Year in review: Startup funding flat in 2025 on early-stage AI reset

ETtech

Despite a pickup in growth-stage funding, Indian startup funding remained largely flat in 2025 as fewer large deals and evolving venture capital thesis on early-stage AI investments weighed on overall numbers. Startups raised $9.8 billion this year till December 15, marginally lower than the $10.1 billion raised in the whole of 2024, according to data sourced from Venture Intelligence data.

Venture capital investors, however, stayed active during the year, assessing early-stage opportunities as exit activity gathered pace amid a…