Helex, Beyond Renewables & Recycling, and Exiles Interactives Raise Early-Stage Funding The below brands have announced their latest funding rounds.

Therapeutics Startup Helex Secures USD 3.5 Mn to Develop Targeted Kidney Treatments

Helex, a therapeutics startup focused on genetic kidney diseases, has raised USD 3.5 million in a seed funding round led by pi Ventures, with participation from Bluehill Capital, SOSV, and a global syndicate of investors.

With this round, the company's total funding has crossed USD 6 million. The funds will be used to advance Helex's lead candidate for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) and strengthen its kidney therapeutics platform, the startup said in a statement.

Founded in 2021 by Poulami Chaudhuri, Rohini Kalvakuntla, and Anirudh Nishtala, Helex develops targeted medicines for genetic kidney disorders using its proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) drug delivery and AI-driven drug design platforms.

Incubated at ASPIRE-BioNEST, University of Hyderabad, the startup seeks to transform the treatment of chronic and rare kidney diseases through programmable, non-viral LNP therapeutics that deliver genetic payloads directly to kidney cells.

Helex's platform uses data-driven deep learning models combined with genomics, bioinformatics, and high-throughput sequencing data from gene-edited target cells to create and validate disease-specific genetic payloads.

The company's lead program targets ADPKD, a progressive inherited condition that affects more than 12 million people globally and about five percent of chronic kidney disease patients in India. Helex aims to develop a single-dose, gene-editing-based therapy that could significantly slow or halt disease progression, potentially redefining treatment for kidney disorders.

Beyond Renewables & Recycling Raises INR 5 Cr Funding

Climate-tech startup Beyond Renewables & Recycling has raised INR 5 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Momentum Capital, a US-based venture capital fund. The round also saw participation from Venture Catalysts, IIMA Ventures, Oorjan Cleantech, and Gautam Das.

The platform said the new funds will be used to enhance its proprietary recycling technology, strengthen its waste supply chain, and expand operations to address India's growing solar waste problem.

Founded in 2024 by Manhar Dixit and Vedant Taneja, Beyond Renewables & Recycling aims to build a circular economy for the solar industry. Its proprietary process recycles end-of-life solar panels, recovering more than 95 percent of materials such as glass, silicon, silver, copper, and aluminum.

Industry research indicates that India's rapid solar adoption could generate about 1.2 million tons of solar PV waste by 2040, a figure that may rise to 4.8 million tons in an early-loss scenario. Beyond Renewables claims to use advanced thermal and chemical treatments to extract high-purity metals and minerals, turning hazardous waste into reusable materials.

The startup has developed a multi-channel waste sourcing network by collaborating with asset developers, EPCs, manufacturers, and dismantlers. It currently has over 2,000 metric tons of solar waste in its pipeline and is expanding partnerships across the renewable ecosystem.

Supported by IIT Mandi Catalyst and NSRCEL, the startup is also growing its sales network and has secured letters of intent from buyers for recycled glass, silicon, and other recovered materials.

Exiles Interactives Bags USD 355K Funding for Gaming Platform

Bengaluru-based gaming startup Exiles Interactives has secured USD 355,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Chimera VC. The round also saw participation from Warmup Ventures, IndigoEdge, angel investor Dhruv Vohra, and existing shareholder Sourav Gupta.

The company plans to utilise the capital to accelerate the development of its browser-based social gaming platform Centarius and strengthen its marketing initiatives.

Centarius is designed to operate seamlessly across devices, offering a range of mid-core games with social and competitive features, along with rewards to enhance user engagement and retention.

Unlike open web gaming aggregators, Centarius follows a curated platform approach that prioritises retention-focused gameplay and community-driven experiences. The startup aims to empower independent developers by offering reach across browsers, PCs, consoles, and mobile devices, while bypassing app store restrictions and distribution barriers.

Exiles Interactives also intends to collaborate with gaming creators on platforms such as TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube to boost adoption and visibility. Following its launch, the company will expand its marketing efforts through community engagement and participation in industry events.

The platform competes with browser and cloud-based gaming ecosystems like Kongregate, CrazyGames, Poki, Roblox, and Steam Web, focusing on mid-core social titles that require no downloads.