Every rupee raised, every fund launched.

Funding rounds, new VCs, accelerators, deadlines and startup journeys — written for founders, not press releases.

Investor ProfilesInvestor Profile: Dharana Capital — Vy Capital's India Arm Writing Growth-Stage ChequesFounder Vamsi Duvvuri just closed a $250M second fund (total AUM ~$450M) to back tech and consumer leaders like Urban Company, MyGate and Beyond Appliances.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Investor ProfilesInvestor Profile: Fireside Ventures — India's Consumer-Brand Specialist with ₹5,300 Cr Under ManagementFounded in 2017, Fireside backs only consumer brands — boAt, Mamaearth, Yoga Bar, Vahdam — with ₹5,300 Cr across 4 funds and 66+ brands.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Investor ProfilesInvestor Profile: Nexus Venture Partners — The $3.2B US-India Bridge for Product-First FoundersWith a $700M eighth fund closed in December 2025, Nexus backs early-stage, product-obsessed teams across AI, consumer, fintech and open source — from Postman to Zepto.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Investor ProfilesInvestor Profile: Kalaari Capital — Bengaluru's Early-Stage Tech Specialist Since 2006Led by Vani Kola, Kalaari backs early-stage tech across vertical AI, devtools, cybersecurity, spacetech and semiconductors — with a founder-first reputation built over two decades.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Investor ProfilesInvestor Profile: Blume Ventures — India's First Institutionalised Early-Stage InvestorFounded in 2010 by Karthik Reddy and Sanjay Nath, Blume pioneered the micro-VC model in India — Fund I returned ~5x, and its portfolio spans Unacademy, Dunzo, GreyOrange and Cashify.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Investor ProfilesInvestor Profile: Accel — The First Cheque Behind Flipkart, Swiggy and FreshworksWith a fresh $550M ninth India fund, Accel remains the archetypal early-stage partner — first institutional investor in 80% of its portfolio companies.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Investor ProfilesInvestor Profile: Peak XV Partners — The $10B+ Giant Born from Sequoia IndiaWith 450+ investments, 36 IPOs and programmes like Surge, Peak XV backs founders from seed to growth across SaaS, AI, fintech, consumer and climate.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Fund DeadlinesIIT Kanpur's UpStart 2026: Bangalore, Hyderabad & Mumbai Pitch Rounds Still Open — Apply Before Oct 14The flagship E-Cell pitching competition runs across four cities. Delhi's round is done — but Bangalore & Hyderabad (Oct 24, deadline Oct 14) and Mumbai (Dec 5, deadline Nov 26) are still accepting applications.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Funding NewsCureMeAbroad Raises $1.1M to Expand Its Global Healthcare PlatformThe medical-tourism startup will use the capital to scale its cross-border patient platform connecting international patients with treatment options.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Success StoriesMonk-Fruit Mixers to a ₹10 Cr Valuation: Sober & Co Raises ₹75 LakhThe Kolkata-F&B brand's zero-sugar mixers are in 400+ retail points and 400 Blinkit dark stores — with contribution margins turning positive and Zepto launching next.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

EcosystemFoxhog Ventures Expands 'VC for Villages' to Take Capital to Rural EntrepreneursFounder-CEO Tarun Poddar is doubling down on Tier-2/3 and rural founders — the firm recently backed Cloud Counselage's ₹40 Cr seed round preparation.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Funding NewsBlackstone-Backed ASK Alternates Raises ₹500 Cr+ for Second Private Credit Fund in Five MonthsThe fund targets ₹1,000 Cr with a greenshoe to ₹1,500 Cr, backed by 100+ family offices and UHNIs — as India's private credit boom accelerates.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

EcosystemCabinet Approves ₹10,000 Cr SME Growth Fund to Back Expansion-Stage BusinessesCleared on October 6, 2026, the government-backed AIF targets manufacturing-focused SMEs in Tier-II/III clusters — one of the largest public commitments to private growth capital this year.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Success StoriesFrom IIT Dreams to ₹28 Cr: The 19-Year-Old Who Sold Two Companies Before Turning 20Supermemory's ~$3M seed round is led by Susa Ventures, Browder Capital and SF1.vc — with Google AI's Jeff Dean and DeepMind's Logan Kilpatrick backing a teenager who built 15+ open-source projects.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Funding NewsCurvetAI Raises ₹6 Cr Pre-Seed Led by Merak Ventures for Its All-in-One AI WorkspaceFounded in December 2025 by ex-Google and ex-Samsung operators, the Pune startup unifies text, image, audio and video AI models — and already counts 1 lakh+ monthly users.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Success StoriesDiamonds at 20% of the Price: How ONYA Turned Lab-Grown Stones Into a ₹3.5 Cr MRR BrandFounded in 2024 by Gaurav Choudhary and Himani Yadav, the Bengaluru jeweller just closed a ₹12.5 Cr pre-Series A led by Divisa Family Office — with 8 flagship stores and a patented ring setting.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Funding NewsZaperon Raises ₹7 Cr Seed Round Led by Inflection Point Ventures to Secure the AI EraThe Delhi cybersecurity startup's Agentic-AI identity security platform, recognised by Nasscom and MeitY, will use the capital for product innovation and India-US expansion.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Weekly RoundupOctober Starts Strong: Indian Startups Raise $418M Across 22 Deals in Week One$418 million, 22 deals, five hot sectors — and a clear pattern: fewer deals, bigger cheques. Your weekly funding brief.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Funding NewsSimple Energy's $180M Series C: The Biggest Bet on Indian EVs This WeekOne round, $180 million — 77% of everything Indian startups raised this week. What the EV major's mega-round signals for founders.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read

Success StoriesFrom Kitchen Robotics to ₹110 Crore: How Beyond Appliances Is Building India's Smart KitchenEshwar K Vikas and Rakesh Patil's second startup just raised ₹110 Cr from Fireside Ventures — the fund's third straight cheque. Inside the smart-kitchen playbook.Chotu Singh · 6 Oct 2026 · 1 min read