Sector mix
Artificial Intelligence (AI) topped the month with 13 rounds. Two sectors deep is usually enough for a founder deck “competitive landscape” slide — use the links below rather than a generic Google search.
January 2026
January 2026: 70 rounds, Artificial Intelligence led
VC Dekho editorial
January 2026: 70 rounds, Artificial Intelligence led
70Rounds publishedJanuary 2026
37%Early-stage sharePre-seed + seed labels
Artificial IntelligenceTop sector13 rounds
BengaluruTop city27 rounds
Summary
This report summarises 70 startup funding notices VC Dekho collected for January 2026. We are not guessing market size — every number here comes from a public disclosure with a date, and usually a company name, amount, or investor list.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the busiest sector label (13 rounds, 19% of the month). Rainmatter (Zerodha) appeared on more notices than any other matched fund. That pattern is what founders should copy into a research sprint: read the deals, then open the funds.
About 37% of notices carried a pre-seed or seed stage label — useful if you are raising a first institutional cheque and want proof points from the same month.
What VC Dekho observed
Geography
Bengaluru led city tags with 27 notices. Metro concentration is normal in India; if you are outside the top city, anchor your story to sector and stage instead of pretending geography is evenly spread.
Investor activity
Rainmatter (Zerodha) led matched fund mentions (5 rounds). Treat that as a research queue, not an endorsement — open the profile, check stage and sector fit, then decide who to email.
Largest disclosed round
Arya.ag published $80.58 Mn (Series D). Even if you are raising a smaller cheque, read the notice for investor names you can trace into the directory.
By the numbers
Each figure includes what it measures and what it does not — so you can cite the report without over-claiming.
70Notices published
Public disclosures VC Dekho captured with a date in this month.
+6 (+9%)Vs prior month
Compared with 64 notices in December 2025. Moves reflect disclosure volume in our feed, not a full market census.
66 / 4 hidAmount disclosed
66 notices named a round size; 4 left amount undisclosed on the public notice.
$640.3MPublished size (est.)
Rough USD total from 66 notices with parseable amounts. Median deal about $3.1M. Use for direction, not accounting.
90%Named a stage
63 of 70 notices included a stage label (pre-seed, seed, Series A, etc.).
100%Named investors
70 notices listed at least one investor. Empty fields mean the source stayed silent — we do not infer.
Compare with December 2025 report (64 notices).
When notices landed (by week of month)
Month-on-month volume
January 2026 logged 70 dated notices in VC Dekho, up from 64 in December 2025 (+9% change).
Treat that as disclosure rhythm in public sources, not proof that fewer companies raised. Late filings, quiet PR, and undisclosed amounts all show up as “missing” months before they appear in the feed.
For side-by-side context, open the December 2025 report and compare sector and investor leaderboards — that is usually more actionable than the headline count alone.
Artificial Intelligence led sector tags
Artificial Intelligence (AI) appeared on 13 notices (19% of the month). Founders in that wedge can use these comps in outreach; founders outside it should explain why their market is different, not ignore the pattern.
In December 2025, Healthcare led with 10 notices — watch whether leadership rotated or the same sector stayed hot.
Bengaluru led geography tags
Bengaluru was tagged on 27 notices. Metro concentration is normal in Indian disclosures; tier-2 raises exist but show up less often in public text.
If you are not in Bengaluru, anchor your fundraise story on sector and stage fit, and pull investor names from rounds in your actual city via the funding feed filters.
Stage mix
The most common stage label was “Seed” (22 notices). 26 notices looked early-stage (pre-seed or seed).
Stage fields are only as good as the press release — use them to filter comps, not to judge whether a company is “really” Series A.
Full deal list (largest published amounts first)
Every row links to the round page. Matched funds link to directory profiles.
| Company | Amount | Stage | City | Sector | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arya.ag3 Jan 2026 | $80.58 Mn | Series D | Noida | Agro | GEF Capital Partners |
| Emergent21 Jan 2026 | $70.00 Mn | Series B | Bengaluru | Artificial Intelligence | SoftBank, Prosus, Lightspeed, Together Fund |
| Juspay23 Jan 2026 | $50.00 Mn | Series D | Bengaluru | Financial Services | WestBridge Capital |
| Namdev Finvest19 Jan 2026 | $37.00 Mn | Debt | Jaipur | Financial Services | Franklin Templeton Alternative Investment Fund, Symbiotics Investments |
| Pee Safe14 Jan 2026 | $32.00 Mn | Not listed | Gurugram | Healthcare | OrbiMed |
| Sukino13 Jan 2026 | $31.00 Mn | Series B | Bengaluru | Healthcare | Rainmatter (Zerodha) |
| Easy Home Finance29 Jan 2026 | $30.00 Mn | Series C | Mumbai | Banking and Finance | Claypond Capital, SMBC |
| Emversity15 Jan 2026 | $30.00 Mn | Series A | Bengaluru | Education | Lightspeed, Z47 |
| Unbox Robotics20 Jan 2026 | $28.00 Mn | Not listed | Pune | Logistics | ICICI Venture, Redstart Labs (Naukri), F-Prime, 3one4 Capital |
| Escape Plan22 Jan 2026 | $25.00 Mn | Series A | Bengaluru | Quick Commerce | Fireside Ventures, IndiGo Ventures |
| Knight Fintech2 Jan 2026 | $23.60 Mn | Series A | Mumbai | Financial Services | Accel, IIFL Capital, Rocket Capital, Prime Venture Partners |
| EtherealX16 Jan 2026 | $20.50 Mn | Series A | Bengaluru | Aerospace | TDK Ventures, BIG Capital |
| Aerem21 Jan 2026 | $15.00 Mn | Pre Series B | Mumbai | Solar | The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC), British International Investment (BII), Blume Ventures, Avaana Capital |
| Whizzo20 Jan 2026 | $15.00 Mn | Series A | Bengaluru | Textiles | BeeNext, LB Investment, Lightspeed |
| Risa Labs14 Jan 2026 | $11.10 Mn | Series A | New Delhi | Artificial Intelligence | Optum Ventures, Oncology Ventures, z21 Ventures, Ventureforgood entity (John Simmon- General Catalyst) |
Sectors this period
Cities this period
Stages this period
Funds writing the most cheques
Ranked by disclosed round mentions — click through for thesis, cheque size, and partners.
Startups to study
Open a company for investors named on the notice, then jump to fund profiles.
$80.58 Mn.Arya.agStageSeries DInvestorsGEF Capital PartnersAgro
$70.00 Mn.EmergentStageSeries BInvestorsSoftBank, ProsusArtificial Intelligence (AI)
$50.00 Mn.JuspayStageSeries DInvestorsWestBridge CapitalFinancial Services
$37.00 Mn.Namdev FinvestStageDebtInvestorsFranklin Templeton Alternative Investment Fund, Symbiotics InvestmentsFinancial Services
$32.00 Mn.Pee SafeStageNot listedInvestorsOrbiMedHealthcare
$31.00 Mn.SukinoStageSeries BInvestorsRainmatter (Zerodha)HealthcareIf you are raising next
01Compare your stage to this monthFilter the live feed to your sector and stage, then save funds that keep appearing.Open funding feed →02Build a fund shortlistUse fund fit to line up cheque size with funds from this report’s leaderboard.Try fund fit →03Get alerts on new roundsCreate a free account to track investors and unlock contacts when you are ready.Sign up free →
Founder takeaway
What to do with this
For January 2026, Artificial Intelligence led disclosed activity and Rainmatter (Zerodha) was the most repeated fund name. Founders raising now should mirror that research path: open comparable deals, trace investors into the directory, then outreach only after stage and cheque fit look real.
Cite this report
According to VC Dekho’s disclosed funding tracker, 70 startup rounds were published in January 2026; top sectors: Artificial Intelligence (AI) (13), Healthcare (11), Financial Services (7); most active investors: Rainmatter (Zerodha), 3one4 Capital, Blume Ventures. Source: vcdekho.com/funding/reports/2026-01.