STARTUP FUNDS
ETtech Deals Digest: Startups raise $1.71 billion in June 2024, marking a 148% on-year increase
The fundraise was done by startups in the early and late stages across 85 rounds, said private market intelligence platform Tracxn.
Agritech startup Two Brothers Organic Farms raises Rs 58.2 crore from Nithin Kamath’s Rainmatter
Two Brothers Organic Farms, an agritech startup, has raised Rs 58.2 crore in funding led by Nithin Kamath's Rainmatter Foundation. The round also saw participation from Silicon Valley entrepreneur Raju Chekuri, founder of the cybersecurity firm NetEnrich.
LinkedIn cofounder's background-checking startup KarmaCheck raises $45 million
The San Francisco-based company said on Thursday that it will use the funds to accelerate the development of its technology and "expand into new industry verticals."
Cash strapped Stability AI raises $80 million with new CEO and board
According to a person familiar with the matter, Stability AI has raised about $80 million in funding from a group of investors including Coatue Management, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The firm also released AI models to generate audio and video using text prompts and named former Facebook President Sean Parker as executive board chairman of its board.
AI-focused manufacturing startup Bright Machines raises $106 million from Nvidia, others
The San Francisco-based company makes equipment and software that helps automate a range of manufacturing tasks through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
SaaS startup Rocketlane raises $24 million in funding
B2B SaaS startup Rocketlane has raised $24 million in funding led by 8VC, Matrix Partners India and Nexus Venture Partners. The company will use the funds to launch new products, innovate its customer portal, and accelerate its AI plans, it said in a statement. Rocketlane has so far raised $45 million in funding.
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Cloudphysician raises $10.5 million in funding round led by Peak XV Partners
Online healthcare and technology solutions provider Cloudphysician has raised $10.5 million (about Rs 87.7 crore) in a funding round led by Peak XV Partners, along with Elevar Equity and venture debt firm Panthera Peak. The startup will use the capital to strengthen its presence in India, enter other countries and develop its AI platform.
Women-focused fintech startup Lxme raises $1.2 million from Kalaari Capital, others
Focused on women's finances, Lxme has secured $1.2 million in seed funding. Kalaari Capital led the round through its CXXO initiative, backing female-led businesses. The startup will capital for brand building and user acquisition across the country.
Indian deep tech startups count surges in 2023 but funding plummets 77%: Nasscom
Total $850 million was raised in 2023 itself -- this is a 77% decline over $3.7 billion raised in 2022. The number of deals, meanwhile, declined by 25% in 2023 over 2022, it said.
Zepto raises $665 million funding at $3.6 billion valuation to take on Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart
Company to double dark-store count to 700, taking on rivals Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Big Basket’s BB Now; DST Global, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Avenir Growth Capital and Avra joined as new investors in the round led by Glade Brook Capital, StepStone Group and Nexus Venture Partners.
ETtech Deals Digest: Startup funding soars to $748.5 million this week
Startups raised $748.5 million in the third week of June, with Mumbai-based Zepto securing $665 million. This marked an eightfold increase from the previous week. Top deals included Zepto, EKA Mobility, Wrogn, OrbitShift, and Alyve Health.
Credit card bill payment hurdles; startup funding logs slight uptick
Happy Friday! The central bank has mandated credit card bill payments through Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), but only eight of 34 banks are live on the network, causing concern among payment companies. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
Indian tech startup funding logs slight uptick at $4.1 billion in H1
Indian tech startups raised USD 4.1 billion in H1 2024, 4% higher than H2 2023, remaining fourth-highest funded country globally. Insights from Tracxn report highlighted funding trends and volumes in the Indian tech startup landscape.
Skincare startup Asaya raises Rs 12 crore in seed funding
Asaya aims to secure additional investments through this funding round, as part of its growth strategy. The funding will be used to build on research conducted over the past 2.5 years, with future rounds intended to further support ongoing research and development as well as product development, according to the company.
AI startup OrbitShift raises $7 million in funding led by Peak XV's Surge, Stellaris Venture Partners
AI startup OrbitShift has raised $ 7 million in funding from Peak XV Partners' accelerator programme Surge and Stellaris Venture Partners. The AI-powered sales intelligence startup will use the capital to increase its customer base in the US, and invest further in technology and product team to hone its portfolio.
Proptech startup Landeed secured funds from Paradigm Shift VC in a strategic financing round
Landeed in January 2023 raised $8.3 million in a seed round with participation from Y Combinator, Draper Associates, and Bayhouse Capital. The startup has witnessed a 22x growth in key financial metrics since its inception. Additionally it now boasts over 5 million downloads making it the largest title search engine in the country by wide margin.
Early-stage VC Z21 Ventures planning $40 million second fund
Z21 Ventures, an early-stage investment firm focusing on the India-US corridor, has fully deployed its first $5-million fund and is gearing up to launch a $40 million second fund. The firm, founded in 2022 by Abhinav Shashank and Raj Shekhar Singh, targets enterprise software and hardware startups with investments ranging from $100,000 to $150,000, backed by a community of Indian-origin technology executives like Google, Amazon, and Meta.
You.com startup is raising $50 million as it targets AI-assistant market
Similarweb dat shows You.com received 11 million visitors in May, marking an increase in web traffic for the year. However, this figure remains below its peak of 20 million visitors in February 2023. Following ChatGPT's role in ignited interest in You.com's AI-powered search engine in early 2023, some users have since started exploring other options.
Deep tech policy before cabinet soon to unlock long-term funds
The government plans to introduce a deep tech startup policy with a fund of funds for companies in the sector. An umbrella framework will guide state governments and startups. The policy will focus on research, development, innovation, intellectual property, and funding access for deep tech startups. Comments have been sought from 18 different ministries and government departments so far.
Startups’ pink slip count falls to 10,000 amid funding blues
Firing in first half of 2024 lesser than H2, H1 of ’23, signalling a slight recovery. Ola Electric is in the final stages of laying off over 600 after sister company Ola Cabs fired around 200 workers in late April. Industry executive told ET, even with the slowdown in layoffs, startups are still not out of the woods.
Lotus Herbals sets up $50mn fund to invest in startups
Lotus Innovation Fund is the second such fund to be set up in India. In 2022, Estee Lauder-backed New Incubation Ventures had launched a strategic early-stage investment fund with omni-channel beauty retailer Nykaa.
Consumer electronics startup Indkal Technologies raises $36 million in funding
Indkal Technologies, a consumer electronics startup, raised $36 million in funding led by Aries Opportunities Fund. The 2020-founded firm manufactures products for global brands like Acer and Black & Decker.
Commerce Ministry may seek more funds for startups in forthcoming Budget
The Commerce and Industry Ministry plans to request additional funds for startups in the upcoming Budget to boost innovation. A new scheme may replace the current seed fund program, set to conclude in 2025. The government aims to support early-stage entrepreneurs and promote deep tech startups to address societal challenges.
Surprise poll results impact startups' plans, and other top stories this week
In a week charged with political buzz, the BJP government came back to power after a stormy election, but without a full majority that left it dependent on the whims of its alliance partners. Unnerved, the markets went into a tailspin on counting day, with both benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty50, dropping 8% intraday. They recovered a day later as hopes of a stable government revived.
The startup story's just starting
For India to ascend to the summit of the world's leading startup ecosystems by 2030, it demands dynamic policies from the incoming government, nurturing a vibrant culture of innovation, and concerted collaboration among all stakeholders. With the requisite elements already in place, including the impressive growth and resilience shown by current startups, valuable lessons abound for budding entrepreneurs. By adopting a progressive outlook centered on enduring, sustainable, and conscientious advancement, our startup ecosystem has the potential to evolve into a remarkably innovative, inclusive, and globally sustainable entity.
SaaS startup Testsigma raises $8.2 million led by MassMutual Ventures
Existing investors Accel, Strive and BoldCap also participated in the round, Testsigma said on Wednesday. The company had previously raised $4.6 million in 2022.
Cisco launches $1 billion AI fund and makes first investments
Cisco through its investment arm, is investing in Cohere, Mistral AI and Scale AI, among others, and has already committed nearly $200 million of the fund.
Top startup & tech stories this week
Welcome to a brand new edition of ETtech Unwrapped – our weekend newsletter. The week was packed with important stories broken by our reporters. Here’s a recap if you missed these stories.
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