India ranks 3rd globally in tech startup funding
Bengaluru: India emerged as the third-highest funded country globally for tech startups in the first half of 2025, raising $4.8 billion despite a slowdown in overall investment activity, according to Tracxn's India Tech Semi Annual Funding Report for the first half of the current calendar year.
The total was 25% lower than the $6.4 billion raised in the same period a year ago and down 19% from $5.9 billion in the second half of last year.
The US and the United Kingdom led global rankings, with India moving ahead of Germany and Israel from its fourth-place position in H1 2024. Tracxn's data showed a broad slowdown across investment stages. Seed stage funding fell to $452 million in H1 2025, down 44% year on year, while early-stage funding declined 16% to $1.6 billion.
Late-stage investment dropped 27% from H1 2024, to $2.7 billion.
Even amid tighter conditions, the period witnessed five $100 million plus funding rounds. Electric mobility company Erisha E Mobility raised $1 billion, followed by GreenLine ($275 million), Infra.Market ($222 million), Spinny, and Darwinbox. These investments came largely in transportation and logistics, retail, and construction technology, sectors that led activity in the first half of the year.
You Can Also Check:
Bengaluru AQI
|
Weather in Bengaluru
|
Bank Holidays in Bengaluru
|
Public Holidays in Bengaluru
"The funding volumes have come down compared to the previous year, but India's tech ecosystem continues to show resilience and maturity. Strong interest in transportation, retail, and enterprise tech signals investor conviction in solving large, structural challenges," said Neha Singh, cofounder of Tracxn.
The transportation and logistics tech segment surged 104% from H2 2024 to $1.6 billion, making it the best performing sector.
Retail secured $1.2 billion, rising 25% from H2 2024 despite being down 32% year on year. The enterprise applications segment drew $1.1 billion, a 21% drop from H2 2024.
The first half of 2025 also saw increased M&A activity, with 73 acquisitions compared to 54 in H1 2024. The largest transaction was Magma General Insurance's $516 million sale to DS Group and Patanjali Ayurved, followed by HUL's $350 million acquisition of skincare brand Minimalist.
Bengaluru accounted for 26% of total funding in the period, followed closely by Delhi with 25%. In terms of investment activity, LetsVenture, AngelList, and Accel emerged as the top investors across stages. At the seed level, the top active firms were Venture Catalysts, 100XVC, and Antler, while Peak XV Partners, Accel, and Lightspeed Venture Partners led early-stage activity. Late-stage investment was dominated by Sofina, Premji Invest, and SoftBank Vision Fund.
"The quality of IPOs and landmark acquisitions reflects the ecosystem's ability to create long-term value," Singh said. "The resilience we've observed in the first half of 2025 is a strong signal of where India's tech sector is headed next."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Cheil X appoints Ankit Singh as national strategy director
Cheil X has announced the appointment of Ankit Singh as national strategy director , further strengthening its leadership across strategy, creative, and brand experience. He will report to Jitender Dabas , chief executive officer, Cheil X, with a mandate to lead the agency's strategic vision across all Cheil X companies in India. The appointment comes as Cheil X continues to build a new leadership team and evolve into a future-ready, full-funnel agency — offering integrated solutions that drive persuasion across content, commerce, and experience. Singh is a seasoned strategist with a proven track record of building high‑performance teams, scaling businesses, and shaping iconic brands across South Asia. He joins from Hilton, where he served as director – brand marketing , South Asia, strengthening its positioning across the region. He previously led the strategy function at Leo Burnett, North, where he played a pivotal role in transforming the Delhi office into a strategic and creative powerhouse. He also led strategy for BBH Delhi, where he was instrumental in the agency's successful expansion into a new region. Over the years, he has spearheaded brand strategy for PepsiCo, Coca‑Cola, Reckitt, Unilever, Niva Bupa, Blackberrys, Apple, Uber, and Tinder. His expertise in brand strategy, cultural intelligence and technology-driven approach makes him instrumental to Cheil X's integrated solutions framework. Dabas said, 'I've always believed that a strong strategic core doesn't just solve business problems for brands - it shapes the agency's ability to stay ahead of change. Ankit brings his expertise of partnering with big global and Indian brands and an astute understanding of what marketing and brands need today. We are building a winning team — and Ankit will be a key player in that formation.' Singh said, 'Data and technology are reshaping how brands connect with people, and Cheil has long been at the forefront of this shift — creating connected experiences across the consumer journey. I've always been drawn to building new things, so when Jeetu shared his bold vision for Cheil X, it felt like the perfect moment and the right place to build a future‑ready agency that delivers impact at scale.' This announcement is part of a broader effort by Cheil X to bring together a new generation of leaders — strategists, creatives, technologists, and experience designers — to reimagine how brands are built in a connected world.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Indian F-1 visa applicants: Reveal all social media usernames from 5 years
Indian students applying for a US student visa will now face stricter screening requirements, with consular staff warning of possible denials if social media details are left out of the visa form. The US embassy in India posted on X on Thursday, 'Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form. Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit.' In the same thread, the embassy cautioned that, 'Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.' Privacy settings must be public Earlier this week, on June 23, the embassy issued another notice specifically for student and exchange visa categories. 'Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under US law,' it said in a post. This advisory follows the resumption of F-1 student visa processing in India after a brief suspension earlier this month. The restart comes with more intensive background checks, including a closer look at online presence. DS-160 form must now be submitted before booking slots In another procedural change, applicants now have to complete and submit the DS-160 form before scheduling an appointment. Previously, it was possible to book an interview slot and then finish the form later. That has now been reversed. 'The recent updates to the US visa application process, particularly concerning the DS-160 form and appointment scheduling, are designed to enhance the overall efficiency and security of the system,' said Varun Singh, managing director at XIPHIAS Immigration, speaking to Business Standard. 'By requiring applicants to complete the DS-160 form prior to scheduling an appointment, the US Department of State ensures that consular officers have access to accurate and complete information ahead of interviews.' DS-160 barcode number must match appointment Applicants also need to double-check that the barcode number on the DS-160 confirmation page matches the number used to book the appointment. If there's a mismatch, they'll be turned away from the interview and must reschedule using the correct form. This correction cannot be made by consular staff. 'It's important for applicants to ensure that the DS-160 confirmation number matches the one used to schedule their appointment,' said Singh. 'If discrepancies are found, applicants will need to reschedule their appointments using the correct DS-160 barcode number, as consular sections cannot modify or update these numbers on behalf of applicants.' What's changed for Indian F-1 visa applicants • Must list all social media usernames from past 5 years on DS-160 • F, M, J visa applicants asked to keep profiles public for vetting • DS-160 must be submitted before scheduling appointment • Barcode on form must match booking or interview will be cancelled • Applicants must reschedule if details don't match; embassy can't fix it Why the changes matter • Cuts down on fake or duplicate bookings by requiring completed forms first • Allows consular officers to review full data ahead of interview • Reduces last-minute mistakes in application details • Aims to prioritise serious and eligible applicants for limited interview slots
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
ED raids Uttarakhand PCS officer in case related to NH-74 widening 'scam'
Dehradun/New Delhi, The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted searches against an Uttarakhand officer and others as part of a money laundering investigation linked to a 2017 case of alleged corruption in the widening of national highway 74 in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, official sources said. ED raids Uttarakhand PCS officer in case related to NH-74 widening 'scam' Dinesh Pratap Singh, a provincial civil service officer, is currently posted as the executive director of the Doiwala Sugar Mill in Dehradun run by the Uttarakhand government. At least seven locations in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh linked to the bureaucrat were raided under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act . The searches were linked to the alleged NH-74 scam, the sources said Singh could not be contacted for a comment on the ED action and the charges against him. According to the sources, Singh "changed" the use of land acquired for widening of NH-74 and NH-125 by passing backdated orders resulting in the loss of ₹ 162.5 crore to the government. This was while he was working as the competent authority of land acquisition. The money laundering case stems from a 2017 FIR, followed by a chargesheet, of the Uttarakhand police against Singh, revenue officials, farmers and middlemen. The police, according to an ED statement issued in the case in September 2020, found that Singh and some others, working in the capacity of the competent authority of land acquisition, conspired with other public servants, farmers and middlemen for misappropriation of government funds. They did this by granting compensation at non-agriculture rate on the basis of backdated orders passed under section 143 of Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act of 1950. The compensation at non-agriculture rate is much higher than the agriculture rate, the ED said. The central agency filed a chargesheet against Singh and some others in 2024 as part of this investigation. The fresh searches are aimed at gathering more evidence in the case, according to the sources. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
