AI is changing the hiring game; Swiggy’s Q1 FY26 results in focus

Who’s hungry for takeout?

Zomato parent Eternal is still confident in the long-term growth of its food delivery business, despite the general sluggishness of the current macroeconomic environment. 

Zomato continues to hold a long-term growth outlook of over 20% yearly net order value growth—the value of all goods sold on the platform minus discounts. It cited low penetration of restaurant food as well as increasing urbanisation and per capita income in India as its base. 

Meanwhile, Blinkit is now piloting deliveries of prescription medicines in select Bengaluru pin codes, including medications for respiratory, heart, eye and ear conditions as well as neurocare. 

Freshworks, too, is optimistic about the year ahead. The firm raised its full-year revenue guidance on the back of increasing customer adoption, and now expects FY25 revenue to be between $822.9 million and $828.9 million.

AI is also helping safeguard lives with critical climate risk assessments. A public research body in Italy is using an AI assistant to gauge landslide risks in high-exposure areas in the country. 

Meanwhile, India is doing its part to monitor climate risks—with eyes in the sky. ISRO and NASA have collaborated to launch a $1.5-billion radar imaging satellite. 

The satellite will map the planet every 12 days using a 240-km-wide radar swath, offering data to scientists and disaster response agencies to enhance global monitoring of climate change.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• AI is changing the hiring game
• Swiggy’s Q1 FY26 results in focus
• Powering India’s pickleball craze

Here’s your trivia for today: Which is the most translated book in the world?

Interview

AI is changing the hiring game

Artificial intelligence may be evolving at breakneck speed, but in talent acquisition, one truth still holds: only humans can truly judge humans—at least for now.

In a conversation with YourStory during an upGrad Rekrut event, Daryl Pinto, India Head of Talent Acquisition at Microsoft, spoke about how AI is reshaping talent acquisition, from automation and ethics to the importance of upskilling, expectations of Gen Zs, and the enduring value of the human touch in hiring.

Lessons:

• According to Pinto, smaller and mid-size firms are more open to letting AI pick their top hires. Larger firms are staying cautious. AI is evolving too fast, and the ethical guardrails haven’t caught up.
• Microsoft has moved beyond Tier I institutes, says Pinto. The company is recruiting from 70–80 campuses through hackathons and digital outreach, which helps uncover hidden talent.
• When asked for tips for those in the job market, Pinto had this to say, “First, be curious. Be open to learning, ask a ton of questions, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes—that’s the only way to learn. I tell my managers to make mistakes and learn from them. That’s how all of us grow.”

Funding Alert

Startup: Littlebox

Amount: $2.1M

Round: Undisclosed

Startup: Flexprice

Amount: $500,000

Round: Pre seed

Startup: Heizen

Amount: $500,000

Round: Pre seed

Ecommerce

Swiggy’s Q1 FY26 results in focus

Bengaluru-based Swiggy is set to announce its financial results for the first quarter (Q1) of FY26 at the close of markets today.

Sriharsha Majety-led Swiggy is expected to report a modest sequential increase in losses for the April–June quarter (Q1 FY26), even as its quick commerce and food delivery businesses continue to post strong year-on-year growth, according to brokerage estimates.

Key takeaways:

• ​JM Financial Institutional Securities expects the company, on a consolidated level, to report an EBITDA loss of Rs 990 crore and a net loss of Rs 1,130 crore, slightly higher than the Rs 960 crore and Rs 1,080 crore losses in Q4 FY25.
• Axis Capital, in its report, forecasts Swiggy to report Rs 4,868 crore in consolidated revenue, up 10.4% quarter-on-quarter and 51% year-on-year. It expects net loss to come in at Rs 1,018 crore for the quarter. 
• Swiggy’s results will be closely watched following Blinkit’s strong showing last week, where the Eternal-owned platform posted 135% YoY GOV growth and surpassed Zomato’s food delivery unit in order value.

Startup

Powering India’s pickleball craze

Founded this May, Kolkata-based Picklebay has emerged as India’s first tech-integrated, end-to-end platform dedicated entirely to pickleball. 

Within just two months of its launch, Picklebay has over 1,100 registered users, with metro cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata showing the strongest traction. Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad are next in line for expansion.

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Picklebay

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Bharat ke Innovators

Indigenous livestock revolution

Blending biotech and tradition, Verdant Impact is building climate-resilient dairy solutions for small-scale farmers across India.

Making cancer care affordable

Bengaluru-based biotech startup NKure Therapeutics is on a mission to democratise access to immunotherapy using Natural Killer cells, revolutionising how cancer is treated in India.

News & updates

• Tariff troubles: US President Donald Trump said he would impose a tariff rate of 25% on India’s exports to the US starting on August 1 and suggested he would add an additional penalty over the country’s energy purchases from Russia.
• Grocery boost: Kraft Heinz beat estimates for quarterly results on Wednesday, helped by resilient demand for its pantry staples and condiments in the United States as consumers tried to stretch their household budgets.
• Uncertainty: Adidas shares tumbled after the sporting goods company posted lower-than-expected sales and confirmed its outlook amid persistent uncertainty around the impact of US tariffs.

Which is the most translated book in the world?

Answer: The Bible. It’s been translated into over 3,300 languages, including fictional ones such as Tolkien’s Elvish language Quenya, Klingon, and Na’vi. 

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