South Korea's state pension fund said on Friday it has recovered about half of its total investment of 612.1 billion won ($423.5 million) in major retailer Homeplus Co., which recently entered a court-led rehabilitation process amid liquidity worries.

The National Pension Service (NPS) originally invested in Homeplus through a fund, including 582.6 billion won in redeemable convertible preferred stock (RCPS), when private equity firm MBK Partners acquired the retail chain in 2015.

RCPS is a hybrid financial instrument that offers investors fixed dividends with the option to convert their holdings into ordinary shares. It also gives the issuing company the right to redeem the shares at a predetermined price or date, reports news agency.

The NPS said it has so far recouped 313.1 billion won in RCPS through refinancing and dividends.

At least 30 startups secured more than $355 million this week, which included three growth-stage and 20 early-stage deals.

This is stupendous growth of at least 355 per cent from the previous week, when the domestic startup ecosystem witnessed $105.87 million in fund-raising by 21 startups.

HR tech platform DarwinBox topped the chart with $140 million in Series D round led by Partners Group and KKR. The round also saw participation from Gravity Holdings.

Edtech platform Leap Finance secured $100 million debt facility from London headquartered-HSBC Bank under its ASEAN Growth Fund. This follows Leap's $65 million Series E equity round led by Apis Partners last month, taking it total fundraise to over $400 million.

Women constitute 5.8 per cent (76) of the 1,314 board seats across 116 Indian unicorns, according to a report released on Saturday, highlighting the significant opportunity to improve gender diversity in the unicorn ecosystem in the country.

In contrast, women occupied 18.3 per cent of board seats across India Inc in 2023, while the global average stood at 23.3 per cent, as per a recent Deloitte’s ‘Women in the Boardroom: A Global Perspective’ report.

According to PrivateCircle Research, a private market intelligence platform, at the company level, 56 out of 116 unicorns (48 per cent) had at least one woman director on their board, while just 13 (11 per cent) of them had more than one woman director.

This signals Indian unicorns continued efforts to bridge the gender gap in boardrooms.

The Centre has notified the scheme for increasing the financial viability of cooperative sugar mills through interest subvention on bank loans for converting their existing sugarcane-based ethanol plants to multi-feedstock units, according to an official statement issued on Friday.

This conversion allows the sugar mills to use maize and damaged food grains, ensuring year-round ethanol production and improved efficiency. The initiative aligns with the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, targeting 20 per cent ethanol blending with petrol by 2025.

Under this modified Ethanol Interest Subvention Scheme, the government is facilitating entrepreneurs with interest subvention at the rate of 6 per cent per annum or 50 per cent of the rate of interest charged on loans given to them by banks and financial institutions, whichever is lower. The cost of the interest waiver is being borne by the Central government for five years including a one-year moratorium, the statement said.

POCO, India’s fastest-growing consumer tech brand, on Friday announced the first sale of POCO M7 5G at just Rs 9,999.

The smartphone delivers power, style, and future-ready 5G -- all at a price that can fit the user's budget.

POCO M7 5G is a feature-packed device designed for young achievers, students, and everyday users who want more for less.

Limited-time first-sale offers include an unbeatable launch price. One can avail the smartphone with 6GB+128GB for Rs 9,999, while the 8GB+128GB is available Rs 10,999 as the special first day sale price.

Why POCO M7 5G is the smartest choice for users across India?

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued an administrative warning to FMCG major Nestle India for violating insider trading regulations, the company informed exchanges on Friday.

The warning, issued by the SEBI’s Deputy General Manager, was sent to the company’s Compliance Officer (CCO).

Nestle India disclosed in a stock exchange filing that it received the SEBI’s letter on March 6, 2025.

The violation was committed by a designated person within the company. However, the coffee and tea manufacturer clarified that this issue does not have any material impact on its financial, operational, or other business activities.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Mercedes-Benz India Private Limited on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance India’s manufacturing ecosystem, road safety, and environmental sustainability.

The partnership aims to support startups, innovators, and entrepreneurs in achieving technological excellence and fostering societal development, according to an official statement.

The collaboration will focus on creating structured programs that provide startups with infrastructure, mentorship, funding opportunities, and market linkages. The initiative will also facilitate international collaborations and ensure knowledge exchange to drive long-term impact.

Speaking on the occasion, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Sanjiv said that the partnership with Mercedes-Benz India is a strategic step towards enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities while promoting responsible and sustainable innovations. He emphasized that this collaboration would “strengthen industry-academia linkages and create an ecosystem that drives impactful technological advancements.”

Women's employment in urban India has jumped 10 per cent in the last six years (2017-18 to 2023-24), according to a report, ahead of the International Women’s Day 2025, on Friday.

The white paper launched by Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, showed that urban women in their forties have the highest employment rate among women in urban India -- 38.3 per cent in 2023-24.

It also warned of pressing challenges including the underutilisation of educated women’s skills and the looming risk of a diversity backlash.

More than 89 million urban Indian women still remained out of the labour market during 2023-24, said the report. Factors such as caregiving responsibilities, lack of flexible work arrangements, and commuting challenges continue to prevent many highly qualified women from fully participating in the economy.

Further, in a concerning trend, young male unemployment in urban India outpaced women's (10 per cent vs 7.5 per cent for ages 20-24).

The Indian tech startup ecosystem now ranks second, after the US, in terms of all-time funding raised by companies with women founders, with a total of $26 billion in this space to date, a report showed on Friday.

India is home to over 7,000 active women-led startups, accounting for 7.5 per cent of all active startups in the country.

These startups have collectively raised $26.4 billion in funding, with 2021 being the highest funded year at $6.3 billion, according to data by Tracxn, a leading startup research and analytics firm.

Bengaluru leads in both the number of women-led startups and total funding raised to date, followed by Mumbai and Delhi-NCR.

On a global scale, 2022 saw the highest funding contribution from Indian startups at 15.18%. That year, women-led startups in India raised $5 billion, compared to $32.8 billion globally.

Women representation in the semiconductor sector in India is projected to rise from 25 per cent in 2025 to 35 per cent by 2030, a report showed on Friday.

Women currently comprise a fourth of India's 220,000-strong chip design and engineering workforce but this figure is expected to surpass 30 per cent by 2027, according to the report by NLB Services, a leading global technology and digital talent solutions provider.

The gender gap in India’s semiconductor sector can be bridged through upskilling programmes, pay parity, and inclusive employee benefits such as maternity leave, career break support, flexible work options and project-based roles.

Amid India's fast-growing semiconductor sector — expected to reach $79.20 billion by FY31, the global industry is poised to become a trillion-dollar market by the end of the decade.