[Weekly funding roundup Oct 11-17] Zepto deal pushes VC inflow to its highest level for 2025

The Indian startup ecosystem witnessed a cracker of a week with weekly venture capital (VC) funding reaching its highest level for the year till now, owing to Zepto's $450 million funding deal.

In the third week of October, Indian startups raised $763 million in total VC funding across 30 deals. In contrast, the previous week saw only $264 million in funding. Previously, the highest amount raised was in May 2025 at $618 million.

This fund raise should come as a confidence booster for the Indian startup ecosystem, as weekly VC funding has been hovering around the $200 million range since July. As seen in the past, it is only the late-stage deals that lift the overall funding momentum.

During this week, there were also other deals from Kuku FM and EKA Mobility, which made important contributions. Besides, the week saw funding deals across stages, from pre-Series A to Series C, as well as participation from US pension funds and leading VCs, including Accel, Lightspeed, Premji Invest, etc.

However, there is also an element of caution as this might turn out to be a one-off week, where there was a sharp increase in funding activity, given the volatile external macro-economic environment.

Key transactions

Quick commerce unicorn Zepto raised $450 million from CalPERS, Avenir, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, The Stepstone Group, and Nexus Venture Partners.

Audio platform Kuku raised $85 million from Granite Asia, Vertex Growth Fund, Krafton, IFC, Paramark, Tribe Capital India, and Bitkraft.

Electric bus maker EKA Mobility raised Rs 500 crore ($56.7 million approx.) from the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).

Wealth management platform Dezerv raised Rs 350 crore ($40 million approx.) from Premji Invest, Accel, Elevation Capital, and Z47.

Healing Hands Clinic, a proctology-focused healthcare chain, raised $30 million from private equity firm L Catterton.

Proptech startup HouseEazy raised Rs 150 crore ($17 million approx.) from Accel, Chiratae Ventures, and Antler.

English-speaking platform SpeakX raised $16 million from WestBridge Capital, Elevation Capital, Goodwater Capital, and angel investors.

Fintech startup GoodScore raised $13 million from Peak XV Partners, Stellaris Venture Partners, and Saison Capital.

Two Brothers Organic Farms raised Rs 110 crore ($12.5 million) from 360 ONE Asset, Rainmatter Investments, Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office, and IGNITE Growth LLP.

Drone startup Airbound raised $8.65 million from Lachy Groom, Humba Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and angel investors.

Chara Technologies raised Rs 52 crore ($5.9 million) from Arkam Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, Kalaari Capital, and IIMA Ventures.

Fashion apparel startup FS Life raised Rs 50 crore ($5.6 million approx.) from Colossa Ventures, Rahul Garg, Fireside Ventures, and Mirabilis Investment Trust.