New Delhi, April 2 -- US-based robotics startup Chef Robotics has secured $43 million (Rs 367.9 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Avataar Ventures. Additionally, several startups, including Stance Health, Better Nutrition, and Argos Watches, have secured early-stage funding from various investors.

Chef Robotics

Avataar Ventures led a $43-million Series A funding round in Chef Robotics, a company specializing in robotic systems for meal assembly.

The funding round included $20.6 million in equity and $22.5 million in equipment financing through debt. Avataar was joined by investors such as Construct Capital, Bloomberg Beta, Promus Ventures, MFV Partners, Interwoven Ventures, HCVC, MaC Venture Capital, Red and Blue Ventures, Tau Partners, Alumni Ventures, Siddhi Capital, and BOLD Capital Partners

The San Francisco-headquartered startup plans to use the debt component for financing its robotic systems under a "robotics-as-a-service (RaaS)" model. With this Series A round, Chef Robotics has raised a total of over $65.6 million in capital to date, including $38.8 million in equity and $26.75 million in equipment financing from Silicon Valley Bank's First Citizens Bank.

Founded by Rajat Bhageria, Chef Robotics claims to have procured over 44 million servings through its robot deployments at food brands like Amy's Kitchen, Sunbasket, Chef Bombay, and Cafe Spice. The company collects data from each meal to train its AI models.

Chef Robotics serves customers in the US and Canada, and plans to expand to the UK this year.

Stance Health

Stance Health has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round, led by General Catalyst, with participation from Antler, DEVC, EX Capital, and angel investors like Swiggy co-founders Sriharsha Majety and Nandan Reddy, and Onsurity co-founder Kulin Shah.

The funds will help Stance Health scale its technology-driven musculoskeletal (MSK) care model in India, further develop its proprietary technology platform, and expand its team and MSK centers across Bengaluru and other major cities.

Combining medical expertise, rehabilitation specialists, and advanced diagnostics, Stance uses an omnichannel care system to provide MSK care. Its rehabilitation framework includes AI-based motion sensors, objective strength assessments, and structured treatment pathways.

Since launching its pilot center, Stance Health has conducted more than 12,000 sessions within eight months. The company was founded by Rohit Arora and Ninad Karandikar, who have held leadership roles at large consumer-tech startups like Swiggy, Portea Medical, and Bounce.

Better Nutrition

Food brand Better Nutrition has raised Rs 10 crore in its latest funding round, which saw participation from family offices, high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), and angel investors, including Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive Namita Thapar, Shantanu Deshpande through his The BarberShop fund, and badminton player PV Sindhu.

The round also saw participation from investors such as Aclr8.vc, Karan Jindal, Arjun Vaidya, and Akshay Ghulati.

The funds will support the company's expansion into biofortified food categories, strengthen distribution across quick commerce, offline retail, and D2C channels, scale farmer training programs, and invest in R&D and nationwide awareness campaigns, the company said in a statement.

Founded by Prateek Rastogi and Aishwarya Bhatnagar, the Lucknow-headquartered startup sells biofortified grains containing minerals like zinc, iron, protein, and calcium. It collaborates with over 15,000 farmers.

Argos Watches

Homegrown luxury watch brand Argos Watches has raised Rs 6.5 crore in an angel funding round, valuing the company at Rs 45 crore.

The startup said it has also launched Olympus, a mechanical watch, equipped with a power reserve indicator, priced between Rs 8,000 and Rs 20,000.

"With the backing of seasoned investors, we are well-positioned to scale our operations, enhance our product offerings, and continue pushing the boundaries of Indian watchmaking," said M. Channiwala, founder of Argos.

Argos Watches follows a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model using its owned website. With the funding, the company aims to double its revenue in the current financial year, accelerate product development, expand brand awareness, and enhance its digital presence.

TestBuddy

TestBuddy, a bug reporting tool, has secured an undisclosed amount of funding from AH Ventures' First Gear Platform.

Founded in 2024, the startup offers a Chrome extension that allows users to capture, annotate, and share bugs with detailed reports as part of the quality assurance process.

To date, AH Ventures has made 262 investments in 144 startups, with a total portfolio value of Rs 479 crore, 22 exits, and 58 follow-on rounds. So far in 2025, it has made 22 investments across its three platforms and fund.

YatriKart

YatriKart has raised investment from MMG Group, the Indian partner of multinational brands like McDonald's and Coca-Cola, as it taps into India's transit retail market and prepares for a $10-million venture capital funding round.

The details of the investment are undisclosed, but the company said that MMG will acquire a stake at a valuation of Rs 100 crore. The Indore-based company's existing investors include Artha Venture Fund, Fox Software Ventures, She Capital, and Shuru Up.

The funds will support the expansion of its franchise network, using both the FOCO (franchise owned, company operated) and FOFO (franchise owned, franchise operated) models. The company will enhance its tech infrastructure and optimize supply chains with a quick commerce app for transit. It aims to establish over 5,000 smart kiosks and stores at metro hubs, railway stations, highways, and airports, enhancing its technology-driven retail ecosystem.

YatriKart was founded by Gaurav Rana and Shivangee Sharma. The startup's tech-enabled transit retail chain supports hawkers and retailers by helping them grow and offering channel partnerships for higher profit margins and growth opportunities.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.