Runtime | Indian Tech News | Thursday, August 21st, 2025

Welcome to Runtime’s daily Indian tech news roundup, hosted by Caleb Friesen. Today, the Lok Sabha passes the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill banning real-money gaming while boosting e-sports, IIT Bombay students launch India’s first student-run semiconductor prototyping lab, Skyroot Aerospace showcases its Vikram-1 flex-nozzle control breakthrough, Karnataka opens applications for its Elevate startup grant program, Apple confirms its third India store in Bengaluru, and the AltSpace AI Residency prepares for Demo Day with a lineup of cutting-edge startups.

0:00 Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill
2:37 Madmods Accepted Into The Residency Program
2:51 IIT Bombay HackerFabs
3:55 Skyroot Aerospace Kalam-1200 Flex-Nozzle-Control
4:55 Karnataka Elevate
5:33 Perplexity Finance India Update
5:42 Bengaluru Apple Store
5:52 Builder Showcase: Aryan Gupta, Mechximize
6:31 AltSpace AI Residency Startups

Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill

The Lok Sabha has passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, banning real-money gaming nationwide. At the same time, the bill promotes e-sports and casual games that do not involve real money. India’s IT minister emphasized that the priority is safeguarding society from harmful effects. Vishal Gondal, founder of nCORE Games behind FAU-G: Domination, welcomed the move, calling it a decisive step to protect youth and encourage original IP, creativity, and Make in India games. Sumit Batheja, founder of Ginger Games, also supported the decision, saying it allows companies like Ginger Games to focus on building great IP without being mistaken for real-money gaming businesses. Real-money gaming represented 85% of India’s gaming industry revenue in FY24 ($3.2B of $3.7B). Industry bodies including the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports, All India Gaming Federation, and E-Gaming Federation warned of job losses, but the bill sets the stage for a new future in Indian gaming.

Madmods Accepted Into The Residency Program

Madmods, a gaming startup, has been accepted into The Residency program in San Francisco. Madmods aims to make 3D game creation easy and fun for millions of kids with AI-powered tools.

IIT Bombay HackerFabs

Students at IIT Bombay are building India’s first student-run, open-source, low-cost semiconductor prototyping lab, modeled after HackerFabs at Carnegie Mellon, Waterloo, and Ohio State. This IIT Bombay HackerFab will start with a spin coater and maskless photolithography setup, with the long-term vision of making semiconductor fabrication accessible for students across India. The IIT Bombay team hopes to inspire other Indian institutes to replicate the model, indigenising designs and procurement.

Skyroot Aerospace Kalam-1200 Flex-Nozzle-Control

Pawan Kumar Chandana, founder of Skyroot Aerospace, shared updates on the flex nozzle control system of Kalam-1200, the first stage motor of Vikram-1. Skyroot Aerospace developed powerful electro-mechanical actuators that steer a one-ton nozzle with high precision while handling extreme heat and speed.

Karnataka Elevate

Startup founders in Karnataka have until September 15th to apply for Elevate, Karnataka’s flagship startup grant program. Elevate provides grants of up to ₹50 lakh for Karnataka-registered startups to develop PoCs and scale through technology advancements.

Perplexity Finance India Update

Perplexity Finance now offers stock screening with natural language search. This feature is designed to simplify stock research and help Indian investors access insights more efficiently. Perplexity Finance continues to expand its suite of financial tools for the Indian market.

Bengaluru Apple Store

Apple is opening its third Apple Store in India on September 2, 2025. The new Apple Store will be located at Phoenix Mall of Asia on Bellary Road in Bengaluru. Apple’s Bengaluru Apple Store follows its earlier launches in Mumbai and Delhi.

Builder Showcase: Aryan Gupta, Mechximize

Prakash Dadlani spotlighted Aryan Gupta, IIT Bombay graduate and founder of Mechximize. Aryan Gupta’s startup Mechximize has developed an AI tool that generates CNC quotes in one minute, compared to the industry norm of days or weeks. Mechximize processes instant orders and delivers components on time. Aryan Gupta aims to expand Mechximize beyond CNC into injection moulding, PCB assembly, and more.

AltSpace AI Residency Startups

The AltSpace AI Residency in the Himalayas is hosting its Demo Day Investor Showcase. Startups presenting include Madmods with AI-powered 3D game creation, Artha Intelligence for investor insights, Fastrender for photorealistic interior renders, NewsGraf for financial news engagement, Kenesis with smart translation glasses, SciFly with an AI science tutor, and Sushrata Health, a clinical AI co-pilot. AltSpace continues to support Indian builders and AI startups.

#onlinegamingban #bengaluruapplestore #iitbombay