Veefin has successfully raised Rs 136 crore and is now targeting an additional Rs 155 crore to fuel its global expansion and acquisition efforts in the fintech sector.

The recent IPO of MobiKwik has reignited investor interest in public offerings among Indian startups, signaling a potential shift in market dynamics.

However, the overall funding landscape has seen a decline, primarily due to a lack of large-value deals and the typical seasonal slowdown as the year draws to a close.

In December 2024, Indian startups collectively raised $135 million across 19 deals, a stark decrease from the $779 million raised the previous week.

Despite this downturn in funding figures, projections suggest that 2024 will still surpass 2023 in total funds raised, highlighting resilience within the startup ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the startup ecosystem is expected to pivot towards AI, generative AI, and sustainability in 2025, with a focus on nurturing early-stage startups and exploring public offerings.

In a significant move, Perplexity, an AI search engine, raised $500 million in Series D funding, boosting its valuation to $9 billion while acquiring Carbon to enhance its AI capabilities.

SaaS platform Bizom has secured $12 million in Series B funding, which will be used to enhance its digital solutions for retail brands and expand its infrastructure.

In the transportation sector, bp Ventures invested $9 million in Zingbus, an electric intercity bus platform, to support its operations and align with India's goal of achieving a 100% electric fleet by 2030.

Warmup Ventures has launched its second fund, Warmup Fund II, with a corpus of Rs 300 crore, aimed at early-stage investments and providing mentorship to startups.

Additionally, SanchiConnect and YourNest Venture Capital invested Rs 48 crore in eight deep-tech startups through the Velocity Accelerator Programme, focusing on the commercialization of advanced technologies.

Zetwerk has secured $70 million from Khosla Ventures and Rakesh Gangwal to enhance its platform that connects manufacturers and buyers.