Daily Indian Startup Funding Roundup & Key News - 27 April 2026: Metasports Bags $20 Mn, JioHotstar Posts ₹31,048 Cr Revenue, Kissht IPO Opens 30 April
Monday, 27 April 2026, was a landmark day for Indian startup and tech news, with a packed business slate stealing the spotlight from a relatively light funding day. Metasports Interactive, the company behind cricket game Hitwicket, secured $20 million in non-dilutive user acquisition financing from London-based Metica. On the business front, JioHotstar reported a strong FY26 with ₹31,048 crore in revenue and ₹3,228 crore in profit before tax; Acko announced its IPO banker lineup targeting a $2–2.5 billion valuation; Kissht filed its RHP and set its price band ahead of an April 30 IPO opening; MobiKwik secured RBI approval for an NBFC licence; and Amazon Now unveiled an aggressive expansion to 100 cities.
Daily Indian Startup Funding Digest - 27 April 2026
| STARTUP | SECTOR | FUNDING | ROUND | LEAD INVESTORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metasports Interactive (Hitwicket) | Mobile Gaming | $20 Mn (~₹167 Cr) | UA Financing | Metica |
Metasports Interactive Secures $20 Mn in User Acquisition Financing
Metasports Interactive, a mobile gaming company, has secured $20 million in user acquisition (UA) funding from London-based growth financing firm Metica. The capital will be used to scale marketing and user acquisition for Hitwicket, the company's multiplayer cricket game, and support its next phase of international expansion.
Founded by Kashyap Reddy and Keerti Singh, Metasports Interactive claims that Hitwicket has built a player base of over 18 million users across 109 countries since launch. Alongside the funding, Metica will also provide its technology platform to help improve in-game revenue performance and strengthen unit economics. The company is targeting nearly 8x growth over the next 18 months through expansion in priority global markets, AI-led targeting, and further product development.
Metasports had earlier raised $8 million from Prime Venture Partners and Horizon Ventures, and is also backed by cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. UA funding is a non-dilutive financing model used by gaming and consumer app companies to fund customer acquisition based on performance metrics.
Key Business News for 27 April 2026
JioHotstar Posts ₹31,048 Cr Revenue and ₹3,228 Cr PBT in FY26
Reliance Industries' media business, led by JioHotstar, scaled up sharply in FY26, with the platform's monthly active users reaching around 550 million in March 2026, making it one of the largest streaming platforms globally by user base. For the full year, the media segment reported operating revenue of ₹31,048 crore, EBITDA of ₹4,885 crore with a margin of 15.7%, and profit before tax of ₹3,228 crore.
Sports continued to be a key growth driver, the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 recorded a peak concurrency of 72.5 million users, while IPL 2026 delivered a record opening weekend with nearly 60% growth in peak concurrency. Digital advertising emerged as the standout monetisation lever for the year, supported by rising connected TV adoption and a broader advertiser base. JioHotstar has now crossed 1 billion downloads and is available across 99% of connected TV devices in India.
Acko Eyes IPO at $2–2.5 Bn Valuation; Appoints ICICI, Morgan Stanley, Kotak
Digital insurtech firm Acko has appointed ICICI Securities, Morgan Stanley, and Kotak Securities as book-running lead managers for its upcoming IPO. The Bengaluru-based company is expected to file its DRHP with SEBI in the coming months, with the public issue likely to include a mix of a fresh issue and an offer for sale by existing investors, according to sources.
Founded in 2016 by Varun Dua and Ruchi Deepak, Acko has raised over $583 million from investors including General Atlantic, Multiples PE, Accel, and Elevation Capital. The company's operating revenue rose to ₹2,837 crore in FY25 from ₹2,106 crore in FY24, while losses narrowed 37% to ₹424 crore. The IPO is expected to value the firm in the range of $2 billion to $2.5 billion, a step down from its last private valuation of around $3 billion.
Kissht Files RHP for ₹926 Cr IPO; Price Band Set at ₹162–171
Digital lending platform Kissht, operated by OnEMI Technology Solutions, has filed its RHP with SEBI and is set to launch its ₹926 crore IPO on April 30, with the subscription window closing on May 5 and the anchor book opening on April 29. The company has set a price band of ₹162-171 per share, valuing it at approximately ₹3,062 crore (~$329 million) at the upper end.
The fresh issue has been reduced to ₹850 crore from the ₹1,000 crore proposed in its earlier DRHP, while the offer for sale has also been trimmed to 4.4 million shares estimated at around ₹76 crore. A major portion of fresh issue proceeds, ₹637.5 crore, will be infused into its subsidiary Si Creva to strengthen capital adequacy. Founded in 2015 by Ranvir Singh and Krishnan Vishwanathan, Kissht reported operating revenue of ₹1,337 crore and a net profit of ₹160 crore in FY25.
MobiKwik Gets RBI Nod for NBFC Licence to Launch In-House Lending Arm
Fintech firm One MobiKwik Systems has secured approval from the Reserve Bank of India for its NBFC application, enabling it to launch a lending arm through its wholly owned subsidiary MobiKwik Financial Services Private Limited. Operations will commence only after receipt of the Certificate of Registration and fulfilment of regulatory conditions.
The NBFC licence will allow MobiKwik to originate and underwrite loans directly, moving beyond its existing model of partnering with third-party lenders, a shift expected to improve margins and strengthen control over credit risk. The company plans to offer both secured and unsecured credit products to consumers and MSMEs, leveraging its user base of over 186 million. Following the announcement, MobiKwik shares surged over 15% to hit a 52-week high of ₹241, taking its market capitalisation to approximately $200 million.
Amazon Now to Expand to 100 Cities with Over 1,000 Micro-Fulfilment Centres
Amazon India has announced that its quick commerce arm, Amazon Now, will expand to 100 cities, backed by over 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres. The announcement follows Amazon's commitment of ₹2,800 crore to strengthen its infrastructure and operations across the country, as part of its previously announced plan to invest $35 billion in India by 2030.
Currently, Amazon Now operates in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, supported by 300 micro-fulfilment centres. The planned expansion covers several metro and non-metro cities, including Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Kochi, and Visakhapatnam, among others. The move puts Amazon Now in direct competition with Blinkit, which is targeting 3,000 dark stores by March 2027, Swiggy Instamart with 1,136 active stores, and Zepto's approximately 1,150 locations.
Muskaan Kapoor
