PUNE, September 23, 2026: Fintech and brokerage company Definedge Securities Broking Private Limited has secured ₹22 crore in pre-Series A funding, as the Pune-based firm prepares to expand its trading, investing and wealth-technology ecosystem.
The all-equity round takes Definedge's total capital raised to ₹30 crore and follows its first institutional and angel investment round, which closed in November 2025.
Existing investors Nitin Agarwal and D. Prasad participated again, while Anant Jain and Sachin Kasera joined as new investors.
Where Definedge Plans to Deploy the ₹22 Crore
Definedge plans to use the new funding across several parts of its business rather than concentrating it on a single product.
The company says the capital will support margin funding, marketing and distribution, AI and automation product development, and expansion of its technology, service and operational infrastructure.
It also intends to scale key products in its ecosystem, including Zone, Opstra, Algostra and Momentify.
This marks an important shift for a business that says much of its customer acquisition to date has occurred organically rather than through significant marketing expenditure.
From Investor Education to Full-Service Broking
Definedge was founded by Prashant Shah and Rajesh Badiye.
Rather than beginning primarily as a brokerage operation, the company initially focused on investor education, research and market-analysis products before expanding into full-service broking.
Today, it operates an ecosystem of more than 14 platforms spanning technical analysis, options analytics, algorithmic trading, systematic investing and investor education.
Its major products include Opstra, focused on options analytics; Zone, for technical analysis; Algostra, which supports rule-based algorithmic trading; Momentify, its systematic investing and wealth-creation platform; and Gurukul, its investor-education ecosystem.
CEO Prashant Shah described the company's origins this way:
“We didn't begin with a brokerage license; we began by building trust, knowledge and community.”
Shah said Definedge's mission is to make professional-grade trading tools and education more accessible to Indian traders and investors.
Momentify Crosses ₹1,000 Crore AUM
One of the most notable numbers accompanying the funding announcement concerns Momentify.
According to Definedge, the platform has crossed ₹1,000 crore in assets under management in roughly 15 months. The company is now targeting ₹5,000 crore in AUM through Momentify over the next 24 months.
Momentify enables investors to create and back-test systematic investment strategies before deploying them for automated portfolio management.
The ₹5,000 crore figure is a company target rather than a guaranteed projection, an important distinction when evaluating Definedge's planned growth.
Algostra and AI Form Another Part of Expansion Strategy
Definedge is also putting greater emphasis on automation.
Its Algostra platform is designed to let users build, test and automate rule-based trading strategies, including intraday, positional and derivatives strategies.
The company's longer-term technology strategy is to more closely integrate research, analysis, investing, trading, education and automation.
AI is expected to play a role in that strategy, with Definedge seeking to help users research opportunities, test investment ideas and execute predefined strategies more systematically.
The funding therefore represents more than additional capital for brokerage operations: it is also intended to support Definedge's attempt to build an interconnected financial-technology ecosystem around active traders and investors.
60,000 Demat Accounts Opened in About 15 Months
Definedge says it has opened approximately 60,000 demat accounts over the past 15 months, with those customers acquired organically and without marketing expenditure.
The company also reports that its overall user base has increased 125% over the past 14 months and grown 10-fold over the past 36 months.
These are company-reported growth figures and have not been independently audited in the sources reviewed.
Brokerage Is Now Definedge's Largest Revenue Stream
Definedge currently generates revenue through three broad areas: brokerage, paid product subscriptions and investor education.
Brokerage has become its largest revenue stream, according to the company. Its education operations include webinars, seminars and online courses and continue to serve as part of its customer-acquisition and community-building strategy.
The latest investment may change that acquisition strategy somewhat, because Definedge now intends to put capital into marketing and distribution.
Why Margin Funding Matters to the Fundraise
Definedge's move to raise external capital also reflects the capital requirements of its expanding brokerage operation.
Shah said demand for margin trading facilities was one reason the company decided to seek outside funding after years of operating as a bootstrapped business. Providing greater margin-funding capacity requires a stronger balance sheet.
That provides useful context for the round: part of the ₹22 crore is intended to support the financial infrastructure required by the brokerage business, while another portion will finance technology and customer growth.
Definedge Eyes International Expansion Through GIFT City
Definedge is also looking beyond India's domestic market.
The company is applying for full GIFT City membership, according to ETEntrepreneur. Its initial international strategy involves making overseas market data available to Indian investors before exploring the possibility of taking its products to users outside India.
The US market is expected to be its first area of focus.
That expansion remains a plan rather than an established international operation.
Investors Back Product-Led Strategy
New investor Anant Jain said Definedge's product-focused approach was an important factor behind his investment.
He specifically highlighted technology that allows investors to develop, back-test and deploy momentum strategies, arguing that such tools can enable knowledgeable investors to manage their own strategies.
Existing investor D. Prasad pointed to growth in the company's AUM and customer base, while Sachin Kasera cited Definedge's standing among traders and investors.
What the Funding Means for Definedge's Next Phase
The ₹22 crore round comes as Definedge moves from its earlier product-and-education roots toward a broader combination of brokerage, wealth technology, algorithmic trading, AI and investor education.
Three numbers will be particularly relevant in measuring whether that expansion succeeds: the company's approximately 60,000 recently opened demat accounts, Momentify's reported ₹1,000 crore AUM, and its ambitious target of reaching ₹5,000 crore AUM within the next 24 months.
The new capital gives Definedge additional resources to pursue those objectives, but the company's targets remain forward-looking and will depend on customer adoption, market conditions and its ability to scale its technology and brokerage operations.
