9Unicorns announces DDay 5, aims for $110M funding for 20 startups

India’s leading multi-stage accelerator fund, 9Unicorns, will host the much-awaited fifth edition of its global demo day, or DDay 5, on May 15, 2024. This year, 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts’ portfolio companies expect to raise $110 million on the global demo day.

Previous editions of DDay have been a huge success, with over 70+ participating companies raising more than $472 million. As many as 56+ companies successfully raised further rounds of financing from global marquee Investors and family offices.

Mumbai-based 9 Unicorns, founded by Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Anil Jain, Anuj Golecha, and Gaurav Jain, is an accelerator programme for early-stage startups. It has backed successful startups like Shiprocket, VideoVerse, BluSmart, Join Ventures, Leverage Edu, Zypp Electric, Rooter, and Ethereal Machines amongst others. This flagship event will be held across three time zones – the US & North America, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Middle East. 

Over 20 startups led by disruptive entrepreneurs will showcase their work to more than 1,500 global investors, family offices and venture capital funds. Participating startups in this edition hail from sectors such as ecommerce, energy, SaaS, fashion, fintech and financial services, consumer brands, media and entertainment. These startups stand a chance to gain global exposure from investors at the event. 

“DDays are a great opportunity for startups to connect with investors around the world and showcase their offerings. This helps startups gain international exposure and build further rounds for growth. We are expecting a very good response from investors in the fifth edition,” said Sharma, Managing Director and Co-founder, 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts.

On an average, most of the participating companies have raised about $3 million, and are seeking to raise $110 million. These companies are playing a pivotal role in empowering small businesses, aiding financial inclusion, and reducing energy footprint of individuals and commercial properties. Mentored by senior industry professionals and domain experts, the founders have been guided by serial entrepreneurs on strategy, business, and roadmap in terms of product and operations. The startups have scaled 4x–12x in the past 12-18 months and achieved a strong product-market fit with users and enterprises. 

Interestingly, about 60% of the founders are serial entrepreneurs who have built, scaled and exited profitable businesses in the past. Some of the first-time founders have scaled their businesses from 0 to $1 million in less than 2 years, showing phenomenal dedication and commitment to addressing global problems. About 25% of their current rounds is already committed by global investors from Europe, US, MENA and India.

DDay events serve as a pivotal platform for early and growth-stage companies to secure funding. The distinctive feature of these demo days lies in their meticulous selection process, focusing on startups with impressive track records and a strong emphasis on profitability and growth.