Rise of Eldercare Startups, OTTplay x Amazon, and ShareChat’s New CBO

For years, Indians clung to the belief that “parents will always live with their children.” It was both cultural pride and social safety net. But the last 15 years have dismantled that notion. Urban migration, nuclear families, and two-income households have left millions of aging parents living alone - sometimes by choice, often by compulsion. While society is still feeling guilty about the past, the market has moved on. Eldercare is no longer a sentimental footnote; it’s a fast-growing industry, and startups like Age Care Labs, the parent of Emoha and Epoch, are at the center of it.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: India is aging faster than it is preparing. By 2031, nearly 200 million Indians will be above 60. That’s not a niche market; that’s a parallel economy waiting to be built. In the West, retirement homes and assisted living are normalized, backed by insurance payouts and state subsidies. In India, it’s still whispered as a last resort. That hesitation is exactly why startups like Emoha and Epoch matter. They don't just offer services; they're changing the way families care for their loved ones.

India’s eldercare startup ecosystem is still young, but growing. Antara (backed by Max Group) has built high-end senior living communities across NCR and Dehradun. Athulya Senior Care, operating in South India, focuses on assisted living facilities for the middle class. KITES Senior Care offers home-based nursing and dementia care, while KareWise provides trained caregivers for daily support. Emoha runs an app-first model that connects elders with services, companionship, and emergency response - an asset-light play. Epoch, by contrast, operates dementia-focused residential care homes, which are capital-intensive but sticky. Most of these players have raised between $5M-$25M over the last five years, with Antara backed by deep-pocketed promoters and Athulya raising around $10M to expand facilities. Collectively, the sector has attracted less than $200M in disclosed funding to date - tiny compared to the billions that poured into edtech or food delivery.

The reason is simple: the business models are hard. Subscription-led digital services like Emoha promise scale, but monetization depends on persuading families to pay upfront for something they culturally believe should be free. Asset-heavy assisted living models like Epoch or Athulya face high capex and slow payback periods. Nursing and home-care providers often run into profitability challenges due to high churn and low margins. Unlike the West, where government reimbursements and insurance provide predictable cash flows, Indian startups rely almost entirely on out-of-pocket spending. That keeps valuations modest and funding rounds small.

Yet, necessity is pushing the sector forward. Age Care Labs’ Rs 50 crore ($6M) raise is modest, but significant in context - investors like Eight Roads and Paramark Ventures aren’t betting on overnight unicorns here. They’re betting on inevitability. As life expectancy rises and family structures shift, demand for eldercare is not a “maybe”; it’s a certainty. The challenge is whether Indian startups can survive long enough, with sustainable models.

Government policy remains a weak link. Programs like the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) and tax breaks for senior citizens exist, but they don’t directly subsidize or support startups. Unlike Japan or Europe, where public-private partnerships anchor the industry, Indian eldercare is almost entirely private-led. Without training programs, incentives, or a clear regulatory framework, the burden of building this sector rests on startups and investors alone.

We think eldercare will not scale in India like food delivery or fintech. It will grow slower, with tougher margins and more friction. But it will grow, because it has no choice. And that makes companies like Age Care Labs less of a moonshot and more of a mirror, reflecting where Indian society is headed, whether we’re ready to accept it or not.

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.

“Hum Saath Saath Hai”: OTTplay partners with Amazon

OTTplay has partnered with Amazon Prime Lite to give subscribers more value in a single package. Customers can now access Prime Lite benefits either bundled with OTTplay’s ISP partners across 1000+ cities or as a ₹799 yearly top-up to their existing subscription.

The move combines AI-curated OTT with Prime Video in one seamless offering.

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“Ek Se Bhale Do”: K-GCC, Apex Group launch asset servicing programme

K-GCC has teamed up with Apex Group to roll out a flagship ten-month program in Asset Servicing. The course blends classroom training with a six-month paid internship and guarantees a job with a starting salary of INR 5 lakhs per annum.

It is aimed at fueling India’s booming Global Capability Centre sector with job-ready professionals.

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“Aaaiye Aapka Intezaar Tha”: ShareChat Names Google’s Neha Markanda As Chief Business Officer

ShareChat has roped in Google’s Neha Markanda as its new Chief Business Officer, filling the shoes of Gaurav Jain who exited in June.

With over 22 years of experience, including a stint as Facebook’s head of business marketing, she brings serious firepower to the role. Markanda will now steer ShareChat’s revenue strategy, growth, and partnerships across India.

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1. Ex-Kae Capital partner Natasha Malpani has launched Boundless Ventures, a ₹200 Cr early-stage fund backing AI-native startups in India. The fund plans to invest in 20–30 ventures, with initial cheques of $200K-400K and reserves for follow-ons.
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2. Artha India Ventures has closed its Select Fund at ₹432 Cr, surpassing its initial target of ₹330 Cr. The fund will deploy around ₹20 Cr each into 12-14 of its top-performing portfolio startups at the Series B and C stages over the next four years.
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