The Ken

Delivering sharp, original, insightful, analytical journalism about business and start-ups across India since 2016.

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

But as old investors exit, Lenskart is now betting on AI to curb expenses and scale, writes Suprita Anupam in this week's 'Long and Short'.

You can read it here: https://t.co/xX8GBdKh5L

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

In the past six months, Lenskart’s oldest backers, including SoftBank, Alpha Wave, Temasek, and others, have sold Lenskart shares worth Rs 18,500 crore, making between 2.5X and 7X on their investments.

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

In today's story, Priyal Mahtta writes about how the Hero Group turned a chip-testing shop nobody wanted into a Rs 1,900-crore stake.

You can read it here: https://t.co/5fM6Kmq1cg

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Hero has been selling shares in Tessolve Semiconductor, the chip-services company it bought in 2016, since 2021.

Tessolve also outgrew the electronics empire it was bought for - but now, its latest $75 million fundraise is capping a run of PE rounds.

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Read the full piece here: 
https://t.co/13fJXo25QY

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

2026 began in anticipation of the GLP-1 class drugs becoming cheaper.
It ends with evidence that cheap is not equal to desirable or effective.

In this week's 'Make India Competitive Again', Seema Singh writes about how if on weight-loss drugs, watching your weight isn’t enough.

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Read today's story by Anirudh Somani here: https://t.co/oJJCJrPp7m

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Novartis India’s headcount: 57.
Chryscapital’s price for it: Rs 1,400 cr.
Investors after the deal: “We love it”

Post-acquisition, Evonile’s—erstwhile Novartis India’s—value has almost doubled. Now, public shareholders may have to help pay for it.

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Read the full piece on today's story by Shriya Sahni and Debanjali Biswas: https://t.co/m75Q4DZyS7

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Making your contact details public is a sure way to get buried in irrelevant correspondence. And C-suite leaders can’t afford that.

The chief of staff is now becoming the executive assistant’s cooler cousin - and being sold as a crash course in how to be a founder.

[Sakshi Sadashiv @sakshi_sadashiv]

Dabba phones are back in fashion.
As AI eats phone chips, people are buying these devices as smartphones become prohibitively expensive and unaffordable for many.
1/3

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Read in today's story: https://t.co/CXrvIjI1GO

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Rs 20,000 at home, Rs 20 lakh to get out: Kerala’s nurses can’t stay, and can’t leave

India wants to send more nurses abroad. Back home, they’re underpaid by private hospitals, overcharged by recruiters, and watching the visas dry up

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Read in this week's Ka-Ching!: https://t.co/vk31mPNrSE

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The UPI shortcut to US stocks is all gas and no brakes

Just as India’s biggest brokers introduce regulated routes to US stocks through Gift City, crypto platforms are offering a sleight-of-hand shortcut that slips between regulators

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Read in today's story: https://t.co/58LIKT1SXH

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Jio eyes 340 million users as AI eats phone chips and sim rules tighten

The telco has been only too happy to ride the recent demand for its Jiobharat phones. But they remain sim-locked, restrict users to preinstalled apps, and don’t even connect to Wi-Fi

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

Read in this week's Long and Short: https://t.co/Xmf5r1RbeY

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Indigo calls out airport “monopolies”. Well, pots and kettles

Its new CEO has a reputation for taking on airports. But his attack serves a specific purpose in India

[The Ken @TheKenWeb]

During one of India's biggest share sales, the chairman did what bankers rarely see: he asked for a lower price.

"We have to leave something on the table for small investors."

Watch the full TCS story here: https://t.co/7ahPpzixEc