[Weekly funding roundup Aug 2-8] VC inflow sees sharp rise on larger deals

The month of August began on a positive note for the Indian startup ecosystem, with venture capital (VC) inflow recording a sharp spike largely due to the increased number of deals during the week.

The first week of August saw a total inflow of $214 million from 27 deals. In contrast, the previous week saw funding of just $105 million.

This week has broken the downtrend over the last four weeks, where the total VC funding on a weekly basis was hovering just around the $100 million mark. Additionally, the number of deals crossed the twenty mark, and there was funding across stages, starting from pre-Series A to Series D.

The week saw another interesting trend where the venture debt funding was almost the highest funded category, similar to the Series D stage. This, in a way, reveals the challenges that continue to face the startup ecosystem in terms of raising equity capital. Startups resort to debt rounds of funding only when it becomes difficult to raise equity money.

These developments reveal that it is only the large number of deals coupled with higher value transactions that can provide the boost to the overall funding. In July, the total VC funding dropped to its lowest level for the year so far, showcasing that the Indian startup ecosystem is not on a recovery path.

However, the sharp increase in VC funding in the first week of August does not mean that this trend is likely to continue, as there are considerable macroeconomic challenges, particularly the volatility from tariffs imposed by the United States.

Key transactions

D2C startup The Sleep Company raised Rs 480 crore ($54.7 million approx.) from ChrysCapital and 360 ONE Asset.

Beauty brand RENÉE Cosmetics raised $30 million from Playbook, Evolvence India, Edelweiss, and Midas Partners.

Fintech startup Fibe’s lending arm EarlySalary Services raised Rs 225 crore ($25.6 million) led by Franklin Templeton Alternative Investment Fund India.

Homegrown online gaming company SuperGaming raised $15 million from Skycatcher, Steadview Capital, a16z Speedrun, Bandai Namco 021 Fund and Neowiz.

Aerospace manufacturing startup Jeh Aerospace raised $11 million from Elevation Capital and General Catalyst.

Fintech startup DPDzero raised $7 million from GMO Venture Partners, SMBC Asia Rising Fund, Blume Ventures, India Quotient, Sinarmas Group, and others.

Fintech startup Zype raised Rs 90 crore ($6.3 million) from UNLEASH Capital Partners and Xponentia Capital.

HR tech startup TurboHire raised $6 million from IvyCap Ventures.

Tech startup Mitigata raised $5.9 million from Nexus Venture Partners, Titan Capital and WEH Ventures.