Startup funding in India closed October on a quieter but broader note. Between 26 and 30 October 2026, Indian startups raised $130.2 million across 32 deals, according to Inc42's weekly tally published on 31 October 2026. That total is down 29.2% from $184 million the previous week, yet the deal count nearly doubled, up 88% from 17 deals a week earlier.
Five rounds took nearly half the money
The week's largest cheques were Cent at $15 million in a Series A led by Blume Ventures and South Park Commons, Simplismart at $14 million in a Series B led by Dallas Venture Capital with NVIDIA, Accel, Shastra VC and Micromax, and Live2.ai at $13.7 million in a pre-Series B led by IvyCap Ventures. Add Troovy at $10.5 million and Matiks at $10 million, and five companies took nearly half of everything raised.
Ecommerce led, AI came second
Ecommerce led the sector charts with nine deals worth $33.4 million, with Troovy and Ace Blend at $9.9 million together accounting for 61% of the sector's total. AI was second, with five startups raising $30.4 million, of which Simplismart and Live2.ai contributed 91%. Five advanced hardware and technology startups raised $6.8 million, while enterprise services saw three deals worth $9.5 million.
Blume and Antler were the busiest investors
Blume Ventures and Antler were the week's most active investors, backing three startups each. Three companies in the tally — LogiXair, CHOSEN and Glance — did not disclose amounts, so they count as deals but not as dollars. The same weekly update also flagged fresh fund activity, including Longshot Capital, the ₹700 crore AI and deeptech fund being raised by Unacademy co-founders Gaurav Munjal and Roman Saini.
Why it matters for founders
A week with more deals but smaller cheques rewards founders who can show traction early. If you are raising now, lead with revenue, retention or a working product — and target investors already active this week, like Blume and Antler, rather than waiting for a large late-stage round to return.