Venture Capital

India’s startups go thirsty as the world drowns in AI money

Nikhil Patwardhan

September 30, 2025 | 9 Min Read

While global markets ride a wave of AI-driven venture capital growth, India’s startup funding contracts to the lowest in nearly a decade. With late-stage deals drying up and investor strategies evolving, the first 9 months of 2025 unfold as a pivotal period of both challenge and recalibration.

Nine months into 2025, the global venture engine is once again at full throttle. In San Francisco, billion-dollar AI rounds have become a weekly spectacle. In Beijing, disruptive models are redrawing competitive lines overnight. Money that fled during 2022’s downturn has returned in force.

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