[Weekly funding roundup] Venture investments maintain strong momentum

The momentum of venture funding in the Indian startup ecosystem continues to remain strong as July's last week saw the emergence of one more unicorn.

The week witnessed total venture funding of $601 million cutting across 41 deals, as against $547 million in the comparable previous week. As is the trend for some time now, the majority of the transactions were for early-stage startups.

Given the funding momentum right through the year and another five months to go, the stage is set for a very strong finish for venture investments in 2021.

Key deals

Droom, the automobile marketplace, raised $200 million at a valuation of $1.2 billion and entered into the unicorn club.

The parent company of Moj and Sharechat, Mohalla Tech raised $145 million from Temasek, MSV and Mirae-Naver Asia Growth fund.

Other transactions

Ixigo, a travel marketplace, raised $53 million led by the Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.

Mamaearth, the personal care brand, raised $50 million led by Sofina Ventures SA with participation from Sequoia Capital India.

Minimalist, a skincare brand, raised Series A funding of Rs 110 crore led by Sequoia Capital India, with participation from Unilever Ventures.

Mortgage tech startup Easy raised $15 million led by Xponentia Capital Partners and other VC funds.

Supply chain and logistics startup 3SC raised $15 million led by GEF Capital’s South Asia Fund.

Blockchain startup Biconomy raised $9 million led by DACM and Mechanism Capital, with participation from other investors.

Zingbus, an intercity mobility startup, raised Rs 44.6 crore in a funding round led by Infoedge Ventures.

The Whole Truth, a food brand, raised a $6 million Series A funding round led by Sequoia Capital India along with other investors.

Real estate startup Strata raised $6 million from Kotak Investment Advisors Limited, Gruhas Proptech, and Sabre Investments.

Axio Biosolutions, a medtech startup, raised $6 million led by TrueScale Capital.

Edtech startup 90+ My Tuition App raised $5 million from Pearl Investment LLC.

Nutraceutical skincare brand I am Love raised Rs 35 crore from Xentel Investments. 

Flam, an AR-based social networking app, raised $3.5 million led by Inventus Capital SV, Silicon Valley Quad, and other investors.

Rocketium, a creative automation platform, raised $3.2 million from Emergent Ventures, 1Crowd, LetsVenture, and Blume Ventures.

Edtech startup SP Robotic Works raised $3 million led by Mount Judi India Growth Fund and other investors.

Ocean freight focused startup Freightify raised $2.5 million led by Nordic Eye Venture Capital and other investors.

Tech startup Swift raised $2.2 million from Kalaari Capital along with FirstCheque, Indian Angel Network, and other angel investors.

Social gaming platform EloElo raised $2.1 million co-led by Waterbridge Ventures and Lumikai Fund.

JetSynthesys, a digital entertainment tech startup, raised $2 million from Sachin Tendulkar.

Edtech startup Edukemy raised $2 million from Auxano, Falcon5, and angel investors.

Wasabi, a Bengaluru-based tech startup, raised $1.8 million led by Ankur Capital with participation from 021 Capital and Sparrow Capital.

Gumlet, a SaaS startup, raised $1.6 million led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge. 

Murf.ai, an AI-enabled voice-over startup, raised $1.5 million in seed funding led by Elevation Capital.

Edtech startup Knorish raised $1.1 million led by Inflection Point Ventures, along with participation from Rockstud Capital, Pentathlon Ventures and others.

Bandhoo, a startup focused on the construction sector, raised $1.1 million from Unitus Ventures, Bharat Innovation Fund, and others.

Health and fitness-focused food startup MYFITNESS raised $1 million led by 9Unicorns and other angel investors.

Auto service startup Fixcraft raised $1 million from angel investors.

Insane AI, a fitness app, raised $873,000 led by pi Ventures, along with a clutch of angel investors.

Immensitas raised Rs 6.30 crore led by Artha Venture Fund (AVF), with participation from LogX Ventures.

Tea brand Chai Waale raised Rs 5 crore from angel investors.

Fintech startup Pencilton raised $330,000 led by Jupiter and other angel investors.

Merchandise platform Redesyn raised $300,000 from Anthill Ventures. Siliconroad VC, LetsVenture, and others.

Artisanal marketplace Ourbetterplanet raised $300,000 from a group of angel investors.

Digital media startup NewsReach raised $300,000 from JITO Angel Network along with ShuruUp Ventures and FAAD Network. 

Service tech startup Inspacco raised $200,000 in an angel round.

The following startups have raised an undisclosed round of funding: Streak, L4o.in, and Keeros.

M&A

Edtech unicorn Unacademy acquired live game-streaming platform Rheo TV for an undisclosed amount.

Cashify, a re-commerce marketplace acquired UniShop, an omnichannel retail solution platform, for an undisclosed sum.

Imarticus Learning acquired social learning platform Eckovation for an undisclosed sum.