[Weekly funding roundup Nov 1-8] IPOs trump venture capital as November starts slow

The month of November has begun on a sombre note for the Indian startup ecosystem, with venture capital funding for the first week mostly clouded by lower-value deals, with only a single large transaction from MoEngage lifting the numbers.

The total VC funding for the first week totalled $143 million across 19 deals. In contrast, the previous week saw a total funding of $287 million. There has been a steady decline in funding over the last four weeks.

The month of October was a blockbuster for the ecosystem as Indian startups raised $1.6 billion—the highest for the year till now. The month also saw a steady infusion of $100-million plus value deals.

However, it is unlikely that 2025 will close on a high note for Indian startups, as only two months remain to raise any venture capital. Indian startups will likely end up closing the year on a comparable note to last year, when they raised $13.2 billion.

While venture capital may have dried up, startups are making a beeline to the bourses, hoping for anchor investments and public issues to fuel their growth.

Key transactions

SaaS startup MoEngage raised $100 million from Goldman Sachs Alternatives and A91 Partners.

Fintech startup Zynk raised $5 million from Hivemind Capital, Alliance DAO, Coinbase Ventures, Transpose Platform VC, Polymorphic Capital, Tykhe Ventures, and Contribution Capital.