Funding Winter

Late-stage startup funding lower than 2018 levels, shows Blume report

At $6.6 billion, late-stage funding in 2024 was lower than $7.7 billion in 2018 despite an overall increase in funding, Blume’s Indus Valley Annual Report 2025 has said

25 startups drop out of Hurun India Future Unicorn Index in 2024

According to the list, this year there was a record drop in future unicorns from the list. Some of these include Dunzo, Koo, Gaana, Bizongo, Rapido, Practo, WayCool, Paper Boat, Dotpe, to name a few. Only three startups got promoted to unicorns including Zepto, Porter and InCred turned unicorns this year.

April brings funding cheer to Indian startups

In April, Indian startups recorded $726 million in 68 deals, from $298 million in 43 deals in April of 2023 - a spike of about 144 percent.

India accounts for 12% of world’s Web 3 developers in 2023, major jump from 3% in 2018: Hashed Emergent report

While there has been an 80% YoY decline in Web 3 funding in India in 2023, Hashed Emergent CEO Tak Lee said that the early stage venture capital firm has started seeing signs of recovery with more startups actively seeking to secure funds.

Premium for good governance will be very high, many took it for granted: Sachin Bansal

According to Bansal, governance has to be put in place deliberately and should not be just because you happen to work with founders who are doing the right thing themselves. He added that it should not taken for granted

Edtech in 2023: A year of course correction amidst Byju’s turmoil, record low funding, and investor scepticism

The initial allure of Byju’s, which once attracted funding for the entire sector, has given way to a contrasting narrative, casting a shadow on the overall confidence in edtech. Startups are now pulling out all the stops to woo investors.

Startup funding up 15% in September as late-stage deals make comeback

Although the pace of investment has been slow, experts are anticipating that things will pick up if start-ups can show promising performance and are able to grow into their valuations. They also feel valuations must be more realistic to inspire confidence in investors

Fintech SaaS firm Perfios raises $229 million in series D funding from Kedaara Capital

Perfios is a B2B SaaS company serving the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance industry in about 18 countries.

Indian edtech firms leverage AI to curb cash burn, growth hiring

Firms are finding new use cases for AI including grading and feedback, co-pilot for teachers and students, and even sprucing up CVs of students, helping them to cut costs and reduce hiring.

Credgenics raises $ 50 million in funding led by WestBridge, Accel

Founded in 2019 by Goel, Anand Agrawal and Mayank Khera, Credgenics provides loan collections and debt resolution technology platform to banks, non-banking finance companies, fintechs

Funding to Indian startups fell 77% from Jan-July 2023 over 2022

In July, investors participated in about 42 funding rounds and invested $523 million, slightly lower than $546 million in about 44 deals in June.

SoftBank's funding drought worst since 2014, Tiger Global’s deal count least in 5 years

SoftBank’s prolonged absence and Tiger Global's significant deceleration underscores the cautious approach of investors towards India's startup ecosystem. The two are among the country’s largest global investors, having infused more than $18 billion in the past nine years.

Indian SaaS sector funding for H1 of 2023 plunges 81% year-on-year

Many investors are re-evaluating their bets and experts say that the time taken to complete deals has become longer.

Indian startup layoffs cross 25,000-mark as funding winter persists

From 2022 till date, about 94 startups have laid off close to 25,805 employees in an attempt to reduce expenses and extend their runway to focus on profitability. In fact, the actual number of layoffs could be more as many startups are now resorting to silent layoffs.

Tiger Global struggles to attract investors for $6 billion fund amid technology valuation concerns

Venture capital funding faces significant decline as Tiger Global falls short of fundraising goal.

Indian SaaS industry to reach $26 billion in revenues by 2026: Report

Indian SaaS companies are doubling down on growth (revenue generation) while ensuring operational and capital efficiency, the report said.

US-based Private Shares Fund cuts Eruditus’ fair value by 9%, effectively valuing it at $2.9 billion

The Private Shares Fund's decision to decrease the fair value of Eruditus in the January-March period came even as Eruditus achieved break-even during the quarter

SaaS startup Zluri in talks to raise $15-20 million in Series B funding round

The round is expected to be led by Eight Roads Ventures and Zluri's existing investor Lightspeed Venture Partners

India will be a big investment theme for $925 mn fund: QED Investors’ Asia Head

Global fintech VC firm QED Investors, which backs Jupiter and OneCard, said that it is betting big on the India consumer story for the long term. India, according to Sandeep Patil, is a growth hotspot, given the headline GDP growth rate, and it’s the fastest-growing large economy in the world.

Top VCs meet in Bengaluru, discuss investment strategies, corporate governance lapses at Indian startups

VCs engaged in conversations centred around the state of corporate governance matters within Indian startups and explored strategies for early-stage VC firms to implement effective checks that promote adherence to unquestionable business practices

SoftBank-backed Indian startups cut costs by 50-75%, lay off over 5,000 people to weather funding winter

Since the start of 2022, companies including unicorns Unacademy, Meesho, Swiggy and Cars24 have reduced costs heavily to extend their runway by at least 12 months

Byju’s raises $250 million from US investment firm Davidson Kempner

Moneycontrol reported earlier this week that the edtech firm was looking to raise $1 billion in a mix of equity and structured instruments via US-based asset management companies and Middle East-based sovereign funds. Of the $1 billion, about $300 million would be raised through structured instruments, with the rest coming as equity at a flat $22 billion valuation

Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma-endorsed Toothsi lays off 20-30 employees amid funding crunch