[Weekly funding roundup March 16-22] VC inflow remains above $200M throughout March

The month of March continues to remain steady in terms of the inflow of venture capital (VC) into the Indian startup ecosystem. This is thanks to a few large deals that have injected confidence into the ecosystem.

The total VC funding for the third week of March stood at $225 million across 20 deals. In comparison, the previous week saw an inflow of $202 million.

This is a positive sign given that the VC inflow has remained above the $200 million mark since the last week of February. Earlier, money had been relatively sparse for startups, with antecedent funding hovering around the $100 million level.

Such a buoyant activity is due to deals close to or above $100 million in value, such as examples of Perfios, Shadowfax, and Capillary Technologies. This week, Pocket FM helped inflate the total.

Now, it remains to be seen whether this trend will continue in the near future. For now, the signs are positive as investors continue to open their purse strings with increased scrutiny of their investments. The message is very clear that only startups running a sustainable business will receive capital.

Lastly, the favourable commentary by the US Federal Reserve that it would lower interest rates this year has raised hopes. The ease would mean that more money may flow into the startup ecosystem.

Key transactions

Audio entertainment platform Pocket FM raised $103 million from Lightspeed and Stepstone Group.

Healthtech startup Ultrahuman raised $35 million from Blume Ventures, Steadview Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, Alpha Wave Incubation, and Deepinder Goyal.

B2B marketplace Jumbotail raised Rs 151 crore ($18.2 million) from Artal Asia. Heron Rock, Sabre Investment, Arkham Ventures, Jarvis Reserve Fund, and Reaction Global.

Fintech Dvara KGFS raised $14.4 million from Impact Investment Exchange (IIX).

Fintech startup Optimo Loan raised $10 million from Blume and Omnivore.

Gaming studio Liquidnitro Games raised $5.25 million from Nexus Venture Partners and angel investors.