Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [May 04 - May 09]

Indian startups raised $158.8 million across 24 deals this week, marking a 15% decline from the previous week’s $187.21 million. Three growth-stage startups led funding, including Skyroot Aerospace, which secured $60 million from Sherpalo Ventures and GIC to enter the unicorn club. Early-stage deals totaled $38.3 million, with BigEndian Semiconductors and CHOSEN raising $6 million and $5 million respectively. Bengaluru dominated with 14 deals, followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Chennai. E-commerce and AI/SaaS startups led sector-wise activity, while pre-seed and seed rounds dominated series-wise funding. The average weekly funding over the past eight weeks stands at $229.16 million, with 23 deals per week. Key hirings included Epigamia’s CEO appointment of Ritesh Gauba and DecisionX’s strategic advisor Shantha Maheswari Sekhar. Meanwhile, Fashinza’s co-founder Pawan Gupta exited, and Z47’s Sudipto Sannigrahi stepped down. Freshworks laid off 500 employees (11% of its workforce), while Apna Mart and Pocket FM also reported layoffs amid AI-driven restructuring. The week saw diverse funding trends, with climate-focused Ecofy and blockchain firm Antier Solutions among notable recipients. Bengaluru’s dominance in deal volume reflects its status as India’s startup hub, though overall funding remains below recent averages.