This week in Indian startups: 16 March 2026 to 22 March 2026

By Abha Lohia

The five stories that mattered, then every other round of the week.

The five that mattered

1. Weaver Services raises Rs 1,450 Cr to acquire Centrum Housing Finance

   Weaver Services is a Mumbai-based fintech that provides affordable home loans to underserved segments

2. Neo Group raises ₹500 Cr, becomes unicorn

   Neo Group offers advisory and yield-based investment products to wealthy individuals and family offices

3. Ecofy raises ₹380.5 Cr from BII to scale green lending

   Ecofy is a green non-banking financial company focused on retail-led financing for sustainable assets

4. L'Oreal in talks to acquire majority stake in Innovist

   Innovist runs science-first personal care brands like Bare Anatomy and Chemist at Play

5. Former Peak XV partners launch early-stage fund Ambition Capital

   Ambition Capital is a new venture capital fund investing in seed and Series A rounds

Every other round

• OfficeBanao raises $7.7M from Lightspeed and others OfficeBanao: Commercial workspace interiors platform More on OfficeBanao
• Grapevine raises $4.1 Mn to scale AI job discovery platform TAL Grapevine: AI job discovery platform More on Grapevine
• Fery Rides raises ₹2.075 crore from Indian Angel Network Fery Rides: Women-only mobility platform
• AGNIT Semiconductors raises $2.6 Mn seed extension AGNIT Semiconductors: GaN semiconductor wafer and component designer
• Betterhood raises ₹5 crore seed round Betterhood: Preventive pain care for musculoskeletal health More on Betterhood
• Velmenni raises ₹30 Cr Pre-Series A funding led by pi Ventures Velmenni: light-based wireless communication
• Wastelink raises ₹27 Cr from Avaana Capital and others Wastelink: Converts food surplus into cattle feed More on Wastelink
• Zoomies raises ₹5 crore in pre-seed round Zoomies: Pet food brand, clean affordable products
• BambooBox raises $6.6 million to expand AI capabilities for enterprise marketing BambooBox: enterprise marketing platform More on BambooBox
• KorinMi raises ₹3 crore pre-seed funding KorinMi: Korean skincare clinic and products More on KorinMi
• Swish raises $38M in Series B round Swish: 10-minute food delivery service More on Swish
• Moe Puppy raises ₹2 crore pre-seed round led by PedalStart Moe Puppy: D2C pet care brand More on Moe Puppy
• IG Defence raises $5 Mn in Pre-Series A round IG Defence: Drone manufacturer for defence and civil use More on IG Defence
• Aerchain raises $13 million to scale AI-native procurement platform Aerchain: AI-powered enterprise procurement platform More on Aerchain
• Xbattery raises $2.3 million seed for BharatBMS Xbattery: Deep-tech BMS platform for Indian conditions
• Burger Singh raises ₹82 crore Series B Burger Singh: Indian quick-service burger chain More on Burger Singh
• Credilio raises ₹30 crore Series A round Credilio: Digital credit and card distribution platform More on Credilio
• Laani raises ₹9.1 crore in pre-seed round Laani: Personal care brand More on Laani
• VerbaFlo raises $7m seed round led by Pi Labs VerbaFlo: AI for residential real estate More on VerbaFlo
• CometChat raises $6.5 Mn from Run Ventures CometChat: Full-stack communications platform-as-a-service More on CometChat
• Akshayakalpa Organic raises Rs 175 crore Series D Akshayakalpa Organic: Organic dairy products D2C More on Akshayakalpa Organic
• PMI Electro Mobility secures $310 million from KKR PMI Electro Mobility: Electric bus manufacturer and fleet operator More on PMI Electro Mobility
• Pinq Polka raises ₹4 crore pre-series a Pinq Polka: Innerwear and shapewear brand More on Pinq Polka
• BlackSoil raises ₹200 crore debt for climate lending BlackSoil Capital: Debt financing for Indian MSMEs More on BlackSoil Capital
• Jiraaf raises ₹44 crore extended Series B Jiraaf: Fixed income investment platform More on Jiraaf
• Tamil Nadu agency invests ₹25 Cr in Agnikul Cosmos Agnikul Cosmos: Develops small satellite launch rockets More on Agnikul Cosmos
• Mave Health raises $2.1 million seed round Mave Health: Wearable brain stimulation headset More on Mave Health
• Optimo Capital secures Rs 150 crore equity and Rs 100 crore PNB debt for MSME expansion Optimo Capital: Tech-driven NBFC for MSME lending More on Optimo Capital
• Shoegr raises $100,000 in pre-seed funding Shoegr: Sneaker care products brand More on Shoegr
• Rymo Technologies raises ₹10 crore seed funding Rymo Technologies: Robotic neuro-rehabilitation devices
• Assiduus Global raises $25 Mn in pre-Series B round led by Bajaj FinServ Assiduus Global: AI-led SaaS for digital commerce
• Aamra Seniors Club raises $150K pre-seed Aamra Seniors Club: Preventive eldercare engagement programs
• TimBuckDo raises ₹2.7 crore in seed funding TimBuckDo: Student gig work platform More on TimBuckDo
• WeRize raises Rs 64 crore led by Sony Innovation Fund WeRize: Sells credit, insurance, savings products More on WeRize
• Exponent Energy raises Rs 182 crore extended Series B Exponent Energy: Rapid-charging solutions for EVs More on Exponent Energy

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