Diwali Sparks: This Week's Top Startup Funding Deals (Oct 11–17) Top-funded startups this week lighting up the festive season

As Diwali lights up the nation, the startup ecosystem is shining just as brightly. From fast delivery and AI-driven language learning to organic farming and global HR solutions, these ventures are transforming industries and scaling rapidly. This week, several Indian startups have secured significant funding, highlighting innovation, growth, and the entrepreneurial spirit that continues to illuminate the market.

Zepto (Quick Commerce)

Inception: 2021
Founders: Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra
Headquarters: Bengaluru (relocated from Mumbai in 2024)

Zepto is a quick-commerce company offering ultra-fast delivery of groceries, lifestyle products, and ready-to-eat items through a network of micro-warehouses. Its services include 10-minute grocery delivery, Zepto Café, Zepto Bloom, an AI-powered analytics platform (Zepto Atom), and a conversational assistant (Zepto GPT).

Funding Amount: USD 450 Million
Investors: California Public Employees' Retirement System, General Catalyst, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, The Stepstone Group, Nexus Venture Partners

Deel (HR Tech)

Inception: 2019
Founders: Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang
Headquarters: San Francisco

Deel provides a global HR platform to manage payroll, contracts, and compliance, enabling companies to hire and pay employees and contractors worldwide.

Funding Amount: USD 300 Million
Investors: Ribbit Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue Management, General Catalyst, Green Bay Ventures

Kuku FM (Audio Content)

Inception: 2018
Founders: Lal Chand Bisu, Vikas Goyal, Vinod Kumar Meena
Headquarters: Mumbai

Kuku FM offers exclusive audio content in multiple Indian languages, including fiction, non-fiction, book summaries, self-help, news, mythology, and spirituality. Its services include Kuku FM, an audio-first platform, and Kuku TV, a micro-drama video platform.

Funding Amount: USD 85 Million
Investors: Granite Asia, Vertex Growth Fund, Krafton, IFC, Paramark, Tribe Capital India, Bitkraft

Dezerv (Wealth Tech)

Inception: 2021
Founders: Sandeep Jethwani, Vaibhav Porwal, Sahil Contractor
Headquarters: Mumbai

Dezerv provides portfolio management and investment solutions for affluent individuals, combining expert advisory with technology to help clients analyse and optimise their investments. The platform operates in over 200 cities.

Funding Amount: USD 40 Million
Investors: Premji Invest, Accel's Global Growth Fund, Elevation Capital, Z47

HouseEazy (Prop Tech)

Inception: 2021
Founders: Deepak Bhatia and Tarun Sainani
Headquarters: Noida

HouseEazy offers an online marketplace for buying and selling residential resale properties, using AI-based pricing and technology-driven tools. The platform is active in Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram.

Funding Amount: USD 17 Million
Investors: Accel, Chiratae Ventures, Antler, and others

SpeakX (EdTech)

Inception: 2023
Founder: Arpit Mittal
Headquarters: Gurugram

SpeakX is a subscription-based mobile app that uses generative AI to provide personalised English learning experiences. Learners engage with an AI tutor in role-plays simulating real-life situations such as interviews or workplace discussions.

Funding Amount: USD 16 Million
Investors: WestBridge Capital, Elevation Capital, Goodwater Capital, Shyamal Anadkat of OpenAI, Ronnie Screwvala of upGrad

Two Brothers Organic Farms (Agri Tech)

Inception: 2014
Founders: Ajinkya and Satyajit Hange
Headquarters: Pune

Two Brothers Organic Farms focuses on farmer welfare, soil-first sustainability, and indigenous community support. The company provides a wide range of organic products and collaborates with farmers using regenerative farming techniques. It has a presence in over 50 countries.