JUL 8, 2026
9 min read
The State of Expenses
Data Team
Outlay Team
What We Learned from 10,000 Receipts
We analyzed anonymized data across hundreds of Indian startups to understand where capital is actually flowing in 2026.
Cloud Infrastructure Dominates
Unsurprisingly, AWS and Google Cloud make up 40% of all startup expenses. However, we're seeing a massive 300% YoY increase in AI API spending (specifically OpenAI and Anthropic).
The Return of Travel
Corporate travel budgets have finally returned to pre-pandemic levels, with domestic flights and hotel bookings making up the second largest category of discretionary spending.
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