This week, Indian startups raised approximately $82.2 million through 2 growth stage deals, 13 early stage deals, and 2 undisclosed deals. The week also saw 8 significant appointments, 4 new fund launches, 1 merger and acquisition deal, and 1 employee stock ownership plan buyback. In contrast, 16 startups had gathered around $164 million the prior week.
Highlights
Growth Stage Deals
Growth stage startups attracted a total of $21.1 million across two deals this week, with Apna Mart leading the way by securing Rs 120 crore (approximately $12.7 million) in its Series C funding round, co-led by Accel India and Fundamentum, along with participation from Peak XV Partners. Following closely was Sid’s Farm, a dairy brand based in Hyderabad, which raised over Rs 81 crore (around $8.4 million) in a pre-Series B round spearheaded by Omnivore, NSFO, Dodla Dairy, Next Bharat Ventures, and LIO.
Early Stage Deals
Early stage startups raised a total of $61.1 million through 13 deals this week, spearheaded by Arboreal Bioinnovations, which secured Rs 230 crore (over $24 million) in its Series A round co-led by EAAA and Omnivore. Aham Housing Finance followed by raising Rs 100 crore in a follow-on funding round led by The Sanmar Group, while Omega Seiki Mobility collected Rs 50 crore from Securocorp Securities, Sangeeta Pareekh, Saket Aggarwal Family Office, and Vanshika Sharma. Notable mentions include healthtech startup Fixxly, AI startup Revspot, agriculture drone startup SUIND, and global student living technology firm House of Student, among six other early stage companies that successfully raised funds this week.
City and Segment-wise Deals
Bengaluru maintained its lead in funding with 7 startup deals over the week, followed by Delhi-NCR with five deals. Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai also reported various deals. Segment-wise, fintech, edtech, and e-commerce sectors dominated with two deals each, while foodtech, FMCG, dairy tech, EV, Proptech, AI, and others also secured funding.
Series-wise Deals
Seed rounds led this week with 7 deals, followed by 6 Series A deals. Activity in Series C and pre-Series B rounds was also noted.
Week-on-Week Funding Trend
In comparison to the previous week, startup funding dropped by 50% to $82.2 million, down from around $164 million raised the week before. The average funding over the last eight weeks stands at approximately $316 million, with an average of 21 deals each week.
Key Hirings
This week saw Instamart appointing Nandita Sinha, former CEO of Myntra, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Meanwhile, Nykaa selected former COO of Instamart, Ankit Jain, to oversee its quick commerce division, Nykaa Now. The JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF) appointed Anshu Jain as Chief Operating Officer, and Neo Group welcomed Anirban Banerjee as Co-founder and Chief People and Transformation Officer. Additionally, a firm brought on Subhasis Chaudhuri, Suman Gopalan, and Anand Vora as independent directors.
Fund Launches
This week, Cactus Partners announced its second fund targeting a corpus of Rs 1,600 crore. Inflexor Ventures completed the first close of its third fund at Rs 400 crore against a target of Rs 1,250 crore. Anicut Capital introduced a Rs 250 crore seed fund aimed at early stage startups, and Groww’s co-founders are planning to launch a second fund with a target corpus of between Rs 400 crore and Rs 500 crore.
Mergers and Acquisitions
The D2C fashion brand Snitch has proceeded to acquire the women’s fashion label Berrylush, marking its entry into the women’s apparel market as it diversifies beyond menswear.
ESOP Buyback
Healthtech startup Temple, founded by Deepinder Goyal, has doubled its valuation to $375 million via a secondary share sale, launching its inaugural ESOP liquidity programme. This transaction values the company at nearly double its previous $190 million valuation, after it had raised $54 million earlier.
Financial Results and New Launches
PhonePe introduces PulsePro for enterprise market intelligence. Flipkart and Netflix collaborate to offer world-class entertainment as a shopping reward for millions of Indians. NYVO unveils India’s first family advisory platform addressing the investment advisory gap. Avaana-backed Dreamfly kicks off a 200 MWh aviation battery facility. Flipkart introduces Pay Later, enhancing credit accessibility for millions of Indian consumers. Xflow launches India’s first FX forecast app on ChatGPT for businesses engaged in global transactions.
News Flash
Zepto has delayed its IPO, potentially raising Rs 1,000 crore in a pre-IPO round. Indian Physical AI has attracted $155 million in 2026, since robotics and real-world data gain momentum. The Delhi High Court has halted Unity SFB’s share capital initiative in the BharatPe controversy. Lemonn reported a revenue surge exceeding 800% due to increased retail investor engagement. Stable Money’s AMFI suspension has been lifted prematurely. Fusion Klassroom Edutech Limited has secured ₹11.08 crore from anchor investors as it prepares for its IPO.
This week, the weekly startup funding dropped by 87% to $137 million, a significant decline compared to the approximately $1.1 billion secured during the previous week. Flipkart collaborates with Netflix to present Flipkart Plus members with a Netflix Mobile Plan through their standard shopping without necessitating a separate subscription. Lemonn (Nu Investors Technologies Pvt. Ltd), the PeepalCo Group’s stock broking platform, has experienced impressive growth, with operational revenue surging over 800% year-on-year to Rs 8.97 crore from Rs 99 lakh in May 2025. Active retail traders have increased 5.14 times to 24,309. Quick commerce leader Zepto has postponed its IPO amid ongoing valuation discussions, eyeing over Rs 1,000 crore in a pre-IPO round with existing investors likely to participate. NYVO has launched a fee-only financial planning platform tailored for Indian households, merging investments, goals, and insurance into personalised financial plans. Dreamfly Innovations, specialising in advanced aviation battery technologies, aims to establish a 40,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in North Bengaluru, with an initial capacity of 100 MWh, scalable to 200 MWh. Stable Money’s AMFI suspension has been lifted nearly two months into its six-month suspension period, allowing resumed mutual fund transactions. Fusion Klassroom Edutech Limited has allotted 6,96,800 equity shares to six anchor investors in anticipation of its IPO. Flipkart, in collaboration with PayU Finance, has introduced Flipkart Pay Later, facilitating flexible repayment options across its platforms, while Xflow has rolled out its ChatGPT app, delivering real-time exchange rate data and AI-driven FX forecasts.