9Unicorns, a prominent Indian multistage accelerator VC fund, has announced the forthcoming launch of DDay 4, its fourth consecutive demo day scheduled for October 2023. The Mumbai-based venture capital firm, with a portfolio that includes startups like ShipRocket, Videoverse, Zypp, Renee, Blusmart, Leverage Edu, Freightify, and Ethereal Machines, among others, has set an ambitious goal of raising a total of $100 million for its portfolio companies during this virtual global demo day.

Historically, previous DDays have featured more than 70 companies that collectively secured over $440 million in funding from Seed to Series A stages. Notable success stories from past demo days include BluSmart, an EV ride-hailing platform that raised $25 million, Rooter, India’s largest game streaming platform that secured nearly $41 million, OTO, a two-wheeler financing company that raised $10 million, and Renee, a cruelty-free cosmetics brand that secured $25 million in consecutive funding rounds.

Demo days like this offer valuable opportunities for early and growth-stage companies to secure capital, typically ranging from $3 million to $10 million, from prominent global investors. As the flagship accelerator fund of the multistage investment firm Venture Catalysts ++, 9Unicorns plans to showcase more than 15 startups spanning various sectors such as agritech, consumer brands, deep tech, e-commerce, edtech, financial services, fintech, HRtech, media, and entertainment. These startups have already secured an average of $4 million in previous funding rounds and have received $20 million in commitments for their current round.

The selection of startups for DDay is based on their track record and a strong emphasis on profitability and growth. Additionally, over 58% of the startups presenting at DDay are led by serial entrepreneurs with a history of building successful businesses.“We are pleased to announce our fourth virtual demo day. Over the years, we have created the world’s largest demo day where over 2,000+ investors have participated in the past, with 90% of startups having successfully raised capital,” said Dr. Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-founder and Managing Director, 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts++.

'DDay 4 will showcase 15 high-growth startup opportunities; we are quite optimistic that these curated startups will collectively raise over $100 million on DDay 4. This optimism comes from the fact that in previous demo days, 70 companies raised around $440 million,' said Soham Avlani, Partner, 9Unicorns. The October DDay gains significance as the funding landscape shows signs of thawing, with Zepto, a hyperlocal delivery startup, emerging as India’s first unicorn of 2023. This resurgence in large-scale funding underscores the promising prospects for startups in the Indian market.