Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [Sep 22- Sep 27]

During the week, 33 Indian startups raised a total of $173.48 million, including 4 growth-stage and 25 early-stage deals, while 3 startups kept their funding undisclosed.

In comparison, the previous week saw 21 startups across early and growth stages secure around $361.5  million.

[Growth-stage deals]

Growth and late-stage funding dropped to $60 million this week from $320 million last week. The largest deal was cleantech startup Chakr Innovation’s $23 million Series C round led by Iron Pillar. Other key raises included Curefoods’ Rs 160 crore ($18 million) pre-IPO placement from 3State Ventures, Vedantu’s $11 million round, and KisanKonnect’s $8 million funding.

[Early-stage deals]

Early-stage funding outpaced growth-stage deals this week, with 25 startups raising $113.31 million. The largest round was AI-powered app-building platform Emergent’s $23 million Series A led by Lightspeed, followed by app-building platform Rocket’s $15 million round. Other notable fundraises included agritech startup Handpickd, EV maker Simple Energy, biotech firm Distil, gold savings app Gullak, and fintech startup Oolka, among others.

QSR chain Wow! Momo, travel tech platform Yuyiii, lifestyle and smart audio brand Hammer and climate tech startup Carbon Masters also secured funding this week, though the amounts were not disclosed.

For a detailed funding breakdown, visit TheKredible.

[City and segment-wise deals]

By city-wise deal count, Bengaluru-based startups led with 14, followed by Delhi-NCR with 4 deals. Surat, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and other cities also saw activity with deals closed this week.

Segment-wise, e-commerce startups are at the top spot with 5 deals. AI, foodtech, agritech, deeptech, fintech and other startups also bagged deals this week.

[Series-wise deals]

During the week, seed funding dominated with 11 deals, followed by pre-seed with 8 deals. Series A, pre-Series A, Series C and other stages also saw activity.

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 dropped by 52% to 173.48 million as compared to around $361.5 million raised during the previous week.

The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $271.15 million with 26 deals per week.

[Key Hirings]

This week saw several key leadership moves. Dhan appointed Ketan Shah as CEO of its Omni Channel Business, while Allen Career Institute named Rakesh Ranjan as CEO of Allen Online, its digital-first arm. Unacademy elevated Sumit Jain, co-founder and CEO of Graphy, to lead its flagship Test Prep business, and OneAssist Consumer Solutions appointed Abhishek Maheshwari as its new CEO.

VisitTheKrediblefor more details

[Fund Launches]

Frontier Tech Capital is raising a $150M maiden fund for growth-stage investments in Southeast Asia, with nearly half already secured from investors in Singapore, Japan, and the UAE. Chiratae Ventures, a leading tech-focused VC, has completed the second close of its fifth fund at $150 million, with a final close expected in Q1 2026. The fund will invest in early-stage startups across Seed, Series A, and B rounds. Duro Capital closes the first tranche of its Duro Opportunities Fund with over Rs 200 crore in commitments. Good Capital, an early-stage VC behind startups like Meesho, Orange Health, and LEAD School, has completed the final close of its second fund at $30 million (Rs 260 crore).

[New Launches and Partnerships]

▪️ SeedlingLabs launches AI PDaaS platform

▪️ Unicommerce launches GST Guidance Tool

▪️ PhysicsWallah launches LexGlobal to bridge legal education and industry practice

[Financial result this week]

▪️DeHaat cuts losses by 15% to Rs 207 Cr in FY25

▪️BharatPe turns EBITDA profitable in FY25, revenue touches Rs 1,667 Cr

▪️ Virat Kohli-backed WROGN faces another tough year with rising losses

▪️ Auxilo reports Rs 528 Cr revenue and Rs 112 Cr PAT in FY25

▪️ Akumentis Healthcare posts Rs 66 Cr profit in FY25, revenue grows 9%

▪️ Purple Style Labs’ revenue remains flat in FY25; losses up 36%

▪️ PhonePe posts Rs 7,115 Cr revenue and Rs 630 Cr adjusted PAT in FY25

▪️ Ultrahuman reports Rs 565 Cr revenue and Rs 73 Cr profit in FY25

[News flash this week]

▪️ RBI issues new rules for authentication of digital payments

▪️ Swiggy cashes out of Rapido with 2.5X return; Prosus, WestBridge acquire stake

▪️ Startup founders lose grip amid heavy Series A dilutions: ENTRACKR Report

▪️ Purple Style Labs files DRHP to raise Rs 660 Cr via IPO

▪️ Finance Buddha (Finbud Financial Services Ltd.) secures in-principle approval from NSE emerge for SME IPO

[Summary]

On a weekly basis, startup funding dropped by 52% to 173.48 million as compared to around $361.5 million raised during the previous week.

The RBI’s 2025 payment authentication rules, effective April 1, 2026, require all providers to implement two-factor authentication using biometrics, device tokens, or passphrases with one dynamic factor, ensure interoperability across apps, and incorporate additional risk-based checks where necessary.

Swiggy has sold its stake in Rapido for a total of Rs 2,399.5 crore, with Rs 1,968 crore going to MIH Investments One B.V. (Prosus group) and Rs 431.5 crore to Setu AIF Trust and WestBridge, generating over 2.3X return on its investment made less than four years ago.

Many Indian startup founders are giving up over 40% equity by Series A, prioritizing growth capital over long-term control. According to startup data platform TheKredible, around 11 early-stage startups, including Dale Vaz’s Sahi, fintech firm DPDzero, semiconductor startup Netrasemi, home services platform Pronto, and agritech startup Eeki, have recently seen founders dilute more than 40% of their stake.

Finance Buddha, a phygital lending enabler, has received in-principle approval from NSE Emerge for its SME IPO. Founded in 2012 by Vivek Bhatia, Parth Pande, and Parag Agarwal, the company serves customers across 30+ states and over 19,000 pincodes, emerging as a trusted retail credit marketplace. It counts marquee investors like Ashish Kacholia, Shankar V, and the MS Dhoni Family Office among its backers, highlighting confidence in its technology-driven approach.

PhysicsWallah (PW) launched LexGlobal in Delhi to provide practical legal training and certifications, helping graduates and early professionals gain hands-on experience in corporate law, IP, M&A, and dispute resolution amid growing industry demand.