India’s tech companies have raised a cumulative funding of $10.3 billion in the nine months of 2026, up 6.2% from $9.7 billion raised in the same period last year. Total tech funding this year is 3% above the $10 billion raised in the first nine months of 2024, according to market intelligence firm Tracxn. 

The numbers are notable given that the number of funding rounds, first-time funded companies, and soonicorn additions have all declined sharply this year. The report reveals that capital is concentrated in fewer but larger, higher-conviction bets.

In other news, shares across the insurance sector, including those of PB Fintech and Turtlemint, tumbled on Thursday after the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India released a consultation paper aiming to overhaul the commission structure for insurers and distributors, sparking fears of a sharp contraction in industry earnings.

Meanwhile, Google Cloud is pushing agentic AI deeper into India’s businesses via partnerships in consumer hardware, agriculture and commerce. Its collaborations with boAt, Cropin and Pine Labs demonstrate how AI is moving from assistance to action. 

Moving on, while we debate AI slop today, here’s an Excel goof-up from more than 10 years ago. 

In 2015, an Excel spreadsheet error briefly turned a Rs 185 pack of Surf Excel into an Rs 82,740 product on Amazon India. What’s more surprising was that within 40 minutes, 90 customers had placed orders, creating nearly Rs 74 lakh worth of sales that the company had to roll back. Of course, none of the products reached the customers.

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