Steadview Capital MD Puneet Kumar quits, plans to invest in India

The Indian startup ecosystem is witnessing a remarkable transformation in its public markets journey. Investor Aviral Bhatnagar has termed the recent wave of large-scale public listings as an "incredible transformation," highlighting how companies like Groww and Urban Company are reshaping the IPO landscape. This shift represents a maturing of India's startup ecosystem, where unicorns and high-growth companies are increasingly choosing public markets as their next growth frontier. The move signals growing investor confidence in homegrown digital businesses and marks a departure from the traditional IPO playbook dominated by conventional sectors. As Dalal Street embraces these new-age companies, the convergence of retail investor enthusiasm and institutional backing is creating unprecedented opportunities for wealth creation and market democratization. What's driving this IPO momentum, and how will it reshape India's capital markets in the years to come? #IndianStartups #IPO #VentureCapital #DalalStreet #StartupIndia #PublicMarkets

US$86bn… That’s the dry powder (undeployed capital) lying with India focused VC & PE firms. VC investments in 2023: ~US$9bn VC investments in 2024: ~US$13bn VC investments in H1-CY25: ~US$7bn At this rate, it would take 6-7 years to deploy the existing dry powder, and not counting fresh raises. This is a long investment period considering usual fund life of 10 years. It signals various points: 1) Most of the dry powder is kept for late stage follow-ons in the top 10%-15% startups who make it beyond early stage 2) FOMO effect has gone; and deals are being evaluated with increased diligence 3) Emerging segments like AI is being preferred, but not enough quality AI startups to invest in India 4) Preference is also to invest in proven founders with track record, some of whom don’t need as much capital (as they have funds from their prior exits) and in case of being in AI segment, they prefer to raise in the US 5) Fund management fee is earned on dry powder as well, hence no strong pressure to invest in a hurry. Some funds have even returned excess capital to LPs #vcfunding #drypowder #startups #cheques #investmentcheque #checks #LPGP #startupfunding

Ace investor Vijay Kedia has taken a humorous yet sharp dig at India’s IPO frenzy, saying the market has become so overheated that even a paan-wala might soon announce an IPO. “A muchchad paan-wala will launch an IPO very soon — say ‘I make paan using AI and supply paan to data centres,’” Kedia quipped, pointing to the irrational excitement and overvaluation surrounding new listings. Kedia cautioned that many startups are chasing hype over fundamentals, warning that such IPOs could see post-listing crashes of up to 50%. His message to investors: don’t get blinded by buzz or oversubscription numbers — focus on businesses with real economics, not just catchy narratives. #AiStartups #PublicListing #AIHype #DataCentres #IPO #Returns #StartupUpdates #Startupro

IndiaQuotient raises $𝟏𝟐𝟗𝐌 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐕 to fuel early-stage innovation 🚀 Early-stage VC firm India Quotient has raised $129M (₹1,132 Cr) for its Fifth Fund, backed by domestic and global investors. The fund will invest ₹1–15 Cr in pre-seed to seed-stage #startups across SaaS, fintech, D2C, agritech, and content platforms. 📍 Founded by Anand Lunia and Madhukar Sinha, India Quotient has backed winners like ShareChat, SUGAR Cosmetics, and Kuku FM. With #Fund V, the firm adds Kanika Agarrwal and Sahil Makkar as new partners—continuing its mission to back idea-stage founders focused on product–market fit over valuation. 📌 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬? contact@equity360.in #FundingNews #VentureCapital #IndiaQuotient #StartupEcosystem #IndianStartups #EarlyStage #Innovation #Fintech #SaaS #Investment #BuisnessGrowth #BuisnessNew #AnandLunia #MadhukarSinha #Investors

🔥 Top Performing Unlisted Startups of 2025 — The Pre-IPO Buzz Is Real! India’s unlisted market is thriving — and these startups are leading the charge! 💹 📊 OYO — up +26% in unlisted share price (ET, 2025) The upcoming IPO excitement and rising investor demand have fueled OYO’s unlisted rally. 📈 NCDEX — surged +14% (ET, 2025) Backed by market giants like Zerodha, Groww, Damani, and Kela, NCDEX continues to shine as India’s agri-market powerhouse. 🏦 NSE — crossed 1 Lakh+ shareholders (ET, 2025) India’s largest unlisted shareholder base makes NSE one of the most trusted and awaited IPOs in the market. 💡 The takeaway? The unlisted space is where the next big opportunities begin — long before IPOs hit NSE & BSE. Smart investors are already positioning themselves to capture early-stage growth, and you can too. ✨ Unlisted Buzz brings verified, data-driven insights on India’s most promising pre-IPO companies, ensuring you invest safely and strategically. Start early. Stay informed. Build wealth smarter. 💼 Want to invest in top-performing unlisted startups before they go public? 📩 DM us or email info@unlisted.buzz 🌐 Visit unlistedbuzz.com to explore verified pre-IPO opportunities and be part of India’s fastest-growing investment ecosystem. #UnlistedBuzz #UnlistedShares #PreIPO #UnlistedStartups #StockMarketIndia #SmartInvesting #FinancialFreedom #WealthCreation #PreIPOInvestment #InvestmentOpportunities #FinanceIndia #UnlistedMarket #IPOIndia #InvestorEducation #StockMarketUpdates #UnlistedEquity #StartupInvesting #FinancialPlanning #InvestmentStrategy #LowFeesHighTrust

India’s equity markets are seeing a record-breaking year, with over 200 companies filing for IPOs in 2025, amounting to a total issue value of ₹2.7 lakh crore — matching the entire IPO value generated between 2010 and 2020. Investor Aviral Bhatnagar highlighted this trend as a sign of deep transformation in India’s capital markets. He noted that as tech startups like Groww, PW (PhysicsWallah), and Urban Company gear up to list publicly, startup exits are becoming larger and more frequent, signaling growing maturity in India’s equity ecosystem. Bhatnagar called this phase an “incredible transformation for equities”, as Indian public markets increasingly open up to new-age tech companies alongside traditional enterprises. #Indian #IPO #EquityMarkets #LargeExits #UpcomingIpo #StartupUpdates #InvestorInsights #AviralBhatnagar #startupro

India’s VC Funding Dips as Exit Values Hit a 7-Year High🚀 India’s venture capital (VC) funding dropped to US$3.2 billion across 380 deals in Q3 2025, down from US$14.7 billion in Q3 2021 — but exits reached a seven-year high, according to KPMG’s Venture Pulse Report. ✨ Highlights: ✔️ Urban Company IPO shares jumped 74% on listing day ✔️ Meesho and Captain Fresh filed draft IPO papers with SEBI ✔️ Global VC investment hit US$120B, led by AI, defence, and space tech Read More: https://lnkd.in/ghRTVPUP #IndiaStartups #VCFunding #KPMG #VenturePulse #UrbanCompany #Meesho

#Update India Quotient Raises USD 129 Mn for Fifth Early-Stage Fund Early-stage venture capital firm IndiaQuotient has secured USD 129 million (approx. INR 1,132 crore) from a mix of domestic and global investors for its fifth fund, Fund V. The firm plans to deploy capital into pre-seed, seed, and idea-stage startups across sectors, including SaaS, fintech, direct-to-consumer brands, agritech, and content platforms. Investment sizes are expected to range from INR 1 crore to INR 15 crore. In a post on X, India Quotient highlighted its approach to early-stage investing, stating, "We will continue to back founders long before their ideas become sectors. This has been true from the early days of Indian social, brands, content, digital lending, India software, agritech, and many more." The firm emphasised that it will act as a patient investor, avoiding pressure on portfolio companies for rapid up rounds, high dilution, or early liquidity. Founded in 2012 by Anand Lunia and Madhukar Sinha, India Quotient focuses on startups that address the needs of Indian consumers and small and medium enterprises. Read full story: https://lnkd.in/gnYRTn9e #Update #IndiaQuotient #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #EarlyStageInvesting #FundV #StartupIndia #InvestInIndia #InnovationEcosystem #SaaS #Fintech

In a major funding milestone, Dezerv has secured $40 million (₹350 crore) in a round led by Premji Invest and Accel. This funding follows its $32 million Series B in 2024 and adds to the $100 million the company has raised since inception. Backed by Elevation Capital and Z47, Dezerv aims to elevate client experience, scale its platform, and expand investment products across multiple asset classes. The company plans to hire 200 additional relationship managers and leverage India’s account aggregator ecosystem to offer tailored investment journeys. Operating across 200+ cities, Dezerv has already delivered close to 30% returns to clients since April 2021, positioning itself as a leading player in India’s fast-growing wealthtech landscape. #dezerv #funding #investment #wealthtech #premjiinvest #accel #elevationcapital #z47 #startups #venturecapital #fintech #technology #fundinground #startupnews #investmentplatform #digitalfinance #growth #assetmanagement #financialinclusion #innovation #businessnews #india #investmentnews #scaleup

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗞𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲: 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱-𝗨𝗽 (Oct 06–11, 2025) Indian startups raised $310.7 Mn across 36 deals, marking a ~50% surge from last week’s $206.9 Mn — driven by strong growth-stage activity. 🚀 💹 Segment Breakdown: 🔹 Growth/Late Stage: $219.2 Mn (6 deals) 🔹 Early Stage: $91.5 Mn (27 deals) 🏆 Top 5 Deals: 1️⃣ Dhan – $120 Mn 2️⃣ Intangles – $30 Mn 3️⃣ Qapita – $26.5 Mn 4️⃣ Hunger Inc. – $25 Mn 5️⃣ KGEN – $13.5 Mn 📈 Gainer: Growth-stage funding surged this week. 📉 Loser: Early-stage activity slowed slightly. ✨ Other Highlights: 📌 5 Fund Launches | 2 M&A | 2 Key Hirings | 1 Shutdown | 1 ESOP Buyback 🔗 Explore the complete report: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gWkp36Kv #TheKredible #StartupFunding #IndianStartups #FundingReport #VentureCapital #WeeklyRoundup #IndiaStartups