Top Startup News Today: Funding Boosts, IPO Frenzy & Big Announcements | 3rd December

As the winter breeze settles over India’s bustling startup corridors, the ecosystem is anything but calm. December has arrived with the unmistakable hum of activity: IPO-bound unicorns gearing up for market debuts, young ventures raising fresh growth capital, consumer tech giants announcing sweeping changes, and legacy investors making bold bets across real estate, jewellery and manufacturing-tech.

It has been one of those weeks where every corner of the entrepreneurial landscape—fintech, construction-tech, mobility, AI, retail, and even metals aggregation—had something new to offer. For founders, operators, and investors, the past few days have felt like the perfect snapshot of India’s maturing innovation economy: high-stakes, high-speed, and high-impact.

Here’s your deep dive into the biggest startup stories shaping the first week of December 2025.

Top Startup News Today

A November to Remember: A Crowded IPO Calendar and Shifting Market Winds

November quietly solidified its place as the month for Indian startup listings. Investment bankers say the rush wasn’t accidental—it was perfectly timed.

Companies want to go public before global investors disappear into year-end breaks. Funds are also looking to close positions before the calendar resets, and post-Diwali markets often carry upbeat sentiment and liquidity.

There’s also a strategic disclosure angle at play: startups transitioning towards profitability prefer presenting one full financial year + one fresh quarter before finalizing a listing. November gives them that window.

From Groww and Pine Labs to Lenskart, the month saw winners—but also some losers like PhysicsWallah.

The Other Side of 2025: Shutdowns Hit Even the Biggest Names

While 2025 celebrated blockbuster IPOs, it also carried a sobering reality—several once-celebrated unicorns finally shut shop.

According to Tracxn:

• 729 startups have shut down in 2025 so far

• Down sharply from 3,903 shutdowns in 2024

• And lower than 2,192 shutdowns in 2023

Enterprise applications saw the most casualties, followed by retail and edtech.
Dunzo’s collapse wasn’t surprising anymore—but BluSmart and Hike going under sent shockwaves across the ecosystem.

A larger funding reset, tighter cash flows, and shifting investor appetite are reshaping survival patterns, especially for early-stage companies.

Bootstrapped Brilliance: INLIFE’s Rs 20 Cr Rise in Nutraceuticals

In a world where D2C wellness brands are chasing ads and influencers, INLIFE took the old-school route—research, quality and manufacturing depth.

Founded by Hyderabad-based brothers Prateek and Chetan Agarwal, INLIFE was born from a simple observation back in 2012:
Indians wanted preventive health solutions, but trusted, science-backed nutritional products were rare—especially beyond metros.

With ₹2 crore initial investment and their family’s five-decade healthcare manufacturing legacy, the brothers built a Rs 20-crore nutraceutical brand rooted in credibility, not hype.

Wakefit IPO: Big Paydays for Founders & Early Investors

Omnichannel furniture major Wakefit is all set to open its ₹1,288-crore IPO on December 8, and early investors are celebrating massive windfalls.

• Price band: ₹185–₹195

• Valuation at upper band:$669 million

Ankit Garg (Co-founder)

• Stake: 33.03%

• Worth: ₹2,012 crore

• Selling: 77 lakh shares

• Payout: ₹150 crore

Chaitanya Ramalingegowda (Co-founder & CEO)

• Stake: 9.98%

• Worth: ₹608 crore

• Selling: 44 lakh shares

• Payout: ₹86.8 crore

Wakefit’s rise from an online mattress seller to an omnichannel home solutions brand is one of India’s most successful D2C playbooks—and this IPO cements it.

Funding Alert: Modulus Housing Raises $7.83M

Chennai-based construction-tech startup Modulus Housing secured $7.83 million in Series A led by Kalaari Capital, Hero, and Samarthya.

What they do:
Factory-built modular construction solutions.

Where the money goes:

• India & global expansion

• Advanced R&D

• Next-gen concrete modular systems

Modular construction is gaining global traction—and Modulus wants to make India a leader in it.

StockGro Raises ₹150 Cr for AI-Led Investment Tools

Investment advisory platform StockGro raised ₹150 crore from ace investor Mukul Agrawal.

Key highlights:

• Structure: Convertible investment

• Partners with 1500+ educational institutions

• Plans to expand across multiple asset classes

• Building AI-powered tools to democratize research-grade insights for retail investors

Massive Bet on Jewellery: QWEEN Secures ₹1,000 Cr

Fine-jewellery brand QWEEN, known for its experiential retail vision, has raised ₹1,000 crore from Rosy Blue and Kashikey.

Expansion plans include:

• 20+ new collections

• 3,000+ SKUs

• Stores of 5,000–6,000 sq ft in Bengaluru and Delhi by February

• Multi-metal and multi-stone offerings including diamond shades and gold colours

Rosy Blue brings six decades of sourcing and traceability to the table—giving QWEEN strength to scale.

Ola Consumer Launches Non-AC Rides Across India

In a move that could reshape pricing in the ride-hailing market, Ola Consumer has launched a nationwide Non-AC ride category, becoming the only major platform to offer this at scale.

Why it matters:

• Cheaper fares for riders

• Higher earnings for drivers due to lower fuel use

• Applies to autos, bikes, and cabs

• Built on Ola’s 0% commission model

Leadership Moves: Nihar Nidhi Takes Charge at CBBS

Catalyst Brands Business Services (CBBS) has appointed Nihar Nidhi as Managing Director.

His previous experience includes:

• 20+ years at JPMorgan Chase

• MD for Consumer & Community Banking Ops

• CEO of JPMorgan’s GCC in the Philippines

CBBS supports major US retail brands like JCPenney, Nautica, Aéropostale and more—across tech, merchandising, supply chain, finance and marketing.

HDFC Capital Backs Earth Fund, Invests in Zoiros Projects

HDFC Capital has:

• Acquired a minority stake in Zoiros Projects

• Committed ₹20 crore to the Earth Fund

The Earth Fund, anchored by Brigade Group and Gruhas, supports PropTech innovations with real-world deployment opportunities.

AI Takes Over Metals: Enlight Metals Launches Agentic Chatbot

Enlight Metals has rolled out an AI-powered operational chatbot that automates procurement and logistics.

Impact:

• Resolves 80% operational queries within 5 minutes

• Automates 60% of procurement & logistics

• Boosts forecasting & inventory accuracy by 40%

• Enables end-to-end traceability

MS Dhoni Invests in AI-Driven Hospital Chain Superhealth

Cricket legend MS Dhoni’s family office has invested in Superhealth, which just opened its flagship zero-wait-time hospital in Bengaluru.

Next steps:

• 100 hospitals across India over 5 years

• 10 hospitals in Bengaluru alone

• AI-driven clinical workflows

• Voice-to-prescription feature in 7 Indian languages

Acuity Knowledge Partners Rebrands to Acuity Analytics

Acuity Knowledge Partners will now operate as Acuity Analytics—reflecting its massive expansion into analytics, AI, data services, and digital engineering.

Highlights:

• 7,200 specialists

• 28 global locations

• 800+ global clients

• Expanded through PPA Group (2024) and Ascent (2025)

The first week of December hasn’t just been busy—it has been a microcosm of India’s evolving startup story.
IPO-ready unicorns, AI-driven tech shifts, new funding pockets, retail reinventions, healthcare disruption, and leadership transformations—everything points to a market that is maturing fast, even as it keeps its entrepreneurial soul alive.

India’s startup engine is roaring into 2026—with more scale, more resilience, and more global ambition than ever before.