From Cent to Viridian: This Week’s Startup Funding and Deals
From Cent to Viridian, explore seven startup funding rounds worth about $43M, Inkle’s acquisition and Eloelo’s funding talks during October 26–30.
Manisha Sharma31 Oct 2026
20:48IST
New Update
The final week of October brought fresh funding for startups working across artificial intelligence, healthcare, gaming and electric mobility. But a closer look at the numbers shows that most of the money went to just a few companies.
Of the nearly $43 million in financing announced across seven funding rounds covered by CIOL between October 26 and 30, Cent, Live2.ai and Matiks accounted for roughly 90%. The remaining four startups raised about $4.1 million combined, with investments supporting everything from AI-powered software development to electric motor production.
The week was not limited to fundraising. AI-powered accounting company Inkle expanded its US operations through an acquisition, while entertainment startup Eloelo was reportedly in talks to raise as much as $60 million.
The deals brought together companies at very different stages of growth. Some are looking to expand into new markets, while others are developing products and preparing for their first commercial deliveries.
Here’s a closer look at who raised money, where the capital is going and the business developments that made news during the week.
Startup Funding: The Week in Numbers
The seven rounds represented approximately $42.8 million in announced financing, based on reported dollar equivalents.
Cent, Live2.ai and Matiks accounted for roughly $38.7 million, leaving around $4.1 million across the four smaller rounds.
The combined figure includes different financing structures. Cent’s round contains equity and debt, while Live2.ai’s investment includes primary and secondary transactions. It should therefore not be interpreted as entirely fresh equity capital.
AI Startups Attract Fresh Capital
AI continued to draw investor interest, with funding going to companies working on marketing, enterprise software and electronics engineering.
Live2.ai raised ₹130 crore in a pre-Series B round led by IvyCap Ventures.
The company develops AI-powered social intelligence and commerce tools that help brands understand consumer behavior, identify trends and manage digital engagement.
Its platform includes eight specialized AI agents designed to support different marketing and commerce activities.
Live2.ai plans to use the investment to strengthen its technology and expand internationally. With enterprises increasingly looking for measurable returns from AI, the company is focused on connecting automated workflows with business outcomes.
Enterprise software startup QwikBuild secured $2.3 million in pre-seed funding led by Japan-based Globalway.
The startup is developing AI agents that help businesses build applications and connect them with existing enterprise systems.
Alongside the funding, QwikBuild announced plans to establish a joint venture with Globalway to pursue opportunities in Japan.
The company wants to reduce the time involved in enterprise software development, particularly when businesses need to work with complex existing systems.
A smaller AI investment went to CopperPilot, which raised $390,000 in pre-seed funding led by Neon Fund.
CopperPilot is building an AI agent for printed circuit board (PCB) design, covering tasks such as schematic development, component selection and board layout.
Its technology aims to reduce repetitive engineering work and shorten hardware development cycles.
While these companies serve different customers, all three are using AI to address specific business or engineering requirements rather than developing general-purpose AI models.
Cent Raises $15 Million for Preventive Healthcare
Cent raised $15 million in Series A financing led by Blume Ventures and South Park Commons, making it the largest individual round among the seven covered.
Co-founded by Practo founder Shashank ND, Cent is building a preventive healthcare business that combines medical imaging, diagnostics and AI-assisted health assessments.
The company aims to help identify potential health risks before symptoms become serious, bringing technology into an area that has traditionally relied heavily on clinical consultations and diagnostic testing.
The funding, which includes equity and debt, will support the expansion of its healthcare services and technology capabilities.
For Cent, growth requires more than adding users to a digital platform. Medical expertise, diagnostic equipment and physical infrastructure are also central to its operations.
As it expands, maintaining reliable clinical processes while making preventive healthcare more accessible will remain important.
Matiks and dubdub Draw Gaming Investors
Interactive gaming also attracted funding, with two startups looking to engage users through short games and puzzles.
Matiks raised $10 million in a pre-Series A round led by General Catalyst, with participation from Ronnie Screwvala, Info Edge Ventures, Tanglin Venture Partners and Untitled Ventures.
The startup offers games involving mathematics, memory, logic and problem-solving.
According to the company, Matiks recorded 2.2 million users during September 2026, including more than 300,000 daily active users.
The investment will support product development, international expansion and AI-powered tools that allow users to create their own games.
Meanwhile, dubdub raised $1.3 million in seed funding led by 3one4 Capital, Antler and Stellaris Venture Partners.
Founded by Kaustubh Priye and Supan Shah, dubdub offers a swipe-based platform featuring trivia, puzzles and short games across categories including cricket, Bollywood and general knowledge.
Launched in March 2026, the application has crossed 20,000 downloads, according to the company.
The funding will support product and engineering hires, new interactive formats and personalization.
Both companies are exploring alternatives to passive scrolling, although they are at different stages of growth.
Matiks is expanding an existing audience, while dubdub is still developing its user base. For both, retaining users and eventually generating sustainable revenue will be important.
Viridian Moves Toward EV Motor Production
Chennai-based Viridian Ingni Propulsion raised ₹1.47 crore in pre-seed funding led by Inflection Point Ventures.
Incubated at IIT Madras Research Park, the startup develops electric propulsion systems comprising motors, controllers and firmware for electric vehicles, drones, robotics and industrial machinery.
Viridian plans to use the investment to establish pilot production capabilities, develop manufacturing tooling, complete certification requirements and prepare for initial customer deliveries.
The company has also secured ₹53.75 lakh in grants from government-backed and institutional programs.
Currently pre-revenue, Viridian has letters of intent covering 350 motors from Crop Xplore and Yali Mobility.
These commitments indicate potential demand, but they are not completed sales.
For Viridian, the immediate priority is moving from validated prototypes into manufacturing. Producing reliable motors consistently and meeting certification requirements will be essential before the company can begin serving customers at scale.
Its funding also reflects the needs of engineering startups, where commercial progress often depends on manufacturing capacity, testing and product validation.
Inkle Expands Its US Business Through Acquisition
The week also brought acquisition activity. Inkle acquired the bookkeeping division of US-based Finally in an all-cash transaction.
The acquisition adds approximately 100 employees to Inkle and expands its accounting and bookkeeping services for US small businesses.
Inkle combines AI-powered accounting software with bookkeeping, tax and compliance services, supported by its Bengaluru-based engineering operations.
The deal brings an existing services team and additional customers into its business, giving the company an opportunity to expand the use of its technology across a larger operation.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition shows how AI-powered businesses are also growing by bringing established service operations onto their technology platforms.
Eloelo’s $50–60 Million Funding Talks
Another development involved entertainment startup Eloelo, although its proposed investment had not been completed.
Eloelo was reportedly in discussions to raise between $50 million and $60 million, potentially valuing the company at approximately $400 million.
Hornbill Capital was identified as a prospective lead investor.
The discussions come as Eloelo expands its short-form drama business through Story TV, amid growing interest in mobile-first entertainment.
If completed, the proposed financing would be larger than any of the seven announced funding rounds in this selection.
For now, the amount and valuation remain subject to change. The proposed investment is not included in the week’s announced financing total.
What This Week’s Deals Reveal
The seven funding rounds show how different the financing needs of technology startups can be.
Cent, Live2.ai and Matiks accounted for approximately 90% of the announced financing, while four smaller companies shared the remaining 10%.
The larger rounds involved healthcare expansion, AI commerce and gaming. Smaller investments supported enterprise software development, interactive content, AI-assisted hardware design and electric propulsion manufacturing.
For Live2.ai and Matiks, the funding will support further expansion. QwikBuild is preparing to enter Japan, while CopperPilot is developing its engineering technology. Viridian is working toward manufacturing and its first customer deliveries.
The acquisition involving Inkle shows another way to expand, while Eloelo’s fundraising discussions remain a potential future development.
These companies are at different points in their business journeys, and the size of a funding round alone does not tell us how well they are performing.
Some need to reach more customers, others must strengthen their technology, and a few are preparing to sell products commercially for the first time.
The funding amounts drew attention this week. What happens next is how these companies turn that money into products, customers and revenue.
