Published: October 27, 2026 • Category: Indian Tech • Startup Funding • By Mahesh

BENGALURU: Fifteen Indian startups raised a combined $133.9 million in the week ended October 24, down 56% from the $302.85 million of the previous week, according to the weekly tally from Entrackr.^[1] Even Healthcare led with a $50 million Series B round led by existing investor Khosla Ventures. AI startup AuxoAI topped the early-stage deals with a $20.7 million Series A led by NTTVC.^[1] Bengaluru accounted for seven of the deals. AI startups led the sectors with four.^[1]

The Week in Numbers

Source: Entrackr weekly funding reports.^[1][7] The comparison with the eight-week average is a Depth Grid calculation.

The previous week was lifted by a $75 million round at Tessolve, which made up about a quarter of that week's total, so some of the fall reflects a high base.^[7] Depth Grid's report on the previous week covered that spike. This week's largest round of $50 million is about 37% of the total, on Depth Grid's calculation, so one deal again carries a large share.

Three Trackers, Three Totals

Source: Entrackr, Inc42 and Entrepreneur India weekly reports.^[1][4][5]

The trackers disagree because they use different windows, definitions and treatment of debt and undisclosed rounds.^[4][5] Inc42's list includes a $48 million seed round for AI startup Different, led by General Catalyst, which does not appear in Entrackr's report.^[6] Removing it from Inc42's $184 million leaves about $136 million, close to Entrackr's $133.9 million, on Depth Grid's calculation, so one deal explains most of the gap.^[4][6]

Growth-Stage Deals: Four Rounds Worth $86.2 Million

Source: Entrackr.^[1] Entrepreneur India classifies the CureBay round as a $7.3 million Series B, so round labels differ across trackers.^[5]

The average growth-stage round was about $21.6 million, on Depth Grid's calculation, against about $27.5 million in the previous week.^[1][7] Three of the four rounds were in rupees and were reported without dollar conversions, so the dollar total depends on the tracker's exchange rate.

Early-Stage Deals: Ten Rounds Worth $47.7 Million

Source: Entrackr.^[1] Other early-stage recipients were Harajuku, Onto, So/Facet, SpectraGaze and Raaho.

Early-stage rounds averaged about $4.8 million across 10 deals, on Depth Grid's calculation.^[1] The four AI rounds named above, AuxoAI, Hunar.AI, Vectorial and Karta AI, add up to about $30.9 million using Inc42's $4.2 million figure for Hunar.AI, which is roughly 23% of the week's total on Depth Grid's calculation.^[1][4]

Cities, Sectors and Stages

Bengaluru led with seven deals, followed by Mumbai and Delhi-NCR with three each. Bhubaneswar and Ahmedabad also recorded deals.^[1] AI startups led by count with four deals, followed by e-commerce with three.^[1] Seed rounds led by stage with four deals, followed by Series A with three and Series B with two.^[1] Inc42 called it a relatively dull week in which seed-stage startups were the most sought after, with five seed rounds raising $51.4 million.^[4]

Other Capital Moves This Week

Blume Ventures led Hunar.AI, Sequoia Capital led Blacksmith and Bessemer Venture Partners backed Chapter Home. Flipkart invested in TravClan. Eternal is now a shareholder in Mygate. PhonePe's rebranding brings its broking product under one brand with payments, lending and insurance, which links to the trends covered in Depth Grid's report on how technology is rewiring banking and payments in 2026.

Kissht's approval is a listed-company capital raise and not a venture round. It needs final exchange and regulatory steps under SEBI rules. Applicants and investors should check the NSE and BSE announcements for terms.

Key Hires

Fractal Analytics named Shilpa Kedia as chief financial officer, IVS Group appointed Atish Bhatia as group chief marketing officer and Honasa Consumer, the parent of Mamaearth, elevated Vipul Maheshwari to chief product and technology officer.^[1]

Strategic Implications for Founders and Investors

Two weeks of data show how lumpy Indian funding is. A single round of $75 million lifted one week. A single $50 million round makes up more than a third of the next. Tracking the trend with an eight-week average, which Entrackr puts at about $234 million, gives a steadier read than any one week.

The week's mix points to AI application startups drawing early cheques and healthtech, consumer and mobility companies drawing larger growth rounds. Depth Grid's Q3 global venture funding report and our comparison of startup funding in India, the USA and Europe give global context. Our explainer on sovereign wealth funds in startup investment covers another source of large cheques. Startup India publishes programme data that complements these private tallies.

Common Questions and Direct Answers

How much did Indian startups raise between October 19 and 24, 2026?

Entrackr reports that 15 Indian startups raised $133.9 million across four growth-stage deals, 10 early-stage deals and one undisclosed round. That was 56% below the $302.85 million raised in the previous week and about 43% below the eight-week average of roughly $234 million. Other trackers show different totals because they count different deals and windows.

Which startup raised the most this week?

Even Healthcare raised $50 million in a Series B round led by existing investor Khosla Ventures, according to Entrackr. That is about 37% of the week's total on Depth Grid's calculation. Inc42 also lists a $48 million seed round for AI startup Different, led by General Catalyst, which Entrackr's Indian-startup tally does not include.

Why do weekly funding totals differ between trackers?

Trackers use different windows, definitions of an Indian startup and treatment of debt and undisclosed rounds. For October 19 to 24, Entrackr counted $133.9 million, Inc42 counted about $184 million across 17 deals and Entrepreneur India counted $193 million for October 16 to 22. Most of the gap between Entrackr and Inc42 is one $48 million deal.

Which cities and sectors led startup funding this week?

Bengaluru led with seven deals, followed by Mumbai and Delhi-NCR with three each. AI startups had the most deals at four, ahead of e-commerce with three. Seed rounds led by stage with four deals, followed by Series A with three and Series B with two. Healthtech, travel tech, EVs, foodtech, spacetech and logistics also saw funding.

What other capital markets news affected startups this week?

Zetwerk listed on October 23 at a 5.5% premium. Kissht received NSE and BSE approval to raise Rs 832.2 crore through a preferential issue at Rs 314.11 a share. Blacksmith raised $66 million at a $1 billion valuation. Eternal agreed to take a 4.4% stake in Mygate through the Mygate and Adonmo merger. PhonePe rebranded Share.Market as PhonePe Invest.

Primary Sources and Regulatory Filings

1. Entrackr: funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week, October 19 to 24, 2026
2. Startup India: government programme and ecosystem data
3. Securities and Exchange Board of India: preferential issue and fund regulations
4. Inc42: Indian startups raised over $184 million this week, October 19 to 23
5. Entrepreneur India: weekly funding roundup for October 16 to 22
6. Newsbeep (Inc42 syndication): funding table for October 19 to 23
7. Entrackr: funding and acquisitions in Indian startups, October 12 to 17, 2026
8. Entrackr: Blacksmith raises $66 million at a $1 billion valuation led by Sequoia
9. Entrackr: Kissht gets BSE and NSE nod for Rs 832 crore fundraise
10. Entrackr: Mygate and Adonmo set to merge, Eternal to hold 4.4% stake
11. Entrackr: Ultraviolette launches the X-47 Venom electric motorcycle
12. Entrackr: Zetwerk shares list at over 5% premium in stock market debut

By Mahesh | Depth Grid News Desk | depthgrid.in