Startup News Today - 30 November 2025: Top Funding, Launches, Failures, Mergers, IPO Updates & Market Highlights

A quick and simple roundup of startup news for 30 Nov 2025. See today’s funding deals, new launches, and important updates.

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Aadi tracks the venture capital beat. An MBA graduate, he looks past the headlines to audit deal flow and capital efficiency. His work covers emerging market fintech trends and unit economics.

Today 24 startups raised a total of $991.25 million, comprising 14 growth-stage and 10 early-stage deals, while multiple firms kept funding undisclosed. This marks a sharp spike in volume driven by climate and edtech mega-rounds.

Growth-stage deals

1. Climate-focused investment firm Just Climate led the charts, deploying $375 million into industrial decarbonization solutions. 
2. Edtech player Billionbrains Garage locked in Rs 1,044 crore ($125 million) in a Series A round led by family offices. 
3. Saudi fintech Erad secured a $125 million debt facility from Partners for Growth to fuel lending. 
4. Zomato parent Eternal pumped Rs 600 crore ($72 million) into Blinkit; the capital fortifies dark store infrastructure. 
5. Insurtech player Roojai bagged $42 million via a Series B round led by HDI International. 
6. Proptech firm Square Yards secured Rs 300 crore ($35 million) to deleverage its balance sheet. 
7. Fintech BKN301 lifted its Series B to €29 million ($33 million) for MENA expansion. 
8. Education lender Auxilo picked up Rs 225 crore ($27 million) from Tata Capital and ICICI Bank. 
9. Telecom infra provider CloudExtel bagged Rs 200 crore ($24 million) from NIIF. 
10. Uzbekistan’s fintech unicorn Uzum tapped the bond market for 300 billion soums ($23.5 million). 
11. Swiss firm Gravis Robotics picked up $23 million in a Series A round. 
12. StockGro secured $20 million led by Bitkraft Ventures. 
13. Tola Capital backed Codenotary with a $16.5 million check. 
14. Rencore closed a $15 million Series B led by UVC Partners.

Early-stage deals

1. InductEV received a $10.5 million strategic investment from EO Charging. 
2. Info Edge doubled down on subsidiary Smartweb Internet Services with a Rs 70 crore ($8.3 million) injection. 
3. Web3 identity protocol Onton bagged $7.5 million in a seed round led by Hashed. 
4. D2C brand Wakefit picked up Rs 55 crore ($6.7 million) in debt capital from Alteria. 
5. Cleantech player BatteryPool closed a Rs 8 crore ($950,000) pre-Series A round. 
6. Yuvrit Ayurveda announced a seed raise of $800,000. 
7. Humbrela secured $161,000 for AI underwriting. 
8. Four ANZ startups collectively raised $52.1 million. 
9. Kenyan startups were awarded $15K grants.

City and segment-wise deals

1. London and New Delhi topped the value charts driven by climate and edtech deals. 
2. Gurugram and Bengaluru remained the busiest hubs. 
3. Deals were also recorded in Zurich, Riyadh, and Houston.
4. Fintech and Climate Tech dominated the flow. 
5. Edtech and Proptech followed with significant ticket sizes. 
6. Capital also moved into Telecom, Spacetech, and Cybersecurity.

Mergers and Acquisitions

1. Adani Defence has snapped up FSTC for Rs 820 crore ($98M). 
2. The deal grants access to pilot training infrastructure. 
3. Vyapar acquired automation platform Suvit to integrate data entry tech. 
4. Majesco bought Vitech to consolidate group insurance software. 
5. Groww acquired Fisdom for Rs 104 crore via a share swap. 
6. Co-living operator myAbode acquired FirstList. 
7. FinFan formed a remittance alliance with Thunes.

Financial result this week

1. Jar losses halved to Rs 60 Cr in FY25; revenue doubled amid gold-lending pivot.
2. Blue Tokai top-line jumps 70% to Rs 127 Cr; losses stood at Rs 42 Cr.
3. HungerBox revenue climbed 12% to Rs 82 Cr; losses narrowed to Rs 11 Cr.
4. Visa revenue beat Q4 estimates; cross-border volume up 8%.
5. Vision Marine revenue hit $3.2 million; losses widened on R&D spend.
6. Adyen remains resilient despite tariff pressure; volumes steady.
7. PayPal BNPL growth surged; Payoneer valuation jumped on earnings beat.
8. Frontier Lithium released financials; CapEx aligns with battery demand.
9. Global Payments stock recovered on renewed investor appetite.

Fund Launches

1. Africa launched a $3.9 billion fund to boost insurance access. 
2. 6 Degrees Capital closed a €154 million fund targeting European founders. 
3. VentureSoul closed a Rs 300 crore debt fund for Indian startups. 
4. FSD Africa rolled out an insurtech fund focused on risk reduction.

Key Hirings / Departures

1. Samsung initiated a plan to hire 60,000 staff globally to boost chip manufacturing. 
2. Julius Baer expanded its Abu Dhabi desk to target angel investors. 
3. Revolut chair Martin Gilbert issued a call for UK stamp duty relief. 
4. Byju Raveendran faces legal disputes amid governance scrutiny.

New Launches and Partnerships

1. Reliance earmarked $11 billion for a massive AI center in Gujarat.
2. OpenAI is negotiating a $38 billion debt facility for data center expansion.
3. Alibaba rolled out Quark AI glasses to pivot into consumer hardware.
4. Mastercard partnered with FAB and McLaren for a premium lifestyle card.
5. Klarna tied up with Lufthansa; Visa partnered with Aquanow for stablecoin settlement.
6. Wealthfront launched an AI curriculum; Kraken unveiled the Krak Card.
7. 21Shares launched an XRP ETF; Thunes partnered with MoMo.
8. Dunamu joined forces with Naver; EastWest partnered with Foodpanda.
9. GoTyme enabled crypto trading; Loanova launched fractional mortgages.
10. Huumans and Zenbooks rolled out SMB tools; Eccuity launched a wealth platform.
11. HDI Global released "Cyquins"; Oobit expanded to South Africa.
12. Wemade formed a KRW stablecoin alliance; Dcbel partnered with Volvo.
13. Baidu expanded its AI chip business; Revolut partnered with Nasdaq AxiomSL.
14. SnappyPay rolled out SMB payments; Wallester hit the Deloitte Fast 50 list.
15. Thredd completed the BigPay migration; SelecTrucks launched a veteran program.
16. Joe & The Juice expanded LatAm payments; Xflow plans 10x volume growth.
17. Leonardo unveiled the Michelangelo Dome; Huddlestock registered a capital increase.
18. Neutrinos launched a venture studio; Dream11 unveiled HorizonOS.
19. Stripe alumni launched Apata; Street Child adopted Aqilla software.
20. Revolut released a scam survey; StartupMafia hosted a crypto showcase.
21. Amaravati pushed for fintech investment; Orange County released its 2026 tech report.

News flash this week

1. Zetwerk initiates $1 billion IPO process; eyes $6-7 billion valuation tag.
2. Paytm PPSL gets final RBI greenlight for Payment Aggregator license.
3. Quantum Systems hits $3.5 billion valuation; Polymarket targets $15 billion.
4. Pentagon adds Alibaba, Baidu, and BYD to restricted investment list.
5. Ghana launches unified cybersecurity framework; South Africa approves fintech fibre deals.
6. UK Budget boosts mortgage rates; Autumn Budget creates fintech incentives.
7. Moneywave fined RM 14,000 by Malaysia regulator; Kalshi sued over gambling claims.
8. ByteDance hit with Nvidia chip block; KCS crackdown affects supply chains.
9. Wise cracks Japan’s Zengin clearing system; US Bank tests custom stablecoin.
10. Soul files for HK IPO; Luxury Time sets IPO for Dec 4.
11. Standard Chartered announces buyback; Fiinu shares gain momentum.
12. Policybazaar earns Great Place to Work status; Swachhata cohort launched.
13. Chennai prepares to unveil Fintech Tower; Doers Summit kicks off in Dubai.
14. US job market crisis deepens; Goldman flags weakness.
15. Ireland GDP stays strong; India Q2 GDP firm on demand.
16. Cadillac Fairview sues Hudson’s Bay; DataSnipper CEO discusses culture clash.
17. Mexico and Israel sign cybersecurity partnership; Animoca pivots to stablecoins.
18. Cardano ETF developments attract venture interest; Anduril faces weapons tech setbacks.
19. India Startup MSME Funding 2025 report released; Modi jobs overhaul strengthens reforms.
20. Korea Investment Corp adjusts venture bets; Takin Jitjanuruk reveals tech strategy.

Summary

Manufacturing unicorn Zetwerk has kicked off groundwork for a potential Initial Public Offering (IPO). Bankers have been engaged for an issue size pegged between $750 million and $1 billion. The development suggests a thaw in late-stage exits as mature startups eye public markets.

Valuation expectations hover at $6-7 billion. This marks a premium over its last private valuation. Investors will now scrutinize revenue efficiency over pure growth metrics.

Paytm finally secured regulatory relief. The RBI granted its subsidiary, PPSL, the final license to operate as a Payment Aggregator. The nod ends a long freeze, allowing the fintech major to onboard new merchants.