Indian startups cumulatively raised investments worth $5.3 Bn in the first 6 months (H1) of 2024. Here are some key Indian startup funding highlights of H1 2024

* The deal count improved 7% to 504 deals compared to 470 in the year-ago period. Sequentially, the deal volume improved 15%.

* Leading the charge from the front were fintech and enterprise tech sectors - the fintech sector accounted for a cumulative funding of $1.02 Bn across 84 deals. While enterprise tech startups raked in $813 Mn across the same number of deals.

* Bengaluru continued its reign as the most-funded startup hub in India in the first half of 2024, bagging $1.57 Bn across 134 deals.

* Meanwhile, the median ticket size declined by 8% YoY to $2.8 Mn in the first six months of 2024 but zoomed 87% from $1.5 Mn in the second half of 2023.

* On the consolidation front, 37 M&As took place during the first half of the ongoing calendar year, down from 67 M&As in the year-ago period.

* Despite the mixed performance, the almost flat funding numbers could be pointing at VCs' wait-and-watch strategy before they start to deploy dry powder in droves.