India’s startup ecosystem experienced a significant week marked by a series of developments signaling readiness for scale, public markets, and expanded global ambitions. The past week included an uptick in initial public offering (IPO) filings, substantial institutional fundraising efforts, and notable regulatory approvals, alongside strategic investments in artificial intelligence (AI). These trends highlight a maturing landscape poised for its next growth cycle.
The week kicked off with travel-tech firm Travelstack Tech, the parent company of budget hotel chain FabHotels and corporate travel SaaS platform TravelPlus, filing its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). This marks the beginning of its IPO journey, which is set to comprise a fresh issue of shares worth up to ₹250 crore and an offer-for-sale of approximately 2.69 crore shares. Early investors, including Accel, Goldman Sachs, and Qualcomm, are expected to partially exit through the IPO, indicating a growing momentum among travel and SaaS startups eyeing public markets.
In another development, deeptech-focused venture capital firm Speciale Invest announced plans to raise a ₹1,400 crore growth-stage fund tailored for Series A and later-stage deeptech startups. Set to launch next year, the fund aims to support companies that have crossed technical validation and are moving towards commercialization. This initiative follows Speciale’s earlier ₹200 crore growth fund from 2023, reflecting increasing investor confidence in India’s intellectual property-led and hard-tech startup ecosystem.
The fintech sector also saw important regulatory advancements, as Paytm received approval from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a payment aggregator for both offline payments and cross-border transactions. This regulatory boost comes after Paytm’s recent ₹2,250 crore investment into its payments subsidiary and restructuring efforts within its offline merchant payments business. The approval enhances Paytm’s compliance framework and opens new revenue streams beyond domestic online payments.
In a notable move, Bhavish Aggarwal, founder of electric vehicle manufacturer Ola Electric, sold around 0.6% of his stake, amounting to approximately ₹92 crore, to release pledged shares worth nearly ₹260 crore. The company clarified that the transaction was meant to alleviate promoter-level leverage rather than signal any exit from the firm. Despite a drop in Ola Electric’s stock price, this move reflects a strategic effort to strengthen the company’s financial position.
On the AI front, Google announced an $8 million commitment to bolster India’s AI ecosystem. The funding will support four government-backed AI Centres of Excellence, alongside investments in AI-driven healthcare and startup innovation. Notably, Google will allocate $2 million to establish an Indic Language Technologies Research Hub at IIT Bombay, aimed at developing AI solutions tailored for India’s linguistic diversity. Additionally, startups Gnani.AI and CoRover.AI will each receive grants of $50,000 to enhance their voice AI models.
In the audio content sector, Kuku FM is gearing up for a potential IPO estimated at $200 million, having engaged Kotak Mahindra Capital, Axis Bank, and Morgan Stanley as bankers for the process. Proceeds from the IPO are intended to expand Kuku FM’s content offerings and strengthen its presence in regional languages. This follows an earlier $85 million Series C funding round led by Granite Asia.
Turtlemint, an insurtech startup backed by Peak XV Partners, has also received SEBI’s observation letter, paving the way for its IPO. The company had confidentially filed its DRHP in September, with the IPO size expected to range between $200 million and $250 million upon the public filing. This adds to the growing list of fintech companies preparing for public offerings.
Meanwhile, Wingify, known for its Visual Website Optimiser (VWO), has acquired Y Combinator-backed AI startup Blitzllama. This acquisition enables Wingify to integrate continuous AI-driven user feedback into its optimization tools, enhancing its service offering to over 3,000 companies in more than 90 countries.
Flipkart garnered in-principle approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for its reverse flip to India, aligning its structure more closely with the nation’s regulatory framework. This restructuring involves merging several Singapore-based entities with the Indian operation, facilitating a smoother public market entry.
In a significant capital raise, Swiggy successfully closed a ₹10,000 crore Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP), issuing shares at ₹375 each, approximately 4% below the floor price. Major mutual funds participated in the issue, with ₹4,475 crore earmarked for scaling Swiggy’s quick commerce fulfillment network, underscoring a robust push towards expedited delivery services.
These developments reflect a fundamental shift within India’s startup landscape, moving from rapid experimentation to an emphasis on consolidation, compliance, and readiness for capital markets. With a strengthening IPO pipeline, increased investment in deeptech, and AI emerging as a central growth theme, Indian startups appear well-positioned for their forthcoming phase of expansion.
