Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News - 15 July 2026: Ather Bags ₹1,200 Cr, Emergent Turns Unicorn, Centre's ₹62,500 Cr Mobile Push
Electric mobility and consumer brands led the deal flow on 15 July 2026, with seven rounds spanning EVs, AI software, D2C food and grocery. Ather Energy topped the day with a ₹1,200 crore preferential issue, while AI software startup Emergent joined the unicorn club at a $1.5 billion valuation. Fireside Ventures backed two separate rounds, in baby care brand Promom and grocery startup Anmasa. In policy news, the Union Cabinet cleared a ₹62,500 crore mobile phone manufacturing scheme, and Zomato began piloting an AI voice bot for food orders.
Daily Indian Startup Funding Digest - 15 July 2026
| Startup | Sector | Funding | Round | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ather Energy | Electric Vehicles | ₹1,200 Cr (~$144 Mn) | Preferential Issue | Hero MotoCorp, India-Japan Fund |
| Emergent | AI Software | ~₹1,080 Cr ($130 Mn) | Series C | Creaegis |
| E3 Electric.Ai | Electric Vehicles | ₹100 Cr (~$10.4 Mn) | Series A | BluVenture Holdings |
| Open Secret | D2C / Healthy Snacking | ₹50 Cr (~$5.2 Mn) | Equity & Debt | Desai Brothers Group |
| Promom | Maternal & Baby Care | ₹30 Cr (~$3.1 Mn) | Undisclosed | Fireside Ventures |
| Anmasa | D2C Grocery | ₹30 Cr (~$3.1 Mn) | Seed | Fireside Ventures, Blume Ventures |
| Hisabkitab | Fintech SaaS | Undisclosed (Undisclosed) | Seed | Angel Investors & HNIs |
Ather Energy Raises ₹1,200 Crore in Preferential Issue
Ather Energy is a Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler maker and one of the larger listed players in India's EV scooter market.
The company's board approved a preferential issue worth ₹1,200 crore (~$144 million). Existing investor Hero MotoCorp is committing nearly ₹960 crore through 76.19 lakh convertible warrants, the India-Japan Fund is investing ₹200 crore, and co-founders Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain are putting in ₹20 crore each. After the allotment, Hero MotoCorp's stake rises to 30.68% from 29.48% on a fully diluted basis.
The raise is part of Ather's plan to shore up capital for expansion, research and development, new products and manufacturing capacity as competition with Ola Electric, TVS and Bajaj intensifies. Ather shares touched an all-time high of ₹1,313.8 on the day of the announcement.
Emergent Raises $130 Million Series C, Turns Unicorn at $1.5 Billion
Emergent is an AI software creation platform founded in 2024 by Dunzo co-founder Mukund Jha and his brother Madhav Jha, letting users build web and mobile apps using autonomous AI agents.
The startup raised $130 million (~₹1,080 crore) in a Series C round led by Creaegis, with MNI Ventures, Claypond Capital and Sentinel Global as co-leads. Khosla Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Lightspeed and Y Combinator also took part. The round lifted its valuation to $1.5 billion and total funding to $230 million, making it India's sixth unicorn of 2026 and the third homegrown AI unicorn after Krutrim and Sarvam.
The funds will go towards hiring, open-source AI research and global expansion. Emergent says more than 12 million apps have been built on its platform by users across 190 countries, with an annualised revenue run rate of about $120 million; India contributes 6-7% of revenue.
E3 Electric.Ai Raises ₹100 Crore in Series A
E3 Electric.Ai is a Bengaluru-based electric mobility startup founded in 2024 by former TVS Motor EV head P Sanjeev, building AI-powered scooters for family commuters.
E3 Electric.Ai raised ₹100 crore (~$10.4 million) in a Series A round led by BluVenture Holdings, with participation from undisclosed angel investors. About 75% of the funding came through equity and the rest through debt.
E3 follows an asset-light model and will direct most of the capital towards intellectual property and technology rather than manufacturing. It plans to launch its first scooter, the E3 TRION, in Bengaluru and southern markets, and has identified around 90 markets including Delhi for expansion this financial year.
Open Secret Raises ₹50 Crore to Expand Offline Presence
Open Secret is a Mumbai-based D2C healthy snacking brand founded in 2019 by Ahana Gautam, offering cookies, baked chips, protein powders, namkeen and dry fruits.
The brand raised over ₹50 crore (~$5.2 million) in a round led by Desai Brothers Group, including ₹30 crore in primary equity plus institutional debt. Open Secret claims to have crossed ₹200 crore in annual recurring revenue, with 10% month-on-month growth and EBITDA profitability.
The capital will fund offline expansion beyond its current 500-plus retail outlets, a sharper push into savoury snacks, and AI deployment across the supply chain. The company is targeting ₹1,000 crore in ARR within three years.
Promom Raises ₹30 Crore Led by Fireside Ventures
Promom is a maternal and baby care brand founded in 2023 by Anavi Kalia, Manas Tripathi and Aditya Srivastava, which began with products addressing feeding challenges for new mothers.
The startup raised ₹30 crore (~$3.1 million) in a funding round led by Fireside Ventures. Promom operated as a bootstrapped D2C business before this raise, with growth driven largely by customer referrals.
The fresh capital will fund product innovation, a wider maternal and baby care portfolio and pan-India distribution. The round comes amid rising investor interest in the segment, with the Indian baby care products market valued at $4.82 billion in 2025 and projected to cross $10 billion by 2034.
Anmasa Raises ₹30 Crore Seed Round for New Markets
Anmasa is a D2C grocery startup founded in 2023 by Yatish Talvadia and Shailendra Upadhyay, selling minimally processed staples such as freshly milled flour, wood-pressed oils, spices and pulses across around 200 SKUs.
The startup raised ₹30 crore (~$3.1 million) in a seed round led by Fireside Ventures, with participation from existing backer Blume Ventures and select angels. This takes its total funding to about ₹47 crore.
Anmasa runs a hyperlocal micro-manufacturing model, preparing staples in small batches after an order is placed, with deliveries within 90 minutes. It plans to enter Bengaluru within three to six months, followed by Pune or Hyderabad, and has identified 25 cities for expansion over five years.
Hisabkitab Raises Seed Round at ₹20 Crore Valuation
Hisabkitab is a Surat-based AI-powered, cloud-native accounting platform for small and medium businesses, launched in 2022 by Shrigopal Malani and Abhinav Sharma.
The startup raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round from angel investors and HNIs at a ₹20 crore valuation. It claims more than 30,000 sign-ups and over 2,700 paying SMEs, with monthly revenue growing nearly sixfold to ₹25.01 lakh in June 2026 from ₹4.18 lakh in May 2025.
The funds will build out its AI Intelligence Layer, including Audit, Tax Preparation, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable agents, alongside performance marketing and hiring. It competes with Vyapar, Tally, Khatabook, Zoho Books and Refrens.
Muskaan Kapoor
Key Business News for 15 July 2026
Cabinet Clears ₹62,500 Crore Mobile Manufacturing Scheme
The Union Cabinet approved a Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme with a ₹62,500 crore outlay, running for five years till FY31. It offers incentives of up to 5% on eligible sales, plus up to 1.5% for domestic component sourcing and an additional 3% for product design and R&D. The government expects it to drive cumulative production of about ₹39 lakh crore and create around 60,000 direct jobs. The scheme succeeds the PLI-LSEM programme that ended on 31 March 2026.
Zomato Pilots AI Voice Bot for Food Ordering
Eternal's food delivery arm, Zomato, is piloting an AI-powered voice bot that lets users order food using voice commands, currently available to select users in parts of Bengaluru. The feature lets customers discuss what they might want to eat and then offers personalised recommendations. The pilot extends Zomato's GenAI push, which already includes its Nugget support platform and an internal voice bot for delivery partners. In Q4 FY26, Zomato reported a 33% year-on-year rise in operating revenue to ₹2,737 crore.
Muskaan Kapoor
