Week in review 🎄 (Dec 12 - Dec 17)

A quick rundown of the startups that made headlines this week. Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week.

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“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

This quote is encouraging the reader to persist in the face of adversity, and not give up when things seem hopeless. It is saying that even in the darkest of times, there is always a chance of success if you keep working and never give up. The tide is often used as a metaphor for the turning of fortune, and this quote is suggesting that no matter how dire the situation may seem if you keep pushing forward, the tide will eventually turn in your favor.

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Quick Recap of the Week

➡️ Monday

• Tata Group plans to open 100 small exclusive Apple stores📱

• ADIA looks to invest $400 million in Lenskart at $4.5 billion valuation👓

• Snapdeal drops IPO plan, withdraws DRHP📊

➡️ Tuesday

• Paytm's loan disbursals rise 374% YoY to Rs 6,292 crore in Oct-Nov period💰

• Shikhar Dhawan announces $75 million global investment sports tech fund🏏

• Elon Musk dissolves Twitter's Trust and Safety Council⚖️

➡️ Wednesday

• Viacom18 explores aggregating digital platforms under a super app🎞️

• Air mobility startup Bumble Bee Flights raises $37 million in funding🚁

• Paytm announces Rs 850-Crore share buyback📊

➡️ Thursday

• Google's Appscale Academy returns to help Indian startups achieve scale💡

• HDFC Bank acquires 7.75% stake in payments startup Mintoak🌳

• EVs to create up to $100 billion opportunity in India by 2030: Report🛵

➡️ Friday

• Reliance launches new brand on Adani’s turf🧃

• Byju’s-BCCI jersey partnership may end soon🏏

• Card fintech company Slice receives prepaid pay licence from RBI💳

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Let’s move on to the top funding deals from the week.

Funding Deals

• Edtech start-up Uolo has raised $22.5 million in a Series A funding round led by UAE-headquartered venture capital fund Winter Capital.

• Seed-stage fund Java Capital, which has backed firms including aerospace startup Agnikul Cosmos and fintech firm BharatX, has launched its first fund with a corpus of Rs 75 crore (about $9 million).

• Nutritionalab Pvt. Ltd brand Wellbeing Nutrition, a direct-to-consumer company, has raised $10 million, or around ₹85 crores, in a Series B round led by Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) and Fireside Ventures.

• New-age fintech platform Zype has raised Rs 146 crore ($17.6 million) in a new round led by Mumbai-based private equity fund Xponentia Capital.

• Venture debt firm BlackSoil has invested $5 million in three startups including battery swapping network BatterySmart, Upmove Capital (NBFC arm of SmartCoin) EV-focused lending platform Revfin.

• NeoGrowth, an MSME-focused digital lender, has raised Rs 300 crore ($36 million) in a Series D equity round led by FMO, a Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, along with existing investors.

• Automotive aftermarket firm myTVS has raised Rs 203 crore from Lingotto, a subsidiary of Exor NV in a funding round.

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