Investments in Indian entities by venture capital and private equity funds declined sharply to USD 2.7 billion in July this year, a report said on Wednesday. The bets were 42 per cent lower than USD 4.6 billion in the preceding month of June, and 35 per cent down from USD 4.1 billion in July last year, the report by industry lobby grouping IVCA and consultancy firm EY, said. Interestingly, the number of deals increased to 81 from 68 transactions in the year-ago period, indicating the deal sizes were down. "The second half of 2024 appears to have had a weak start. We expect PE/VC investors to take a cautious approach as concerns over global uncertainties, inflation and geopolitical tensions play out, influencing the confidence and willingness of investors to deploy additional capital," the firm's partner Vivek Soni said. He added that the budget has been a "net positive" for the sector, and added that the angel tax removal should stimulate investor interest in the start-up space. T Read The Rest at :