Startup Funding Increases This Week: $75.36 Million Raised

This week, Indian startups achieved a remarkable feat by raising a total of $75.36 million, primarily through early-stage deals, while four startups chose to keep their funding amounts private. In comparison, three startups managed to secure approximately $110.22 million in the preceding week.

Early-Stage Deals

This week was characterised entirely by early-stage funding activities. Even Healthcare, based in Bengaluru, secured $20 million in a round led by Lachy Groom and Alpha Wave, with Sharrp Ventures also participating. FutureCure Health raised Rs 104 crore ($11.5 million), directed by Carnelian Asset Management LLP. Additionally, Spector.ai, an industrial AI startup from Bengaluru, gathered Rs 58 crore (around $6.7 million) in a funding round led by IvyCap Ventures. Binny Bansal’s venture firm, 3State Ventures, contributed an extra $6.4 million to its portfolio company, Oppdoor Pte. Ltd. Numerous AI startups, such as Nitro Commerce and Aivar, along with beauty brand Antinorm, also attracted new capital this week. For thorough funding insights, visit various sources.

City and Segment-wise Deals

Bengaluru distinguished itself as the leader in deal activity with 11 transactions, followed by Delhi-NCR and Mumbai with four and three deals, respectively. Startups from Kanpur, Udaipur, Indore, and other locations also secured funding this week.

In terms of segmentation, AI startups dominated with six deals, trailed by healthtech and E-commerce startups, each recording four deals. Other sectors, including aerospace, proptech, deeptech, EV, and fintech, also garnered funding during this timeframe.

Series-wise Deals

This week, seed rounds took the lead with eight deals, while Series A rounds followed closely with six transactions. Pre-Series A and pre-seed ventures each had recorded deals. To explore series-wise details along with amount breakdowns, visit various sources for more insights.

Week-on-Week Funding Trend

In comparison to the previous week, startup funding showed a significant increase of over 31%, reaching $75.36 million, compared to around $110.22 million raised earlier. The average funding over the last eight weeks stands at approximately $199.82 million, with an average of 22 deals per week.

Key Hirings and Departures

Meesho reported senior leadership changes, appointing Milan Partani as General Manager of the Commerce Platform, while Megha Agarwal has stepped down. Awfis Space Solutions announced the resignation of CFO Ravi Dugar, naming Sumit Rochlani as his successor. QuiD Cash appointed former Paytm President and COO Bhavesh Gupta as Strategic Advisor. Other notable appointments include Freshworks selecting Kady Srinivasan as CMO, Cashify promoting Raghvendra Singh to CTO, Flipkart hiring Gunjan Bhartia as Senior VP of Business Finance, and The Sleep Company naming Hemal Jain as its new CFO. Milan Partani transitioned from General Manager of User Growth and Content Commerce to General Manager of the Commerce Platform, while Megha Agarwal, previously General Manager of Business, has resigned from her role. Ather Energy has appointed Surabhi Loshali, a veteran HR leader, as the new Chief Human Resources Officer.

Mergers and Acquisitions

CARS24, a used-car marketplace, acquired vehicle information platform CarInfo, integrating CarInfo and BikeInfo within its ecosystem while retaining their standalone operations. Urban Harvest, a B2B fresh produce startup, bought premium gourmet food brand Cocosutra. In another notable development, MS Dhoni merged his padel venture, 7Padel, with PadelPark India to establish a unified national platform for the sport’s development.

New Launches and Partnerships

CLIRNET introduced DentalNet to transform global continuing dental education. Following its launch in the UAE, Practo expanded into the US with a GMV run-rate of $75 million.

Financial Results This Week

Sid’s Farm reported revenue of Rs 168 crore in FY25, witnessing a 2.6x surge in losses. Ecozen approached a profit of nearly Rs 100 crore in FY25, with revenue increasing by 2.5 times. Info Edge’s standalone revenue reached Rs 747 crore in Q3 FY26. Peak XV-backed BankBazaar recorded Rs 249 crore revenue in FY25, managing to decrease its losses. Proost Beer surpassed Rs 100 crore in revenue in FY25, achieving EBITDA breakeven. BellaVita’s revenue soared by 2.5 times to Rs 456 crore in FY25 and turned profitable. Pee Safe reported Rs 82 crore revenue in FY25, nearing breakeven, while Info Edge-backed Zingbus crossed Rs 150 crore in revenue in FY25.

News Flash This Week

Razorpay has kickstarted preparations for its IPO, aiming for a Rs 4,500 crore fresh issue, according to reports. The proposed deal between upGrad and Unacademy has been cancelled due to valuation disagreements. Arali Ventures achieved a 23x return on its full exit from HBOX, marking another significant fund returner. Groww increased its dominance in stock broking in December 2025, while competitors Zerodha and Angel One saw a decline in their clients. SoftBank has offloaded 2.15% of its stake in Ola Electric through the open market. Amagi’s IPO has provided a 14x return for Premji Invest and significant gains for other investors.

Summary

Over the week, startup funding escalated by over 31% to $75.36 million in contrast to approximately $110.22 million raised previously. Arali Ventures bolstered its fund performance with a successful exit from HBOX Inc., generating a 23X return within just four years. This exit coincided with HBOX receiving growth capital from the Charlesbank Technology Opportunities Fund, showcasing Arali’s keen interest in supporting globally scalable enterprise tech ventures early. India’s retail broking sector has been experiencing a slowdown, with active users dropping to 4.48 crore in December 2025 from a high of 4.96 crore in January. Despite this, Groww added roughly 39,500 active demat accounts, growing its client base to about 1.21 crore and achieving a market share of 27.06%, while rivals like Zerodha and Angel One suffered declines in active clients. The much-anticipated acquisition discussions between upGrad and Unacademy were terminated after both parties failed to agree on valuations. Razorpay, a digital payments unicorn, seems to be gearing up for an initial public offering, planning to raise up to Rs 4,500 crore in new capital. Reports indicate the Bengaluru-based firm has solicited pitches from merchant bankers, with Kotak Mahindra Capital and Axis Capital emerging as potential candidates.