Startup News Today - 5 December 2025: Top Funding, Launches, Failures, Mergers, IPO Updates & Market Highlights

A quick and simple roundup of startup news for 05 Dec 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 34 startups raised a total of $962 million, comprising 16 growth-stage and 18 early-stage deals, while multiple firms kept funding undisclosed.

Growth-stage deals

1. Wealthtech platform Wealthfront filed for an IPO, targeting a $2.05 billion valuation after raising $485 million in total equity. 
2. Edtech player Billionbrains Garage locked in Rs 1,044 crore ($125 million) in a Series A round led by a family office. 
3. Mexican fintech unicorn Clara secured a $70 million debt facility from Goldman Sachs to fuel lending. 
4. San Francisco-based Gradium bagged $70 million in a Seed round for AI voice interfaces. 
5. Currency exchange platform Sokin closed a $50 million Series B at a $300 million valuation. 
6. Logistics player Ripplr picked up $45 million in a Series C round. 
7. AI coaching startup Yoodli secured $40 million via a Series B led by WestBridge Capital. 
8. UK-based Nevis collected $38 million for its AI wealth platform. 
9. Fintech BKN301 lifted its Series B to €29 million ($31.5 million) for MENA expansion. 
10. Consumer electronics brand Atomberg extended its Series C by Rs 212 crore ($25.5 million) led by Temasek. 
11. Crypto startup Fin Ex bagged $17 million from undisclosed investors. 
12. WestBridge Capital doubled down on Finfactor and Finvu, investing $15 million in each. 
13. Rencore closed a $15 million Series B led by UVC Partners. 
14. Dhruva Space secured a pre-Series B round to build satellite infra. 
15. Planys Technologies raised Rs 100 crore ($12 million) for underwater drone tech.

Early-stage deals

1. Rail Flow secured €12.5 million ($13.5 million) to digitize rail cargo. 
2. Proptech AI firm Unlimited Industries bagged $12 million in a Seed round. 
3. Digital bank Tonik picked up $12 million in a pre-Series C round. 
4. Cleantech player ECAIR locked in $11 million for solar financing. 
5. InductEV received a $10.5 million strategic investment from EO Charging. 
6. Saudi cybersecurity firm COGNNA closed a $9.2 million Series A led by Impact46. 
7. Onton secured $7.5 million for Web3 identity. 
8. Moonrider secured $6 million from pi Ventures. 
9. Orq AI bagged $5 million to scale LLM operations. 
10. Goodword picked up $4 million for AI networking. 
11. Bourn closed a £3.5 million ($4.4 million) seed round backed by NatWest. 
12. CoreOps AI secured $3.5 million from Siana Capital. 
13. Monq raised $3 million in pre-Seed funding. 
14. Mirror Security closed a $2.5 million round. 
15. Mannjal secured Rs 17.5 crore ($2.1 million) from Arali Ventures. 
16. Zazu bagged $1 million for SME banking in Africa. 
17. ReplyAll picked up Rs 6.8 crore ($800,000) led by Sparrow Capital. 
18. MagicDecor secured Rs 5.1 crore ($600,000) in a strategic round. 
19. Humbrela received $161,000 for AI underwriting. 
20. Kenyan startups received $15K innovation awards.

City and segment-wise deals

New Delhi and San Francisco topped the value charts driven by edtech and AI deals. Bengaluru and London remained the busiest hubs. 

Deals were also recorded in Seattle, Mexico City, Riyadh, and Hyderabad.

Fintech and AI dominated the flow. Edtech and Logistics followed with significant ticket sizes. Capital also moved into Cleantech, Proptech, Spacetech, and Defense.

Mergers and Acquisitions

1. Stripe has snapped up billing platform Metronome for $1 billion. 
2. Adani Defence acquired FSTC for Rs 820 crore ($98 million) to enter pilot training. 
3. InMobi founders bought back a $250 million stake from SoftBank. 
4. Vertoz acquired Webimax for $6.6 million. 
5. DreamFolks bought a majority stake in Easy to Travel for $4 million. 
6. ID Pal acquired NorthRow to consolidate identity verification. 
7. PayRange merged with KioSoft in the vending payment space. 
8. Bolttech acquired mTek to expand in Kenya. Tieto divested Bekk Consulting to Axcel.

Financial result 

1. Lenskart revenue jumps to Rs 2,096 Cr; profit grew 20% YoY.
2. Visa revenue beat Q4 estimates; stablecoin volume surged.
3. Tenet Fintech released Q3 results; strategic restructuring noted.
4. Vision Marine revenue hit $3.2 million; losses widened on R&D spend.
5. Jar losses halved to Rs 60 Cr in FY25; revenue doubled amid gold-lending pivot.

Fund Launches

1. ChrysCapital closed a $2.2 billion fund, the largest by an India-focused PE firm. 
2. Fireside Ventures closed its fourth fund at Rs 2,265 crore ($270 million). 
3. India Global Forum launched a $250 million fund for regional startups. 
4. Optima Partners secured investment to expand in Europe. 
5. Plus VC targets 40 deals with a $10 million corpus. 
6. DMI Alternatives rolled out a $120 million private credit fund.

Key Hirings / Departures

1. Flipkart appointed Dan Neary to its board ahead of its IPO. 
2. Bank of America named Vikram Sahu as India CEO following RBI approval.

New Launches and Partnerships

1. Ripple expanded its license in Singapore; Ant International upgraded Antom with agentic AI.
2. Sony Bank initiated a stablecoin pilot for 2026 launch; Enfuce expanded into Belgium/Luxembourg.
3. RBI issued a 244-point master direction checklist; Ghana launched a unified cybersecurity framework.
4. New York banned personalized pricing algorithms; US Bank tested a custom stablecoin model.
5. Stripe alumni launched Apata; Neutrinos unveiled a new venture studio model.
6. Dream11 rolled out HorizonOS; NatWest launched clean energy accelerator hubs.
7. Thunes partnered with MoMo; Dunamu joined forces with Naver.
8. EastWest partnered with Foodpanda and Visa; GoTyme enabled crypto trading.
9. Loanova launched a fractional mortgage platform; Huumans and Zenbooks rolled out SMB tools.
10. Eccuity unveiled a wealth platform; HDI Global released "Cyquins" cyber scan.
11. Oobit expanded crypto payments to South Africa; Wemade formed a KRW stablecoin alliance.
12. Dcbel partnered with Volvo for EV charging; Baidu expanded its AI chip business.
13. Revolut partnered with Nasdaq AxiomSL; SnappyPay rolled out SMB payment solutions.
14. Wallester hit the Deloitte Fast 50 list; Thredd completed the BigPay migration.
15. SelecTrucks launched a veteran savings program; Joe & The Juice expanded LatAm payments.
16. Xflow plans 10x volume growth; Leonardo unveiled the Michelangelo Dome.
17. Huddlestock registered a capital increase; Street Child adopted Aqilla software.
18. StartupMafia hosted a crypto showcase; Amaravati pushed for fintech investment.
19. Orange County released its 2026 tech report; Saudi/UAE proptech rounds surged.

News flash 

1. Chime targets $11 billion valuation in 2025 IPO.
2. Wakefit sets IPO size at Rs 377 crore; opens Dec 8.
3. Oyo Parent relaunches IPO papers for Rs 6,200 crore issue.
4. Animoca Brands eyes $5 billion valuation in US/London IPO.
5. Luxury Time sets IPO date for Dec 4 on HKEX.
6. 21Shares launches XRP ETF amid institutional crypto demand.
7. Wealthfront launches AI curriculum for automated investing.
8. Kraken unveils Krak Card for direct crypto spending.
9. Klarna partners with Lufthansa for travel BNPL.
10. Micron invests $9.6 billion in Japan for AI memory fabs.
11. IMF warns of flash crash risks in crypto; FedNow hikes transaction limits.
12. Paysend ties up with JetBlue for diaspora rewards; RBI penalizes HDFC for KYC lapses.
13. RBI joins Wero payments network; Bank credit growth hits 11.4%.
14. Delhi HC rules on credit card interest; Bank78 MFB becomes Nigeria's first digital bank.
15. Uzbekistan launches fintech sandbox; Mercado Pago shifts accounts to interest-bearing wallets.
16. Korea Investment Corp adjusts venture bets; Rare earths supply deal signed.
17. US insurers exclude GenAI risks; SoftBank holds Meesho stake pre-IPO.
18. DataSnipper CEO discusses culture clash; Takin Jitjanuruk reveals scaling strategy.
19. Revolut releases scam survey; Kalshi sued over gambling claims.
20. Mexico and Israel sign cybersecurity partnership.

Summary

Payments giant Stripe has kicked off a major consolidation wave by acquiring billing infrastructure platform Metronome. Valued at $1 billion, the deal allows Stripe to move beyond payment processing into complex revenue operations. The move signals a shift toward full-stack financial operating systems for SaaS businesses.

Valuation remains undisclosed but strategic intent is clear. Integrating usage-based billing addresses a critical pain point for modern software companies. Stripe is positioning itself as the default CFO stack before its own eventual public listing.

InMobi founders executed a rare reverse exit. Buying back SoftBank’s $250 million stake clears the cap table ahead of a planned IPO. The move demonstrates strong cash reserves and founder confidence in the ad-tech unicorn’s future trajectory.