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In the week of March 31 to April 5, 2025, Indian startups raised huge funding and made a lot of strategic acquisitions.
Funding Highlights
Relative to that amount, 30 Indian startups secured funding worth approx $357.29 million. It includes six growth stage deals and 21 early stage deals with three of the startups deciding against revealing their funding details. That’s up from the roughly $152.49 million that 23 other startups raised the previous week.
Growth-Stage Investments
- Spinny: Amounting to $131 million, the used car platform topped the funding charts.
- Chef Robotics: The interest in automation technologies was reflected in the $43 million that this robotics company raised.
- Scapia: A Pe Valley’s Peak XV Partners was at the head of the pack with the investment to bring travel fintech firm Scapia up to $40 million on its Series B round of funding.
- Infinity Fincorp: Infinity Fincorp specializes in micro loans against property and was funded by prestigious investment.
- Pratilipi: A digital storytelling platform, Pratilipi continued to draw investor interest.
- Tonbo Imaging: This defense technology firm also secured funding, highlighting the diversification of investor portfolios.
Early-Stage Investments
Twenty-one early-stage startups collectively raised $62.19 million. Notable among them:
- Aerem: A clean energy startup, Aerem led the early-stage funding with an $11.7 million round.
- RapidClaims: This startup made significant strides in the insurtech space.
- Sweet Karam Coffee: A South Indian food brand, it attracted attention from investors.
- The Bear House: A men’s fashion brand, The Bear House secured funding to expand its market presence.
- Further AI: An artificial intelligence startup, Further AI garnered investment, reflecting the sector’s growing prominence.
- CollegeDekho: An edtech firm, CollegeDekho continued to attract investor confidence.
Additionally, companies like Evenflow (an e-commerce roll-up startup), Yatrikart (a transit retail chain), and Bistro57 (a café chain) raised funds but chose not to disclose the amounts.
City and Segment Distribution
Of the 553 deals, 13 were in Bengaluru, followed by Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Indore and the other cities. Five deals were closed by healthtech startups, followed by those who are in foodtech and e-commerce startups, with four deals each. Other sectors such as the mobility, fintech, AI, and edtech sectors also experienced activities of investment.
Mergers and Acquisitions
- Delhivery Limited: The logistics giant announced the acquisition of a 99.4% stake in Ecom Express Limited for up to ₹1,407 crore, aiming to consolidate its position in the logistics sector.
- BorderPlus: Co-founded by upGrad’s Mayank Kumar, BorderPlus made its inaugural acquisition by taking over German healthcare recruitment firm Onea Care, signaling its intent to expand in the international talent mobility space.
Leadership Appointments
- Xpressbees: The logistics firm appointed Uday R. Sharma as Chief Business Officer for B2B, 3PL, and Cross Border operations.
- TVS Capital Funds: Former Federal Bank CEO Shyam Srinivasan joined as a Senior Advisor and Operating Partner.
- upGrad: The corporate skilling division welcomed Sunita Mohanty as the Revenue Head, aiming to bolster its market presence.
Fund Launches
- Zeca Capital: Announced plans to launch its maiden fund with a corpus of ₹150 crore, targeting investments in sustainability-focused startups in India.
Reports of this week also included dismisses, with Zomato allegedly cutting up to 600 customer support officers within a year of their recruitment, a reflecting of the troubles that some start-ups endure when growing at a speed.
Looking at all this, the week also exhibited maximum investor confidence in the Indian startup ecosystem with large amount of cash infusion, strategic acquisition and key leadership moves.
