Early-stage funding for start-ups falls 15% to $148 million in 2018

The year ended with a decline in angel investment in the final quarter, primarily on the fear of income tax notices to such investors and the associated network

While private equity and venture capital (PE/VC) investment into start-ups rose in 2018, early stage funding went down.

Seed funding fell 15 per cent to $148 million (Rs 10,000 crore) in 2018, as against $174 million the previous year. Venture Intelligence data shows Series-A funding fell 11 per cent to $137 million and Series-B funding by 17.8 per cent to $83 million.

“The year has seen investors looking at more technology-driven companies and unique models, rather than the previous trends of investing in conventional firms like e-commerce companies and others,” said Sanjay Enishetty, managing director at 50K Ventures. Investors have become choosy,