In March this year, the founders of a Bengaluru-based e-commerce AI startup—let’s call them Arjun and Meera—found themselves in a situation that would have felt absurd even three years ago. Their product, a workflow layer that helped online sellers generate catalogue content and automate merchandising decisions, had only a handful of paying pilots. The team was 25 people. And yet, by the time they began formal Series A conversations, three funds had already indicated they were willing to lead.
From Seed to Series A, founders are front-loading capital like never before
