as innovation hubs, driven by localized problem-solving and access to digital infrastructure. This decentralization is expected to define the next wave of Indian entrepreneurship.

Repeat Founders & Execution track record gets rewarded

Experience is increasingly valued in early-stage investing. The report finds that ~45% of seed-funded founders are repeat entrepreneurs, who are able to raise significantly larger funding rounds compared to first-time founders.

This trend reflects a growing investor preference for execution track record and capital efficiency.

Domestic Capital Gains Momentum – Rise of New Backers of Ideas

The report also notes the increasing role of family offices, with over 300 entities managing approximately $30 billion in assets, gradually increasing their exposure to venture investments.

This signals a broader shift toward domestic capital formation, strengthening the resilience of India’s startup ecosystem amid global funding fluctuations.

Pre-seed as the Structural Entry Point for Venture Capital

Eximius Ventures positions pre-seed as the architectural layer of venture building, where founders validate ideas, build initial teams, and establish the foundation for future growth.

With the highest risk-reward potential, pre-seed investing is becoming central to how venture capital captures long-term value.

Access the Full Report

Read the complete report here: Link

LTM – the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, today announced the expansion of BlueVerse^TM Tech, its AI‑led engineering platform, with the launch of AppIQ, AgentIQ and FusionIQ—three purpose‑built platforms designed to help enterprises modernize applications, orchestrate AI‑first software delivery, and engineer quality at scale.

As software development evolves from human‑only execution to human + intelligent agents, traditional effort‑driven engineering and QA models are increasingly unable to keep pace. These BlueVerse^TM platforms embed agentic, engineering‑aware AI across the software development lifecycle (SDLC), enabling enterprises to move faster from legacy complexity to modern, resilient, and high‑quality digital systems.

AppIQ — Modernize Legacy Applications, Faster

AppIQ applies AI to read and understand legacy codebases, generate documentation, map functional workflows, and produce actionable specifications for forward engineering. What previously required weeks of reverse engineering can now be completed in days, significantly reducing modernization risk and cost.

AgentIQ — Orchestrate AI Agents Across Software Delivery

AgentIQ provides a unified platform to deploy, govern, and orchestrate AI agents across the software delivery lifecycle, with ready‑to‑use agents, no‑code setup, and enterprise‑grade security—enabling production‑ready AI adoption across engineering teams.

FusionIQ — Accelerate Speed to Market with Assured Quality

FusionIQ accelerates enterprise test automation across the software testing lifecycle, from requirement understanding and test design to automation scripting, test data management, and continuous optimization by embedding AIdriven monitoring and feedback into testing workflows.

Together, AppIQ, AgentIQ and FusionIQ deliver 40–50% reduction in engineering effort across the software development lifecycle — from legacy modernization and AI-driven delivery to quality engineering — while accelerating time-to-market and lowering ongoing operational costs.

“BlueVerse^TM Tech reflects a fundamental shift in how engineering organizations create value with AI. By embedding AI across modernization, delivery orchestration, and quality engineering, we are helping clients reduce complexity, improve predictability, and move faster with confidence—turning AI from experimentation into measurable business advantage at scale,” said Gururaj Deshpande, Chief Delivery Officer, LTM.

Availability

AppIQ, AgentIQ and FusionIQ are available globally as part of LTM’s BlueVerse^TM Tech and AI‑Led Engineering offerings, through platform adoption, managed services, and transformation‑led engagements. To learn more, visit www.ltm.com/blueverse.

ACT Fibernet, one of India’s leading broadband service providers, has bagged a prestigious double win at the ET Telecom Awards 2026, clinching honours in the Best Technology-Led Telecom Campaign category and the ‘AI for All’ Innovation Pioneer category. The recognition underscores ACT Fibernet’s commitment to driving technological excellence and democratising AI-powered experiences for its customers across India through its AI-powered Wi-Fi, i.e., ACTSmartWifi.

The ET Telecom Awards, hosted by The Economic Times, are widely regarded as one of the most credible benchmarks of innovation and leadership in India’s telecommunications industry. Being recognised across two distinct categories reflects the breadth and depth of ACT Fibernet’s technology-first approach to connectivity.

The Best Technology-Led Telecom Campaign award comes as a testament to ACT Fibernet’s ability to translate complex technological capabilities into compelling, consumer-centric narratives that resonate at scale. The ‘AI for All’ Innovation Pioneer award acknowledges the company’s strides in integrating artificial intelligence into its network infrastructure and customer experience platforms, making intelligent connectivity a reality for millions of users.

Commenting on the twin win, Ravi Karthik, Chief Growth Officer ACT Fibernet, said, “We have had this vision of building superior Wi-Fi experiences for our customers for over 3 years and have been working at it through proprietary technology. It is a great feeling to be recognised not just for the industry first technology and AI pioneer in telecom but also for taking this technology story to consumers through our ACTSMARTWIFI campaign.

For us at ACT, we constantly innovate to provide the best technological and customer experience that enable digital possibilities for every home and business. We are committed to continue investing and growing our capabilities towards the same.”

With a growing fiber network across India, ACT Fibernet continues to invest in future-ready technologies that elevate the standard of digital living in India.

In a world where travel inspiration often lives on screens, PANDA-MONIUM, the collaboration between SOCIAL and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), reimagined how destinations can show up in everyday life. More than a campaign, it was a month-long cultural takeover which started in September 2025 and transformed 45 SOCIAL outlets into immersive panda-inspired zones, bringing Hong Kong’s cultural narrative directly into neighbourhood cafés across India.

Designed as a 30-day, multi-city experience, PANDA-MONIUM converted SOCIAL’s spaces across Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune into playful “Panda Zones”, featuring 50–100 life-sized panda installations at flagship outlets, themed décor, and a limited-edition Hong Kong-inspired menu. The campaign saw over 2 lac guests interact with the installations, Hong Kong-inspired beverages and more, turning everyday visits into moments of cultural discovery and participation.

When PANDA-MONIUM arrived at SOCIAL, it did something unusual for destination marketing: it stepped out of traditional travel campaigns and into neighbourhood hangouts. Instead of waiting for travellers to seek out a destination, it brought Hong Kong into spaces people already inhabit: cafés, conversations, and community tables.

The campaign blended physical immersion with digital curiosity. Larger-than-life panda installations, and Hong Kong–inspired cocktails and mocktails created a multi-sensory experience that sparked conversation across tables and social feeds alike. In flagship locations such as Khar SOCIAL, Connaught Place SOCIAL, Bellandur SOCIAL, and Mindspace SOCIAL, immersive Panda Tourism Zones encouraged guests to explore, click, and share their encounters.

What made the campaign particularly powerful was its ability to integrate travel inspiration into the rhythm of everyday life. SOCIAL’s guests didn’t encounter Hong Kong through brochures or travel ads, but through trivia cards with every order, interactive storytelling, themed beverages, and experiential workshops that introduced them to the city’s culture in unexpected ways.

At the heart of PANDA-MONIUM was a celebration of Hong Kong’s most beloved cultural ambassadors, its giant pandas. From Ying Ying and Le Le at Ocean Park to the arrival of An An and Ke Ke and the birth of Hong Kong’s first panda twins, the campaign tapped into the global fascination with these iconic animals to create an emotional and playful bridge between India and Hong Kong.

Reflecting on the campaign, Puneet Kumar, Director, South Asia, Hong Kong Tourism Board, said: “PANDA-MONIUM was about bringing the spirit of Hong Kong to India in a way that felt joyful and immersive. Pandas are an important part of Hong Kong’s story, symbolising friendship and conservation, and this campaign allowed us to share that story with a new generation of travellers. By collaborating with SOCIAL, we were able to engage audiences in spaces where culture, food, and community naturally intersect.”

From panda-filled décor and experiential installations to limited-edition beverages like Harbour Martini, Lan Kwai Fizz, Temple Street Heat, and Junk Boat Breeze, the campaign created a playful gateway to Hong Kong’s culture and nightlife, one sip and selfie at a time.

Today, PANDA-MONIUM is remembered not just as a campaign but as a case study in how destinations can move beyond traditional tourism promotion and become part of everyday cultural experiences. By turning neighbourhood cafés into windows to the world, SOCIAL and HKTB demonstrated that sometimes the best way to inspire travel is to let people experience a small slice of the destination before they ever board a plane.