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INDIA INVESTMENT MARKET SHIFTS TOWARDS LATE-STAGE DEALS AS EARLY-STAGE FUNDING FALLS SHARPLY

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MUMBAI, India, July 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Investment in Indian startups fell by 8.3% in the most recent full year, making it the only market in the global ‘Big Five’ to record a year-on-year contraction, according to new research by Vestd India.

Early 2026 data suggests the trend is continuing, with India recording just 560 funding rounds in Q1, down from 668 in the same period last year, and 1,049 in Q1 of 2024.

The Global Investment Report, which analysed data from business intelligence platform Crunchbase, shows a marked shift in investor behaviour, with capital moving away from early-stage businesses and towards late-stage consolidation and liquidity events.

While India remains a top-five global investment hub, the number of funding rounds fell to 2,497 in 2025, trailing the UK, which recorded 3,331 deals.

The decline was driven primarily by a sharp contraction in early-stage funding activity. Seed investment fell by 31.8%, angel funding dropped by 25.3%, and pre-seed deals declined by 21.9%, suggesting a significantly higher bar for founders seeking early capital.

By contrast, late-stage and liquidity-focused investment activity grew strongly. Secondary market deals rose by 77.2%, post-IPO debt increased by 45.7% and Series C rounds grew by 27.6%, highlighting a clear pivot towards established businesses and investor exits.

Ifty Nasir OBE, founder and CEO of sharetech platform Vestd, said: “India’s investment market is evolving rapidly. What we’re seeing is a clear shift away from high-volume early-stage speculation towards a more disciplined, fundamentals-driven environment.

“The bar for early-stage funding has risen significantly. Investors are no longer backing ideas alone – they want evidence of traction, strong unit economics and a clear path to profitability.

“The latest figures suggest that investor caution remains firmly in place. Capital is still available, but investors are being far more selective and are increasingly backing businesses that can demonstrate resilience, profitability and long-term value creation.”

The data also shows a cooling trend across the year, with deal activity slipping 11.8% in the second half of the year compared to the first, reflecting increasing investor caution.

Globally, India continues to compete for capital against fast-growing markets such as Canada, which saw a 46.4% increase in investment activity, and China, which recorded growth of 31.9%.

However, India remains a major global startup hub, ranking third in the world for emerging unicorns – companies valued between $500m and $1bn – with 43 businesses in the category. This places it behind the US (239) and China (44), but ahead of the UK (27).

Despite this, India is the only top-three market to see its emerging unicorn pipeline contract, falling 6.5% year-on-year, suggesting early-stage funding constraints are beginning to impact future scale-ups.

The report also highlights a broader global shift in investor priorities, with capital increasingly concentrated in deep-tech sectors. Artificial intelligence saw a 41.7% rise in emerging unicorn formation, followed by data and analytics (+30.5%) and science and engineering (+28.4%).

Ifty added: “The global market is not just shifting geographically, it is shifting sectorally. The next wave of growth is being driven by deep-tech innovation, not consumer convenience models.

“For India to maintain its position as a leading global startups hub, it will need to align more closely with where capital is flowing – particularly in AI, data and advanced engineering.”

Vestd India

Vestd India is a sharetech platform that helps private companies manage cap tables, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), shareholder records, and governance through one connected platform.

Following the acquisition of Trica Equity, Vestd combines local expertise in the Indian startup ecosystem with the technology and experience of one of the UK’s leading sharetech platforms. Vestd supports founders, finance teams, HR leaders, investors, and company secretaries in managing ownership with greater clarity and confidence.

Learn more at vestd.com/en-in

Contact: Sparsh Johari, Marketing Lead, sparsh.johari@vestd.com

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Skanska signs additional contract for data center in Virginia, USA, for USD 94M about SEK 870M

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STOCKHOLM, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Skanska has signed a contract with an existing client to build a data center in Virginia, USA. The contract is worth USD 94M, about SEK 870M, which will be included in the US order bookings for the second quarter of 2026.

Work is for a new building within an existing campus and includes construction of a single-story 17,700 square meter (190,000 SF) data center, to include four colocation data halls and administrative space, full electrical, mechanical, civil, telecom, and security systems. The work includes interior fit-out and associated site/utility work, for a designed capacity of 38.4 MW.

Work will begin in October 2026 and is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2028.

For further information please contact:
Daniela Arellano, Communications Director, Skanska USA, tel +1 213 317 4977
Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska AB, tel +46 76 870 75 51
Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com.

https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-signs-additional-contract-for-data-center-in-virginia–usa–for-usd-94m-about-sek-870m,c4371603

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IIFL Finance Says Co-Lending Can Accelerate India’s Last-Mile Credit Delivery

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MUMBAI, India, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IIFL Finance today said co-lending partnerships between banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) can play a transformative role in expanding affordable formal credit to underserved borrowers, strengthening India’s next phase of financial inclusion.

Speaking on the evolving credit ecosystem, Mr. Mayank Sharma, Head – Gold Loan, IIFL Finance, said, “India’s financial inclusion journey must now focus on ensuring timely, responsible credit reaches entrepreneurs, farmers, self-employed professionals and MSMEs across Bharat.”

“Financial inclusion today is about enabling every aspiring entrepreneur to access affordable institutional credit. Co-lending brings together the complementary strengths of banks and NBFCs to make this possible at scale,” said Mr. Sharma.

He said, “Banks contribute low-cost capital and strong balance sheets, while NBFCs bring deep local market understanding, last-mile distribution and customer relationships in underserved geographies. Together, they can improve credit access, speed up loan disbursements and reduce dependence on informal sources of finance.”

Mr. Sharma welcomed the Reserve Bank of India’s co-lending framework, saying it provides regulatory clarity on governance, risk sharing and customer protection, creating a strong foundation for responsible collaboration between banks and NBFCs.

He also highlighted the role of the Government’s digital public infrastructure—including Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, UPI and the Account Aggregator framework—in enabling the next generation of credit delivery.

“Technology is making co-lending more efficient through digital onboarding, AI-led underwriting and consent-based data sharing. Combined with India’s digital infrastructure, it has the potential to significantly improve last-mile credit delivery,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of co-lending for India’s MSME sector, Mr. Sharma said, “Local NBFCs possess valuable insights into regional businesses and informal income patterns, allowing them to serve customers who may not fit conventional underwriting models.”

“The success of co-lending will ultimately be measured by the number of entrepreneurs empowered, businesses financed and livelihoods supported. With the enabling framework created by the RBI and the Government, co-lending can become a defining pillar of India’s next phase of financial inclusion by ensuring opportunity is determined not by geography, but by aspiration,” Mr. Sharma added.

About IIFL Finance

IIFL Finance is one of India’s leading retail-focused NBFCs, providing loans and financial solutions across gold loans, home loans, business loans, microfinance, loans against property and capital market finance, with a strong focus on expanding financial inclusion across India.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3004502/Mayank_Sharma_IIFL_Finance.jpg

 

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US International Trade Commission’s (US ITC) determination confirmed, banning Innoscience’s patent-infringing GaN products from U.S. market

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MUNICH, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Final Determination issued by the Full Commission of the U.S. International Trade Commission (US ITC) on 7 May 2026 is upheld after the conclusion of the Presidential Review Period. This confirms that Innoscience infringes an Infineon patent concerning GaN technology, resulting in import and sales bans against Innoscience.

“This decision once again highlights the robustness of Infineon’s intellectual property. It reinforces our commitment to actively protect Infineon’s patent portfolio and uphold fair competition in the industry,” says Johannes Schoiswohl, Senior Vice President and Head of GaN Systems Business Line at Infineon. “With our industry-leading 300-millimeter GaN manufacturing, we are uniquely positioned to scale innovation and deliver the performance, quality, and cost advantages that our customers need to accelerate decarbonization and digitalization.”

This final ITC decision adds to a growing series of rulings in Infineon’s favor concerning its GaN intellectual property. In parallel disputes in Germany, the Munich District Court (Landgericht München I) already found in August 2025, in June 2026 and beginning of July 2026 that Innoscience infringes three patents and one utility model by Innoscience. The rulings of the German court prohibit Innoscience from importing, selling, and marketing patent-infringing products in Germany. Furthermore, the court has ordered Innoscience to pay damages to Infineon.

GaN plays a pivotal role in enabling high-performance and energy-efficient power systems in a broad range of applications, including renewable energy systems, data centers, industrial automation, and electric vehicles (EVs).

Infineon is a leading integrated device manufacturer (IDM) in the GaN market with the industry’s broadest IP portfolio, comprising approximately 450 GaN patent families. GaN plays a pivotal role in enabling high-performance and energy-efficient power systems in a broad range of applications, including renewable energy systems, AI data centers, industrial automation, and electric vehicles (EVs). With higher power density, faster switching speeds, and lower power losses, GaN semiconductors enable smaller designs, reducing energy consumption and heat generation. As a leader in power systems, Infineon is mastering all three relevant materials: silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG is a global semiconductor leader in power systems and IoT. Infineon drives decarbonization and digitalization with its products and solutions. The Company had around 57,000 employees worldwide (end of September 2025) and generated revenue of about €14.7 billion in the 2025 fiscal year (ending 30 September). Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the OTCQX International over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: IFNNY).

Further information is available at www.infineon.com
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