Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [Jan 12- Jan 17]

This week, 28 Indian startups raised around $254 million, comprising 4 growth-stage and 22 early-stage deals, while 2 startups kept their funding undisclosed.

In contrast, 24 startups had collectively secured about $75.36 million in the previous week.

[Growth-stage deals]

After recording zero growth-stage deals in the previous week, activity rebounded this week with growth-stage funding totaling $91 million across four deals. The round was led by women’s hygiene and wellness brand Pee Safe, which raised $32 million in its Series B round. This was followed by healthcare startup Sukino, which secured $31 million in a Series B round led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Rainmatter. Debt investment platform Wint Wealth and footwear brand Neeman’s also raised $28 million and $4 million respectively.

[Early-stage deals]

Early-stage funding this week totaled $75.5 million across 22 deals. Higher-education embedded training and employability platform Emversity led the round, raising $30 million in a Series A funding led by Premji Invest. This was followed by BillionE, an electric truck transportation platform, which secured $25 million in a pre-Series A round. Spacetech startup Ethereal Exploration Guild, game production and live services startup Liquidnitro Games, AI-driven healthtech startup RISA Labs, proptech startup Truva, finance automation startup Bluecopa, and several others also raised capital during the week.

CarDekho Group–backed fleet management company Carrum and AI learning startup LearnTube.ai also raised funding this week, although the deal sizes were not disclosed.

For a detailed funding breakdown, visitTheKredible.

[City and segment-wise deals]

Bengaluru led the city-wise deal count with 12 deals, followed by Delhi-NCR and Mumbai with 6 and 4deals, respectively. Startups from Hyderabad, Vadodara, Coimbatore and Indore also bagged funding this week.

Segment-wise, e-commerce startups led the week with 4 deals, followed by depptech with 3 deals. Healthtech, edtech, Fintech, EV, Proptech, and Mobility, and others also recorded funding during the period.

[Series-wise deals]

This week seed rounds led the funding with 8 deals, followed by Series A with 6 deals. Pre-Series A and pre-seed recorded  deals each.

Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, and more insights.

[Week-on-week funding trend]

On a weekly basis, startup funding jumped 3.4X to $254 million as compared to around $75.36  million raised during the previous week.

The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $207.82 million with 22 deals per week.

[Key Hirings/ Departures]

Singapore- and India-focused venture capital firm Jungle Ventures has promoted Arpit Beri and Rishab Malik to Managing Partner. Global investment institution Lighthouse Canton has appointed Gurjeet Sohi as Managing Director and Head of Wealth Management for India. Meanwhile, Nexedge Capital has named Gaurav Kulshreshtha as its Chief Investment Officer and Founding Partner.

BlackBuck Limited has announced that Ms. Shilpi Pandey has stepped down from her role as Chief People Officer, a senior management position, citing personal commitments.

[Mergers and Acquisitions]

Quick home services platform Snabbit has announced that it is joining forces with the founding team of Pync as part of its plans to scale operations in India’s fast-growing quick home services market. Meanwhile, L2 blockchain startup Polygon Labs has agreed to acquire US-based crypto platforms Coinme and Sequence for over $250 million. Separately, Bartronics India Limited has announced the acquisition of a 51% stake in AYOU, the fresh produce brand operated by Shree NagaNarasimha.

[Shutdowns]

Elevation Capital–backed AI stylist Alle has shut down after failing to achieve product–market fit and build a sustainable business model despite multiple pivots. Separately, Bengaluru-based Pync, backed by Accel and General Catalyst, is also winding down operations, with its founders set to join quick home services platform Snabbit.

[ESOP Buyback]

Mumbai-headquartered software testing platform BrowserStack has announced a $125 million share buyback programme to provide liquidity to its employees and early investors. Meanwhile, healthtech company Innovaccer has completed an ESOP buyback worth Rs 600 crore, or around $75 million, offering liquidity to current and former employees holding vested stock options.

[Fund Launches]

Consumer-focused venture capital firm Kairon Capital, founded by Deepankur Malhotra, has completed the first close of its debut fund. Meanwhile, Dharana Capital, an affiliate of global investment firm Vy Capital, has raised $250 million (around Rs 2,254 crore) for its second India-focused fund. Dharana’s portfolio includes Urban Company, Petpooja, LAT Aerospace, and kitchen appliances maker Beyond Appliances.

[New Launches and Partnerships]

▪️ YKONE, BarCode and Mirror Mirror join forces to launch 'One'

[Financial result this week]

▪️ Cars24 posts Rs 651 Cr adjusted revenue in H1 FY26; cuts burn by 36%

 ▪️ Portea posts Rs 160 Cr revenue in FY25; narrows losses 

▪️ Sugar.fit posts 77% revenue growth in FY25, narrows losses

▪️ Smartworks posts Rs 472 Cr revenue in Q3 FY26; turns profitable

▪️ The Indian Garage Co doubles revenue to Rs 204 Cr in FY25; slips into losses

▪️ Groww posts Rs 547 Cr profit on Rs 1,216 Cr revenue in Q3 FY26

▪️ Park+ posts Rs 175 Cr revenue in FY25; cuts losses by 39%

▪️ Eggoz hits Rs 130 Cr revenue in FY25; cuts losses

▪️ Infra.Market reports over $2 Bn gross revenue in FY25; profit falls 42%

▪️ Zetwerk’s GMV slips 11% in FY25; posts Rs 371 Cr loss

▪️ Ampere posts Rs 659 Cr revenue in FY25; cuts losses by 65%

[News flash this week]

▪️ Shadowfax IPO set to deliver multifold gains for Kunal Bahl, Flipkart, Eight Roads, and others

▪️ Unacademy to pivot from company operated centres to a franchise model

▪️ Blinkit removes 10 min delivery branding after govt intervention; ​​Zepto, Instamart, others in focus

▪️ SEBI clears Kissht IPO plans

▪️ LambdaTest Rebrands as TestMu AI, Launches the World’s First Agentic Quality Engineering Platform for Fully Autonomous Testing

[Summary]

On a weekly basis, startup funding jumped 3.4X to $254 million as compared to around $75.36  million raised during the previous week.

Edtech unicorn Unacademy is recalibrating its business to focus on profitable growth following major cost corrections. As part of this shift, the company will exit its company-operated offline centres and convert them into franchise partnerships, a transition expected to be completed by April, resulting in a leaner cost structure.

Quick commerce platform Blinkit has reportedly removed its 10-minute delivery claim following directions from the Union Ministry of Labour. The move came after a meeting between Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and senior executives from platforms such as Zomato, Swiggy, and Zepto, where the ministry advised against fixed delivery timelines that could compromise the safety and wellbeing of gig workers.

Logistics and delivery platform Shadowfax is preparing for its Rs 1,907 crore IPO, with the upper price band set at Rs 124 per share. The pricing is set to deliver strong returns for early investors, with Flipkart expected to generate nearly 3X returns by selling shares worth about Rs 237 crore, while Eight Roads Investments is likely to clock around 10X returns on shares valued at Rs 197 crore.

Global influencer marketing firm Ykone has announced its merger with Paris-based creative production house Mirror Mirror to form a new integrated group called One. The merger strengthens Ykone’s creative, technology, and new-age media capabilities, particularly for its India operations, which include BarCode, the pioneering agency acquired by Ykone in 2024.