India’s startup and business ecosystem on 16th September 2025 was abuzz with significant developments across healthtech, fintech, consumer electronics, and enterprise IT. From PharmEasy’s INR 1,700 crore debt raise to Nothing’s $200 million Series C, and Mukesh Ambani’s plans to take Reliance Retail public, the day highlighted both large-scale corporate moves and early-stage innovations shaping the future of Indian and global markets.
Daily Indian Funding Roundup – 16th September 2025
| Company | Amount | Round | Lead investor(s) | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PharmEasy | INR 1,700 crore | Debt funding | 360 One, with participation from Alkram Ventures, MVS Ventures, Bennett Coleman, and others | Healthtech / Pharmacies & Diagnostics |
| Genovation Technological Solutions | $150,000 | Pre-seed | Six individual investors + one foreign institutional investor | Deeptech / AI (privacy-first) |
| uKnowva | $0.5 million | Pre-Series A | Co-led by Parv Network, Growth91, and Aapna Infotech | HR Tech / Human Capital Management |
| Pelocal | $5 million | Series A | UNLEASH Capital Partners and Unicorn India Ventures, plus angel investors | Fintech / Payments Orchestration |
| Amaani | $3 million | Seed | Peak XV’s Surge | Consumer / Beauty & Wellness |
| BeyondSquare Solutions | $4 million | Series A | Avant Global Corporation | Enterprise IT / Financial Reporting / Compliance |
| Nothing | $200 million | Series C | Tiger Global, with participation from GV, Highland Europe, EQT, Latitude, I2BF, Tapestry, Nikhil Kamath, Qualcomm Ventures | Consumer Electronics / Hardware & AI Devices |
| MarqVision | $48 million | Series B | Peak XV Partners, Salesforce Ventures, Coral Capital, HSG, Michael Seibel, YC, others | AI / Brand Protection / IP & Counterfeits Monitoring |
| Scalekit | $5.5 million | Seed | Together Fund, Z47; angel investors: Adam Frankl, Oliver Jay, Jagadeesh Kunda | SaaS / AI Infrastructure |
PharmEasy raises fresh debt to clear Goldman Sachs loan after 90% valuation cut
Healthtech unicorn PharmEasy has raised INR 1,700 crore in debt funding led by 360 One, with participation from Alkram Ventures, MVS Ventures, Bennett Coleman, and others. The funds will be used to repay its Goldman Sachs loan. The move comes after a valuation cut of about 90%, reflecting both financial strain and efforts to restructure its obligations.
Genovation Solutions raises $150K in pre-seed round
Deeptech startup Genovation Technological Solutions, which builds privacy-first AI systems, has raised $150,000 in a pre-seed round at a $6 million valuation, with participation from six individual investors and one foreign institutional investor. The funding will go into accelerating product development, scaling R&D, and expanding market presence.
uKnowva raises $0.5 Mn in pre-Series A round
HR tech / human capital management platform uKnowva has secured $0.5 million in a pre-Series A round co-led by Parv Network, Growth91, and Aapna Infotech. The proceeds will be directed toward bolstering its sales & marketing, geographic expansion via its partner network, and enhancing its AI-led roadmap.
Fintech startup Pelocal secures $5 Mn in Series A funding
Pelocal, a fintech company offering an AI-powered payments orchestration platform (notably integrating conversational/WhatsApp-based workflows), raised US$5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by UNLEASH Capital Partners and Unicorn India Ventures, with angel investor participation. The funds will help accelerate product development, expand use cases, and boost go-to-market efforts.
Amaani raises $3 Mn from Peak XV’s Surge
Consumer company Amaani, reimagining beauty & wellness from the Middle East, raised $3 million in seed funding from Peak XV’s Surge — the fund’s first consumer-seed investment in the MENA region. The funds will be used to scale its debut brand AÏZA, launch new global consumer beauty brands built around Arab heritage infused with global innovation.
BeyondSquare raises $4 Mn in Series A led by Avant Global
Enterprise IT product company BeyondSquare Solutions raised $4 million in a Series A funding round led by Avant Global Corporation. The investment will be used to strengthen FinAlyzer (its financial reporting, consolidation & compliance product), enhance automation and compliance intelligence, and scale to serve enterprises globally.
Nothing raises $200M from Tiger Global, Nikhil Kamath, others at $1.3B valuation
UK-based smartphone / consumer electronics startup Nothing has secured US$200 million in a Series C round led by Tiger Global, with participation from existing backers (GV, Highland Europe, EQT, Latitude, I2BF, Tapestry) plus new investors including Nikhil Kamath and Qualcomm Ventures. The funding comes at a US$1.3 billion valuation. Nothing will use the capital to expand into AI-driven devices, hardware-software integrated experiences, scaling up its product lines beyond smartphones.
MarqVision gets $48M in Series B led by Peak XV
LA-based AI startup MarqVision, which offers a managed service platform to detect, monitor, and remove counterfeits, impersonations, piracy across ecommerce, marketplaces and social media, has raised $48 million in a Series B round led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Coral Capital, HSG, Michael Seibel, and others. The funds are to be used to drive global expansion, product innovation, and reinforce its AI brand protection services.
Scalekit raises $5.5M in seed round led by Together Fund and Z47
SaaS startup Scalekit, building modular, drop-in infrastructure for SaaS and AI-first teams, raised $5.5 million in a seed round led by Together Fund and Z47, with participation from angel investors Adam Frankl, Oliver Jay, and Jagadeesh Kunda. The funds will be used to accelerate product development, expand its SaaS infrastructure offerings, and scale operations globally.
Key Business News for 16th September 2025
Mukesh Ambani plans Reliance Retail IPO
Mukesh Ambani is preparing to list Reliance Retail in an IPO that may value the company at around $200 billion. To aid that, Reliance has demerged its FMCG arm (Reliance Consumer Products) into a separate subsidiary and is rationalizing its store network (including closing under-performing outlets) to boost margins. The move also aims to provide exit opportunities for major investors like GIC, ADIA, Qatar Investment Authority, KKR, TPG, and Silver Lake.
CRED and IndusInd Bank launch 18-Carat Gold Credit Card for Premium Users
Fintech company CRED, in partnership with IndusInd Bank, has unveiled Sovereign — an 18-karat gold-plated, invite-only RuPay credit card with guilloché engraving, targeting premium users. The card offers rewards such as 5% on online purchases and 1% on offline/UPI spends via CRED Scan and Pay; zero joining fees; two-minute digital onboarding; and access across CRED’s ecosystem including merchants, flights, hotels, etc.
StartupTalky News
Leave a Reply