9Unicorns, a prominent Indian multistage accelerator VC fund, has announced the forthcoming launch of DDay 4, its fourth consecutive demo day scheduled for October 5, 2023. The Mumbai-based venture capital firm, with a portfolio that includes startups like ShipRocket, Videoverse, Zypp, Renee, Blusmart, Leverage Edu, Freightify, and Ethereal Machines, among others, has set an ambitious goal of raising a total of $100 million for its portfolio companies during this virtual global demo day.
Historically, previous DDays have featured more than 70 companies that collectively secured over $440 million in funding from Seed to Series A stages. Notable success stories from past demo days include BluSmart, an EV ride-hailing platform that raised $25 million, Rooter, India’s largest game streaming platform that secured nearly $41 million, OTO, a two-wheeler financing company that raised $10 million, and Renee, a cruelty-free cosmetics brand that secured $25 million in consecutive funding rounds.
Demo days like this offer valuable opportunities for early and growth-stage companies to secure capital, typically ranging from $3 million to $10 million, from prominent global investors. As the flagship accelerator fund of the multistage investment firm Venture Catalysts ++, 9Unicorns plans to showcase more than 15 startups spanning various sectors such as agritech, consumer brands, deep tech, e-commerce, edtech, financial services, fintech, HRtech, media, and entertainment. These startups have already secured an average of $4 million in previous funding rounds and have received $20 million in commitments for their current round.
The selection of startups for DDay is based on their track record and a strong emphasis on profitability and growth. Additionally, over 58% of the startups presenting at DDay are led by serial entrepreneurs with a history of building successful businesses.
“We are pleased to announce our fourth virtual demo day. Over the years, we have created the world’s largest demo day where over 2,000+ investors have participated in the past, with 90% of startups having successfully raised capital,” said Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-founder and Managing Director, 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts++.
“The idea behind these demo days was to ensure that our existing portfolio startups get maximum exposure to the global investment landscape and graduate as highly scalable and fundable ventures. We continue to commit to our dedication to supporting startups beyond capital,” he added.
“DDay 4 will showcase 15 high-growth startup opportunities; we are quite optimistic that these curated startups will collectively raise over $100 million on DDay 4. This optimism comes from the fact that in previous demo days, 70 companies raised around $440 million,” said Soham Avlani, Partner, 9Unicorns.
The October DDay gains significance as the funding landscape shows signs of thawing, with Zepto, a hyperlocal delivery startup, emerging as India’s first unicorn of 2023. This resurgence in large-scale funding underscores the promising prospects for startups in the Indian market.
