Why 2025 mattered for Indian startups – 3 big gamechangers and 2026 outlook

While 2023 was the year of a funding lowdown, followed by 2024 being labelled as cautious stabilisation, 2025 seems to be marked by liquidity. 3 big trends in startup funding in 2025 Startup funding declined in absolute terms during the year. Indian technology startups raised $10.5 billion in 2025, compared with $12.7 billion in 2024 and $11 billion in 2023, according to Tracxn. At the same time, the median deal size nearly doubled to about $1.4 million, from roughly $700,000 in the previous year, indicating greater selectivity in capital deployment. There were 14 funding rounds that exceeded $100 million, it…