From Skyroot To Pronto — Indian Startups Raised $132 Mn This Week

The Indian startup ecosystem got its first spacetech unicorn this week. Despite this, the total deal count remained muted with startups raising a mere $132.3 Mn across 18 deals between May 4 to May 8. This was 35.2% lower than the $204 Mn raised by startups across 19 deals in the previous week.  

Funding Galore: Indian Startup Funding Of The Week [May 4 — May 8]

Key Startup Funding Highlights Of The Week

• The advanced hardware & technology sector raised the highest amount of funding this week, driven by Skyroot’s $60 Mn rise at a pre-money valuation of $1.1 Bn. The spacetech startup became the third unicorn of 2026, after KreditBee and Juspay. Overall, the sector raised $73.4 Mn this week across four deals.
• In terms of deal count, AI and advanced hardware & technology recorded four deals each.
• Alkemi Growth Capital emerged as the most active investor this week, backing three startups
• Seed stage startups saw a capital infusion of $5.6 Mn during the week, up 21.7% from $4.6 Mn raised in the previous week.

Startup IPO Updates This Week

• Lending tech startup Kissht’s IPO was oversubscribed 9.5X, driven by strong demand from qualified institutional buyers. Yesterday, Kissht’s shares made a strong debut, listing at ₹191 on the BSE — a premium of 11.7% to the issue price. 
• InCred Financial Services’ parent InCred Holdings filed its updated draft red herring prospectus (UDRHP) for its IPO comprising a fresh issue of shares worth up to ₹1,250 Cr and an OFS of up to 9.9 Cr equity shares.
• Quick commerce major Zepto received SEBI’s nod to proceed with its IPO. The startup is likely to file its UDRHP for a $1 Bn IPO in six to eight weeks.

M&A Updates This Week

• FMCG major Emami is acquiring a 60% stake in IncNut Digital, the parent entity of D2C beauty and personal care brands Vedix and SkinKraft, in a ₹321 Cr all-cash transaction. 
• Adtech unicorn InMobi acquired San Francisco-based mobile app marketing and analytics platform MobileAction for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, MobileAction will continue to operate as an independent platform, with its team across the US, Europe and Turkey joining the InMobi Group. 
• Digital banking startup Freo acquired a 100% stake in credit marketplace IndiaLends to expand its reach. The deal will merge its financial products and regulatory licences with IndiaLends’ marketplace capabilities and distribution.  
• Logistics AI unicorn Netradyne acquired fleet management company Moove Connected Mobility to strengthen its presence in Europe. It didn’t disclose the financial details of the deal. 

The post From Skyroot To Pronto — Indian Startups Raised $132 Mn This Week appeared first on Inc42 Media.