Brands
Lucira shines bright with 5.5m dollars seed round led by Blume Ventures
MUMBAI: Lucira Jewelry is proving that lightning and sparkle can strike twice. The fine jewellery startup, founded by ex-Candere creator Rupesh Jain alongside Vandana Jain, has raised a dazzling 5.5 million dollars in seed funding, the largest seed round ever for a jewellery startup in India.
The round was led by Blume Ventures, with participation from Spring Marketing Capital, Siriusone Capital Fund, and marquee individual investors including the founders of Dot & Key, Livspace, Snitch, and Bewakoof. The raise marks a strong show of faith in Jain’s ‘second innings’ after successfully building Candere, later acquired by Kalyan Jewellers.
Lucira is positioning itself as a design-first, sustainable luxury brand aimed at India’s new-age jewellery buyers who want more than just investment value. They want authenticity, craftsmanship, and emotional connection. Since its launch, Lucira has built a portfolio of 1,000 plus customisable lab-grown diamond designs, all IGI/GIA/SGL/BIS certified and backed with lifetime exchange and buyback guarantees.
The brand is also stepping into physical retail, with its first Mumbai store opening this month and plans to add four flagship outlets by the end of FY 2026. The fresh funds will fuel this omni-channel expansion while strengthening digital-first buying experiences and technology-driven personalisation.
“Indian consumers are moving beyond jewellery as mere investment,” said Lucira, co-founder, Rupesh Jain. “They want design, trust, and a brand they can emotionally connect with. With this backing, we’re ready to make Lucira India’s most trusted design-first fine jewellery brand.”
For Blume Ventures, it’s a chance to back a category they see ripe for disruption. “Rupesh has already proven his ability to build and scale with Candere,” said Blume, managing partner, Karthik Reddy. “What excites us most is Lucira’s omni-channel vision, blending cutting-edge digital with physical retail to create a category-defining brand.”
With capital in hand, Lucira is doubling down on design leadership, scaling its studio, hiring top talent, and embedding consumer trust at every step. As Jain puts it, “We’re not just selling jewellery, we’re shifting mindsets.”
Cumulative Ventures advised the transaction, with Novolex serving as legal counsel.
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
