Deepinder’s Gravity Bet, BlackBuck Founders Offload, and Global Cloudflare Outage

For years, Deepinder Goyal was the patron saint of Indian execution: the founder who built Zomato, rescued Blinkit, and proved that discipline could beat burn. Which is why his new obsession - brain blood flow, gravity, and aging - has caught the entire startup world off-guard. He has put $25 million of his own money into Continue Research, and his first product, Temple, promises to measure cerebral blood flow and eventually help people “age better.”

The idea behind it - the “Gravity Aging Hypothesis” - is simple: humans spend life upright, gravity pulls blood away from the brain, and over decades this supposedly accelerates aging. It’s catchy, easy to explain, and very internet-friendly. It’s also why doctors rushed to call it oversimplified or outright pseudo-science. Neurologists like Dr Sudhir Kumar and sceptics like TheLiverDoc (Dr Cyriac Abby Philips) have publicly called the idea oversimplified and, in the LiverDoc’s words, “pure pseudo-science” that will be used to sell a device to gullible people.

In that sense, the real product right now isn’t Temple. It’s narrative. The gravity theory is the pre-launch campaign.

Temple wants to sit above regular smartwatches in a new “brain health” category. With India now one of the world’s fastest-growing wearable markets, it’s a clever bet. Millions have already tried CGMs, sleep trackers, smart rings; a device claiming to reveal how fast your brain is aging will find buyers. The upgrade from “track your steps” to “track your mortality” is emotionally powerful, and commercially lucrative.

But once you step into “brain health,” the game changes. If Temple stays vague (“understand blood flow patterns”), it avoids heavy regulation. If it hints at reducing stroke risk or slowing cognitive decline, it risks being treated as a medical device - meaning clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and years of scrutiny. India’s regulators, already scarred by past device failures, won’t take bold claims lightly.

At the ecosystem level, though, Goyal is tapping into a real wave. The global “longevity and biohacking” market is already estimated in the $25-30 billion range, with projections crossing $70-170 billion by 2034. India’s share is still tiny, maybe 2-3%, but it’s growing. We already have early signals: Biopeak, a longevity and wellness startup, raised about $3 million in seed funding in October 2025 from names like Rainmatter (Zerodha) and Ranjan Pai.

The bigger danger is the “billionaire effect.” When the country’s most trusted founder says, “Gravity is aging you faster and I have a device that can help,” most consumers don’t read peer-reviewed papers. They trust the face they see every week on their food-delivery app. The power imbalance is enormous, and precisely why critics worry.

There is an optimistic version of this story. If Continue Research invests in real trials, publishes data, and stays honest about limitations, Temple could become India’s first serious attempt at consumer-grade neurotech.

But the other version is equally plausible: Temple becomes just another premium wearable with a seductive story and no real impact beyond hype. And if that happens, it will not only dent Goyal’s aura; it will set back India’s early deep-science ecosystem.

The truth is, Temple is less about blood flow and more about belief. It will test whether Indian consumers can tell the difference between scientific possibility and scientific marketing - and whether one of India’s most known founders can navigate the thin line between curiosity and overclaiming.

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.

“Vadde Log, Vaddi Baatein”: Founders Offload BlackBuck Shares Worth INR 243 Cr

BlackBuck’s top brass just cashed out in style, with CEO Rajesh Yabaji unloading 20 lakh shares for a hefty 135.3 Cr while his colleagues Hridaya and Balasubramaniam offloaded eight lakh each for 54.11 Cr.

Big-name investors like TIMF, Motilal Oswal, 360 ONE, Citigroup, and Goldman swooped in to scoop up the supply before the ink could dry.

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“Thine Time Has Cometh”: Global Cloudflare Outage Takes X, ChatGPT, Others Offline

A sweeping Cloudflare outage quietly pulled the plug on much of the internet, taking X, ChatGPT, Spotify, PayPal and other major platforms offline in one wide stroke. Users were met with stark 500 errors, a reminder that even the biggest servers can falter without warning.

The disruption rippled through essential services from Uber to AWS to Microsoft Teams, and even popular games, leaving the digital world momentarily dimmed.

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“Humari Bhi Haan Hai”: Easebuzz Gets Three RBI Licenses To Operates As Payments Aggregator

Easebuzz just secured not one but three RBI approvals, giving it the green light to function as a full-stack payments aggregator across online, offline and even cross-border flows.

The move builds on its earlier authorisation for online aggregation, rounding out its ambitions to become a truly universal payments layer. With support for cards, UPI, net banking, wallets and subscription billing, merchants now get a smoother toolkit to keep money moving.

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“I Don’t Wanna Play With You No More”: Elevation Capital Offloads Paytm Shares Worth INR 1,556 Cr

Elevation Capital is trimming its Paytm holdings, moving to offload 1.28 crore shares at 1,281 rupees each, a modest four percent markdown from the last close.

Even so, the firm still holds a massive stake worth over 13,000 crore as of September, underscoring its long run with the fintech giant. Paytm’s recent sixteen percent rally, powered by rising revenues and a solid Q2 FY26 profit streak, adds a quiet tension to the timing of this sale.

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1. Stylework has raised ₹30 Cr in a round led by Equentis Angel Fund, backing its push to scale AI-driven aggregation across coworking listings. With a profitable footprint spanning 125 cities and 70,000 seats sold, the startup now looks to build on its ₹280 crore annualised GMV.

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2. Synthio Labs has secured $5 million dollars from Elevation Capital, Peak XV, Y Combinator and strategic angels to bring advanced voice AI to the life sciences space. The startup now plans to grow its engineering and product teams as it scales deployments across the US and Europe.

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3. Pidge has raised ₹120 Cr in a Series A round led by Spain’s LVEC, marking the firm’s first bet on India. The logistics startup will channel the funds into tech upgrades and deeper expansion into tier II and III cities as it gears up for its next growth phase.

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4. Tractor Junction has secured $22.5 million dollars in a Series A led by Astanor, with Info Edge Ventures and Omnivore doubling down. The startup plans to boost its online and offline reach, strengthen its FINJ financing arm, and deepen its tech stack for its full-stack tractor marketplace.

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5. HomeRun has raised ₹9 Cr in a seed round co-led by Titan Capital and Sparrow Capital, with a strong lineup of angels joining in. The construction and interiors platform will use the capital to scale its on-demand marketplace and strengthen its early momentum.

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6. STAN has brought Sony Innovation Fund into its ongoing Series A round, adding another heavyweight to its growing cap table alongside Hyderabad Angels Fund. The mobile-first social gaming platform now sits backed by Google’s AI Futures Fund, Bandai Namco, Square Enix and General Catalyst.

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