India’s startup ecosystem continues to evolve at a pace that few global markets can match. The last 24 hours were a vivid reflection of this momentum—where policy shifts met capital flows, deeptech companies gained investor conviction, and enterprise partnerships strengthened the technological backbone of businesses across the country.

From financing breakthroughs in climate-tech, aerospace, and hydrogen to major developments in mobility, consumer brands, and enterprise SaaS, the day highlighted how diverse and increasingly mature India’s innovation pipeline has become.

Here’s your in-depth and engaging roundup of everything that's shaping the ecosystem.

Top Startup News Today

A startup ecosystem shaped by ambition, reform, and inclusion

India’s entrepreneurial foundation continues to deepen—not just through funding numbers, but also through the people and ideas steering it. The year marked rising influence of women leaders in technology, who not only scaled billion-dollar companies but also redefined leadership with a people-first approach. Their emphasis on transparency, long-term thinking, and equitable tech adoption shaped some of 2025’s biggest digital milestones.

Simultaneously, founders nationwide have long asked policymakers for something simple: clarity. India’s new labour codes—arguably the biggest workplace policy overhaul since Independence—represent a turning point. They eliminate fragmented compliance frameworks and promise uniformity, though they also introduce stricter accountability.
For startups that have spent years navigating outdated statutes, the reforms are a structural reset expected to influence hiring, HR operations, and long-term scaling strategies.

Early investors cash in: AdvantEdge founders partially exit Rapido

One of the day’s most notable developments came from India’s mobility sector. AdvantEdge, an early backer of bike-taxi platform Rapido, announced a partial exit—earning an impressive 11.5x return on its Fund I investment.

The timing is strategic. As the firm prepares to raise its third fund—with a strong focus on accelerating India’s transition from internal combustion vehicles to EVs—the Rapido exit provides a powerful signal to LPs. It also underscores how India’s urban mobility evolution continues to unlock substantial investor value, especially for those who spotted the trend early.

BII’s India blueprint: Climate-first investing

British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution, reiterated its commitment to India’s climate sector—one of the fastest-growing investment themes in the country.

While its 2022–2026 strategy earmarked 30% of investments for climate, BII’s India exposure has now crossed 40%, according to Shilpa Kumar, MD and Head of India.
This reinforces India’s position as one of the world’s most promising climate-tech and sustainability markets, attracting long-term global capital.

Funding Frenzy: Startups Across Sectors Raise Growth Capital

3ev Industries raises ₹120 crore to scale electric 3-wheelers

Electric mobility made headlines again as 3ev Industries secured ₹120 crore in Series A funding, led by Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL). This marks MGL’s first strategic foray into electric mobility, signalling how legacy energy companies are repositioning themselves for a clean future.

With participation from Equentis Angel Fund and the Thackersey Group, the investment will help 3ev scale manufacturing and expand adoption of cleaner, more efficient three-wheelers for India’s urban and semi-urban mobility needs.

Mirana Toys secures ₹57.5 crore to scale India’s toy-tech wave

India’s toy-tech space—still nascent but rapidly expanding—recorded a notable win as Mirana Toys raised ₹57.5 crore in Series A. Led by Arkam Ventures, with participation from Accel, Info Edge, and Riverwalk Holdings, the round reflects growing investor confidence in homegrown, tech-enabled toy manufacturing.

Mirana’s vertically integrated approach combines design, technology, and manufacturing under one roof—positioning it as a strong contender in the global toy supply chain.

LightSpeed Photonics raises $6.5M for optical interconnect tech

Deeptech continued its strong run as LightSpeed Photonics raised $6.5 million in pre-Series A funding led by pi Ventures.
The company is working on optical interconnect solutions—a critical technology for AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing data centers facing bandwidth bottlenecks.

The funding underscores the rising demand for India-born deeptech solutions catering to global AI infrastructure needs.

AxiTrust raises ₹23.5 crore to unlock MSME working capital

One of the more structurally impactful developments of the day came from the fintech space.
AxiTrust raised ₹23.5 crore in seed funding led by General Catalyst, with participation from Atrium Angels, YAN Network, and Supermorpheous.

The startup is building digital infrastructure to scale insurance-backed surety bonds—a potential game changer for MSMEs. With over ₹15 lakh crore of working capital locked as collateral for bank guarantees, surety-based solutions can free up liquidity, expand credit access, and reduce financial friction.

AxiTrust aims to connect insurers, financial institutions, and procurement platforms to accelerate this shift—especially as policy reforms and institutional adoption gather pace.

Enerzi raises ₹16.5 crore to scale clean hydrogen

Belgaum-based Enerzi, which builds microwave plasma reactors, raised ₹16.5 crore led by Capital A, along with 8x Ventures and angel investors.

Enerzi’s technology converts methane into clean hydrogen while producing valuable carbon nanopowder, improving hydrogen economics and expanding use cases across batteries, materials, and composites.

Investors see it as a strong contender in India’s growing hydrogen value chain—especially as the country ramps up its clean-energy commitments.

ONYA raises ₹5.5 crore, expands lab-grown diamond retail

Lab-grown diamonds continue their rise in India’s conscious luxury segment.
ONYA, a fast-growing lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, raised ₹5.5 crore in pre-seed funding from Zeropearl VC and prominent angel investors, including founders of MyGate and UrbanVault.

With four Bengaluru high-street stores opened in just 11 months and a ₹2 crore monthly revenue run rate, ONYA is gearing up for nationwide expansion.
Its IGI-certified diamonds and BIS-hallmarked gold offerings are gaining traction among younger, sustainability-focused buyers.

The company also welcomed Gaurav Choudhary, former Director of Products at xto10x, as Co-founder.

Arctus Aerospace raises $2.6M to build high-altitude unmanned aircraft

One of the most futuristic developments came from aerospace deeptech startup Arctus Aerospace, which raised $2.6 million in pre-seed funding.

Backed by Version One Ventures, South Park Commons, gradCapital, and prominent angels such as Balaji Srinivasan and OpenAI’s Srinivas Narayan, Arctus is building unmanned aircraft capable of flying at 45,000 feet for up to 24 hours.

Traditionally limited to defence programmes and expensive satellite systems, this capability could bring high-altitude intelligence at just $100 an hour—revolutionising earth observation, infrastructure monitoring, and climate assessment.

Corporate Moves & Strategic Partnerships

Drishti Group appoints Vipan Joshi as CFO

Drishti Group strengthened its leadership bench by appointing industry veteran Vipan Joshi as Chief Financial Officer.
With 23 years of experience across Thermax, Snapdeal, Grofers, and Aakash Institute, Joshi will oversee financial strategy, compliance, risk, and IPO readiness—critical as Drishti prepares for its next phase of growth.

MapmyIndia partners with Zoho CRM

Two strong Indian tech players—MapmyIndia and Zoho—have teamed up to integrate advanced geospatial intelligence into CRM workflows.

The integration will help businesses:

• capture verified addresses

• visualise customer locations

• identify nearby prospects

• optimise sales routes using indigenous mapping data

This partnership highlights how Indian enterprise tech is becoming more interconnected, sophisticated, and globally competitive.

Chargeup partners with Eleven to enable ₹50 crore in EV clean loans

EV-tech platform Chargeup announced a partnership with Eleven to facilitate ₹50 crore in Green Clean Loans, along with health security benefits for India’s driving workforce.

The collaboration brings together SV Credit Line, aiqa Health, and Finncub—offering EV loans, healthcare access, and a daily hardship allowance for drivers facing hospitalisation.

With over 8,000 drivers already supported and ₹8.64 crore in EV loans disbursed, this initiative aims to expand EV ownership and financial safety across India’s last-mile ecosystem.