Blacksmith Raises $45M Series B, Valued at $550M

In a significant development for the AI code testing sector, Blacksmith has successfully closed a $45 million Series B funding round, achieving a commanding valuation of $550 million. The round was spearheaded by prominent venture capital firm Peak XV Partners, with crucial participation from existing backers Google Ventures and Y Combinator. This latest infusion of capital brings Blacksmith's total funding to $58.5 million, underscoring strong investor confidence in its innovative approach to software development workflows.

The newly acquired funds are earmarked for substantial expansion, focusing on broadening Blacksmith's suite of coding tools. The company aims to empower developers by accelerating the speed and efficiency of writing, testing, and merging software. Since its inception in 2024 by Aditya Jayaprakash, Aayush Shah, and Aditya Maru, Blacksmith has rapidly distinguished itself. Its cloud platform, designed for GitHub Actions continuous integration, reportedly delivers CI workflows at twice the speed and half the cost of conventional methods. The company's customer base has surged from over 700 to more than 5,000 in less than a year, counting notable clients like Mercury, Supabase, and Clerk.

Beyond the headline Blacksmith deal, the Indian startup ecosystem saw other notable financial activities. Centricity, a wealth management firm, secured INR 280 crore (approximately $33.5 million) in Series A funding. This round was led by SMBC Asia Rising Fund and included participation from existing investors such as Lightspeed India Partners, Burman Family Office, RAAY Investments, Stride Ventures, and InnoVen Capital. Centricity plans to leverage these funds to enhance its technological infrastructure, expand its distribution channels, and bolster its private wealth and NRI business segments. The Gurugram-based company currently manages over INR 15,000 crore in assets for more than 100,000 investors.

In the housing finance arena, Unico Housing Finance raised INR 55 crore (approximately $6.6 million) in a follow-on round. Anicut Capital led this investment, with existing investor UC Impower also participating. This capital injection is intended to strengthen Unico's financial standing, improve operational capacities, and support its strategic expansion. As an affordable housing finance provider, Unico has demonstrated robust growth, managing over INR 730 crore in assets as of June 2026, and is well-positioned to capitalize on India's expanding affordable housing market.

Further diversification in funding was observed with Scrubsy, a home cleaning products startup operating under BoldChem, raising INR 27 crore (approximately $3.2 million). This funding, led by V3 Ventures, will primarily fuel manufacturing expansion and business growth, with continued investment in in-house production and product development. Scrubsy utilizes AI to analyze customer feedback, guiding its product innovation in areas like foam-based cleaners.

In the niche sector of home surface protection, Invisel garnered INR 4 crore (approximately $480,000) in its first external funding round, led by IAN Angel Fund, alongside BeyondSeed and FAAD Capital. The company, which develops nanotechnology-based coatings for surfaces, will use the funds to establish a manufacturing and research facility in Pune and pursue international market entry. Invisel has already achieved profitability, serving over 60,000 customers and generating INR 5.2 crore in revenue in FY26.

Additionally, the skin health sector saw Brilliance Cosmocare secure INR 1.65 crore (approximately $200,000) in seed funding from a consortium of family offices and institutional investors. The capital will support clinical infrastructure, product development, and the expansion of its Skin Record data platform. In the defense technology space, KshatraLabs received pre-seed funding from Finvolve and India Accelerator, though the specific amount was undisclosed. These diverse funding activities highlight the dynamic and multifaceted nature of India's startup investment environment.