Otipy Shuts Down, Zepto Cafe Takes a Pause, and Sarvam AI’s Flagship LLM

WestBridge-backed Otipy shut down, leaving hundreds in the lurch; Zepto Cafe paused in multiple cities, putting 400+ jobs on hold; and BYJU’S app mysteriously vanished from the Play Store amid payment troubles. But the scene isn’t all gloom—Sarvam AI unveiled a powerful 24-billion-parameter language model that’s raising the bar for Indian language tech and reasoning.

Grab your simmering cup of StartupChai.in and unwind with our hand-brewed memes.

“Anta Asti Prarambh”: WestBridge-Backed Otipy Shuts Operations Amid Cash Crunch

Otipy, the WestBridge-backed farm-to-fork startup, quietly shuttered its operations on May 17, leaving around 300 employees facing sudden uncertainty.

In a somber townhall, CEO Varun Khurana admitted the company could no longer sustain itself and urged staff to seek better prospects. With vendor payments still pending, the closure marks a grim end to what was once a hopeful disruption in fresh produce delivery.

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“Hum Kissi Se Kam Nahi”: Sarvam AI brings 24B-parameter LLM for Indian languages, reasoning

India’s homegrown AI startup Sarvam just dropped its flagship LLM, Sarvam-M—a 24B-parameter powerhouse built on Mistral Small.

With open weights and a hybrid architecture, it’s already flexing muscles in math, code, and desi languages. Looks like India’s stepping up to play in the big leagues of generative AI.

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“Achha Toh Hum Chalte Hai”: Zepto Cafe Halts Operations In Multiple Cities

Zepto Cafe has quietly halted operations across 44 outlets in smaller North Indian cities, leaving over 400 employees in limbo.

The quick food delivery arm of Zepto says this is a temporary pause, with hopes to resume by next quarter. For now, the kitchens are cold, and the future quite uncertain.

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“King Of Bad Times”: BYJU’S App Goes Offline On Play Store

BYJU’S app has vanished from the Play Store, leaving existing users locked out of their paid content and lessons.

Most of its SEO-friendly web pages have also gone dark, as reports link the takedown to payment disruptions. From a $22B giant to insolvency proceedings and a vanishing act - India’s edtech titan dies a cruel death.

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1. Pressplay Capital is raising $10M for its debut fund, eyeing early bets in gaming, adtech, media, and sports tech. With 40% of the fund headed to India, 40% to the Middle East, and the rest to the US, the focus is on seasoned startup teams with skin in the game.
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2. Stable Money is set to raise fresh funds with Fundamentum Partnership leading the round with an INR 86.5 Cr investment. Post-deal, Fundamentum will own 7.94% while Matrix Partners ups its stake to 18.97%.
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