India Startup & Business Roundup: Key Highlights

India's business and startup ecosystem remains in great spirits as the engine of innovation fuels investments, growth, and talent recruitment across industries. Be it space tech innovations, AI-powered gaming platforms, or green energy investments, August 5 was a lively day for the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.

Following is a handpicked roundup of the most significant funding deals and business moves in India.

1. EON Space Labs Raises $1.2 Million in Pre-Series A

Hyderabad-based aerospace company EON Space Labs raised $1.2 million in funding, led by MGF Kavachh and HHV Advanced Technologies. The firm, which is incubated at IIT Madras, is working on lightweight electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging payloads. The new capital will be used to grow their engineering team, increase production, and pave the way for the launch of their MIRA space telescope towards the end of 2025.

2. Jeh Aerospace Raises $11 Million in Series A

Jeh Aerospace, another startup in the aerospace space, raised $11 million in a Series A funding led by Elevation Capital and General Catalyst. The Hyderabad-headquartered startup focuses on software-defined manufacturing for the aerospace industry and will use the funds for scaling up production capacity and growth.

3. GameRamp Raises $5.4 Million for AI-Driven Game Publishing

GameRamp, a mobile gaming AI-native publishing platform, raised a $5.4 million pre-seed round. Investors were BITKRAFT Ventures, South Park Commons, Mixi, and DeVC. The Bengaluru and San Francisco startup is now concentrating on building its AI teams and releasing two platforms: Sentinel for personalisation of the in-game economy and Grow for embedded developer funding.

4. Fraganote Raises $1 Million to Build a New-Age Fragrance Brand

Fraganote, a contemporary Indian fragrance company, secured $1 million in a pre-Series A round from Rukam Capital. The capital will be used for product growth, experiential retail pilots, and fragrance formats.

5. Shortgun Games Receives $1 Million for Game Development

Shortgun Games, a new game studio from the creators of Rogue Heist, raised $1 million in seed capital from angel investors. The capital will shift the studio from vertical slice to complete game development. An additional bigger follow-on round is in the works.

6. Tryo Raises INR 3 Crore in Pre-Seed Round

Bengaluru-based fashion platform Tryo raised INR 3 crore from Zeropearl VC. With its innovative "Try First, Pay Later" model, Tryo is looking to revolutionize the way one shops for fashion online. Product development and team building will be funded.

7. Terafac raises INR 6.5 Crore for AI Robotics

Terafac, a Chandigarh startup, raised INR 6.5 crore to enhance its AI-Vision robotics platform. Inuka Capital, DEVC, and Bharat Founders Fund led the pre-seed round and will support scaling product capabilities and growing its team.

8. Prozo Gets Strategic Investment from Ranbir Kapoor

Actor-turned-entrepreneur Ranbir Kapoor funded Gurugram-based firm Prozo, a full-stack supply chain platform. The company now has 42 warehouses running and services over 150 brands. The strategic investment will add infrastructure and scalability.

9. EarlySalary (Fibe NBFC) Raises INR 225 Crore via Debt

Fibe, former EarlySalary, digital lender raised INR 225 crore through non-convertible debentures. Franklin Templeton AIF, AK Capital, SK Finance, among other investors, were a part of the round. Lending operations and tech upgradation will be utilized from the money.

10. Polite Powertech Receives Strategic Pre-IPO Funding

Polite Powertech received support from Chanakya Opportunities Fund I to grow its green power and clean energy solutions to small and medium businesses. The funding comes before the potential for an IPO and is part of the clean tech push.

Corporate Highlights

• Chief executive Pierre-Eliott Verlug has suggested the recruitment of 45,000 employees in India as it grows the country's status as a global IT hub.

• Bluestone has cut and downsized its planned IPO size after adapting to the evolving market environment.

Final Thoughts

India's innovation economy also continues to flourish with resilience in sectors like aerospace, gaming, fashion tech, and clean energy. While startups raise capital and large firms bet big on India for talent and growth, the ecosystem is taking shape to be among the world's most thrilling markets.

Stay tuned with BestVantage Investments blogs for more updates as we go about tracking India's startup beat.