Startups taking longer to hit Series A stage, fintech sees dip in avg time

An analysis of 10 sectors that received the most funding in 2023 shows that nine of them experienced an increase in the time taken to reach Series A compared to 2019

Startups are taking longer to progress to key funding stages than before.

On an average, startups took 93 months in 2024 (as of June-end) to move from the founded to Series A stage, the longest duration since 2014, according to a Business Standard analysis of data from startup tracker Tracxn. The Series A stage typically represents the first round of institutional funding for startups.

This figure was 80 months in 2023 and 72 months the year before. The pre-pandemic average was 65 months (chart 1). Initially, startups rely on funding from friends and family or angel investors