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Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [12 - 17 Aug]

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During the week, 25 Indian startups raised around $432 million in funding. These deals count 6 growth-stage deals and 16 early-stage deals while 3 early-stage startups kept their transaction details undisclosed. During the previous week, 28 early and growth-stage startups cumulatively raised $151.18 million in funding. [Growth-stage deals] Among the growth-stage deals, 6 startups raised $350 million in funding this week. Hospitality platform Oyo spearheaded its $175 million worth Series G round. Electric scooter manufacturer Ather Energy raised $71 million to join the unicorn club followed by wealth and asset management firm Neo, wealthtech startup Syfe, trade credit infrastructure platform Vayana, and payment gateway and point of sales (PoS) provider Innoviti with $48 million, $27 million, $20.5 million, and $8.5 million in funding, respectively. [Early-stage deals] Further, 16 early-stage startups secured funding worth $82.09 million during the week. Electric vehicle maker Kinetic Green led the list followed by Electric scooter manufacturer Fresh Bus, D2C home, kitchen, and personal care brand Beco, e-mobility startup Kazam, and Healthcare startup 4baseCare among others. As many as 3 startups that did not disclose the funding amount raised are; Adukale, CricHeroes, and Flam. For more information, visit TheKredible. [City and segment-wise deals] In terms of the city-wise number of funding deals, Bengaluru-based startups led with 9 deals followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kochi, and Ahmedabad. Segment-wise, Fintech startups are in the top spot with 7 deals. E-commerce, EV, AutomotiveTech, Healthech, Proptech, and Food & beverages startups followed this list among others. [Series-wise deals] During the week, Seed funding deals are on top with 8 deals followed by 6 Series A, 2 pre-Series A, 2 Series B, and 2 Series G deals. Pre-seed, pre-Series B, Series C, Series D, and Series E deals are next on the list. [Week-on-week funding trend] On a weekly basis, startup funding jumped 186% to $432.09 million as compared to around $151.18 million raised during the previous week. The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $232.42 million with 26 deals per week. [Fund launches] Two startup-focused funds launched this week. 35North Ventures has successfully raised Rs 100 crore for its second AIF, focusing on early-stage investments. Simultaneously, Prudent Equity has launched a new PMS fund targeting stable returns through a value investing approach. [Key hirings and departures] Equivalent to 5 key hirings took place this week including Amrit Singh, Henrik Aslaksen, Balaji Prasanna by Lighthouse Canton, Akanksha Srivastava Byrnes by Vahdam India, and Vinod Dasari by Zetworks. While, Freshworks’ chief product officer, Srinivasagopalan Ramamurthy left the firm. [Mergers and Acquisitions] As many as 4 merger and acquisition deals were witnessed this week. Agritech firm Jai Kisan acquired Kushal Finnovation Capital, Veefin took over Nityo Tech, OYO acquired Checkmyguest, and Radio Mirchi’s parent ENIL purchased Gaana.com. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [In Talks] Zepto to raise $340 Mn a $5 Bn valuation [Financial results this week] Unpacking Oyo’s profitability and its financial position in FY24 True Balance’s profit zooms over 2X to Rs 138 Cr in FY24 Nykaa profits spike over 50% in Q1 FY25; invests Rs 265 Cr in Dot & Key Awfis posts Rs 257 Cr revenue in Q1 FY25, improves profits Ola Electric reports Rs 1,644 Cr revenue in Q1 FY25; losses fall 17% TBO reports Rs 418 Cr revenue and Rs 61 Cr profits in Q1 FY25 Yatra profits plunges 27% in Q1 FY25; revenue continues to fall EaseMyTrip posts Rs 152 Cr revenue and Rs 34 Cr profit in Q1 FY25 MapMyIndia posts Rs 35.8 Cr profits in Q1 FY25 [News flash this week] PhonePe and G-Pay dominate UPI volume in July; Navi sees 2X spike Ecom Express, ArisInfra, and Smartworks next to launch IPO, files DRHP To cut costs, Byju’s shuts half of tuition centers: Report Unicommerce and FirstCry’s IPOs list at 118% and 40% premium Shadowfax and OfBusiness are planning to launch an IPO soon RBI clamps down on P2P lending irregularities Paytm fined Rs 47.12 lakh for stamp duty non-payment [Conclusion] The weekly funding spiked 186% to $432.09 million this week. Meanwhile, two startup-focused funds launched this week namely Prudent Equity and 35 North. Edtech giant BYJU’S is undergoing significant cost-cutting measures as it faces financial challenges. The company is reportedly shutting down nearly half of its 250 tuition centers across India. This decision comes amidst delayed salary payments for employees and a broader financial crunch. After a muted listing of Ola Electric last week, Unicommerce and FirstCry listed with 118% and 40% premium this week. Meanwhile, Ecom Express, ArisInfra, and Smartworks have filed the DRHP with SEBI and are next to launch an IPO. Following the trend, Shadowfax and OfBusiness are also planning for public listing soon. Additionally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened regulations for Non-Banking Financial company peer-to-peer (NBFC-P2P) lending platforms to curb violations and enhance transparency. The new guidelines prohibit practices such as promoting P2P lending as an investment product, cross-selling insurance, and certain fund transfer mechanisms. Paytm has been issued a fine of Rs 47.12 lakh by the Office of Collector of Stamps, New Delhi, for non-payment of stamp duty on the allotment of equity shares in previous years. The fintech giant has stated that while there were delays in submitting some applications, all relevant documents were filed on time.