New Delhi:

During the week, 30 Indian startups secured a total of $240.85 million in funding including five growth-stage investments and 20 early-stage rounds. Bengaluru emerged as the leader in startup funding, with 12 deals secured during the week. It was followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, and Patna.

Among business sectors, e-commerce startups received the highest number of investments, closing five deals, according to Entrackr report.

SaaS and fintech startups followed closely, securing three deals each, while companies in foodtech, healthtech, and manufacturing also attracted investor interest.

In the growth-stage category, edtech startup Leap raised $65 million in its Series E round led by Apis Partners.

B2B seafood startup Captain Fresh secured $30 million in its ongoing pre-IPO round.

SaaS IT management platform SuperOps raised $25 million, while a supply chain startup received $12 million in a Series C round from Evolvence India and Mirabilis Investment Trust.

Among early-stage startups, 20 companies collectively raised $107.15 million.

B2B SaaS startup Atomicwork led with a $25 million Series A round, followed by investments in co-working firm Innov8, senior citizen-focused healthcare services provider Geri Care, telecom company Astrome Technologies, and mobility startup VoltUp.

Additionally, D2C handloom clothing brand Dressfolk and road safety products manufacturer Prisomoline raised funds but did not disclose the amounts.

On a weekly basis, startup funding remained stable but showed a slight dip of 3.22 per cent, down from $248.87 million in the previous week.

Over the past eight weeks, the average weekly funding stood at $349.53 million, with 26 deals per week.

Meanwhile, several significant acquisitions took place this week. Raise Financials acquired financial media startup Filter Coffee, while logistics firm Shadowfax took over CriticaLog.

Nazara-owned NODWIN Gaming expanded its portfolio by acquiring esports startup StarLadder.

The digital navigation company MapmyIndia acquired a stake in AI startup SimDaaS.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Startup Mahakumbh at the Bharat Mandapam, in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India has emerged as the world’s third largest startup ecosystem with over 1.25 lakh startups and 110 unicorns, and is charting a roadmap for becoming a developed nation with the right decisions taken at the right time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on March 20.

Speaking at the Startup Mahakumbh event, Mr. Modi said India’s startup ecosystem is not limited to metro cities, it has now become a social culture.

Mr. Modi vowed that he would make India the world’s third-largest economy in his third term, and asserted that startups will play a big role in India’s progress.

The Startup India initiative gave a platform to innovative ideas, and connected entrepreneurs and ventures to funding, he said.

India’s youth has chosen the path of being job creators rather than job seekers, Mr. Modi said, highlighting the changing mindset of people.

He said women are leading more than 45% of Indian startups. India has democratised technology, and therefore the ‘haves and have-nots’ theory can not work here.

The ₹1 lakh crore fund announced for research and innovation in interim budget will help the sunrise sectors, Mr. Modi said.