PhysicsWallah (PW) Signs MoU with Delhi Government to Provide Free Online NEET & CUET Coaching to Over 1.6 Lakh Students

Delhi: PhysicsWallah (PW), an education... https://www.startupsmeet.com/2025/04/physicswallah-pw-signs-mou-with-delhi-government-to-provide-free-online-neet-cuet-coaching-to-over-1-6-lakh-students/?feed_id=677&_unique_id=67ebeed42ae13

Villgro Helps 100+ Women Micro-Entrepreneurs Gain Access to Credit and Scale their Business

April 1, 2025: India’s Economic Su... https://www.startupsmeet.com/2025/04/villgro-helps-100-women-micro-entrepreneurs-gain-access-to-credit-and-scale-their-business/?feed_id=667&_unique_id=67ebed5b27933

Deepfake Detection Startup Neural Defend Secures Funding by Inflection Point Ventures, MIT SBXI, Techstars San Francisco

New Delhi, 13^th March 2025: Neural Defend, an AI-driven cybersecurity startup, has raised over $600K in a Pre-seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV). The round also saw participation from MIT SBXI (Boston-based), Techstars San Francisco, and Soonicorn Ventures. The capital will be used to enhance its agentic AI capabilities for real-time, multimodal deepfake detection, further advancing its R&D efforts and product development.

Founded in 2024, Neural Defend specializes in deepfake detection and cybersecurity innovation. With pilot projects already underway in New York and Singapore, the company is addressing the growing risks posed by AI-generated digital deception. The startup is poised to redefine identity protection and fraud prevention on a global scale. The company is led by Piyush Verma (CEO), Sivashankar Selvarajan (CTO), and Sumit Singh (Chief Data Officer). Piyush Verma, a two-time founder and former researcher at MIT, Harvard, IBM R&D has built impact-driven ventures with Fortune 500 Clients in the past. Sivashankar Selvarajan, an IIT, IIM graduate and seasoned AI and cybersecurity expert, holds two patents in Face Anti-Spoof Detection and has won the Intel Edge AI Award. Sumit Singh has managed data pipelines worth over $200 billion, while working with major clients like INVESCO through Publicis Sapient. Neural Defend has also been selected into the prestigious Techstars accelerator in San Francisco. 

Vikram Ramasubramanian, Partner & CIO, Inflection Point Ventures, says, “It is no news that cyber threats are evolving rapidly, risking businesses and individuals’ privacy and finances. Neural Defend’s AI-driven approach to real-time detection perfectly aligns with today’s urgent need for robust cybersecurity and digital identity protection. At IPV, we back companies that solve critical challenges with scalable business models. Their vision and traction so far make them a compelling investment.”

Currently at the pre-revenue stage, Neural Defend is scaling its operations by engaging with global enterprises, fintech companies and financial institutions for product validation and market expansion. With the rise of deepfake threats across industries, the company is well-positioned to drive widespread adoption of its solutions.

What sets Neural Defend apart is its AI agentic, multimodal, real-time deepfake detection technology. Unlike traditional methods, its proprietary AI models detect deepfakes across multiple data formats, including video/ image, audio, real-time streams, ensuring robust fraud prevention for businesses and governments.

"Our goal is to protect real identities against digital deception through innovative AI agentic technology," said Piyush Verma, CEO of Neural Defend.

With MIT (Boston), IIT, IIM alumni leadership, the startup is rapidly gaining traction among global enterprises and cybersecurity experts. Neural Defend is working with fintech companies and financial institutions focusing on Video verification and KYC use cases. They have already achieved State of the art benchmarks for their technology, demonstrating the effectiveness of their AI-driven fraud detection systems.

With trillions of dollars at risk due to deepfakes globally, the cybersecurity industry is witnessing exponential growth. The demand for real-time AI-driven fraud detection solutions is rising, making Neural Defend’s cutting-edge technology highly relevant in today’s digital landscape.

About Neural Defend

Founded in 2024 by Piyush Verma, Sivashankar Selvarajan, and Sumit Singh, Neural Defend operates in India and San Francisco, USA. The company focuses on deepfake detection and cybersecurity innovation, leveraging AI agentic technology to offer scalable and resilient solutions. Backed by Techstars SF, MIT SBXI and Inflection Point Ventures, Neural Defend is working with global enterprises to enhance identity protection.

About Inflection Point Ventures and Physis Capital

Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) is an angel investing platform with over 23,500+ CXOs, HNIs, and Professionals to together invest in startups. The firm supports new-age entrepreneurs by providing them with monetary & experiential capital and connecting them with a diverse group of investors. IPV has launched a $50 Mn CAT 2 VC fund, Physis Capital, to invest in Pre-Series A to Series B growth-stage start-ups. The fund has already deployed capital in two startups so far, with a few deals in advanced stages of pipeline.

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PhysicsWallah Expands NEET/JEE Content in Regional Languages with AI Integration

India, March 4, 2025 – PhysicsWallah (PW), a leading ed-tech company, is revolutionizing access to quality education by introducing vernacular learning under its Project Bharat initiative. Announced during Vishwas Diwas, PW’s annual flagship event celebrating student achievements, this initiative aims to break language barriers and make high-quality educational resources accessible to students across India, particularly those from non-Hindi and non-English-speaking backgrounds.

As part of Project Bharat, PW’s Lakshya Program for NEET and JEE aspirants will now be available in Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, and English, with more regional languages to follow. To encourage early enrollment, all Bharat Batches are currently being offered at up to 20% discount until March 10.

AI-Powered Regional Learning Experience

To ensure an immersive and high-quality learning experience, Project Bharat will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in content delivery. The study material will first be scripted in regional languages, then dubbed, and enhanced using AI to create a learning experience that closely resembles live lectures delivered by PW’s founder, Alakh Pandey, and other renowned faculty members. This approach maintains the essence of their teaching style, making complex concepts easier to grasp for students in their native language.

New AI-Powered Learning Tools

Alongside Project Bharat, PW also introduced several AI-driven tools to further enrich the student learning experience:

• Prep Meter: An advanced performance tracking system that monitors students' learning journeys. This tool evaluates a student’s strengths and weaknesses and provides personalized AI-driven video recommendations for improvement. It tracks various aspects of a student’s progress, including lecture viewing, Daily Practice Programs (DPPs), and test performances, offering real-time insights.
• PW Books: A smart digital version of NCERT books available as a standalone app on the Play Store. This app enables students to access relevant content by taking pictures, highlighting important terms, making notes, and getting instant AI-generated explanations, thus making learning more interactive and efficient.

Enhancing Student Engagement with Gamified Learning

PW also launched Level-Up, a gamified learning experience that turns academic progress into a competitive and rewarding journey. This feature enables students to track their progress and compete with peers on the PW platform, making learning more engaging and motivating. During its pilot phase, conducted among students of Classes 9 and 10, Level-Up increased student engagement by approximately 30%. The feature allows students to earn XP points for completing academic activities such as attending lectures, completing DPPs, and taking mock tests.

Exclusive Programs for Advanced Learning

PW unveiled Pegasus, a premium program designed for students preparing for JEE Advanced and NEET over 3 to 4 years. With a limited number of seats, this fast-paced curriculum provides students with an early edge in competitive exams. It also incorporates Olympiad preparation and an extensive eight-month practice and testing phase before board exams, helping students build a solid foundation for success.

Affordable Learning at PW Vidyapeeth Centers

In another major announcement, PW has made learning at its tech-enabled offline Vidyapeeth centers more accessible. Students from Classes 8 to 12 and Dropper Batches can now enroll for just ₹999 and avail up to 35% discounts on PW’s offline learning programs.

Additionally, registrations are open for the PhysicsWallah Scholarship cum Admission Test (PW SAT), which offers students the opportunity to secure scholarships of up to 90% on PW courses.

About PhysicsWallah (PW)

Founded in 2020 by Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari, PhysicsWallah (PW) has transformed from a YouTube channel into one of India’s most impactful ed-tech platforms. Headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, PW provides education through online, offline, and hybrid models, catering to students across multiple educational segments, including test preparation, skill development, higher education, and study abroad programs. With investments from Hornbill Capital, Lightspeed Ventures, Westbridge, and GSV Ventures, PW continues to innovate and expand its reach to make high-quality education accessible to all.

According to UNICEF, children learn best when taught in their mother tongue, and Project Bharat is a significant step toward making education more inclusive and effective for students across India.

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