Fundings

NITI Aayog pitches $10 billion Bharat Vidya Kosh for higher education

Govt eyes a million international students in Indian universities by '40

From funding winter to liquidity surge, 2025 turns pivotal for startups

After a prolonged funding slowdown, 2025 emerged as the year of liquidity for Indian startups, marked by a revival in public listings, improved deal quality and a decisive shift toward disciplined growth. If 2023 was defined by a "funding winter" and 2024 by cautious optimism, 2025 will be remembered for a historic rise in exits, particularly through the public markets. While overall funding volumes declined, the average median deal size nearly doubled to about USD 1.4 million in 2025, from roughly USD 700,000 in 2024, signalling greater investor selectivity and maturity. India's technology startups raised USD 10.5 billion in 2025, down 17 per cent from USD 12.7 billion in 2024 and 4 per cent from USD 11 billion in 2023, according to Tracxn. The number of USD 100 million-plus funding rounds fell to 14, compared with 19 in 2024, though large deals included Erisha E Mobility (USD 1 billion), Zepto (USD 450 million) and GreenLine (USD 275 million). Despite lower funding, liquidity eve

CoreEL gets $30 million Series B to support aerospace defence projects

Bengaluru-based aerospace and defence technology firm CoreEL Technologies has raised $30 million in Series B funding to scale manufacturing in large defence programmes in India and overseas

PlasmaGen Biosciences bags ₹150 cr to scale int'l plasma therapeutics

Bengaluru-based PlasmaGen Biosciences raised ₹150 cr in a minority equity round led by ViNS Bioproducts at a valuation of over ₹1,500 cr to scale international operations

Nothing raises over $8 million in third community investment round

London-based consumer tech brand Nothing on Thursday said it has raised over USD 8 million (about Rs 72 crore) in its third community investment round, which closed with over 5,000 new investors. The round allowed community members to invest at a USD 1.3 billion valuation, according to a company statement. Nothing's community base now stands at around 13,000 investors who have collectively contributed over USD 16 million to date. "Nothing has closed its latest community investment round, raising more than USD 8 million, and adding over 5,000 new investors to its community from more than 80 countries," the company said. The latest funding comes on the heels of Nothing's USD 200 million Series C round in September 2025, led by investors, including Tiger Global, GV, Highland Europe, EQT, and Qualcomm Ventures. Community investment involves people investing money in an early-stage private or unlisted company in exchange for a share, or equity, in that company. Earlier this year, Noth

Tata Chemicals raises ₹1,500 crore through private placement of NCDs

Tata Chemicals Ltd on Wednesday said it has raised Rs 1,500 crore through the allotment of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis. The company has allotted 1,50,000 listed, unsecured, rated, redeemable, taxable, non-cumulative non-convertible debentures, having a face value of Rs 1 lakh each, for cash, it said in a regulatory filing. The NCDs have a tenure of two years and 364 days, and carry a fixed rate coupon of 7.06 per cent, Tata Chemicals said. The debentures have been issued to identified investors based on multiple yield allotment methods, it added. The NCDs will be listed on the Debt Segment of National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE). The allotment was approved by the internal committee constituted by the board of directors of the company, Tata Chemicals said. NCDs are debt instruments issued by companies to raise long-term funds. They are popular among investors seeking stable, fixed returns without equity exposure.

MoEngage raises another $180 million in Series F, offers liquidity to staff

Funding led by ChrysCapital and Dragon Funds backs the company's AI-driven expansion beyond traditional marketing platforms

Space tech company Digantara raises $50 million in Series B funding

Space tech firm Digantara raises $50 million in Series B to expand globally, scale manufacturing and build full-stack space surveillance and intelligence capabilities

Moxie Beauty raises $15 mn in Series A led by Bessemer Venture Partners

The fast-growing haircare brand plans to expand product development and distribution as demand rises for India-specific, salon-grade formulations

Sisir Radar bags $7 million Series A to launch India's private SAR by 2026

Chennai-based Sisir Radar has raised $7 million in a Series A led by 360 ONE Asset. It is targeting India's first private L-band SAR satellite launch by 2026 for 24/7 imaging

iSprout secures ₹60 crore in debt funding to accelerate expansion

Hyderabad-based iSprout has raised ₹60 cr in debt funding from Tata Capital to expand into metros and tier-I and II cities, upgrade infrastructure and scale managed office portfolio as it eyes an IPO

MPs' forum seeks action on lack of funds for treating rare diseases

A bipartisan parliamentary forum has warned that funding shortages and administrative delays under India's rare disease policy are disrupting life-saving treatment

Transition VC closes oversubscribed ₹700 crore debut fund at final close

Backed by strategic LPs, Transition VC says its debut fund has crossed target to close at ₹700 crore, with early portfolio traction and plans under way for a second fund

Indian Angel Network announces final close of $100 million fund

Since its launch, the fund has already invested in 10-12 startups, with several being led by first-generation founders in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, according to the firm

Fintech firm Fibe raises $35 million from IFC in Series F funding

The Series F investment comes about 18 months after the Pune-based company raised $90 million in a Series E funding round led by TR Capital, Trifecta Capital, and Amara Partners

Fintech Skydo set to expand to US after $10 million Series A round

The Bengaluru-based company is targeting US-based small and medium businesses (SMBs) as part of its expansion plan

UN aid agency cuts appeal for 2026 to $33 bn after lowest annual support

The UN's humanitarian aid coordination office is downsizing its appeal for annual funding in 2026 after support this year, mostly from Western governments, plunged to the lowest level in a decade. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday it was seeking $33 billion to help some 135 million people cope with fallout from wars, climate disasters, earthquakes, epidemics and food shortages. This year, it took in $15 billion, the lowest level in a decade. The office says next year it wants more than $4.1 billion to reach 3 million people in Palestinian areas, another $2.9 billion for Sudan home to the world's largest displacement crisis and $2.8 billion for a regional plan around Syria. In 2025, hunger surged. Food budgets were slashed even as famines hit parts of Sudan and Gaza. Health systems broke apart," said OCHA chief Tom Fletcher. "Disease outbreaks spiked. Millions went without essential food, healthcare and protection. Programs to prote

Spurring innovation: BIRAC, TDB may manage key tranches of ₹1 trn RDI fund

BIRAC and TDB are expected to be named second-level fund managers for the ₹1-trillion RDI fund, enabling long-term low-cost capital flow to biotech and deeptech startups

Wakefit raises ₹186 cr from Steadview, WhiteOak, Capital 2B ahead of IPO

Home and furnishings company Wakefit Innovations Ltd has mobilised Rs 186 crore from three investors, Steadview Capital, WhiteOak Capital, InfoEdge and Temasek-backed Capital 2B, ahead of its initial share-sale opening for public subscription. As a part of the transaction, Steadview Capital Mauritius, WhiteOak Capital and Capital 2B collectively purchased 95.57 lakh equity shares at Rs 195 apiece, according to a public announcement by Wakefit. Individually, Steadview Capital picked up shares worth Rs 101 crore, WhiteOak invested Rs 72 crore, and Capital 2B infused Rs 13 crore. These shares were purchased from Peak XV Partners, Redwood Trust and Verlinvest SA, and secondary share transfers were completed on December 3 and 4. Following this round, Wakefit on December 5 collected Rs 580 crore from anchor investors, including HDFC Life Insurance, Bajaj Life Insurance, Prudential Hong Kong, 360 One, Steadview Capital, Amundi Funds New Silk Road, HDFC Mutual Fund, and Axis Mutual ...

Anthropic taps IPO lawyers as it races towards listing ahead of OpenAI

Anthropic has held early, informal talks with major investment banks about a potential public listing, though it has not selected any banks yet