The first quarter of the calendar year 2007 is already over. There is no sign of the VC story slowing down. This is a good sign for all the entrepreneurs out there with an idea!
The government on Thusday said it is examining a proposal for setting up a venture capital fund to promote drug discovery in India.
The government on Tuesday said it is considering forming a venture capital fund of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) to promote research and development (R&D) in the pharmaceutical sector.
Ajit Balakrishnan on keeping an eye on democratising finance in India.
India's share of total global venture capital (VC) funding fell to 2.9 per cent in calendar year 2023 (CY23) - the lowest since CY19 - reaching $7.3 billion as most startups struggled to raise money without compromising on their earlier valuations. Based on global data by CB Insights on VC funding, funding to Indian startups fell by nearly a third compared to CY22 when it hit $20.6 billion and accounted for 4.8 per cent of the global figure. While the data shows that the world had 71 new unicorns (21 in Asia), India contributed only two of them, as compared with CY22 when it had 22.
The physical centres will operate on a monthly subscription model, where access would be limited to verified active gig workers and platform verification.
Unperturbed by the tax benefit restrictions proposed in this year's Budget for venture capital investments to certain sectors, US based VC fund New Enterprise Associates has lined up $200 million to be invested in the country.
Three marquee exits accounted for nearly 60 per cent of the total exit value -- BillDesk's acquisition by PayU for $4.7 billion, Paytm's $2.5 billion initial public offering (IPO), and Zomato's public market debut of $1.3 billion.
The past few years have seen the first cycle of mergers and acquisitions, exits, and track-records being created.
Indian startup funding plummeted by 43 per cent year-on-year to $7.81 billion between March 1 and June 15, 2026, largely due to the West Asia conflict, which has amplified global risk perceptions, tightened liquidity, and led to rupee depreciation, making global investors cautious.
Banks are allowed to invest up to 10 per cent of the paid-up or unit capital in Category-I or Category-II Alternative Investment Funds
The venture capital/private equity industry needs to be encouraged as such investments create jobs and help establish companies in new sectors. There is also a strong case for incentives for investors in these funds, says Saurabh Srivastava, chairman of the Indian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.
India's venture capital (VC) landscape saw a strategic shift during the first half (H1) of the calendar year (CY) 2024, with a notable increase in larger-sized investments. This was evident from a 45.3 per cent rise in disclosed funding value year-on-year, despite a 2.1 per cent drop in deal volume, according to GlobalData, a data analytics and consulting company.
Nebex, founded by former Axiom Space executives, aims to build commercial infrastructure for the global space economy.
Tata Sons' unlisted ventures, including Air India, Tata Digital, and Tata Electronics, reported combined net losses of approximately 25,568.8 crore in FY25, a 58.3 per cent increase from the previous year, despite Tata Sons itself remaining profitable for over a decade.
Fintech and venture capital firms such as Recur Club, Razorpay and Trifecta Capital have come to the aid of homegrown start-ups caught in the crossfire of the Silicon Valley Bank fiasco. Alternative funding platform Recur Club said it was allocating $15 million to all Indian founders affected by the crisis. It will not charge any platform fee for the same.
FIFA plans to create a $20 billion subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage the World Cup and other events, offering up to 20% stakes to external investors, a move that has drawn fierce criticism from UEFA, who accused the governing body of putting the game's 'soul' up for sale.
Sarvam AI, an Indian full-stack sovereign artificial intelligence company, has achieved unicorn status after raising $234 million in a Series B funding round led by HCLTech and Bessemer Venture Partners, with HCLTech acquiring a 10.46 per cent stake.
Venture funding in India slowed in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 amid geopolitical uncertainty, though exit activity surged to a seven-year high, according to Venture Pulse from KPMG Private Enterprise, a quarterly report tracking investment trends globally across major regions around the world.
Dr Lovi Raj Gupta, pro vice-chancellor, Lovely Professional University, explains how aspiring professionals can equip themselves for a competitive AI-driven job market.
L'Oral has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Innovist, an Indian direct-to-consumer (D2C) personal care company, marking a significant expansion in India's rapidly growing beauty industry.
Azim Premji's private investment firm, Premji Invest, has quietly built a formidable portfolio of 11 AI startups, primarily in the US, with a combined valuation of $43 billion. The firm has participated in 19 funding rounds since 2021, with a notable focus on US-based companies, many of which were founded by Indian entrepreneurs.
With a modest workforce of 1,200, the 2007 start-up is already taking business from its bigger, established rivals, winning outsourcing contracts from leading US mortgage companies.
Accel and Google's AI Futures Fund have announced the five startups selected for the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, focusing on enterprise, voice, and industrial AI solutions, with each startup receiving significant investment and resources.
Nandita Lakshmanan, the feisty founder and CEO of public relations company, The PRactice, shares career tips and her success mantras for young entrepreneurs.
Global financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, have invested Rs 963 crore in One 97 Communications (Paytm's parent company) through open market transactions, acquiring a 1.34 per cent stake from SAIF Partners and Elevation Capital.
Naukri.com-parent Info Edge, whose long-term bets on Indian startups ranging from Zomato to Policybazaar yielded blockbuster returns, has been named the country's most successful venture investor, cementing its reputation as a standout player in India's startup ecosystem. The firm, helmed by Sanjeev Bikhchandani - often referred to as India's Warren Buffett- invested a total capital of Rs 3,959.16 crore across platforms over the last one and a half decades.
Cheerio AI, an AI-powered customer engagement platform, has raised Rs 8 crore in seed funding to build multi-modal AI capabilities and expand its platform.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of a stake in AI acceleration cloud provider Neysa Networks by Blackstone-backed private equity funds and other investors, following Neysa's announcement of a USD 1.2 billion capital raise.
The fund, which generally funds around 2-3 companies every quarter, is expected to invest in three more companies in July.
The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has cleared a series of regulatory relaxations to ease operations for fund managers in GIFT City, along with a revamped framework for global in-house centres (GICs) and capital market intermediaries.
When it comes to raising funds, women entrepreneurs receive a disproportionately small share.
Beijing clearly intends to extend the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor to Bangladesh as part of its larger Maritime Belt and Road Initiative to boost its Indian Ocean presence.
'Large firms and their interests can dominate the narrative, even as smaller stakeholders and retail investors struggle to be heard.' 'Regulators therefore require deep subject-matter expertise to assess representations, recognise underlying incentives, incorporate the perspectives of less-visible stakeholders, and guard against bias or capture,' notes Ananth Narayan.
Sebi on Wednesday said angel funds can raise capital only from accredited investors, as part of the revised framework notified by the regulator to streamline fundraising, investment and compliance norms under the alternative investment funds rules. In a circular, the regulator said angel funds, which are granted registration by Sebi, will be permitted to onboard only accredited investors, while existing funds have been given time until September 8, 2026, to align with the new regime.
Country's startups are carving a unique path by prioritising local, application-led innovation over the global pursuit of scale.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has implemented a fast-track mechanism for Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), allowing scheme launches after 30 days of filing, aiming to reduce timelines and accelerate capital deployment.