Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News – 13th January 2026: Liquidnitro Games Raises $19.1 Mn, Dazzl Secures $3.2 Mn, Drickle Bags INR 6 Cr & More

StartupTalky News

13 Jan 2026 — 4 min read

Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News – 13th January 2026

India’s startup ecosystem witnessed strong momentum on 13th January 2026, with funding activity spanning gaming, beauty services, aerospace deep-tech, specialty chemicals, logistics, and consumer brands. From Liquidnitro Games’ $19.1 million Series A round to early-stage bets on Drickle, Hexalog, and Misochain Technologies, investor interest remained robust across diverse sectors. The day also brought key corporate developments, including workforce restructuring at TCS and rising institutional confidence in Paytm. Together, these updates reflect a dynamic landscape where capital deployment, strategic realignment, and long-term growth optimism continue to shape India’s evolving startup and business ecosystem.

Daily Indian Startup Funding Roundup - 13th January 2026

Company	Amount	Round	Lead investor(s)	Sector
Liquidnitro Games	$19.1 Mn	Series A	Northpoint Capital (with participation from Nexus Venture Partners)	Game production & live services
Drickle	INR 6 Cr	Seed	Angel investors including Param Kandhari, Naresh Krishnaswamy, Abhinav Mathur, Hemanshu Jain, Vinay Bhopatkar, Vaibhav Sisinty, Dalvir Suri, Rishit Jhunjhunwala; Shaili Chopra via Ideabaaz	Coffee-first beverage QSR
Secret Alchemist	$3 Mn	Mixed primary & secondary	Unilever Ventures (with participation from DSG Consumer Partners)	Perfume & wellness brand
Hexalog	$4 Mn	Seed	ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL (plus Mount Judi Ventures, Action Tesa Family Office & others)	Cross-border supply chain enablement
Misochain Technologies	INR 18 Cr	Seed	Capital-A	Aerospace deep-tech manufacturing & components
Atomgrid	$7 Mn	Pre-Series A	A99 (with Sadev Ventures, CDM Capital & Merak Ventures; venture debt from Trifecta, SIDBI, RevX)	Specialty chemicals platform
Dazzl	$3.2 Mn	Seed	Stellaris Venture Partners (with participation from Ritesh Agarwal, Maninder Gulati, Abhinav Sinha, Sameer Brij Verma, Abhishek Bansal)	On-demand beauty & wellness services

Liquidnitro Games raises $19.1 Mn Series A

Game production and live services startup Liquidnitro Games has raised $19.1 million in a Series A funding round led by Northpoint Capital, with participation from Nexus Venture Partners. The company will use the capital to scale its AI-enabled game production and live services platform, deepen global market presence, and expand partnerships across gaming ecosystems.

Coffee-first beverage brand Drickle raises INR 6 Cr in seed round

Bengaluru-based coffee-first beverage QSR brand Drickle has raised close to INR 6 crore in a seed funding round from a group of angel investors and operators. The funds will be used to expand its outlet network, strengthen backend operations, and invest in brand building and marketing.

Perfume brand Secret Alchemist raises $3 Mn led by Unilever Ventures

Perfume and wellness brand Secret Alchemist has secured $3 million in funding led by Unilever Ventures, with participation from DSG Consumer Partners. The round includes primary and secondary capital and will support product expansion, marketing initiatives, and team growth.

Hexalog bags $4 Mn in seed round led by ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL

Cross-border supply chain enablement startup Hexalog has raised $4 million in a seed round led by ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL. The company plans to strengthen its technology stack and build a scalable AI-driven orchestration platform for global trade and logistics operations.

Misochain Technologies raises INR 18 Cr in seed round led by Capital-A

Aerospace deep-tech startup Misochain Technologies has raised INR 18 crore in a seed funding round led by Capital-A. The capital will be deployed to set up manufacturing infrastructure, accelerate certification programmes, and scale engineering and testing capabilities.

Specialty chemicals startup Atomgrid raises $7 Mn in pre-Series A

Specialty chemicals platform Atomgrid has raised $7 million in a pre-Series A round through a mix of equity and venture debt. The funds will support international expansion, capacity building, and faster product development across its chemical solutions portfolio.

10-min beauty service platform Dazzl raises $3.2 Mn led by Stellaris

On-demand beauty and wellness services startup Dazzl has raised $3.2 million in a Seed funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners. The startup plans to pilot and scale its rapid-delivery beauty services model while strengthening hyperlocal operations.

Key Business News for 13th January 2026

TCS cuts 11,151 jobs in Q3 FY26

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services exporter, reduced its workforce by 11,151 employees in the December quarter of FY26, marking the second consecutive quarter of headcount decline as part of a broader restructuring exercise. The total employee count fell to around 582,163 at the end of Q3 FY26 from about 593,314 in the previous quarter. The company has been realigning its manpower strategy in response to changing delivery models and increasing automation, while continuing to invest in AI skills and next-generation talent.

Paytm institutional shareholding rises again in Q3 FY26

One 97 Communications Ltd (Paytm) saw a continued rise in institutional shareholding in Q3 FY26, indicating sustained investor confidence in the company’s fundamentals and growth trajectory. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), particularly Category I FPIs, increased their stake significantly after Paytm’s inclusion in the MSCI Global Standard Index, while domestic institutional ownership also grew as insurance companies expanded their positions. Although Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) shareholding slightly declined due to a block deal, the overall pattern reflects optimism around Paytm’s improving operational performance and long-term prospects.