Indian Startup Updates: Funding & Deals [Apr 21 - Apr 25]

Indian Startup Funding and Acquisitions: April 21–25, 2025

The Indian startup ecosystem witnessed a significant surge in funding and acquisition activities during the week of April 21 to April 25, 2025. A total of 22 startups secured approximately $112.35 million, marking a 70% increase from the previous week’s $62.67 million. This uptick underscores the growing investor confidence and the dynamic nature of India’s entrepreneurial landscape.

Growth-Stage Deals

Finarkein Secures .5M Pre-Series A Funding from DSP Group

Growth and late-stage startups attracted nearly $85 million this week. Leading the pack was foodtech unicorn Rebel Foods, which secured $25 million from the Qatar Investment Authority. Enterprise tech firm Uniqus Consultech followed with a $20 million Series C round led by Nexus Venture Partners. Additionally, drone technology company Vayudh raised $10 million in its Series A round backed by Dharaana Capital. Other notable fundraisers included fintech platform BankBazaar, agritech startup Farmart, and Fabric along with its subsidiary Intellicar.

Early-Stage Deals

Twelve early-stage startups collectively garnered $27.41 million. Skill-training platform Emversity led this segment with a $5 million round. Healthcare-focused fintech startup SaveIN, savings app Bachatt, agri-biotech firm GreenGrahi, D2C snack brand Phab, and a travel tech startup specializing in online visa applications also secured funding. Notably, dev-tools startup DevAssure, transit-tech platform Tummoc, AI startup Catalogus, and AI-powered quick commerce platform KiranaPro raised undisclosed amounts.

City and Segment-Wise Distribution

Delhi-NCR emerged as the frontrunner with nine deals, followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chennai. Fintech startups dominated the sectoral distribution with four deals, while travel tech and foodtech startups secured three and two deals, respectively. Other sectors such as agritech, e-commerce, AI, deeptech, and drone tech also witnessed investment activities.

Series-Wise Breakdown

Seed funding led the charge with nine deals, followed by Series A, pre-seed, and Series C rounds. This trend indicates a robust pipeline of early-stage ventures poised for growth.

Key Hirings and Departures

The week also saw notable executive movements. Mamaearth’s parent company elevated Karan Bajwa and Avinash Dhagat to CXO roles. Venture capital firm Accel promoted Pratik Agarwal and Rachit Parekh to Partner positions. Pine Labs appointed CEO Amrish Rau as Managing Director and Chairman, while Ideaspring welcomed Kailashnath as a partner. On the departure front, Sandip Basu, Group CFO of VerSe (parent company of Dailyhunt), stepped down citing health reasons, and Nitin Agarwal, CEO of Globalbees, resigned due to personal reasons.

Mergers and Acquisitions

The M&A landscape was active with several significant deals:

Ampivo AI, a multi-modal AI solutions provider, acquired a 51% stake in Commerce Forever Solutions.
CARS24 acquired Team-BHP, a prominent automotive community platform in India.
Eyewear brand ClearDekho was acquired by the Indian conglomerate Jaipuria Group.

Layoffs

In a cost-cutting initiative, CARS24 laid off over 200 employees from its product and technology divisions.

Fund Launches

The investment landscape saw the introduction of new funds:

A91 Partners closed its third fund at $665 million, focusing on growth-stage businesses.
Blue Ocean Games, backed by South Korean gaming giant Krafton Inc., launched a $30 million fund to support indie game developers, with a focus on emerging talent from India.
Trident Growth Partners secured over ₹1,000 crore in the first close of its maiden fund.

New Launches and Partnerships

The week also featured several notable launches and collaborations:

Former Housing.com CEO Jason Kothari launched a new startup, Mythik.
Candere’s founder introduced Lucira, a lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
Akums partnered with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to drive pharmaceutical innovation.
The Circle FC collaborated with Start-in UP to propel Uttar Pradesh startups onto the global stage.
NSDC joined hands with Rapido to enhance skills and boost employability in the gig economy.
MobiKwik teamed up with Poonawalla Fincorp to provide instant personal loans.

Potential Deals

Several potential deals are on the horizon:

Bhavish Aggarwal’s Krutrim is in talks to raise $300 million.
IPO-bound Captain Fresh is set to secure debt from Trifecta.
ELIVAAS is in discussions to raise ₹100 crore in a new funding round.
PagarBook has turned cashflow positive amid a steep valuation drop.

Financial Results

The financial performance of several startups was noteworthy:

XpressBees turned EBITDA positive in FY24, with its warehousing business growing 60-fold.
Zupee posted a ₹146 crore profit after tax in FY24.
Boult Audio reported a 40% revenue jump, surpassing ₹700 crore in FY24.

News Highlights

Key developments in the startup ecosystem included:

The Enforcement Directorate raided eight locations linked to FIITJEE over center closures.
Ather Energy filed its Red Herring Prospectus to raise ₹2,626 crore via a fresh issue.
Flipkart received board approval to shift its domicile from Singapore to India.
Zetwerk plans to go public within 12–24 months.
MobiKwik set up a wholly-owned NBFC subsidiary.

This week’s activities reflect a vibrant and evolving Indian startup ecosystem, characterized by substantial funding inflows, strategic acquisitions, and significant corporate movements. As the landscape continues to mature, stakeholders can anticipate further growth and innovation in the coming months.