Page 9 - Fundings

UN humanitarian agency to slash staff by 20% amid 'brutal cuts' in funding

The UN humanitarian agency said it is cutting its 2,600 staff operating in more than 60 countries by 20% because of brutal cuts in funding that have left it with a nearly $60 million shortfall. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a letter obtained Friday by The Associated Press that the humanitarian community was already underfunded, overstretched and literally, under attack before the recent funding cuts. In the letter to staff at the agency, he didn't say which country was responsible for the cuts that led to the funding crisis at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, but he indicated it was the United States. Fletcher said OCHA had an overall budget of around $430 million for 2025, noting that several countries have announced or implemented cuts to the agency's extra-budgetary resources. He singled out the United States. The US alone has been the largest humanitarian donor for decades, he said, and the biggest contributor to OCHA's ...

Gujarat raises MLA fund by Rs 1 cr to ₹2.5 cr with focus on water projects

The Gujarat government has increased the annual MLA local area development to Rs 2.5 crore from the existing Rs 1.5 crore. Half of the additional allocation must be spent on water conservation, an official release said on Wednesday. The chief minister has significantly increased the grant allocated to the MLAs for the development and to further enhance the established identity of Gujarat as a role model of development, it said. The existing annual grant of Rs 1.5 crore allocated to the members of legislative assembly (MLAs) for local area development has been increased by Rs 1 crore, it said. The additional funds have been earmarked with a focus on the Centre's Catch the Rain' initiative for the collection and storage of rainwater, the release said. MLAs will have to carry out works worth Rs 50 lakh from this additional grant for the Catch the Rain' campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for water conservation and rainwater harvesting, it said. To ensure future water .

'Cut by mistake': US restores aid to UN food programmes in 14 nations

The US says it mistakenly cut UN food aid to 14 crisis-hit nations and is now restoring funding after warnings that millions could face starvation

GreenLine lines up additional $1 billion to expand its green fleet

GreenLine to raise $275 mn equity to fund green fuel, EV truck push

Credit card fintech Scapia raises $40 million in Series B funding round

The company plans to enhance its product offerings, strengthen its team, and accelerate its growth plans

Pratilipi raises $20 million to expand Indian language storytelling

The company expects this to be its final primary funding round ahead of a potential public listing

Indian start-ups raised $1.23 bn venture debt in 2024: Stride Ventures

The global venture debt market has been growing at a CAGR of 14 per cent

Indian cos raise Rs 58,000 cr in FY25 from overseas capital market

Lower hedging cost, demand for high-yield paper, need to diversify borrowing sources drove the fund raise

FurtherAI secures $5 mn in funding to develop specialised AI for insurance

Purpose-built for the insurance industry, FurtherAI's AI automates complex document processing

Gruhas leads Rs 12.5 crore investment in content commerce startup LehLah

LehLah operates as a creator-driven platform that allows influencers to monetise their content through curated product recommendations

Companies raise record Rs 1.33 trn through QIPs in FY25 amid market boom

Indian companies achieved a record-breaking fundraising of Rs 1.33 lakh crore through Qualified Institutional Placements (QIPs) in FY25, registering a sharp increase from the previous year, as a booming stock market fuels aggressive capital raising. India Inc has raised Rs 1,33,251 crore till March 31, marking an 87 per cent increase from Rs 71,306 crore garnered in FY24, according to data compiled by Prime Database. Companies leveraged buoyant equity markets to strengthen balance sheets and fund expansion, a key driver of the surge in QIP fundraising, analysts said. As per the data, 85 companies have tapped the capital markets with QIP issues till March 31, 2025 as compared with just 64 companies during the last financial year. "FY25 witnessed the highest-ever QIP fundraising in the history of Indian capital markets, both in terms of volume and value," Neha Agarwal, MD & Head of Equity Capital Markets at JM Financial, told PTI. Agarwal attributed the surge in QIPs to a broader ..

Cornerstone Ventures to raise $200 million in its second fund by 2025 end

Through its second fund, the company aims to focus on companies operating in the domains including agentic AI, quantum tech, and Web3

Entvin AI raises Rs 5 crore in first funding round from Y Combinator

With this funding, Entvin plans to expand its artificial intelligence capabilities and accelerate customer acquisition

India's VC funding surges 40% in early 2025, defying global slowdown

Deal volume also increased 11 per cent during the same period, underscoring growing investor confidence in the country's innovation-driven startup ecosystem

AMPIN Energy Transition secures $50 mn fund from Siemens Financial Services

Homegrown AMPIN Energy Transition (AMPIN) on Wednesday said it has secured USD 50 million (over Rs 428 crore) funding from Siemens AG's financing arm Siemens Financial Services. The funds will fuel the company's growth in both Commercial & Industrial (C&I), utility-scale renewable energy projects as well as its energy transition value chain business, AMPIN said in a statement. This marks AMPIN's third major investment transaction this financial year, bringing the total equity capital raised to USD 270 million this year. "This equity investment from Siemens reaffirms AMPIN's unique business model powering energy transition. It is now the only energy transition company in India to attract leading investors from Europe, North America and Asia," Pinaki Bhattacharyya, Founder, MD, and CEO of AMPIN Energy Transition, said. Headquartered in New Delhi, AMPIN Energy Transition is India's leading renewable energy transition company with a total portfolio of 5 GW spread across 22 states .

Lab-grown diamond jewellery brand Firefly raises $3 mn in funding

Seed funding rounding for business expansion was led by WestBridge Capital

Pilgrim secures Rs 200 crore funding at Rs 3,000 crore pre-money valuation

The beauty brand will use the funding to help the online brand deepen its offline presence and enhance research and development capabilities

Nivara Home Finance raises Rs 245 cr in Series B round led by True North

True North Fund VII will invest Rs 170 crore, while Baring PE India and the promoters, Sunil Rohokale and Monik Koticha, will contribute Rs 50 crore and Rs 25 crore, respectively

State Bank of India shelves $1.7 billion fund raising as yields elevated

The bank had planned to raise as much as Rs 15,000 crore (about $1.7 billion) through sale of bonds before the end of March, but will now tap the market in the next financial year

Parliamentary committee flags underuse of health infra mission funds

The parliamentary panel, chaired by Samajwadi Party (SP) member Ram Gopal Yadav, expressed concerns over the scheme's absorption capacity and the professional efficiency of its implementing agency