Astro-Tech’s Big Bet, Swiggy Debuts ‘toing’, and MyPickup Shuts Operations

India’s astrology startups aren’t a quirky side show anymore; they’re a full-blown consumer internet category built on a very old habit - asking the stars before making big, small, and everything-in-between decisions - and a very new infrastructure of cheap data, UPI, and push-button marketplaces. The numbers alone explain why founders and VCs showed up: a market valued at about $163 million in 2024 is modelled to swell toward $1.8 billion by 2030, an eye-watering curve that outpaces most mainstream consumer tech categories. The engine is a ruthlessly simple business model: pay-per-minute consultations that form the lion’s share of revenue, priced anywhere from ₹5 to ₹200+ a minute - stitched to a smartphone- and language-first product that can meet a user in Hindi at 1 a.m. and in Tamil at 10 a.m. without breaking stride.

If you strip away the incense, this is classic marketplace economics with unusually high liquidity. Platforms vet and onboard thousands of astrologers, push them into real-time chat, audio or video, and convert free horoscope traffic into paid sessions. The funnel math is enviable at scale: major platforms report 5-10 million monthly actives with 15-25% converting to paid, and then keep expanding the basket with higher-margin add-ons such as gemstones, rudraksh, puja services, even learning courses. The kicker is margin stack: “remedy commerce” can carry 200-500% mark-ups on stones while digital delivery keeps core service gross margins fat.

The cultural moat here is real and uniquely Indian. Astrology sits inside a much larger spirituality economy - tens of billions of dollars in annual spend - where the service isn’t light entertainment but a socially sanctioned decision aid for marriage, property, career, and auspicious timing. Add 750-million-plus smartphones, UPI’s one-tap payments, vernacular UX, and serious language coverage, and you understand why these apps cut past the old city pandit and into mainstream metros and Tier-2 simultaneously. Platforms underline trust by claiming stringent selection: one leading marketplace advertises that only around seven in ten astrologers who clear multiple interview rounds make it onto the roster - a quality signal users can’t easily replicate offline.

What’s perhaps most striking is how many young, educated Indians - engineers, MBA graduates, even startup founders - are turning to these platforms. It isn’t just about faith; it’s about uncertainty. In a volatile job market, a bruised funding ecosystem, and a social fabric that prizes auspicious timing, astrology becomes a form of emotional insurance. The digital layer makes it easier to access without stigma - you don’t have to walk into a local pandit’s office, you can book a chat at midnight from your phone. Yet this surge of demand has also created a supply problem. Many so-called astrologers on these platforms lean on scripts or even AI-driven tools to deliver predictions, masquerading as seasoned practitioners. A controlled experiment highlighted the gap: the same chart was shown to multiple astrologers across platforms, and the readings ranged from “clear signs of career success abroad” to “financial instability in coming years.” The lack of consistency didn’t deter users - instead, it revealed how much of the engagement is about reassurance and narrative rather than scientific precision.

This is also why investor are attracted towards it. The category looks and behaves like a cash machine: positive unit economics from day one, long customer lifetimes, and multiple profit pools beyond the call - subscriptions, rituals, training content, APIs, international NRIs who can pay more and churn less. Funding in the space has scaled from a rounding error a decade ago to $50-plus million in 2024, and marquee names have circled the leader at revenue multiples more commonly associated with SaaS than with “spiritual tech.”

None of this is to pretend the model is without shadows. A marketplace that pays experts by the minute will always be tempted by time-extension tactics, and user complaints about inconsistent predictions or upsell pressures.

Where the model gets genuinely interesting is in the lifetime math. A typical paying user might do a couple of sessions a month for two to three years, then layer on rituals in festival peaks or a gemstone purchase at a major life event. That’s how LTVs can plausibly stack into the ₹12,000-30,000 range before counting big-ticket stones or premium memberships; add diaspora demand and you have a cross-border services-plus-commerce engine. It’s less “one big basket” and more “many small visits” that aggregate into durable cash flow.

Globally, India’s approach is an outlier. In the U.S., the category is larger in absolute terms but grows slowly and tilts toward subscriptions and social astrology; in Europe, the product often blends with wellness and psychology; in Japan and parts of APAC, fortune-telling is common but fragmented by local incumbents. India’s edge is a different cocktail: deep cultural embed, price points that are an order of magnitude lower than Western consultations, and marketplaces operating at a scale - tens of thousands of practitioners - that foreign competitors would struggle to match. The result is a category that looks less like a fad and more like a robust, vernacular consumer service with export potential.

The forward map splits into three plausible tracks. In the optimistic case, category leaders formalize standards, lean into AI for grunt computations while keeping humans for counsel, grow NRI share, and nudge the market past the billion-dollar mark earlier than consensus. The base case is steadier compounding: consolidation into a handful of scaled platforms, margin discipline, and periodic regulatory nudges to safeguard consumers. And there is a tail-risk case where reputational missteps or overreach force a reset toward premium, tightly verified services.

In other words, India’s astrology startups aren’t just digitizing a belief - they’re productizing a behavior at market internet scale. If the stars matter less than the systems, this is one consumer internet business that can keep compounding without burning faith - or cash.

Let’s go through what else is happening in Indian startup world - Grab your simmering cup of StartupChai.in and unwind with our hand-brewed memes.

“Kaayde Mein Rahoge, Toh Fayde Mein Rahoge”: Swiggy Debuts ‘toing’ App For Affordable Meal Delivery

Swiggy has quietly dropped a new app called ‘toing’, now live in parts of Pune, serving full meals under ₹250.

This move rides on its recent push for pocket-friendly dining, after rolling out the “99 Store” with snacky bites between ₹49 and ₹149. Interestingly, the budget play comes even as Swiggy has been hiking platform fees on its main app, balancing affordability with higher margins.

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“Achha Chalta Hoon Duaon Mein Yaad Rakhna”: Inflection Point-Backed MyPickup Shuts Operations

Three years after launch, MyPickup, the Inflection Point Ventures-backed EV mobility startup, has pulled the plug on its operations.

The subscription-based electric rickshaw service promised commuters predictable fares with no surges or cancellations but struggled to crack product-market fit. Multiple pivots and the lack of patient capital finally forced the closure.

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“Hum Saath Saath Hai”: TiE Bangalore partners with Career247 to expand startup education beyond metros

TiE Bangalore has teamed up with Career247 to take startup education beyond metros and into Bharat’s Tier 2 and 3 cities.

The partnership will co-create programs mixing entrepreneurship basics with tech readiness, aiming to empower youth, women, and early founders. With over 1.5 lakh startups but most activity still metro-centric, this move looks to democratize access to mentorship and networks.

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“Aaiye Aapka Intezar Tha”: Databricks appoints Kamalkanth Tummala as India’s Country Manager

Databricks has named Kamalkanth Tummala as its new India Country Manager, fresh off the company’s $250 Mn India investment.

With over two decades in enterprise tech, he’ll steer Databricks’ push to scale local business and talent. The appointment also comes as the AI firm rides high on its recent Series K round at a valuation north of $100 Bn.

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“It’s The Time To Disco”: KRAFTON India opens applications for Cohort 3 of gaming incubator

KRAFTON India is kicking off applications for Cohort 3 of its Gaming Incubator starting September 20, 2025.

Since its 2023 launch, the program has backed 10 studios with funding, mentorship, and global exposure. Now in its third run, KIGI looks to supercharge India’s next wave of game developers.

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“Sab Changa Si”: Centre Plans To Exempt Data Centres From Taxes For 20 Years

The Centre is mulling a 20-year tax holiday for data centres, provided they hit goals on capacity, efficiency, and jobs.

MeitY also wants GST input tax credit on pricey infrastructure like cooling systems and servers to sweeten the deal. With India’s data centre market projected to touch $11.6 Bn by 2032, the move signals a big push to make the country a digital infra hub.

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1. MyNaksh, an AI-driven astrology platform, has raised ₹7.5 Cr in a pre-seed round led by Eximius Ventures and Gemba Capital. One of the largest pre-seed deals in India’s online astrology space, the round also saw participation from Infinyte Club and angel investors.
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