New Delhi: Venture-backed Indian startups raised over Rs 44,000 crore ($5.3 billion) in FY25 from public markets via initial public offerings (IPOs), follow-on public offerings (FPOs), and qualified institutional placements (QIPs), a report said on Monday. Public markets outpaced private capital for late-stage fundraising, solidifying their role as the dominant source of growth capital, according to Rainmaker Group’s ‘RainGauge Index FY25 Annual Report’.FY25 also marked the first full market cycle for India’s startup listings after a euphoric period for IPOs in 2021–22, sharp corrections in 2023, and rationalisation in 2024.

“All of this unfolded with a backdrop of a cyclical economic slowdown in India in FY25, causing a lot of consumer-facing companies to battle margin compression and weak topline momentum, the report said. The fiscal year also saw a secondary exit of over Rs 20,000 crore as private equity/venture capital (PE/VCs) harvested early bets through block deals.“FY25 didn’t just test India’s startup listings, it matured them,” said Kashyap Chanchani, Managing Partner, The Rainmaker Group.

The public market has become the preferred playground for India’s breakout companies. We’ve now seen the full arc - the IPO frenzy, the valuation winter, and now a clear re-rating driven by fundamentals, Chanchani said.