Indian Startup Times’ Post

NEW: After a slow year for venture capital in 2023, the healthcare startup market is roaring back to life. Healthcare investors are inundated with pitches from new startups hoping to grab cash. And, after withholding funds during the downturn, VCs are starting to write checks again. Deals will pick up for growth-stage companies too, which saw funding slow to a halt last year, VCs told me. But the market won't reach 2021's heights. Many startups are running out of money — and more shutdowns are likely around the corner. These great insights and more from industry experts like Scott Barclay, Christina Farr, Anarghya Vardhana, and Supriya Jain, for Business Insider: https://lnkd.in/eeyJE8h4

🌐 Active VCs Buck the Trend: Q3 2024 Dealmaking Heats Up 💎 Despite the global startup funding slowdown, the most active venture investors actually ramped up their dealmaking in Q3 2024. This surprising trend offers a glimmer of hope in an otherwise challenging market. ➡️ Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, and General Catalyst led the charge, significantly increasing their post-seed investments. Y Combinator, traditionally known for seed rounds, has been expanding its later-stage support, particularly for AI-focused startups from recent cohorts. ➡️ Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst tied for the top spot in leading post-seed rounds, showcasing their continued bullishness on promising startups. General Catalyst, in particular, flexed its financial muscle by leading or co-leading rounds collectively valued at over $500 million, including substantial investments in AI and defense tech companies. ➡️ The AI boom continues to drive investment, with many top deals going to AI-related startups. This trend is particularly evident in the portfolios of leading VCs, reflecting the ongoing enthusiasm for AI technologies across various sectors. Interestingly, U.S.-based investors dominated the rankings of most active and highest-value dealmakers. This aligns with the relative resilience of North American venture investment compared to global averages, largely fueled by mega-rounds in AI companies. At the seed stage, while reported deal counts contracted for top investors like Techstars, Y Combinator, and Antler, their rankings remained stable. This fluctuation is typical due to the nature of seed deal reporting and doesn't necessarily indicate a downward trend. 🟢 As we look ahead, the key question is whether regions that have experienced weaker funding in recent quarters will see a rebound. Such a shift could bring more geographically diverse investors into the top rankings. For founders and fellow VCs, this data suggests that while overall funding may be tight, active investors are still eagerly seeking promising opportunities, particularly in cutting-edge sectors like AI. It's a reminder that even in challenging times, innovation and strong business models continue to attract capital. What's your take on this trend? Are you seeing similar patterns in your investment activities or portfolio companies? Let's discuss how we can navigate and capitalize on these market dynamics. 🔗 Source #VentureStats 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

OpenseedVC, a VC firm looking to back operators turned founders across Europe and Africa, has reached the first close of its $10 million early-stage fund. “London-based OpenseedVC is targeting at least 60 startups over the next five years. The early-stage fund, which says it operates with an open application process and allows founders to apply without needing an introduction, will provide checks of up to $150,000 to startups focusing on the future of commerce (including B2B software, AI, and fintech), future of work (productivity), and digital health.” “We chose Africa and Europe to apply our thesis to work in these regions. Our thesis is that by backing experienced operators early in their journey with the right capital and support from peer operators, you can build a diversified portfolio that generates incredible returns for investors and provides crucial support for ambitious operators when they need it most,” said Maria Rotilu, General Partner, OpenseedVC. Via TechCrunch. https://lnkd.in/dSyYpiGG #funding #fundingnews #venturecapital #startups #tech #innovation #africanstartups

Equentis Wealth Advisory Services Pvt Ltd has launched its inaugural Category I Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) – the Equentis Angel Fund, with a target corpus of Rs 500 crore (~$60 million). This fund is set to support early-stage, high-growth startups across India by investing in Pre-Series A and Bridge-to-Series A rounds. The focus will be on startups with a strong growth trajectory in key sectors like defence, consumer tech, deeptech, logistics tech, fintech, and AI. With investments ranging from Rs 4-10 crore (~$500K–$1.2 million), the fund aims to empower 40-50 startups over the next 18-24 months to scale and unlock their true potential. Equentis has already made its first investment in Yatnavat (OORJAA), marking the beginning of its journey in supporting India’s dynamic startup ecosystem. With over 128,000 startups in India and projections of raising $15 billion in 2024, the future of India's startup scene is brighter than ever. Read More: https://lnkd.in/gZiAawyy #EquentisWealth #AngelFund #IndianStartups #VentureCapital #EarlyStageInvesting #GrowthCapital #AI #Fintech #Deeptech #ConsumerTech #DefenceTech #LogisticsTech #StartupFunding #InvestmentOpportunities #StartupEcosystem #OORJAA #Yatnavat #IndiaInnovation #VentureFunding #Entrepreneurship #GrowthJourney

The Q2 2024 State of Startups is out, revealing a noteworthy uptick in venture funding, hitting a five-quarter high of $79 billion! Mega-rounds and a sharp focus on AI have fueled this resurgence. Despite ongoing challenges, the return of active investors heralds a promising shift in the landscape. Dive into the 7 charts that detail this quarter's venture vitality. #InceptionToExit #LaunchFinance #LaunchYourStartup #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #AIRevolution #GlobalTrends2024

The first of many to come. Global connections are an important foundation to chart clear paths and open doors for our startups to succeed beyond our local market. Would like to invite other ecosystem players, accelerators, venture capitalists to give this effort a boost from your own areas of expertise and influence. I’m sure we know that Malaysian startups are capable of achieving so much more. https://lnkd.in/gPJp-fhs #CradleFund #CreatingLeadingStartups #MYStartup #StartupEcosystemRoadmap #SUPER2021-2030

#KSA overtakes #Türkiye by #VC funding in #MEPT! 🏇 Türkiye's funding dropped by nearly 50%, making it the second most funded VC market in the MEPT region, overtaken by #SaudiArabia. Despite the decline, deal flow remained strong, with only a 5% decrease - the smallest among the top five VC markets in MEPT. Take a sneak peek at the Türkiye's funded startups for #FY2023 and uncover the dynamics of this country in our latest market map report: https://lnkd.in/e6MkybsM #marketmap #startups #venturefunding #2023data #reports

It seems Q3 and Q4 2024 are presenting a more leveled view and optimistic figures for the #vc + #startups world. I have definitely been feeling it in #agtech, through Danta Fund In Latam, and especially in my "world" of #agtech, investors are eagerly looking for startups to deploy the funds they raised back in 2021-2023. Startups, on the other hand, have looked for ways to bootstrap (love these kind of startups!), get a higher valuation before looking for investment and asking for far more money to concentrate on executing rather than fundraising every 12 months. Q4 2024 and Q 2025 are looking good!

Data from a recent Business Standard article shows that startups are taking longer on average to reach Series A funding, from 65 months in pre-pandemic to 93 months in the post-pandemic era. Series A funding is the first major round of venture capital for startups, typically ranging from $2-15 million. Its’ primary objective is scaling the business both in terms of revenues and geography. Investors expect strong growth potential and well thought out GTM. Investors now demand more evidence of product-market fit, sustainable growth, and solid revenue streams before committing significant capital. This in term has led to a rise of seed funding activities as several companies seek additional capital for growth while preparing for their Series A round. These rounds are generally termed as Seed – (A,B,C,D) rounds, Pre-Series A round or Bridge Rounds. Regardless of what is the nomenclature, what is clear is that several startups are coming back to angel networks for funding. Further, per the Tracxn recent report, Enterprise Applications is one of the leading sectors in seed stage funding along with Retail and Fintech. The allocation of the Startup Fund in the latest Budget is also expected to increase to role of Seed investments as companies delay their Series A funding to showcase better business economics and growth. Our partners Rohit Jhunjhunwala , Sathish Ganesan & Rajesh Chhaochharia started IN44 Capital with the vision to support startups who are building credible businesses at early stages and have the vision to take the companies to phenomenal heights. We completely understand that building strong foundations take time, much like the shoots of bamboo. Therefore, we look to provide patient capital to support ventures to achieve credible growth. Much of our work with startups occur in the pre-seed and seed rounds. The next round of funding is then a natural outcome of our curation process. To learn more about us, please visit our site: www.in44capital.com To join us: Please connect with us at [email protected] To raise funds with us: Please apply here - https://lnkd.in/emSAYyyG #venturecapital #startupsindia #vcfirm #SeriesAfunding