Indian startups face a critical funding gap as Series C and later rounds collapse by 27% year-over-year, stranding companies in the 'missing middle' between early promise and sustainable scale. The retreat of global giants like Tiger Global and SoftBank, coupled with brutal valuation markdowns and failed IPOs, forces founders into survival mode. Without urgent solutions to rebuild growth capital and exit pathways, India risks an ecosystem that births innovators but fails to mature them into enduring tech leaders.