Runtime | Indian Tech News | Thursday, August 28th, 2025

Welcome to Runtime’s daily Indian tech news roundup, hosted by Caleb Friesen. Today, Devfolio announces BlockTrain, a 36-hour Ethereum hackathon on a moving train, Zulu Defence unveils its DRAP kamikaze drone, ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV secures DGCA Type Certification, Apple partners with Reliance Jio to bring RCS messaging to iPhones in India, NextDoor founder Sankalp Sinha shares a list of 10 startups actively hiring, and our builder spotlight is on Lavanya Jain of Runable, who just launched AI podcast creation.

0:00 BlockTrain
0:30 Zulu Defence DRAP
0:41 ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV is DGCA Type Certified
0:59 Apple Reliance Jio RCS Partnership
1:30 Sankalp Sinha's NextDoor List
1:52 Builder Spotlight: Lavanya Jain, Runable

BlockTrain

Devfolio is hosting BlockTrain, a 36-hour Ethereum hackathon on a moving train from Bengaluru to New Delhi starting September 20th. Builders can join solo or in teams. The journey leads into EthDelhi on September 25th, giving participants the chance to travel, collaborate, and build innovative Ethereum projects while en route. Devfolio’s BlockTrain combines travel and hacking into a unique builder experience.

Zulu Defence DRAP

Bengaluru-based Zulu Defence has introduced DRAP, short for Deployable Reconnaissance & Attack Platform. This hovering kamikaze drone is designed for armoured targets and has a strike range of 30 kilometres. Zulu Defence aims to position DRAP as a cutting-edge addition to India’s defence drone arsenal. With DRAP, Zulu Defence demonstrates its capabilities in advanced drone warfare technology.

ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV is DGCA Type Certified

ideaForge has announced that its SWITCH UAV is now DGCA Type Certified for both civil and security applications. Previously used for military operations, ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV can now be deployed for civil, paramilitary, police, and enterprise use. The certification marks a milestone for ideaForge, reinforcing SWITCH UAV as a versatile platform ready for India’s security and commercial drone needs.

Apple Reliance Jio RCS Partnership

Apple has partnered with Reliance Jio to launch Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging on iPhones in India. RCS offers features such as read receipts, group chats, file sharing, and verified business communication, creating a more secure alternative to SMS. With India heavily reliant on SMS for OTPs and banking alerts, the Apple and Reliance Jio RCS partnership brings iPhone users a much-needed upgrade. This collaboration between Apple and Reliance Jio makes RCS a standard that could reshape messaging in India.

Sankalp Sinha's NextDoor List

NextDoor founder Sankalp Sinha has shared a list of 10 companies actively hiring, including Dashtoon Studio, DevDynamics, Thesys, Kintsugi AI, Swish, GameRamp, Repello AI, QpiAI, Invideo, and Ambak. Many of these companies are based in HSR Layout, Bengaluru. By sharing this hiring update, Sankalp Sinha and NextDoor highlight opportunities for builders looking to join India’s growing startup ecosystem.

Builder Spotlight: Lavanya Jain, Runable

Lavanya Jain, founder of Runable, has launched an AI podcast creation feature on Runable. Similar to podcasts generated by NotebookLM, the tool can create podcasts with two speakers based on prompts such as “Create a podcast on the recent Google Pixel event.” Lavanya Jain is also hiring a growth intern for Runable, with an in-office role in Bengaluru. Runable and Lavanya Jain continue to focus on AI-driven media tools and team expansion.