This week in Indian startups: 20 April 2026 to 26 April 2026

By Abha Lohia

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

The five that mattered

1. Sarvam AI in talks to raise up to $350 million

   Sarvam AI builds foundational large language models and infrastructure tailored specifically for Indian languages and local data

2. Ethereal Machines raises $28.5M in Series B led by Avataar Venture Partners

   Ethereal Machines produces precision engineering components using its proprietary multi-axis CNC machines

3. Coral raises $12.5M for healthcare automation

   Coral automates US healthcare administrative tasks like patient intake and prior authorizations

4. Unicorn Growth Fund launches with ₹6,000 crore

   The fund invests in growth-stage Indian startups across technology, consumer, AI and deeptech

5. Razorpay files confidential IPO papers

   Razorpay is a full-stack payments and financial services platform for businesses

Every other round

• Clarity Labs raises Rs 4 crore in seed round Clarity Labs: Functional personal care brand More on Clarity Labs
• Axten Hospitals raises Rs 2.5 crore for expansion Axten Hospitals: Surgical care provider with fixed pricing More on Axten Hospitals
• PrimeInvestor raises ₹19.5 Cr seed funding from Rainmatter PrimeInvestor: Subscription-based financial research and advisory
• Lawyered raises $2.5 Mn in Pre-Series A Lawyered: AI legal platform for mobility
• Açaí Theory raises ₹4 crore pre-seed round Açaí Theory: Health-first açaí QSR brand
• Acai Theory raises Rs 4 crore pre-seed funding Acai Theory: Health-focused quick service restaurant brand
• NudgeBee raises $3 million seed funding NudgeBee: Agentic AI for cloud operations
• CureMeAbroad raises $600k pre-seed from angels CureMeAbroad: AI medical tourism platform More on CureMeAbroad
• Ruskle secures funding from dLabs and angel investor Ruskle: Premium baked rusk snack brand
• Spill Games raises $3.1 Mn seed round Spill Games: Casual and puzzle gaming developer More on Spill Games
• Ajinkya Rahane invests in Chupps Footwear Chupps Footwear: D2C open footwear brand
• Deep Algorithm raises Rs 16 crore in pre-series A round Deep Algorithm: B2B enterprise cybersecurity provider More on Deep Algorithm
• Alaya By Stage3 raises seed round from LC Nueva AIF Alaya By Stage3: Modern Indian ethnic wear brand
• Affordable Innovative Techno Services raises $4 million to expand Rysen School network Affordable Innovative Techno Services: K-12 school network for Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities
• Sleepy Owl raises ₹12 crore in Series C2 funding led by Optiscape Network Holdings Sleepy Owl: D2C coffee brand More on Sleepy Owl
• Ex-Dunzo founder raises ₹102 Cr seed round M: Home management automation tools
• STCH raises $5.5 million in pre-Series A round STCH: AI-driven fabric innovation and manufacturing platform More on STCH
• IndieSemiC gears up for Series A fundraise IndieSemiC: Fabless semiconductor startup More on IndieSemiC
• LightFury Games raises $11 million for eCricket launch LightFury Games: AAA cricket game studio More on LightFury Games
• Otto Sales AI wins pitch competition and secures half million dollars Otto Sales AI: AI sales assistant for B2B teams

← 13 April 2026 to 19 April 202627 April 2026 to 3 May 2026 →