Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News - 25 May 2026: Yes Madam Bags ₹50 Cr, abcoffee Raises ₹61 Cr, Pronto Faces AI Privacy Backlash
India's startup funding action on 25 May 2026 spanned biotech, speciality coffee, beauty services and D2C jewellery. Four startups collectively raised over $26 million across early and growth-stage rounds, with biotech firm StrainX leading the day at $13 million. In key business news, corporate travel platform Ziptrrip acquired online travel marketplace HelloTravel, while D2C jewellery brand GIVA roped in actor Kriti Sanon as investor and brand ambassador.
Daily Indian Startup Funding Roundup - 25 May 2026
| Startup | Sector | Funding | Round | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| StrainX Bioworks | Biotech / Alternative Proteins | ₹124 Cr (~$13 Mn) | Early Stage | Prime Venture Partners, Leo Capital |
| abcoffee | F&B / Specialty Coffee | ₹61 Cr (~$6.4 Mn) | Pre-Series B | Kliff Ventures |
| Yes Madam | At-Home Salon Services | ₹50 Cr (~$5.2 Mn) | Maiden Institutional | Info Edge Growth Fund |
| GIVA | D2C Jewellery | Undisclosed (Undisclosed) | Strategic Investment | Kriti Sanon |
StrainX Bioworks Raises ₹124 Crore ($13 Million) Funding
Bhopal-based biotech startup StrainX Bioworks has emerged from stealth mode. Founded in 2023 by IIT Delhi alumni Akshay Mittal and Alok Malaviya, it manufactures alternative proteins using synthetic biology and precision fermentation, with applications across food, nutrition, materials and cosmetics.
The startup has raised ₹124 crore (~$13 million) in a round co-led by Prime Venture Partners and Leo Capital. The round also saw participation from Good Startup, Sparrow Capital, Sun Icon Ventures, Dholakia Ventures and WindT Angels. This marked Singapore-based Good Startup's first investment in India.
StrainX plans to deploy the capital to expand capacity at its Bhopal bio-manufacturing fermentation facility and begin commercial-scale production. A portion will also bolster its Bengaluru R&D lab through scientist hiring and tech capability upgrades. The facility's current 10,000-litre capacity can be scaled tenfold over the next two years.
abcoffee Raises ₹61 Crore Pre-Series B Funding
Mumbai-based speciality coffee chain abcoffee positions itself as a tech-enabled grab-and-go brand focused on premium Indian coffee. Founded in 2022 by Abhijeet Anand, it operates more than 90 outlets across Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru, and recently launched flavours such as Matcha and a protein coffee lineup called Procaff.
The startup has raised ₹61 crore (~$6.4 million) in its Pre-Series B round led by Kliff Ventures, with participation from Hero Enterprise Partner Ventures, Merisis Venture Fund and Stride Ventures. With this round, its total funding has crossed $11 million, including a previous $3.4 million Series A led by Nexus Venture Partners.
The fresh capital will support expansion across existing and new markets in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru. A portion will also go towards strengthening tech, customer engagement, subscriptions, supply chain and backend infrastructure. In FY26, abcoffee claims its revenue doubled year-on-year, while store-level EBITDA jumped 193.2%.
Yes Madam Raises ₹50 Crore Maiden Funding Round
At-home salon startup Yes Madam offers salon and spa services for both male and female customers, with waxing and facials as anchor offerings. Founded in 2016 by Mayank Arya, Aditya Arya and Akanksha Vishnoi, it operates across around 55 cities through a network of over 12,000 partner professionals.
Yes Madam has raised ₹50 crore (~$5.2 million) in its maiden institutional round from Info Edge Growth Fund. Yes Madam claims to have reported revenue of ₹195 crore in FY26, up 107% from ₹94 crore in FY25, while posting a profit of ₹1.8 crore in FY25.
The funds will fuel expansion into new Indian cities, enhance its technology stack, deepen the partner network and improve customer experience. The startup is also eyeing the GCC and Southeast Asian markets for future growth, while doubling down on private label products and beauty devices.
GIVA Onboards Kriti Sanon as Investor and Brand Ambassador
D2C jewellery brand GIVA has roped in Bollywood actor and Hyphen cofounder Kriti Sanon as its brand ambassador and investor. Founded in 2019 by Ishendra Agarwal, Nikita Prasad and Sachin Shetty, GIVA started with 925 fine silver jewellery and later expanded into 14K and 18K gold and lab-grown diamond jewellery.
The startup did not disclose the capital invested by Sanon. Beyond the investment, she will contribute to brand-building, collection design and consumer engagement efforts. GIVA currently claims to serve over 2 million customers across 55+ cities via 350+ stores.
In June last year, GIVA raised ₹530 crore (~$62 million) in a round led by Creaegis, with participation from Premji Invest, Epiq Capital and Edelweiss Discovery Fund. Overall, it has raised about $102 million since inception. Its operating revenue surged over 89% to ₹518 crore in FY25, although net loss widened 23% to ₹72.3 crore.
Key Business News for 25 May 2026
Ziptrrip Acquires HelloTravel to Expand Business Travel Play
Corporate travel and expense management platform Ziptrrip has acquired online travel marketplace HelloTravel Online. The acquisition will help Ziptrrip expand across business leisure, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions), and experiential travel. HelloTravel will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wayfarers Technologies, with its founders exiting while the existing team continues operations. Co-founded in 2019 by Shan Prabhakaran and Rishabh Agarwal, Ziptrrip claims to have facilitated over 2 lakh trips across more than 650 corporates.
Pronto AI Row Sparks Privacy Debate in Home Services
The controversy around Bengaluru-based home services startup Pronto has brought India’s in-home data governance debate into sharp focus after the company reportedly tested opt-in recordings during household service tasks to train AI systems. While Pronto clarified that the pilot was consent-based and temporary, the move triggered privacy concerns over surveillance inside homes, data storage, AI training, and consumer trust.
The issue has reportedly attracted the attention of MeitY, while rivals like Urban Company distanced themselves from such practices. The incident highlights a growing challenge for AI-driven startups: balancing the demand for real-world behavioral data with rising expectations around privacy, transparency, and regulatory compliance in India’s evolving AI ecosystem.
Faad Capital CEO Sparks Debate on Founder Salaries
Faad Capital CEO Aditya Arora has sparked a debate after arguing that founders paying themselves extremely low salaries despite well-funded balance sheets is a red flag, not discipline. Citing a Bengaluru founder drawing ₹50,000 a month while sitting on ₹5 crore in the bank, Arora said such founders raise Series A at lower valuations almost as often as those drawing above ₹50 lakh. He recommended founders pay themselves at least ₹24 lakh annually to cover mortgage, schooling and family expenses. The post has reignited conversation around founder compensation norms in Indian startups.
Muskaan Kapoor
