Tag: Zerodha

  • List of 118 Unicorn Startups in India and Counting | 2025 Updated

    India is becoming the world’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem with 118 Unicorn Startups, as of January 2025. In today’s world, unicorn startups are not as uncommon as before; however, building a unicorn startup is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and perseverance throughout the startup’s journey to climb the ladder of unicorns, and the ones that have bagged the title of unicorns are discussed in this article.

    Unicorn Startup consists of two words, “Unicorn” and “Startup”. Unicorn is a business term used to define a startup with a valuation of over $1 billion. The term was coined by a venture capitalist and a seed investor, Aileen Lee. On the other hand, Startups are privately owned companies typically at the early stages of their development.

    Being hopeful and supportive of the unicorn culture of India, the Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that India will see a 10X increase in its unicorn count, in the next 2-3 years, which will reach more than 1,000. The Indian government also mentioned that it expects the next wave of startup founders to come from the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of India.

    The Indian startups have reportedly raised around $42+ billion in funding across 1,584 deals in 2021. The startup ecosystem of India, where 90,000+ new startups have been established since 2016, across 56+ different sectors in the country, has also managed to create over 4.5 lakh job opportunities in the country. This has even got a special mention from President Ram Nath Kovind in his Presidential address on 31 January 2022, where he emphasized the new opportunities that the startups of India are ushering in.

    A Celebration for 100 Indian Unicorns

    With Neobank Open achieving unicorn status, India became a country of 100+ unicorns. The first unicorn was seen in India in 2011, and after a decade, India crossed the mark of 100 unicorns. The boasting of 100 unicorns is not a regular affair, and this is why the startup ecosystem has been tossing in joy and swelling with pride for quite some time now. In the meanwhile, many distinguished founders also voiced their thrill and joy for such an achievement.

    “Crossing the 100th unicorn milestone is a proud moment for the country and the entire startup ecosystem. This is just the beginning of a long journey,” said Sujeet Kumar, the cofounder of B2B marketplace unicorn Udaan.

    Vamsi Krishna of Vedantu also relished the mood that the startup ecosystem is in, and said, “The rise of India as a global superpower is inevitable and entrepreneurs will be the ones driving it. 100 unicorns are just a start. We will soon become the startup capital of the world.”

    Divya Gokunath, the cofounder of Byju’s and the wife of Byju Raveendran also said, “We became India’s 16th unicorn, just seven years after we started operations. The valuation did not matter to us, but the milestone did because it was one of the few at that time which put India on the map. Today, for the first 100 Indian companies which made it, it’s a mark that we are on a mission to create something of value and something from India for the world.”

    The faster growth of companies and the sprouting of more unicorns is what India wishes for now. This means that the companies should definitely have to be more serious, and resourceful, and work with an integrated team of specialists to reach the unicorn milestone and beyond. It also means that the Indian startups should forget racial, gender and caste divides, and work with all of their strength, and resources. Here, what is striking among the present unicorns is the apparent gender divide. Yes, only 15% of the present unicorns of India have at least one female founder, while the remaining companies have no female as their founders. This certainly needs to improve to give the upcoming companies a fresh gear of growth. Though the situation is improving, for around 79% of the Indian unicorns with female founders were incorporated after 2011, it still needs to be given considerable thought and a whole lot of action.

    Here we have listed 118 Indian Unicorn Startups, which is the total number of unicorns in India at present in 2025! Don’t miss out on the regular updates in this list by bookmarking the article.

    The following table is sorted by the year startups are turned into a unicorn (Latest to oldest).

    Startup Name Industry Founding Year Unicorn Entry Year Profit/Loss Current Valuation Acquisitions Status
    Netradyne AI, SaaS, Fleet Management 2015 2025 $1.34 Billion Private
    Moneyview FinTech 2014 2024 $19.4 Million $1.2 Billion 1 Private
    Ather Energy Electric Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 2013 2024 -$102.9 Million $1.3 Billion Private
    Rapido Transportation, Mobility Tech 2015 2024 -$52.4 Million $1 Billion 2 Private
    Porter Logistics 2014 2024 -$2.10 Million $1 Billion Acquired/Merged
    RateGain SaaS, Travel Tech 2004 2024 $17.13 $1 Billion 4 Public
    Perfios SaaS, Fintech 2008 2024 0.94 Million $1 Billion 3 Private
    Krutrim Research Services, AI 2023 2024 $1 Billion Private
    Zepto Quick Commerce 2021 2023 -$47.1 Million $1.4 Billion Private
    Molbio Diagnostics HealthTech, MedTech 2010 2022 NA $1.5 Billion 1 Private
    Tata 1mg HealthTech 2015 2022 -$65 Million $1.25 Billion Acquired
    Shiprocket Logistics 2017 2022 -$11.67 Million $1.3 Billion 5 Private
    5ire Fintech 2021 2022 NA $1.5 Billion 1 Private
    OneCard Fintech 2018 2022 -$22.8 Million $1.4 Billion 0 Private
    PhysicsWallah Edtech 2016 2022 $16.4 Million $1.1 Billion 6 Private
    LeadSquared SaaS- CRM 2011 2022 -$7.7 Million $1 Billion Private
    ElasticRun E-commerce Logistics 2015 2022 -$45.1 Million $1.5 Billion Private
    LEAD Edtech 2012 2022 -$49.6 Million $1.1 Billion 2 Private
    Purplle E-commerce Personal Care 2012 2022 -$25 Million $1.1 Billion 1 Private
    DealShare E-commerce 2018 2022 -$53.8 Million $1.7 Billion 0 Private
    Xpressbees E-commerce Logistics 2015 2022 -$3.39 Million $1.2 Billion 1 Private
    Open Fintech 2017 2022 -$20.9 Million $1 Billion 2 Private
    Games24x7 Gaming 2006 2022 -$39 Million $2.5 Billion 0 Private
    Amagi Media, Advertising 2008 2022 NA $1.4 Billion 1 Private
    Fractal SaaS- Analytics 2000 2022 -$18.4 Billion $1 Billion 7 Private
    Darwinbox SaaS- HR 2015 2022 -$7.6 Million $1 Billion 0 Private
    Livspace E-commerce Interior Design 2014 2022 -$51 Million $1.2 Billion 4 Private
    Uniphore SaaS- Conversational Automation 2008 2022 NA $2.5 Billion 5 Private
    Hasura SaaS- Programming Tools 2017 2022 NA $1 Billion 0 Private
    Yubi (Formerly CredAvenue) Fintech 2017 2022 -$7 million $1.5 Billion 3 Private
    CommerceIQ E-commerce Management Platform 2012 2022 NA $1 Billion 0 Private
    Oxyzo Fintech 2016 2022 $8.6 Million $1 Billion 0 Private
    Moglix E-commerce 2015 2021 -$2.5 Million $2.6 Billion 2 Private
    NoBroker PropTech 2014 2021 NA $1 Billion 1 Private
    MobiKwik Fintech 2009 2021 -$16 Million $0.9 Billion 1 Private
    Spinny Automotive, E-commerce 2015 2021 -$61.2 Million $1.75 Billion 3 Private
    MPL ESports 2018 2021 -$56 Million $2.3 Billion 3 Private
    Acko Insurtech 2016 2021 -$45.1 Million $1.1 Billion 2 Private
    ShareChat Media & Entertainment 2015 2021 -$373 Million $5 Billion 6 Private
    Eruditus Edtech 2010 2021 -$386.8 Million $3.2 Billion 1 Private
    upGrad Edtech 2015 2021 -$78.3 Million $2.25 Billion 14 Private
    Apna Marketplace- Employment 2019 2021 -$14 Million $1.1 Billion 0 Private
    Urban Company Home Services 2014 2021 -$64 Million $2.8 Billion 3 Private
    BharatPe Fintech Payments 2018 2021 -$702 Million $2.9 Billion 2 Private
    CarDekho E-commerce Automotives 2007 2021 -$29 Million $1.2 Billion 3 Private
    Licious E-commerce Meat Products 2015 2021 -$106 Million $1.5 Billion 0 Private
    Zetwerk Manufacturing 2018 2021 -$10.4 Million $2.7 Billion 4 Private
    Meesho E-commerce 2015 2021 -$406 Million $4.9 Billion 0 Private
    Blinkit (ex-Grofers) E-commerce- Groceries 2013 2021 -$127 Million $0.568 Billion Acquired
    Pristyn Care Healthtech 2018 2021 NA $1.4 Billion 1 Private
    Vedantu Edtech 2011 2021 -$87 Million $1 Billion 3 Private
    Upstox Fintech 2010 2021 -$55.5 Million $3.4 Billion 0 Private
    Slice Fintech 2016 2021 -$31 Million $1.5 Billion 1 Private
    CRED Financial Technology 2018 2021 -$160 Million $6.4 Billion 4 Private
    Cult.fit Healthtech 2016 2021 -$85 Million $1.5 Billion 14 Private
    Mamaearth E-commerce Personal Care 2016 2021 $2.8 Million $1.2 Billion 4 Private
    Infra.Market B2B E-commerce 2016 2021 $28.3 Million $2.5 Billion 3 Private
    Five Star Business Finance Financial Services 1984 2021 $1.4 Billion 0 Listed
    OfBusiness Building Materials 2015 2021 $34.4 Million $4.8 Billion 1 Private
    CoinSwitch Kuber Cryptocurrencies 2017 2021 NA $1.9 Billion 0 Private
    CoinDCX Cryptocurrency Exchange 2018 2021 $5.1 Million $2.15 Billion 0 Private
    BlackBuck Logistics 2015 2021 -$35 Million $1.02 Billion 0 Private
    Droom Marketplace- Automotives 2014 2021 -$17 Million $1.2 Billion 1 Private
    PharmEasy Online Pharmacy 2015 2021 NA $5.6 Billion 3 Private
    MyGlamm (Good Glamm Group) Personal Care Marketplace 2015 2021 -$36 Million $1.2 Billion 7 Private
    Digit Insurance Insurance 2016 2021 NA $4 Billion 1 Private
    Innovaccer Healthcare 2014 2021 NA $3.2 Billion 0 Private
    Groww Fintech 2017 2021 -$29.5 $3 Billion 1 Private
    Gupshup Enterprisetech 2004 2021 $7.06 Million $1.4 Billion 5 Private
    Chargebee Financial Services 2011 2021 $3.9 Million $3.5 Billion 3 Private
    Zeta Fintech 2015 2021 NA $1.5 Billion 0 Private
    BrowserStack Cloud Infrastructure and Software 2011 2021 $12.5 Million $4 Billion 3 Private
    Mohalla Tech (Moj) Software 2015 2021 NA $5 Billion 6 Private
    Polygon (Formerly Matic Network) Blockchain 2018 2021 NA $10 Billion 3 Private
    MindTickle Saas- Enterprise Software 2011 2021 $3.5 Million $1.2 Billion 1 Private
    Rebel Foods E-commerce Food Delivery 2011 2021 -$66.7 Million $1.4 Billion 1 Private
    Mensa Brands Ecommerce, Financial Services 2021 2021 -$12 Million $1.2 Billion 20 Private
    GlobalBees E-commerce Retail 2021 2021 -$4.4 Million $1.1 Billion 11 Private
    DailyHunt Media & Entertainment 2007 2020 $5 Billion 2 Private
    Unacademy Edtech 2015 2020 -$357 Million $3.4 Billion 12 Private
    Cars24 B2C E-commerce 2015 2020 -$31 Million $3.3 Billion 0 Private
    Glance, Inmobi Mobile Technology 2019 2020 NA $1.7 Billion 2 Private
    RazorPay Fintech 2014 2020 $1.14 Million $7.5 Billion 7 Private
    Zerodha Stockbroker 2010 2020 $349.9 Million $2 Billion 0 Private
    PhonePe Fintech 2015 2020 -$251.6 Million $12 Billion 6 Acquired by Flipkart
    FirstCry E-commerce 2010 2020 $6.39 Million $3 Billion 2 Public
    Nykaa E-commerce 2012 2020 $4.96 Million $4.44 Billion 6 Public
    Pine Labs Fintech 1998 2020 NA $5 Billion 6 Private
    HighRadius Fintech 2006 2020 NA $3.1 Billion 0 Private
    Verse Innovation Media & Entertainment 2007 2020 -$320 Million $5 Billion 3 Private
    Zenoti Saas- Spa and Salon Services 2010 2020 NA $1.5 Billion 1 Private
    Postman Saas- API Development and Testing 2014 2020 NA $5.6 Billion 0 Private
    Delhivery E-commerce Logistics Services 2011 2019 -$128 Million $3.27 Billion 5 Listed
    Icertis Saas- Contract Management 2009 2019 NA $5 Billion 0 Private
    Ola Electric Automotive 2017 2019 NA $5 Billion 1 Private
    Druva Saas- Data Management 2008 2019 NA $2 Billion 3 Acquired
    BigBasket E-commerce- Groceries 2011 2019 -$100 Million $3.2 Billion 6 Acquired
    Rivigo Logistics 2014 2019 -$21 Million $1.05 Billion 0 Private
    Lenskart E-commerce- Eyewear 2010 2019 -$13.4 Million $4.5 Billion 2 Private
    Dream11 Fantasy Sports 2008 2019 $37.8 Million $8 Billion 0 Private
    CitiusTech Healthcare Technology 2005 2019 NA $2.4 Billion 3 Private
    Freshworks SaaS – CRM 2010 2018 -$220 Million $4.53 Billion 13 Listed
    Udaan E-commerce 2016 2018 -$220.9 Million $3.1 Billion 0 Private
    OYO Travel Tech, Hospitality 2013 2018 -$263 Million $10 Billion 8 IPO-Bound
    Paytm Mall E-commerce 2017 2018 -$65.6 Million 0 Private
    Swiggy Foodtech 2014 2018 -$453 Million $5.5 Billion 6 Private
    BYJU’S Edtech 2011 2018 NA $5.1 Billion 19 Private
    Policybazaar Insurance company 2008 2018 -$104 Billion $3.38 Billion 0 Listed
    Billdesk Fintech 2000 2018 $27 Million $2 Billion 0 Private
    ReNew Power Renewable Energy 2011 2017 NA $8 Billion 3 Listed
    OLA Transport Tech 2010 2015 NA $7.4 Billion 8 IPO-Bound
    Zomato Foodtech 2008 2015 -$153 Million $5.4 Billion 15 Public
    Paytm E-commerce Finance 2010 2015 -$214 Million $16 Billion 12 Listed
    Mu Sigma SaaS- Analytics 2004 2013 NA $1.5 Billion 1 Unlisted
    Flipkart E-commerce 2007 2012 -$307 Million $37.6 Billion 18 Unlisted
    InMobi Adtech 2007 2011 -$9 Million $1 Billion 10 Unlisted
    MakeMyTrip Online Travel 2000 2010 -$56 Million $2.52 Billion 9 Listed

    Top Unicorn Startups in India as of 2024

    1. InMobi
    2. Flipkart
    3. BharatPe
    4. Dream11
    5. PhonePe
    6. BYJU’S
    7. OLA
    8. OYO Rooms
    9. Swiggy
    10. Zomato
    11. Freshworks
    12. Moglix
    13. upGrad
    14. MakeMyTrip
    15. Nykaa
    16. Policybazaar
    17. CoinDCX
    18. Pine Labs
    19. Highradius
    20. Zetwerk
    21. BlackBuck
    22. Droom
    23. OfBusiness
    24. ShareChat
    25. Verse Innovation
    26. PharmEasy
    27. MyGlamm
    28. CRED
    29. Meesho
    30. Urban Company
    31. Infra.Market
    32. Digit Insurance
    33. Innovaccer
    34. Five Star Business Finance
    35. Groww
    36. Gupshup
    37. Eruditus
    38. Chargebee
    39. Zeta
    40. BrowserStack
    41. Paytm
    42. Paytm Mall
    43. Zerodha
    44. ReNew Power
    45. BigBasket
    46. Udaan
    47. Ola Electric
    48. Mohalla Tech (Moj)
    49. FirstCry
    50. Lenskart
    51. Blinkit (ex-Grofers)
    52. Glance, Inmobi
    53. Dailyhunt
    54. Zenoti
    55. Cars24
    56. RazorPay
    57. Unacademy
    58. Postman
    59. CitiusTech
    60. Icertis
    61. Druva
    62. Rivigo
    63. Matic Network / Polygon
    64. MindTickle
    65. Delhivery
    66. Billdesk
    67. Mu Sigma
    68. Info Edge
    69. MPL
    70. Apna
    71. Vedantu
    72. Licious
    73. CoinSwitch Kuber
    74. Rebel Foods
    75. CarDekho
    76. MobiKwik
    77. Acko
    78. CureFit
    79. Mensa
    80. NoBroker
    81. Spinny
    82. Upstox
    83. Slice
    84. Pristyn Care
    85. GlobalBees
    86. Mamaearth
    87. Fractal Analytics
    88. LEAD School
    89. Darwinbox
    90. DealShare
    91. ElasticRun
    92. Livspace
    93. Xpressbees
    94. Uniphore
    95. Hasura
    96. CredAvenue
    97. Amagi
    98. CommerceIQ
    99. Oxyzo
    100. Games 24×7
    101. Open
    102. PhysicsWallah
    103. Purplle
    104. LeadSquared
    105. OneCard
    106. 5ire
    107. Shiprocket
    108. Tata 1mg
    109. Molbio Diagnostics
    110. Zepto
    111. Krutrim
    112. Perfios
    113. Porter
    114. Rapido
    115. Ather Energy
    116. Moneyview
    117. Netradyne

    Former Indian Unicorn Companies

    Give your organic rankings the desired boost with the Help of 99Outreach Link Building Services

    Why Choose Team 99Outreach?

    Guaranteed Satisfaction | In-house content creation | Huge database of influential websites | Team of experts

    Get Started

    Why Are There So Many Unicorn Startups in India?

    InMobi

    Startup Name InMobi
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Advertising, Digital Media
    Founders Abhay Singhal, Amit Gupta, Mohit Saxena, Naveen Tewari, Piyush Shah
    Founded 2007
    Investors Lightbox, Softbank Group, Kleiner Perkins
    Products and Services InMobi Pulse, Mobile Marketing
    Valuation $12 billion (April 2021)

    InMobi is a Bengaluru-based mobile advertising platform that helps in optimizing the ranks of the advertisements offered on mobile phones. InMobi was founded in January 2007 and has been the first unicorn startup of India and thus, a torchbearer of the unicorn league of Indian startups that followed. Glance, a subsidiary company of InMobi, has also turned a unicorn in 2020.

    Flipkart

    Startup Name Flipkart
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Marketplace
    Founders Binny Bansal, Sachin Bansal
    Founded 2007
    Investors Walmart, Tencent, Softbank and more
    Products and Services Ecommerce marketplace that offers over 150 million products
    Valuation $37.6 billion (July 2021)

    Being the most favored eCommerce marketplace in India, Flipkart needs no introduction simply because the Big Billion Days are one of the most sought-after online events that millions of Indians look up to. Flipkart was among the first Indian unicorns that achieved the unicorn valuation during the 2011-2012 era after inMobi, which was the first Indian unicorn. With over 350 million users, and 150+ million products, which are distributed across 80+ categories Flipkart is a household for the Indian masses. This ecommerce giant was acquired by Walmart in 2018 for a whopping $16 billion, which helped it scale fast and easily. The Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal-founded company currently boasts of a valuation of over $37.6 billion and is the highest-valued Indian company, as of 2023.

    BharatPe

    Startup Name Bharatpe
    Headquarters New Delhi, India
    Industry Payments platform, Fintech, Financial Services
    Founders Ashneer Grover, Bhavik Koladiya, Shashvat Nakrani
    Founded 2018
    Investors Steadfast Capital, Coatue, Dragoneer, Sequoia
    Products and Services Payments App
    Valuation $2.85 billion (February 2022)

    BharatPe is an Indian digital payments app, merchant aggregator, and payments platform that encourages digital payments via QR and POS. It is not a government company but a private limited company that goes by the name, Resilient Innovations Private Limited. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company tripled its valuation to $2.85 billion and joined the unicorn club on August 4, 2021.

    BharatPe Co-founder Ashneer Grover was recently engaged in a telephone controversy where he allegedly abused a Kotak employee. Grover was also infamously featured on various social media and news platforms several times due to his rash behaviour and his blunt remarks where he also said “naukri dhoond” to one of his fellow pitchers. Furthermore, he is also associated lately with a financial fraud concerning BharatPe along with his wife Madhuri and five others, the investigation of which is continuing, as per reports dated January 29, 2022. Ashneer is currently observing a mandatory leave of absence, as mentioned last by the company and its Board. Grover might not see his place back and is likely to get fired, mentioned sources close to the matter.

    Dream11

    Startup Name Dream11
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Fantasy Sports, IT
    Founders Bhavit Sheth, Harsh Jain
    Founded 2008
    Investors Steadview Capital, Tencent, Tiger Global Management, Falcon Edge
    Products and Services Dream11 sports platform
    Valuation $8 billion (November 2021)

    Dream11 is an Indian fantasy sports platform, which brings a host of sports including but not limited to cricket, football, hockey, volleyball, handball, futsal, and rugby, for the Indian sports fanatics to delve into their favourite games. A homegrown sports platform, Dream 11, aims to help Indian sports enthusiasts to expand and showcase the sports knowledge they boast of!

    Earlier in April 2019, Dream11 raised funding worth $60 million from Steadview Capital and others and joined the unicorn league of Indian startups. The last valuation of Dream11 was recorded at $8 billion, after the company completed an investment of $840 million in November 2021.

    PhonePe

    Startup Name PhonePe
    Headquarters Andheri, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Fintech, Mobile Payments
    Founders Burzin Engineer, Rahul Chari, Sameer Nigam
    Founded 2015
    Investors Flipkart, Walmart
    Products and Services Phonepe payments app
    Valuation $5.5 billion (December 2020)

    PhonePe is a digital payment and merchant aggregator platform that has already had a huge contribution to making digital payments smooth, fast, and easy for Indian customers and merchants. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Andheri, Maharashtra, India, the company boasts of having the largest market share among the UPI apps. The company showed a huge potential for growth and has already achieved unicorn status before 2020. The company was acquired by Flipkart in April 2016 and has witnessed a considerable amount of growth since then. The PhonePe Business Model and “how PhonePe earns money?” is pretty interesting too.

    BYJU’S

    Startup Name BYJUS
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Edtech, Distance education, M-learning
    Founder Byju Raveendran & Divya Gokulnath
    Founded 2011
    Investors Aarin Capital, BOND
    Products and Services BYJU’S – The Learning App
    Valuation $16.5 Billion (July 2021)

    Byju’s is a Bangalore-based edtech platform. It is an online tutoring and coaching firm that started in 2011 and runs on a freemium model. Launched by Byju Raveendran, Byju’s is used by more than 15 million students all over the world and has over 900,000 paid subscribers. Byju’s Current valuation has reached 16.5 Billion USD. Know in detail about BYJU’s business and revenue model.

    OLA

    Startup Name Ola
    Headquarters Bangalore, India
    Industry Transportation
    Founder Bhavish Aggarwal & Ankit Bhati
    Founded 3 December 2010
    Investors SoftBank Group, Tiger Global, Tencent, Matrix Partners, and DST Global
    Products and Services Mobile app, website, Vehicle for hire, Goods and food delivery, Mobile payment and digital wallet
    Valuation $6.5 billion (FY20)

    Ola is an Indian ride-sharing company that was launched on 3rd December 2010. As of 2019, Ola has expanded to over 1.5 million drivers across 250 cities. Ola has also expanded its network into its first overseas market, Australia, and New Zealand in September 2018. Ola began its operations in the UK introducing auto rickshaws.


    Ola Electric Scooter – Booking, Specifications, Charging, Price and more
    Ola has announced the launch of the electric scooters, with pre-bookings touching 1 lakh in just 2 days. Learn everything about these vehicles, including how to book here!


    OYO Rooms

    Startup Name OYO Rooms
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Hospitality
    Founder Ritesh Agarwal
    Founded 2013
    Investors SoftBank Group, Didi Chuxing, Greenoaks Capital, Sequoia India, Lightspeed India, Hero Enterprise, Airbnb, and China Lodging Group.
    Products and Services OYO Rooms, OYO Hotels & Homes
    Valuation $9 billion (July 2021)

    OYO is among the top travel startups in India. Founded by 21-year-old Ritesh Agarwal in 2013, India’s largest hospitality startup comprises budget hotels. The startup works in liaison with existing hotels and offers travellers vacant rooms at a cheaper price. OYO rooms start at a nominal price of Rs 999. Besides bulk renting hotels, they have also invested in their own properties as well.

    Swiggy

    Startup Name Swiggy
    Headquarters Bangalore, India
    Industry Retail
    Founder Nandan Reddy, Sriharsha Majety, and Rahul Jaimini
    Founded 2014
    Investors Norwest Venture Partners, Naspers, Accel, SAIF Partners, Meituan-Dianping
    Products and Services Food delivery
    Valuation $5.5 billion (July 2021)

    Swiggy is one of the most valuable online food ordering and delivery platforms. Swiggy was founded by Nandan Reddy, Sriharsha Majety, and Rahul Jaimini in 2014. In early 2019, Swiggy expanded into general product deliveries, under the brand name Swiggy Stores. Swiggy today has more than 5,000,000 mobile application installations.


    Top 10 Most Highest Valued Startups in the world
    There are over a billion successful startups in the world, every startup strives
    hard to be successful and reach the top, but only a few make it to the list of
    most valuable startups in the world. Being the most valuable startup is a perk in itself because the funding secured
    is much more compared…


    Zomato

    Startup Name Zomato
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Online food ordering and Retail
    Founder Deepinder Goyal, Pankaj Chaddah
    Founded 2008
    Investors Info Edge, Sequoia Capital, Vy Capital, Ant Financial, Baillie Gifford
    Products and Services Restaurant Search & Discovery, Online Ordering, Table Reservations & Management, POS Systems, Subscription Services
    Valuation $8 billion (July 2021)

    Zomato is an Indian food delivery startup restaurant aggregator. Zomato was founded by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah in 2008. Zomato primarily provides concrete information, menus, and user reviews of the restaurants. Along with this, Zomato also has food delivery options from partnered restaurants in the selected cities. The pandemic was dangerous indeed for everyone, and it is almost as dangerous to the food tech companies as it is for every other individual and business, if not more. The food delivery unicorn, Zomato also fought the pandemic hard and thrived.


    The Secret Behind Rapid Growth Of FoodTech Services In India | FoodTech Industry
    Applied technologies to food innovation is a part of sustenance science that
    manages the generation forms that make Foodtechs. An early logical investigation
    into Foodtech innovation focused on sustenance safeguarding. Nicolas Appert’s
    improvement in 1810 of the canning procedure was an unequivocal …


    Freshworks

    Startup Name Freshworks
    Headquarters San Mateo, California, United States
    Industry IT, CRM, Saas
    Founders Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy, Vijay Shankar
    Founded 2010
    Investors Accel, Steadview Capital, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management
    Products and Services CRM software, Software suite
    Valuation $3.5 billion (August 2021)

    Freshworks offers innovative customer engagement software for a diverse range of businesses of varying sizes and kinds. Founded in 2010 in Chennai, the company now has its headquarters in San Mateo, USA, the products which help provide a 360-degree view of the customers. The Saas products brought in by FreshWorks are designed to be used instantly. Besides, they are easy to use, and also offer quick returns on investments.

    Freshworks attained the prestigious unicorn club of the Indian companies in July 2018, thereby becoming the first unicorn startup belonging to the Saas market that the country has seen. Now, increasing the customer engagement and the retention rate for Saas companies is not as difficult as it was earlier

    Moglix

    Startup Name Moglix
    Headquarter India
    Industry Internet
    Founder Rahul Garg
    Founded 2015
    Investors Tiger Global Management, Composite Capital Management, Sequoia Capital India and Harvard Management Company
    Products and Services B2B Trade Platform, e-commerce, Mobile, Supply Chain Network
    Valuation $2.6 Billion (January 2022)

    Moglix is an Asia-based B2B E-commerce company that was founded by Rahul Garg in 2017. The company has its headquarters in Singapore and head offices in India. The startup ambitions to digitally change the chain of manufacturing areas in India. Moglix wants to digitize and seriously change every component of the delivery chain, and B2B commerce which is unorganized and increases options to seriously change the grant chain via technology.

    Moglix, presently serves the manufacturing sector, institutional clients (B2B), and private clients (B2C). The automotive sector, metals and mining, and FMCDs are the best three sectors they cater to. The platform provides Industrial products and services such industrial products and services such as Safety equipment, Electrical and Lighting products, Cleaning and Laundry products, Office Supplies, and Industrial Tools, among others. Moglix is one of the most trusted eCommerce sites for industries as it is known to deliver world-class services worldwide. So far the company has 150,000 industry essential products from 30 different categories and 25,000 SME clients.

    upGrad

    Startup Name upGrad
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Edtech, E-learning
    Founder Mayank Kumar, Phalgun Kompalli, Ravijot Chugh, Ronnie Screwvala
    Founded 2015
    Investors IIFL, Temasek Holdings
    Products and Services Learning courses and materials
    Valuation $1.2 bn (August 2021)

    upGrad is an online coaching program for all students opting for higher education. Partnering with some of the top universities of the world, upGrad brings a wide range of industry-ready courses including Bachelor’s degrees, MBA, Data Science, Machine Learning courses, and more. The company has grown to attain unicorn status on August 6, 2021, with the help of a $185 million fundraising.

    MakeMyTrip

    Startup Name MakeMyTrip
    Industry Online travel
    Founder Deep Kalra
    Founded 2000
    Investors Prosus & Nasper, Sierra Ventures, Helion Venture Partners, Helion Venture Partners, Tiger Fund
    Products and Services Booking tickets for shows, movies, flights, hotels, holidays, buses, trains, etc.

    MakeMyTrip is one of the top online travel companies in India that was founded by Deep Kalra in 2000. The company has its headquarters based in Gurgaon and is known for its services such as booking holiday packages, hotel reservations, movies or even booking tickets for everyday traveling through fights, buses, trains, cars, etc. MakeMyTrip is currently operating in 14+ cities around the world with over 30 franchise stores and in 28 cities in India alone. The MakeMyTrip route planner feature allows its user to access basic information on over one million routes across India.


    Travel and Tourism Industry Trends in 2021: Post-Pandemic
    Covid-19 has badly impacted the travel industry. Listing the top travel industry’s trends in 2021 that are likely to show up in the future.


    Nykaa

    Startup Name Nykaa
    Industry E-commerce
    Founder Falguni Nayar
    Founded 2012
    Investors Steadview Capital, Fidelity, TPG Growth, Hero Corporate Service Private Limited
    Products and Services Cosmetics, skin & wellness products, etc.
    Valuation $2.3 billion (June 2021)

    Nykaa is a leading cosmetic-based eCommerce platform that was founded in 2012 by Falguni Nayar. Nykaa has its headquarters based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and is known for its app and website that sells a wide range of cosmetics, skin, and wellness products. The company also has over 26 offline stores across India and became a Unicorn startup in 2020. The platform has a huge range of 200,000 products from 2000 national and international brands, as of 2020. Many Bollywood actresses like Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif have been the brand ambassadors of Nykaa.

    Policybazaar

    Startup Name Policy Bazaar
    Industry Insurance Company
    Founder Yashish Dahiya, Alok Bansal and Avaneesh Nirjar
    Founded 2008
    Investors Intel Capital, Wellington Management Group, Inventus Capital Partners, Softbank Group True North and IDG Venture Partners
    Products and Services Life, Health, Motor, travel insurance, etc
    Valuation $2.4 billion (July 2021)

    Policybazaar is one of the most well-known and trusted insurance companies in India. The company was started in 2008 by Yashish Dahiya, Alok Bansal, and Avaneesh Nirjar. The company initially started out as an insurance comparison website, but later on started providing different types of insurance plans like Life insurance, Health, Motor, and even Travel. Policybazaar.com is currently the largest insurance company in the country and is also popular in UAE. Policybazaar has both a website and an app, which allows its users to compare financial services from the top insurance options. Here’s knowing how Policy Bazaar witnessed an overwhelming growth via its marketing strategies.

    CoinDCX

    Startup Name CoinDCX
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Fintech
    Founder Neeraj Khandelwal, Sumit Gupta
    Founded 2018
    Investors B Capital Group, Polychain
    Products and Services Cryptocurrency buying, selling and exchange services
    Valuation $2+ billion (April 2022)

    CoinDCX is an Indian cryptocurrency exchange aggregator based in Mumbai. The company specializes in crypto-enabled financial services. CoinDCX aims to develop financial services without any borders to enable a simpler and seamless flow of capital powered by impregnable security. CoinDCX raised $90 mn in Series C funding to emerge as a unicorn. Thus, the company became India’s first cryptocurrency unicorn.


    Best No-Code Websites For Building Blockchain Websites | StartupTalky
    List of Best no-code website and application development platforms for Blockchain Websites for secure crypto transactions, tokens, and wallets without coding.


    Pine Labs

    Startup Name Pine Labs
    Headquarters Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
    Industry Fintech, Financial Services, Payments
    Founders Rajul Garg, Tarun Upaday
    Founded 1998
    Investors Mastercard, Lone Pine Capital, Flipkart, Temasek, Sequoia
    Products and Services POS devices and software solutions
    Valuation $5+ billion (Marh 2022)

    Pine Labs is an Indian merchant platform, equipped with financing and last-mile retail transaction technology, which helps merchants and institutions receive their payments via easy and secure POS apps and devices. Pine Labs collaborated with the New-York based financial services giant, Mastercard in January 2020, and shortly after it attained unicorn status. It was the first company to have turned unicorn in 2020.

    Highradius

    Startup Name Highradius
    Industry Fintech, AI, Saas, Software
    Founder Sashi Narahari
    Founded 2006
    Investors Tiger Global, D1 Capital Partners, ICONIQ and more
    Products and Services AI-based order-to-cash and treasury management software
    Valuation $3.1+ billion (March 2021)

    Highradius is an AI-powered, data-driven fintech enterprise software as a service (Saas) platform that extends autonomous software for smooth and easy management of order to cash (O2C), treasury, and record to report (R2R). Headquartered in Houston, Texas, US, Highradius claims to be the world’s number 1 data-driven AI software platform that helps “lower DSO, optimize working capital, fast-track financial close, and improve productivity.”

    Raising $125 mn right at the start of 2020, Highradius turned into India’s first unicorn company in 2020 in a Series B funding round led by ICONIQ Capital, along with some of its existing investors like Susquehanna Growth Equity and Citi Ventures.

    Zetwerk

    Startup Name Zetwerk
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry B2B, Marketplace, Consumer goods
    Founders Amrit Acharya, Rahul Sharma, Srinath Ramakkrushnan, Vishal Chaudhary
    Founded 2018
    Investors IIFL, Accel, Sequoia Capital
    Products and Services Manufacturing and supply chain systems
    Valuation $1.33+ bn (December 2021)

    Zetwerk emerges as a B2B marketplace for manufacturing items. The online marketplace based out of Bengaluru connects large manufacturing companies with vendors and suppliers, who help them get various components of industrial tools and machinery that they require from time to time. The company joined the unicorn club on August 20, 2021, and became India’s youngest billion-dollar company.

    BlackBuck

    Startup Name BlackBuck
    Headquarters Bangalore, India
    Industry Logistics, Transportation
    Founders Chanakya Hridaya, Rajesh Yabaji, Ramasubramaniam B
    Founded 2015
    Investors Trifecta Capital Advisors, Sequoia, Accel, InnoVen Capital
    Products and Services Trucks, logistics and transportation services for shippers and fleet operators
    Valuation $1.02 billion (August 2021)

    BlackBuck is a truck aggregator and one of the largest truck aggregators operating in India that aims to solve the transportation and logistics problems of countless Indians. Today, BlackBuck boasts of being the largest trucking network in India that is equipped with freight and fleet management technology platforms. Blackbuck entered the unicorn club on July 23, 2021, after it raised $67 mn as part of its Series E funding round at a valuation of $1.02 bn.

    The company currently has a collection of 12,00,000+ trucks and extends its services to over 2000 locations with 15,000+ happy clients.

    Droom

    Startup Name Droom
    Headquarters Haryana, India
    Industry Automotives, B2B, Marketplace
    Founder Sandeep Aggarwal
    Founded 2014
    Investors Lightbox, Toyota Tsusho, SevenTrain Ventures, Integrated Capital
    Products and Services Marketplace for used cars, bikes, scooters and other merchandise
    Valuation $1.2 billion(August 2021)

    Droom is a marketplace for used cars, bikes, scooters, and other automotive, along with other products and merchandise. Powered by cutting-edge data science technology, the company helps its customers to buy and sell automobiles and other products seamlessly.

    Droom has around 600K automobiles and dominates with a massive 80% market share of the automobile transactions online, Droom is India’s largest automobile platform online and is counted among the biggest E-Commerce companies in the country.


    31 Automobile Business Ideas and Car-related Business Ideas
    Have a look at these 31 Automobile and Car-related business ideas to start in 2022. From Automobile Franchise, Limo Service to Food Truck & more.


    OfBusiness

    Startup Name OfBusiness
    Headquarters Haryana, India
    Industry Building Materials, FinTech
    Founders Asish Mohapatra, Bhuvan Gupta, Chandranshu Sinha, Nitin Jain, Ruchi Kalra, Srinath Ramakkrushnan, Vasant Sridhar
    Founded 2015
    Investors Falcon Edge Capital, Softbank, Matrix Partners
    Products and Services Raw materials for SMEs
    Valuation $5+ billion (December 2021)

    OfBusiness or OFB Tech, as it is often referred to, is a raw material procurement and credit platform for SMEs. The company focuses primarily on the manufacturing and construction industries. OfBusiness leverages state-of-the-art technology to integrate the same into the buying behaviors of the SMEs. This way it makes better products available at better prices and in the right timelines.

    ShareChat

    Startup Name ShareChat
    Headquarter Bangalore, India
    Industry Internet, Mobile Apps, Social Media, Social Network
    Founder Ankush Sachdeva, Bhanu Pratap Singh, and Faris Ahsan
    Founded 2015
    Investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Tiger Global Management, Twitter Ventures, SAIF Partners, Shunwei Capital, and Xiaomi
    Products and Services Social Networking and Regional Contents
    Valuation $3.7 Billion (December 2021)

    ShareChat is an Indian video-sharing social networking service, developed via Mohalla Tech Private Limited in the year 2015, established by Ankush Sachdeva, Bhanu Pratap Singh, and Farid Ahsan. The company is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

    ShareChat App acts as a content consumption and sharing platform solely in Indian vernacular languages, which caters to over 1.17 billion wifi customers of India. The company offers features such as messaging, sharing different kinds of media, tagging, etc. ShareChat enabled user-generated content creation on its platform, permitting customers to share their very own posters and innovative content. The company also has 400 plus employees and more than 50 million creator communities. The company went on to raise $500 mn from investors, which increased its valuation to $3 billion.

    Verse Innovation

    Startup Name VerSe Innovation
    Industry Content, Technology, Social Media, Internet
    Founders Umang Bedi, Virendra Gupta
    Founded 2007
    Investors Google, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, ByteDance, B Capital and more
    Products and Services Powers Josh, Dailyhunt with technological support and expertise
    Valuation $5 billion (April 2021)

    VerSe Innovation is the parent company of the leading vernacular news aggregating platform, Dailyhunt. Headquartered in Bengaluru, Verse Innovation is a local language technology platform that is currently powering two of the leading names among the Indian applications – Josh and Dailyhunt and boasts of an amazing reach of over 300 million users.

    VerSe Innovation has raised funds close to $100 mn in December 2020 from a clutch of investors including Google, Microsoft, Falcon Edge’s Alpha Wave Incubation, Sequoia Capital India, Sofina Group, and others to enter the coveted club of unicorn companies in India. With this, Verse became the 10th Indian startup to attain the unicorn valuation in 2020.

    PharmEasy

    Startup Name PharmEasy
    Industry Healthcare and Online Pharmacy
    Founder Mikhil Innani, Dharmil Sheth and Dhaval Shah
    Founded 2015
    Investors B Capital, Prosus, Temasek, Think Investments, Tiger Global, A Velumani, etc.
    Products and Services Online pharmacy services, medicines, healthcare products, diagnostic test, etc.
    Valuation $5.6 billion (JuOctoberne 2021)

    PharmEasy is an online healthcare delivery platform that was founded by Mikhil Innani, Dharmil Sheth, and Dhaval Shah in 2015. The company has its headquarters in Mumbai Maharashtra and is currently the leading online healthcare aggregator in India. Besides selling medicines online, the platform also helps connect patients with the closest local pharmacy and diagnostic center based on their medical needs. It delivers medicines in over 1000 plus cities and across 22,000 pin codes. PharmEasy claims to have delivered more than 1.5 crore orders and has over one lakh medicines available on its website.

    MyGlamm (The Good Glamm Group)

    Startup Name MyGlamm
    Industry Cosmetics, Beauty, Marketplace
    Founder Darpan Sanghvi, Priyanka Gill
    Founded 2015
    Investors Prosus, Warburg, Trifecta, Amazon and more
    Products and Services Beauty and cosmetics products marketplace
    Valuation $1.2+ billion (November 2021)

    MyGlamm is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) beauty and cosmetics startup that extends an e-commerce marketplace with a wide range of products for stylists, beauticians, and others. The Mumbai-based D2C brand combines technology with content and social media in order to help the customers to shop for their preferred products along with gaining rich, personalized content and tutorial from the experts.

    MyGlamm has turned into a unicorn company when it raised $150 mn in funding from Prosus Ventures and others on November 9, 2021. MyGlamm was the 34th Indian startup to turn a unicorn in the year 2021 and the 76th Indian company overall to enter the coveted club of unicorn companies of India.

    CRED

    Startup Name CRED
    Industry Financial Technology
    Founder Kunal Shah
    Founded 2018
    Investors Falcon Edge Capital, Coatue Mnagement LLP, Insight Partners, Tiger Global, RTP Global, DST Global, Greenoaks Capital, etc.
    Products and Services Rentpay, CRED Stash, Store, Credit Card Payments and Cred Pay
    Valuation $2.2 billion (April 2021)

    CRED is an upcoming Fintech startup that was started by Kunal Shah in 2018. The company has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and is known for its app that allows users to make credit card payments and even get rewarded. Besides rewards, CRED also gives its customers access to a wide range of additional services such as credit and a premium catalog of products from top brands. So far the platform has over 5.9 million users and has processed about 20% of all credit card bill payments in the country. CRED services are divided into five major products which are CRED RentPay, CRED Cash, CRED Pay, CRED Store, and CRED Travel Store. The Cred Business and Revenue Model depends on the app, its customers, and the business partnerships it sees.

    Meesho

    Startup Name Meesho
    Industry E-commerce
    Founder Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal
    Founded 2015
    Investors Softbank, Facebook, Prosus Ventures, Shunwei Capital, venture highway and Knollwood Investment
    Products and Services Clothes, cosmetics, household items, etc
    Valuation $4.9 billion (September 2021)

    Meesho is a popular Indian social ecommerce company that was founded in 2015 by batchmates, Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal. The company has its headquarters in Bengaluru Karnataka. Meesho helps small and medium businesses or even individuals to start their online stores through social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Meesho also has an online reselling website and app that allows people to sell their products without investments. So far it is known to have 2.6 million resellers across the country.

    Meesho became a unicorn on April 6, 2021, after raising $300 mn in funds in a funding round that was led by Japan’s Softbank Corp. Group. Know more about Meesho Business Model & Revenue Model.

    Urban Company

    Startup Name Urban Company
    Industry Home Services
    Founder Abhiraj Bhal, Varun Khaitan and Raghav Chandra
    Founded 2014
    Investors Prosus Ventures, Dragoneer, Wellington Management, Vy Capital, Tiger Global, and Steadview
    Products and Services professionals for cleaning, beauticians, masseurs, carpenters, etc
    Valuation $2.8 billion (June 2021)

    Urban Company is said to be Asia’s largest home services company as it is an all-in-one platform that helps users find professionals for different home services. The platform has its headquarters in Gurgaon and offers professional home cleaning services to beauticians, masseurs, and even carpenters. Urban Company was founded in 2014 by Abhiraj Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra, while the platform currently has served over 5 million customers across India, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sydney, and Singapore. As of 2021, it is also known to be the UAE’s largest home services company. Here’s knowing all about Urban Company’s business model, and the marketing strategies that Urban Company uses.

    Infra.Market

    Startup Name Infra.Market
    Industry Building material
    Founder Souvik Sengupta
    Founded 2016
    Investors Nexus Venture Partners, Foundamental, Tiger Global, Accel Partner
    Products and Services Construction Materials, Infrastructure, and Heavy Equipment Rental
    Valuation $2.5 billion (August 2021)

    Infra.Market is one of the best construction solutions companies and an online procurement marketplace that uses technology to provide an enhanced procurement experience. The company provides its services to the real estate and construction materials industry. The company was started by Souvik Sengupta in 2016 and has its headquarters in Thane, Maharashtra. Infra.Market specializes in manufacturing construction materials, infrastructure, and heavy equipment rental for all the sectors of a construction ecosystem. It caters to both institutional customers and the construction materials sector to build their projects. Infra.Market turned unicorn with a $100 mn funding on February 25, 2021

    Digit Insurance

    Startup Name Digit Insurance
    Industry Insurance
    Founder Kamesh Goyal
    Founded 2017
    Investors Sequoia Capital, IIFL Alternate Asset Managers, Fearing Capital, TVS Capital, etc
    Products and Services Insurance for Car, Health, employee, 2 Wheeler, 3 Wheeler, etc.
    Valuation $4 billion (May 2022)

    Digit Insurance is one of the top general insurance companies offering health, car, bike, and travel insurance. The company was founded in 2016 by Kamesh Goyal, and has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The company is popular for Go Digit Mobile Insurance, a tailor-made mobile insurance that covers damages related to different mobiles or Smartphones such as accidental damage, etc. Digit Insurance was the first Indian Unicorn of 2021 and has been successful in achieving the feat in less than 4 years. Besides, Digit Insurance is one of the companies that are endorsed by Virat Kohli, who is the brand ambassador of Digit.

    Innovaccer

    Startup Name Innovaccer
    Industry Healthcare
    Founders Abhinav Shashank, Kanav Hasija and Sandeep Gupta
    Founded 2014
    Investors Steadview Capital, Dragoneer, B Capital Group, Mubadala Capital Microsoft Venture Funds.
    Products and Services Clinical Integration, Health Management, Big data analytics, Quality Reporting, Healthcare data platform
    Valuation $1.3 billion (February 2021)

    Innovaccer is one of the top healthcare companies that is known for its top-notch healthcare services and products that are done through pioneering analytics and accurate data. Innovaccer was founded in 2014 by Sandeep Gupta and has its headquarters in San Francisco. It has head offices in India and America. Innovaccer products are available in over 500 locations and it also has more than 10,000 providers. The company has helped thousands of institutions, governmental organizations, hospitals, clinics, and healthcare organizations such as Mercy ACO, StratiFi Health, Catalyst Health Network, and Osler Health Network.

    Innovaccer has turned into a unicorn after it received $105 mn of funding from Tiger Global Management on February 24, 2021. With this, Innovaccer also became the first health tech unicorn in India to turn unicorn.


    Market Growth Of Online Doctor Consultation During Lockdown
    Are you looking for Online Doctor Consultation? Consultation is available at your fingertip. The market growth has increased rapidly during the lockdown.


    Five Star Business Finance

    Startup Name Five Star Business Finance
    Industry Financial Services
    Founder V.K Ranganathan
    Founded 1984
    Investors Sequoia Capital India, Norwest Venture Partners, KKR, TVS Capital, Matrix Partners
    Products and Services Small Business Loans, Mortgage Loans, Home Loans, Property Loans
    Valuation $1.4 billion (March 2021)

    Five Star Business Finance (FSBF) is one of the oldest Indian investment firms that was started by V.K Ranganathan in 1984. The company provides different kinds of loans like Small Business Loans, Mortgage Loans, Home Loans, Property Loans, among others. The company has been making strides in the financial industry over the last three decades. Five Star Housing Finance Private Limited which is the company’s subsidiary is designed to help its clients with small housing loans.

    Groww

    Startup Name Groww
    Industry Financial Technology
    Founder Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Ishan Bansal, and Neeraj Singh
    Founded 2017
    Investors Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, YC Continuity, Kauffman Fellows, Insignia Venture Partners and Propel Venture Partners
    Products and Services Stock broking services, direct mutual funds, IPO, ETF, digital gold
    Valuation $1 billion (May 2021)

    Groww is one of the most popular online investment platforms in India. The company was started in 2017 by Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Ishan Bansal, and Neeraj Singh. The company has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and has so far raised over $14 million as of April 2021. This mutual fund investments platform started out by offering wealth management and currently offers direct investments in mutual funds, stocks, digital gold, and exchange-traded funds, among others. The parent company of Groww is Nextbillion Technology.

    Gupshup

    Startup Name Gupshup
    Industry Software
    Founder Beerud Sheth
    Founded 2004
    Investors Tiger Global Management Llc, Think Investments, Malabar Investments, Harbor Spring Capital, White Oak , Fidelity Management
    Products and Services Chatbots
    Valuation $1.4 billion (July 2021)

    Gupshup is an upcoming Software company that provides services such as SMS, email, voice, and IP messaging. Gupshup company operates in India, America and UK and is known for its chatbox development services to retail and eCommerce companies. The company developed a smart messaging app called Teamchat and handles over 6 million messages every month. Gupshup is one of the first companies to launch the chatbot building platforms known as gupshup.io which currently offers its services to over 30,000 developers. The platform also has 30,000 chatbots across 22 different social media channels.

    Eruditus

    Startup Name Eruditus
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Edtech, Education
    Founder Ashwin Damera, Chaitanya Kalipatnapu
    Founded 2010
    Investors Accel, Softbank Vision Fund, Prosus Ventures
    Products and Services Education, E-learning
    Valuation $2.5 billion

    Eruditus is an Edtech platform headquartered in Mumbai. Founded in 2010, the company collaborates with the leading universities from across the globe in order to make executive education accessible globally. Eruditus Executive Education boasts of partnering with over 30 universities with a collection of more than 100 courses that extends to the students of around 80 countries. The company has recently turned into a unicorn with a $650 million fundraise as part of its series E funding round!

    Chargebee

    Startup Name Chargebee
    Industry Financial services
    Founder Krish Subramanian
    Founded 2011
    Investors Sapphire Ventures, Tiger Global, Insight Venture Partners
    Products and Services invoicing, taxes, SaaS metrics, accounting and customer management.
    Valuation $1.4 billion (April 2021)

    Chargebee is a SaaS Company with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in providing subscription and recurring billing based SaaS and E-commerce services like invoicing, taxes, SaaS metrics, accounting and customer management. The company also supports over 100 currencies and numerous well-known payment gateways such as Stripe, Braintree, WorldPay and PayPal. The SaaS startup has gathered 3,000 customers most of whom are from America, Europe, and India.

    Zeta

    Startup Name Zeta
    Industry Financial Technology
    Founder Bhavin Turakhia and Ramki Gaddipati
    Founded 2015
    Investors SoftBank, Avendus Capital, Sodexo, Directi .
    Products and Services cloud-native, API-first neo-banking and other Fintech services.
    Valuation $1.45 billion (May 2021)

    Zeta is a financial technology company that provides a full-stack, cloud and API first neo banking services. The fintech company was founded in 2015 by Bhavin Turakhia and Ramki Gaddipati with its headquarters based in Los Angeles, California, and has head offices in India. It is known for its Omni stack that includes modern credit and debit processing, BNPL, banking, and mobile experiences. The company products are used by banks like RBL Bank, IDFC First Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, along with 14000 corporates. So far Zeta has over 2 million users with over one million transactions per day.

    Zeta is a budgeting app for couples. It integrates personal and shared accounts, which include bank accounts, loans, and credit cards. Connect your account immediately for automated updates or manually add an account to manage it yourself.

    You can see your joint incomes, expenses, and financial savings in one place. It lets you create more than one budget for private and shared expenses. Plus, you can set precise monetary goals for you and your partner, such as saving for a holiday or placing up an emergency fund.

    BrowserStack

    Startup Name BrowserStack
    Headquarters Mumbai, India
    Industry Cloud Infrastructure and Software
    Founder Ritesh Arora & Nakul Aggarwal
    Founded 2011
    Investors Insight Partners, Accel and Bond
    Products and Services Cloud Web and Software Testing
    Valuation $4 Billion (June 2021)

    BrowserStack is a cloud net and mobile testing platform, which is used by two million developers in around a hundred thirty-five countries. The product’s price proposition is to assist groups to fasten up launch cycles and develop websites and mobile app that work seamlessly on any user interface. The aim is to limit the time, price, and protection overhead related to testing.

    More than 25,000 world corporations use BrowserStack, which includes Microsoft, ING, MasterCard, Dow Jones, Garmin, National Geographic, Volvo, NRK, HubSpot, Walt Disney, and AngularJS. BrowserStack has offices work in San Francisco, Mumbai, Dublin, and is privately held and backed by Accel.


    List of Top Cloud Computing Startups in India and their growth
    Cloud Computing has become the new norm, the trend has given birth to a huge number of startups that rely on the cloud. These companies are more efficient.


    Paytm

    Startup Name Paytm
    Headquarters Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
    Industry E-commerce Finance
    Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma
    Founded August 2010
    Investors Alibaba, Ant Group, AGH Holdings, SAIF Partners, T Rowe Price, Discovery Capital, and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway
    Products and Services Paytm Mall, Paytm Payments Bank, Paytm Money, Gamepind, Paytm Smart Retail, Payment system, Mobile payments, Online shopping
    Valuation $16 billion (June 2021)

    Paytm is one of the biggest unicorn startups in India. It is among the largest digital payment service providers in India with a market share of 11.63% and is currently in the third position in the list of top UPI apps in India, as recorded in June 2021. The fintech startup is famous for its payment gateway service, which helps consumers to make seamless payments to the seller from their bank accounts. Paytm entered the unicorn club in 2015. Paytm’s valuation was over $7 billion, and it has now increased to $16 billion in 2020.

    Paytm Mall

    Startup Name Paytm Mall
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry E-commerce Finance
    Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma
    Founded 2017
    Investors Alibaba, Elevation Capital, SoftBank, eBay
    Products and Services Online Shopping
    Valuation $3 billion (July 2019)

    Paytm Mall is a B2C model inspired by China’s largest B2C retail platform TMall. Paytm Mall was launched by Paytm in 2017. Launched in 2016, as a hyperlocal offline-to-online (O2O) business, Paytm Mall turned unicorn in 2018 on raising half a billion from Softbank and others.

    Zerodha

    Startup Name Zerodha
    Headquarters Bangalore, India
    Industry Stockbroker
    Founder Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath
    Founded 2010
    Investors Bootstrapped
    Products and Services Kite, Coin, Console, Varsity, Equity Trading, Currencies and Commodities Trading, Mutual Funds and Bonds
    Valuation $2 billion (June 2021)

    Zerodha is an Indian fintech startup that offers retail and institutional broking, currencies and commodities trading, mutual funds, and bonds. The Company was founded in the year 2010 in order to achieve the goal of breaking all the barriers traders and investors face in India. Zerodha is headquartered in Bangalore and has a physical presence in several major Indian cities.

    In Dec 2020, Zerodha was the largest retail stockbroker in India by active client base and contributes upwards of 15% of daily retail volumes across Indian Stock Exchanges. Zerodha entered the unicorn club in July 2020 with a self-assessed valuation of about $1 billion. This valuation was based on the ESOP buyback exercise the company undertook valuing each share at more than four times the book value of ₹700 per share. Know why is Zerodha not raising funds for its operation?

    Disruptive pricing models and in-house technology have made Zerodha the biggest stockbroker in India in terms of active retail clients. Over 5+ million clients place millions of orders every day through our powerful ecosystem of investment platforms, contributing over 15% of all Indian retail trading volumes.

    ReNew Power

    Startup Name ReNew Power
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Renewable energy
    Founder Sumant Sinha
    Founded 2011
    Investors Sylebra Capital and Goldman Sachs
    Products and Services Wind Power, Solar Power, Solar Rooftop Power
    Valuation $8 billion (March 2021)

    ReNew Power Limited is an Indian renewable energy company. It is an independent power producer which was founded by Sumant Sinha in 2011. ReNew Power has a pipeline of close to 1400 MW solar and wind projects. It has a current valuation of $8 billion, which makes it one of the most valuable startups in India in 2021.

    BigBasket

    Startup Name BigBasket
    Headquarters Bangalore, India
    Industry Retail
    Founder Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, Abhinay Choudhari and V.S. Ramesh
    Founded 2011
    Investors Alibaba, CDC Group, Ant Financial, Intel Capital, and Berkshire Hathaway
    Products and Services Grocery Delivery
    Valuation $1.85 billion (March 2021)

    BigBasket is India’s largest online grocery store which was founded by Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, Abhinay Choudhari, and V.S. Ramesh in 2011. BigBasket founder Hari Menon is one of the most revered entrepreneurs, who deserves a place among the top entrepreneurs of India. It has gained popularity among the Indians and receives over 100,000 orders per day. BigBasket has also launched 3 new businesses BB Daily, BB Instant, and BB Beauty. Here’s something that might interest you – JioMart VS BigBasket: Top Contenders Of Online Grocery Market

    Udaan

    Startup Name Udaan
    Headquarters India
    Industry E-commerce, Supply chain management, B2B
    Founder Sujeet Kumar, Amod Malviya, and Vaibhav Gupta
    Founded 2016
    Investors Tencent Holdings, Altimeter Capital, Octahedron Capital, GGV Capital, Moonstone Capital, DST Global, and Lightspeed Venture Partners
    Products and Services B2B trade platform
    Valuation $3.1 billion (Jan 2021)

    Udaan is a B2B e-commerce platform that provides a wholesale product solution to different vendors in all categories. It was founded by Sujeet Kumar, Amod Malviya, and Vaibhav Gupta in 2016. Udaan is a B2B (Business to Business) marketplace for trade that is working for connecting retailers, wholesalers, traders, and manufacturers using technology as the main tool. Udaan turned a startup unicorn in 2018, which is just after 2 years and 2 months since it was launched in 2016. It is thus, the first startup to be called the fastest unicorn.

    Ola Electric

    Startup Name Ola Electric
    Industry Automotive
    Founder Ankit Jain and Anand Shah
    Founded 2017
    Investors SoftBank, Tiger Global, Ratan Tata, Hyundai Motors, Matrix Partners, Tiger Global and The Munjal Family.
    Products and Services Electric two and tree wheeler vehicles
    Valuation $5+ billion (January 2022)

    Ola Electric is a brainchild of Ola which is currently one of the largest ride-hailing companies. Ola Electric is a tech mobility startup that provides transit services. Besides that, the company also offers a platform to work with driver-partners, vehicle manufacturers, and battery companies and also advance into making future technology for daily mobility. The company was founded in 2017 by Ankit Jain and Anand Shah and had its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Ola Electric is also known to be the fastest unicorn after Udaan.


    Top 7 Alternatives to Ola Electric Scooters in 2022
    Ola Electric is accepting pre-bookings, set to be big, but the Indian market is booming with electric vehicles. Here are some alternatives to Ola Electric vehicles.


    Mohalla Tech (Moj)

    Startup Name Mohalla Tech
    Industry Software
    Founder Ankush Sachdeva, Farid Ahsan and Bhanu Singh
    Founded 2015
    Investors Lightspeed Ventures, Tiger Global, Twitter, India Quotient,
    Products and Services MOJ and Sharechat
    Valuation $3.7 billion (December 2021)

    Mohalla Tech is a software company that was founded by Ankush Sachdeva, Farid Ahsan and Bhanu Singh in 2015. The company has its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and is known for its platforms – MOJ and Sharechat. Mohalla Tech designs and develops social media platforms for sharing various quotes, videos, images, and news content. Currently, Moj and Sharechat are known to have a combined user of 340 million. According to some reports, an average user will spend over 34 minutes on the MOJ platform every day, which also gets 4.5 million views every day.

    FirstCry

    Startup Name FirstCry
    Industry E-commerce
    Founder Supam Maheshwari, Amitava Saha, Prashant Jadhav, Sanket Hattimattur
    Founded 2010
    Investors TPG, Chrys Capital, Premji Invest, Elevation Capital, MegaDelta and Vertex
    Products and Services Baby and Kids Products
    Valuation $2 billion (March 2021)

    FirstCry is one of the top E-commerce companies for Baby and Child products. The company was founded by Supam Maheshwari, Amitava Saha, Prashant Jadhav, and Sanket Hattimattu in 2010, with its headquarters based in Pune, Maharashtra. Currently, the company has 380 plus stores across the country and also has a hospital contact program that helps in reaching out to more than 70,000 new parents every month. Firstcry has over 100,000 plus baby, kids, and new mom products from more than 1000 international and national brands.

    Lenskart

    Startup Name Lenskart
    Industry Eyewear
    Founder Peyush Bansal, Amit Chaudhary, Sumeet Kapahi
    Founded 2010
    Investors Temasek, Falcon Edge Capital, KKR, Bay Capital, and Chiratae
    Products and Services Eyewear, opticians
    Valuation $4.32 billion (April 2022)

    Lenskart is a leading eyewear company that was started by Peyush Bansal, Amit Chaudhary, Sumeet Kapahi in 2010. The company has its headquarters in Faridabad and has manufacturing facilities in Delhi, Zhengzhou (China). The company is known to manufacture over 300,000 eyewear every month, as it has more than 500 stores in over 70 cities across India. Besides having a huge range of eyewear it also offers its users branded contact lenses and sunglasses.

    And this is not the end of the story. There are many new entrants to this unicorn club. Multiple startups strive hard to reach the top 10 unicorn startups but only a few make it to the top. India is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world. It can be said that India is the future of great startups.

    Blinkit (ex-Grofers)

    Startup Name Blinkit (ex-Grofers)
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Grocery, Delivery
    Founders Albinder Dhindsa, Saurabh Kumar
    Founded 2013
    Investors Tiger Global Management, Softbank Vision Fund
    Products and Services Grocery, body care and essentials delivery
    Valuation $1 billion(June 30, 2021)

    Grofers is an Indian online supermarket that helps in the home delivery of food, grocery products, and essentials. Founded in 2013, Grofers started with groceries and gradually expanded to a whole list of categories that includes beauty products, household care, baby care, and more. The company is now a unicorn with a $120 million fundraising round from the food aggregator, Zomato. Grofers was rebranded to Blinkit after a rebranding attempt on December 13, 2021.

    Glance, Inmobi

    Startup Name Glance
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Mobile, Technology
    Founder Naveen Tewari
    Founded 2019
    Investors Lightbox, Softbank Group, Kleiner Perkins
    Products and Services Mobile lock screen content
    Valuation $1 billion (December 2020)

    A subsidiary company of inMobi, Glance is an artificial intelligence platform that offers customized lock screen content to the owners of the smartphones of the present. The company was founded in 2019 as a subsidiary of inMobi, a Bengaluru-based mobile ad network, and turned unicorn on December 22, 2020. Its parent company had already become a unicorn company back in 2011.

    Dailyhunt

    Startup Name Dailyhunt
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Social News, IT, Language learning
    Founders Umang Bedi, Umesh Kulkarni, Virendra Gupta
    Founded 2007
    Investors Google, Alphawave, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, Falcon Capital
    Products and Services Dailyhunt app
    Valuation $1 billion (March 2021)

    Dailyhunt is an Indian content and news aggregator services platform that helps its users access updates on trending topics along with online news, books, and magazines. The company is popular for offering content in 14 different local languages for a wide variety of Indian readers. The company raised around $100 million from Google and Microsoft and Falcon Edge’s Alpha Wave to become India’s first tech unicorn focused on vernacular content on December 22, 2020.

    Zenoti

    Startup Name Zenoti
    Headquarters Bellevue, Washington, United States
    Industry CRM, Enterprise software
    Founders Dheeraj Koneru, Saritha Katikaneni, Sudheer Koneru
    Founded 2010
    Investors Accel, Norwest Venture Partners, Steadview Capital, Tiger Global Management
    Products and Services Salon software, spa software, med spa software
    Valuation $1.5+ billion

    A cloud-based software platform for spa and salon services of the country, Zenoti was founded in 2010 with its headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, and Hyderabad. Zenoti has been since the day it was founded and is now used by over 10,000 customers and has already established its presence in 50+ countries. With a fundraise that amounted to $160 million, the company entered the unicorn club on December 15, 2020.

    Cars24

    Startup Name Cars24
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry B2C, Ecommerce, AI
    Founders Gajendra Jangid, Mehul Agrawal, Ruchit Agarwal, Vikram Chopra
    Founded 2015
    Investors DST Global, KCK Global, Sequoia Capital
    Products and Services Cars24 website/app, cars buying and selling service
    Valuation $1.6 billion (July 2021)

    Cars24 is an online marketplace that encourages the buyers and sellers of used cars and helps them to buy and sell automobiles online without any hassles. Via an AI-enabled pricing algorithm, Cars24 displays the appraisal price along with the market price of the vehicles. Furthermore, it also arranges appointments for vehicle inspection, thereby making the selling process as transparent as possible.

    The Gurgaon-based company, Cars24 was founded in 2015 and has already become a unicorn on November 24, 2020, with the $200 million Series E funding round led by Yuri Milner’s DST Global fund, Exor Seeds, Moore Strategic Ventures, and more. The company was valued at over $1 billion when assessed in November 2020.

    RazorPay

    Startup Name RazorPay
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Fintech, Financial Services
    Founder Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar
    Founded 2014
    Investors GIC, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management
    Products and Services Payment gateway services
    Valuation $3 billion (April 2021)

    RazorPay is a digital payment gateway that enables businesses and individuals to process, receive and disburse payments smoothly and securely. Razorpay accepts a wide range of the latest payment devices and platforms to improve the customer’s payment journeys online.

    RazorPay is among the last year unicorn companies in India, which joined the unicorn club of Indian startups on October 11, 2020, when the company raised around $100 million. The company was valued at around $3 billion in April 2021.


    Comparison between Indian digital payments system Instamojo and Razorpay
    Reviews and features of digital payment apps founded in India, Instamojo pricing, Razorpay pricing, integrations, and solutions for micro and macro enterprises.


    Unacademy

    Startup Name Unacademy
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Edtech, E-learning
    Founders Gaurav Munjal, Hemesh Singh, Roman Saini, Sachin Gupta
    Founded 2015
    Investors Temasek Holdings, Dragoneer Investment Group, Softbank, Facebook, Sequoia Capital
    Products and Services Courses and classes
    Valuation $3.44 billion (August 2021)

    Unacademy is an Indian unicorn Edtech company based in Bangalore, which climbed to unicorn status on September 2, 2020, thereby becoming the second e-learning startup to achieve the status.

    Founded in 2015, Unacademy offers educational content for competitive examinations and other video lectures, some of which are also freely accessible for students. With the latest fundraise where the company received $440 million, Unacademy is now valued at $3.44 billion, as of August 2021. Here’s a List of Startups Acquired by EdTech Giant Unacademy

    Postman

    Startup Name Postman
    Headquarters San Francisco, California, United States
    Industry Software, Developer Tools, Developer APIs,
    Founders Abhijit Kane, Abhinav Asthana, Ankit Sobti
    Founded 2014
    Investors Insight Partners, CRV, Nexus Venture
    Products and Services Postman app, Postman Workspace, Built-in tools
    Valuation $5.6 billion (August 2021)

    Postman raised $150 million in June 2020 to turn into a unicorn. The API development environment is used by around 6 million developers worldwide across 200,000 companies located globally. Postman serves as a platform that makes it easy for developers and enterprises to build, test, and debug their APIs.

    With a valuation of $5.6 billion, as per the reports in August 2021, after the company received funding of around $225 million, Postman is presently acknowledged as the most valued Saas startup in India.

    CitiusTech

    Startup Name CitiusTech
    Headquarters Princeton, New Jersey, United States
    Industry Healthcare Technology
    Founders Jagdish Moorjani, Rizwan Koita
    Founded 2005
    Investors Baring Pvt. Equity Asia, Bain Capital
    Products and Services Consulting, Digital & Product Engineering, Data & Analytics
    Valuation $2.4 billion (May 2022)

    CitiusTech is a major technology service and solution provider for the healthcare industry. CitiusTech boasts of having over 4000 professionals worldwide. With its workforce, the company aims to empower the healthcare and life sciences companies with reassuring consultation and digital technology services and drive clinical value chain excellence across integration and interoperability, data management, data science, performance management, and more.

    CitiusTech was acquired by Baring Private Equity Asia, after the Hong Kong-based company signed a definitive agreement on July 12, 2019. This deal has valued the company at a little over a billion dollars, thereby granting its entry into the unicorn club of Indian companies.

    As per the news dated May 5, 2022, Bain Capital has bought 40% of the stakes of CitiusTech from Baring Private Equity Asia, as the latter sold half of its tech to the American private investment firm. Apax Partners and Fujitsu of Japan were the other contenders for the stake. The 40% stakes of CitiusTech were valued between $960 mn to $1 bn, which has successfully catapulted the valuation of CitiusTech to around $2.4 bn, as of May 2022. The other 40% stakes of the firm are with Baring, while the remaining stakes are held by the company’s founders.

    Icertis

    Startup Name Icertis
    Headquarters Bellevue, Washington, United States
    Industry AI, Cloud Data Services, CRM, Saas
    Founders Monish Darda, Samir Bodas
    Founded 2009
    Investors B Capital Group, Ignition Partners, Eight Roads Ventures
    Products and Services Contract Management Software
    Valuation $2.8 billion (March 2021)

    Icertis is designed as a powerful AI-enabled contract management platform that promises ultimate compliance and aims to reduce the risks involved in it. Being an enterprise contract management platform, Icertis extends easy solutions to hard contract management issues.

    When the company raised $80 million in March 2021, at a valuation of $2.8 billion, Icertis was declared as the second most-valued startup unicorn of India. The company turned into a unicorn even before that in 2020.

    Druva

    Startup Name Druva
    Headquarters Sunnyvale, California, United States
    Industry Software, Cloud Data Services, Cloud Security, Saas
    Founders Jaspreet Singh, Milind Borate, Ramani Kothandaraman
    Founded 2008
    Investors Sequoia Capital India, Viking Global, Indian Angel Network
    Products and Services Data protection solutions
    Valuation $2 billion (April 2021)

    Druva is an Indian enterprise software platform that is designed to protect and manage enterprise data across endpoints, data centers, and cloud workloads. Built on AWS, Druva offers a Saas platform that extends superior data resiliency options, which is infinitely scalable, for the companies operating across the globe.

    The India-based Saas company headquartered in the US is one of the earliest companies of India that turned into a unicorn. Druva attained unicorn status in 2019.

    Rivigo

    Startup Name Rivigo
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Automotive, Logistics
    Founders Deepak Garg, Gazal Kalra
    Founded 2014
    Investors Elevation capital, Trifecta Capital
    Products and Services Cargo and freight services
    Valuation $1.09 billion (January 2021)

    Rivigo is a logistics platform empowered by the latest technologies that extend effective transport services for a wide range of industries including clothing, eCommerce, automotive, automobiles, and more. The company was founded in 2014 in Gurgaon, Haryana, and was valued at $1.05 billion when it turned unicorn in September 2019.

    Matic Network / Polygon

    Startup Name Polygon Technology
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Blockchain
    Founders Anurag Arjun, Jaynti Kanani, Mihailo Bjelic, Sandeep Nailwal
    Founded 2018
    Investors Sequoia Capital, Mark Cuban, Coinbase Ventures
    Products and Services Ethereum scaling platform
    Valuation $10 billion (February 2022)

    Polygon or Matic Network, as it was named previously, is a Bengaluru-based blockchain startup that was founded as a result of the infamous RBI ban of cryptocurrencies that came in April 2018. Founded by Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, and Anurag Arjun, Matic Network focussed on solving the “scalability and usability issues, without compromising on decentralization”. It was on February 9, 2021, that Matic was renamed into Polygon.

    Polygon is already a unicorn when last reported in May 2021 and is currently valued at over $10 bn, as of February 2022. The market capitalization of its native MATIC token has crossed the $20 billion mark once in December 2021.

    MindTickle

    Startup Name MindTickle
    Headquarters San Francisco, California, U.S
    Industry Saas, Enterprise software
    Founders Deepak Diwakar, Krishna Depura, Mohit Garg, Nishant Mungali
    Founded 2011
    Investors Softbank Vision Fund, Qualcomm Ventures
    Products and Services Enterprise software
    Valuation $1.2 billion (August 2021)

    MindTickle is a sales readiness platform founded in 2011, which helps in onboarding, product training, coaching, and ongoing readiness. The company offers a vital sales solution to the fast-growing startups to prepare their sales team in a scalable and effective way. MindTickle was founded in 2011 and turned a unicorn on August 6, 2021, with the influx of $100 mn in Series E funding led by Softbank Vision Fund II.

    Delhivery

    Startup Name Delhivery
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry E-commerce, Freight services
    Founders Bhavesh Manglani, Kapil Bharati, Mohit Tandon, Sahil Barua, Suraj Saharan
    Founded 2011
    Investors FedEx, Fidelity, Steadview Capital, Tiger Global management
    Products and Services Cargo and freight services
    Valuation $4 billion (June 2021)

    Delhivery was founded in 2011 in Gurgaon, Haryana, as a logistics and supply chain startup that aims to provide seamless transportation, warehousing, freight, and order fulfillment services. Delhivery Pvt. Ltd. turned unicorn back in 2019 where it raised around $413 million and was valued at $1.5 billion.

    Billdesk

    Startup Name Billdesk
    Headquarters Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
    Industry Fintech, Finance, Payments
    Founders Ajay Kaushal
    Founded 2000
    Investors Visa, TA Associates, SBI, General Atlantic
    Products and Services Payment services
    Valuation Over $1 billion (December 2020)

    Billdesk is a company conceived in 2000 as IndiaIdeas.com Ltd., which helps Indian customers pay their bills safely and easily. Powered by the latest advancements in the electronic medium, BillDesk offers its customers better ways to organize and manage their payments online. Billdesk has already achieved unicorn status in 2018 when it mopped up nearly $300 million in a fundraising round led by Visa.

    The company is currently acquired by PayU, a Prosus-owned company headquartered in the Netherlands via a deal worth $4.7 billion, one of the biggest deals in the Fintech range of India.


    Top CRM Softwares For SaaS
    Investing in technology like CRM software can help you in controlling your overall sales outcome and improve the bottom line of your business.


    Mu Sigma

    Startup Name Mu Sigma
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Analytics, IT, Software
    Founders DHIRAJ C RAJARAM
    Founded 2004
    Investors Mastercard, General Atlantic, Sequoia Capital
    Products and Services Saas, Big Data Analytics software
    Valuation $1.5 billion (2013)

    Mu Sigma was founded in 2014 as a data analytics services platform that offers data analytics services along with developing decision support system tools and software for Fortune 500 companies. Mu Sigma offers a range of services including market measurement, product/customer segmentation and profiling, prospecting, RFM analytics, and more. It was in 2016 when Fortune declared Mu Sigma a unicorn company.

    Info Edge

    Startup Name Info Edge
    Headquarters Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
    Industry Enterprisetech
    Founders Sanjeev Bikhchandani
    Founded 1995
    Investors Temasek Holdings, Lightbox
    Products and Services Employment, Education, Real estate, Matrimonial service
    Valuation $6.6 Billion (May 2023)

    Info Edge, founded by Sanjeev Bikhchandani in 1995, is a technology-driven Indian internet company offering a wide range of online services in sectors such as recruitment, matrimony, real estate, and education. The company is well-known for its flagship platforms, including Naukri.com for jobs, Jeevansathi.com for matrimonial services, 99Acres.com for real estate listings, and Shiksha.com for educational resources.

    The company attained a valuation of over $1 billion in 2014 and became an elite member of the Indian unicorn club.

    MPL

    Startup Name MPL
    Headquarters Bengaluru
    Industry Gaming, ESports
    Founders Sai Srinivas Kiran G, Shubh Malhotra, Shubham Malhotra
    Founded 2018
    Investors Sequoia, Moore Strategic Ventures, Legatum Capital
    Products and Services EGaming platform
    Valuation $2.3 Billion (September 2021)

    Mobile Premier League, now if the name rings a bell, then you’re right! MPL is another fantasy gaming and esports platform from India after Dream11 that has turned unicorn. The Sequoia Capital and Moore Strategic Ventures-backed startup was founded in September 2018, just 3 years ago by Sai Srinivas Kiran G and Shubh Malhotra, which emerged as the second gaming unicorn from the subcontinent.

    Apna

    Startup Name Apna
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra
    Industry Employment, Recruiting, Human Resources
    Founders Nirmit Parikh
    Founded 2019
    Investors Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, Lightspeed
    Products and Services Professional networking platform and job portal
    Valuation $1.1 Billion (September 2021)

    Apna is a leading professional networking platform that helps the rising workforce of India stay updated in terms of professional requirements and recruitment and grab them anytime and anywhere. Apna is currently available across 28+ cities in India for students and blue-mand gray-colored working professionals to get the best communities and land jobs.

    The Series C round was on September 15, 2021, where Apna raised around $100 million from investors like Tiger Global, Sequoia, and others and turned into a unicorn within just 21 months of its foundation. This makes Apna the fastest unicorn in India.

    Vedantu

    Startup Name Vedantu
    Headquarters Bangalore
    Industry Edtech
    Founders Vamsi Krishna, Pulkit Jain, Saurabh Saxena, and Anand Prakash
    Founded 2011
    Investors Coatue, Tiger Global Management, WestBridge Capital, Accel Partners
    Products and Services Online tutoring, courses and classes
    Valuation $1 Billion+ (September 2021)

    Vedantu is an Edtech platform that offers online e-learning courses and classes to empower real-time personalized learning experiences. Vedantu believes in bridging the gaps between a student and his/her tutor to enjoy the benefits of real-time one-to-one teaching. Vedantu can help students pursue online tuitions for Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English, French, Hindi, Social Studies, German, Computer Science, and more.

    Vedantu raised $100 mn via its Series E round led by ABC World Asia, Coatue, Tiger Global, WestBridge, and others on September 29, 2021, and became the 27th Indian unicorn of 2021 and the 69th unicorn startup in the country.

    Licious

    Startup Name Licious
    Headquarters Bangalore
    Industry Ecommerce, Food delivery, Meat packaging
    Founders Abhay Hanjura, Vivek Gupta
    Founded 2015
    Investors Bertelsmann, Mayfield Fund, Vertex Growth Fund, 3one4 Capital
    Products and Services Meat, fish, eggs packaging and delivery services
    Valuation $1 Billion+ (October 2021)

    Licious was founded in 2015 and headquartered in Bengaluru as a Direct-to-consumer brand that offers fresh meat, eggs, fish, and seafood, which the customers can order online to receive the same at their doorsteps. The meat industry in India is largely unorganized and Licious is born out of the sole aim of organizing this sector and delivering fresh, trustworthy, delicious meat and fish to the house of the Indians.

    The company raised $52 million in its latest funding round led by IIFL AMC’s Late Stage Tech Fund, emerging as the 29th Indian unicorn company of 2021 so far, and the first unicorn from the D2C segment, as of October 5, 2021.

    CoinSwitch Kuber

    Startup Name CoinSwitch Kuber
    Headquarters Bengaluru, India
    Industry Cryptocurrencies, Financial Services
    Founders Ashish Singhal, Govind Soni, Vimal Sagar Tiwari
    Founded 2017
    Investors Paradigm, Ribbit Capital, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management
    Products and Services Cryptocurrency exchange platform
    Valuation $1.9 Billion (October 2021)

    CoinSwitch Kuber is hailed as a cryptocurrency exchange platform that encourages users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies via their platform, ensuring secure and convenient transactions. The company supports a wide list of over 100 cryptocurrencies from which the customers can buy cryptos at the best rates, through a range of payment options.

    CoinSwitch Kuber turns into India’s 30th unicorn startup in 2021 so far. The company raised a Series C funding round worth $260 million on October 6, 2021, led by a16z (Andreesen Horowitz) and Coinbase Ventures to join the coveted club of the unicorn companies. CoinSwitch Kuber boasts of being the second crypto unicorn of India, which crossed the 1 billion dollar mark in less than 2 months after CoinDCX was hailed as the first crypto unicorn of the country in August 2021. CoinSwitch Kuber is reportedly valued at $1.9 billion on October 2021, which is higher than what CoinDCX announced in August, which was $1.1 billion.

    Rebel Foods

    Startup Name Rebel Foods
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Food Delivery
    Founders Jaydeep Barman, Kallol Banerjee
    Founded 2011
    Investors Coatue, Alteria Capital, Irving Investors
    Products and Services Food Delivery platform
    Valuation $1.4 billion (October 2021)

    Rebel Foods, also termed Faasos Food Services Pvt. Ltd., is a food delivery platform of India that takes care of the food delivery requirements across the country, delivering food products at the doorsteps of the customers. Besides, the company also boasts of a huge network (over 450) of dark kitchens that operates in over 10 countries. Rebel Foods currently serves over 10,000 Indian customers, the numbers of which are jumping rapidly.

    The Indian cloud kitchen and food delivery startup becomes the 31st unicorn of India in 2021. Rebel Foods has raised $175 million via its Series F funding round led by the investors like Qatar Investment Authority, Coatue and Evolvence, and more, to be valued at $1.4 bn, as of October 7, 2021.

    CarDekho

    Startup Name CarDekho
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Automotive, Ecommerce
    Founders Amit Jain, Anurag Jain
    Founded 2007
    Investors Sequoia Capital India, HDFC Bank, LeapFrog Investments
    Products and Services Cars, Used cars retailing services
    Valuation $1.2 billion (October 2021)

    CarDekho is a leading name in the used car retailing space. Headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, CarDekho helps users browse through a wide selection of cars and select one that fits them in all aspects. The platform of CarDekho is equipped with the relevant details about the car, along with other detailed specs, experts’ reviews, comparisons, and more. All of these further ease the selection process of the car models and are some of the reasons that have contributed to the rising popularity of the company.

    CarDekho has turned into a unicorn following its recent Series E and Debt financing rounds dated October 13, 2021, and led by LeapFrog Investments. The company has successfully raised around $200 mn and $50 mn respectively, with the last funding rounds that it saw. With the recent funding, CarDekho becomes the 33rd unicorn and the 3rd unicorn startup in the used car retailing space in India so far in 2021.

    MobiKwik

    Startup Name MobiKwik
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Fintech, Payments, Mobile Payments
    Founders Bipin Singh, Upasana Taku, Chandan Joshi
    Founded 2009
    Investors Sequoia Capital India, Hindustan Media Venture, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
    Products and Services Digital payments platform
    Valuation $1 billion (October 2021)

    MobiKwik is a Fintech company founded in 2009 as digital payments platform that offers phone-based payment options along with the facility of a digital wallet for its users. Headquartered in Gurgaon, MobiKwik is one of the trusted names in the digital payments space that also provides payment gateway and other financial services.

    MobiKwik turned unicorn on October 12, 2021, after the conclusion of its secondary ESOP sale round led by Mathew Cyriac, former Head of Blackstone India.

    Acko

    Startup Name Acko
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Insurtech, Insurance, Health insurance, Auto insurance
    Founders Ruchi Deepak, Varun Dua
    Founded 2016
    Investors Munich Re Ventures, Amazon, General Atlantic, Multiples Alternate Asset Management Private Limited
    Products and Services Car, bike and health insurance products
    Valuation $1.1 billion (October 2021)

    Acko is a digital insurance provider of India, dubbed as the first insurance startup that efficiently processes car, bike, and health insurance without any paperwork. Furthermore, Acko also possesses the license, which allows the company to underwrite and distribute bite-sized insurance products.

    Acko raised around $255 million in its Series D round led by General Atlantic and Multiples Private Equity and turned a unicorn on October 27, 2021. The unicorn insurance provider is the 34th Indian company to join the unicorn club in 2021 and is currently valued at $1.1 bn.

    CureFit

    Startup Name CureFit
    Headquarters Bengaluru, India
    Industry Healthcare, wellness
    Founders Ankit Nagori, Mukesh Bansal
    Founded 2016
    Investors Temasek Holdings, Accel, Tata Digital, Zomato, Axis Bank
    Products and Services Nutrition products, Consultation services for mental and well-being
    Valuation $1.5 billion (November 2021)

    CureFit is a health and fitness company that extends online and offline experiences to bring in adequate nutrition, foster physical fitness, and mental well-being via improved yoga and meditation, medical and lifestyle care consultation.

    The Bangalore-based fitness brand turned unicorn on November 10, 2021, in a deal where the foodtech giant Zomato sold its fitness facility arm Fitso for $50 mn and infused another $50 mn in CureFit. This helped Zomato own 6.4% shares in CureFit, worth $100 mn. As a result of the cross-selling, CureFit joined the unicorn club of Indian startups as the 36th company to turn unicorn in 2021 and the 77th company overall among the Indian startups.

    Mensa

    Startup Name Mensa
    Headquarters Bengaluru, India
    Industry Financial services, Venture capital
    Founders Ananth Narayanan, Pawan Kumar Dasaraju
    Founded 2021
    Investors Alpha Wave Incubation, Norwest Venture Partners, Accel, Falcon Edge Capital
    Products and Services finance, working capital
    Valuation $1 billion+ (November 2021)

    Brands’ aggregator and roll-up firm, Mensa has been founded by former Myntra CEO and Medlife cofounder, Ananth Narayanan and Pawan Kumar Dasaraju. Mensa Brands stands as an investment firm that strives to partner with entrepreneurs to build digital brands and scale them. The company embraces a Thrasio-based model via which it invests working capital and picks up equity in other D2C startups, thereby scaling the presence of the brands online. The platform that Mensa offers helps in driving growth, product, merchandising, technology, supply chain, product, and access to global markets, which eventually lets the founders get lucrative financial exits along with transforming their business through a stable and successful partnership.

    Mensa raised $135 mn in a new Series B funding round led by Alpha Wave Ventures (Falcon Edge Capital) on November 16, 2021, and has joined the coveted club of unicorn companies in India. The company turned unicorn within just 6 months since it started its operations, thereby emerging as the fastest Indian startup to turn unicorn.

    NoBroker

    Startup Name NoBroker
    Headquarters Bengaluru, India
    Industry PropTech, Real State, Property Management
    Founders Akhil Gupta, Amit Kumar Agarwal, Saurabh Garg
    Founded 2014
    Investors Tiger Global Management, General Atlantic, Trifecta Capital, BEENEXT
    Products and Services Peer-to-peer property listings platform
    Valuation $1 billion+ (November 2021)

    NoBroker, as the name states, is designed on the concept of building a brokerage-free real estate platform, which will take care of the entire journey of a customer from choosing a house, listing it, securing a home loan, contacting the packers and movers, opting for painting and other services and more. Founded by Akhil Gupta, Amit Kumar Agarwal, Saurabh Garg in 2014, NoBroker is based in Bengaluru and is currently hailed as a unicorn.

    NoBroker is, in fact, India’s first proptech (property tech) startup that has achieved a unicorn status on November 23, 2021. The company is the 38th Indian startup to emerge as a unicorn in 2021. The unicorn valuation of the company was disclosed after it raised around $210 Mn in its Series E funding round on the same date.

    Spinny

    Startup Name Spinny
    Headquarters Gurgaon, India
    Industry Automotives, Used car marketplace
    Founders Mohit Gupta, Niraj Singh, Ramanshu Mahaur
    Founded 2015
    Investors Tiger Global Management, General Atlantic, Trifecta Capital, BEENEXT
    Products and Services Used car listing and selling platform
    Valuation $1.7 billion+ (November 2021)

    Spinny is a used-car buying platform that is powered by new-age technologies and enables reliable and hassle-free transactions in used cars. Founded in 2015 in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, Spinny is built on a full-stack business model with the aim of making the process of buying used cars simple and transparent and ultimately helping the customers to buy cars that match their aspirations.

    Spinny has turned unicorn after it received its Series E funding round of $248 million (Rs 1,849 crore), as of November 24, 2021. The company received an investment of Rs 739.7 crore each from Tiger Global and Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, while the remaining funds poured in from Somerville SPV and Aveni Spinny. Spinny is now officially the fourth Indian startup from the used car space to join the unicorn club, where Droom, CarDekho, and Cars24 have already joined earlier.

    Upstox

    Startup Name Upstox
    Headquarters Mumbai, India
    Industry Fintech, Financial services, Trading platform
    Founders Raghu Kumar, Ravi Kumar, Shrinivas Viswanath
    Founded 2010
    Investors Tiger Global Management, GVK Davix Technologies
    Products and Services Trading platform
    Valuation $1 billion+ (November 2021)

    Upstox is a fintech company that offers innovative investment solutions for users, including securities brokerage and stock trading services. Based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, the company extends equity trading opportunities for retail investors via the platform, promising their clients to be benefited from their cutting-edge trading platform that brings in the best-in-class services.

    Upstox turned unicorn with the recent fundraising round led by Tiger Global Management, as of November 25, 2021. The company agreed to allot around 18761 Series C preference shares at an issue price of Rs 98,608 in order to raise the sum of $25 million (Rs 185 crore) from Tiger Global. Upstox has raised the recent funds at a post-money valuation of an estimated $3.4 bn, which pushes it past its rival Groww, which was recently valued at $3 bn in October 2021. Upstox thus became the 40th unicorn startup in India in 2021.

    Slice

    Startup Name Slice
    Headquarters Bengaluru, India
    Industry Fintech, Financial services, Banking
    Founders Deepak Malhotra, Rajan Bajaj
    Founded 2016
    Investors Insight Partners, Tiger Global Management
    Products and Services Credit cards, Payment cards
    Valuation $1 billion+ (November 2021)

    Slice is a financial startup based out of Bengaluru, India that focuses on payment cards/credit cards, and extends them to their target audiences, mostly comprising Gen Z and millennials.

    Slice has mopped around $220 mn in the recent funding round dated November 29, 2021, led by Tiger Global and Insight Partners to achieve a unicorn valuation. The series B round that Slice witnessed included participation from Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal and Checkout co-founder and CEO, Guillaume Pousaz, along with a list of existing investors that includes Sunley House Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Anfa, Gunosy, Blume Ventures, and more. Slice is currently the 41st Indian startup unicorn of 2021.

    Pristyn Care

    Startup Name Pristyn Care
    Headquarters Haryana, India
    Industry Healthtech, Health care
    Founders Harsimarbir (Harsh) Singh, Dr. Garima Sawhney and Vaibhav Kapoor
    Founded 2018
    Investors Tiger Global Management, Hummingbird Ventures
    Products and Services Healthcare services
    Valuation $1.2 billion (December 2021)

    Pristyn Care is a healthcare startup founded in September 2018, which is designed to disrupt elective surgery procedures. Headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, Pristyn Care believes in leveraging cutting-edge technology and advanced procedures to simplify medical care and surgery experiences.

    The startup successfully raised $84 Million on December 7, 2021, via new funding round, Series E, led by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, Hummingbird Ventures, Epiq Capital, QED, and others to enter the unicorn club of Indian startups. With its unicorn valuation, the health tech startup from Gurgaon has turned to be the fourth startup to achieve the feat in its space in India after Innovaccer, PharmEasy, and CureFit.

    GlobalBees

    Startup Name GlobalBees
    Headquarters New Delhi, India
    Industry Investment
    Founders Nitin Agarwal, Supam Maheshwari
    Founded 2021
    Investors FirstCry
    Products and Services Working capital, Resources
    Valuation $1.1 billion+ (December 2021)

    Founded in 2021, GlobalBees is a Thrasio-style startup focused on acquiring other companies, especially startups, and scaling them with adequate funds and resources to extend joyful product experiences. GlobalBees can also be considered as the venture arm of FirstCry.

    GlobalBees has already been in talks ever since it raised $150 mn in India’s largest Series A funding round. Furthermore, the company has become a unicorn when it again raised around $111.5 mn in a mix of equity and debt round of Series B led by a clutch of investors including FirstCry, SoftBank, Premji Invest, Chiratae Ventures, Trifecta Capital, and others.

    Mamaearth

    Startup Name Mamaearth
    Headquarters Gurgaon, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Health and Wellness
    Founders Varun and Ghazal Alagh
    Founded 2016
    Investors Sofina, Sequoia Capital
    Products and Services Beauty, baby care, skin care, body care products and more
    Valuation $1.1 billion+ (December 2021)

    Founded in 2016, Mamaearth is a personal care brand that was established as an organic alternative to the baby, hair, face and skincare products in the market. Headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, Mamaearth extends the best organic products for babies and their mothers.

    Mamaearth turned unicorn after the latest funding round that it raised on December 28, 2021, worth $80 million led by Sequoia Capital. Gurugram-based organic skincare, haircare, and body care brand, Honasa or Mamaearth became the first unicorn in India in 2022.

    Fractal Analytics

    Startup Name Fractal
    Headquarters New York, United States
    Industry Analytics, Artificial Intelligence
    Founders Ramakrishna Reddy, Pranay Agrawal, Srikanth Velamakanni
    Founded 2000
    Investors Apax Partners, Khazanah Nasional, Aimia
    Products and Services Consultancy services
    Valuation $1 billion+ (January 2022)

    Fractal Intelligence is a Mumbai-based analytics startup founded in 2000 by Ramakrishna Reddy, Pranay Agrawal, Srikanth Velamakanni, Nirmal Palaparthi, and Pradeep Suryanarayan and is currently headquartered in New York, US. Primarily established as a strategic analytics partner to the most sought-after Fortune 500 companies globally, Fractal empowers every human decision by bringing analytics, AI, and other cutting-edge technology to the decision-making process.

    Fractal Analytics currently has its presence across 15 countries including the United States, UK, Ukraine, and India. The company has recently turned unicorn by raising $360 million from a fundraising round led by TPG Capital, and Apax Partners, as per the reports dated January 5, 2022. Fractal is one of the leading players in the AI space with Qure.ai, Crux Intelligence, Theremin.ai, Eugenie.ai and Samya.ai as its flagship products. It is also important to note that Fractal is the second Indian unicorn of 2022.

    LEAD School

    Startup Name LEAD School
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Edtech, E-learning, Education
    Founders Smita Deorah, Sumeet Mehta
    Founded 2012
    Investors GSV Ventures, Westbridge Capital, Elevar Equity
    Products and Services Educational services
    Valuation $1.1 billion (January 2022)

    LEAD School is a Mumbai-based edtech company that helps bring in improved marketing and academic solutions for educational institutions to transform their school education in India. Founded in 2012 by Smita Deorah and Sumeet Mehta, LEAD School helps digitize and transform private schools to help them serve students from varying economic backgrounds better.

    LEAD School turned unicorn on January 13, 2022, thereby becoming the first Indian edtech startup to achieve a unicorn valuation in 2022. LEAD raised a funding round worth $100 mn today, led by GSV Ventures and WestBridge Capital to attain unicorn status. The Deorah and Mehta-led startup has thus become the third unicorn startup in India in 2022.

    Darwinbox

    Startup Name Darwinbox
    Headquarters Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
    Industry Saas, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning
    Founders Chaitanya Peddi, Jayant Paleti, Rohit Chennamaneni
    Founded 2015
    Investors TCV, Salesforce Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Partners
    Products and Services Enterprise HR software
    Valuation $1 billion+ (January 2022)

    Darwinbox has been founded by Chaitanya Peddi, Jayant Paleti and Rohit Chennamaneni as a cloud-based Hr technology product, which serves as an end-to-end HR software that helps enterprises automate the entire employee lifecycle. The HR software that the company provides the organizations, helps them manage all of their HR requirements including recruitment, payroll, employee engagement, talent management, and people analytics across the employee life cycle under one platform.

    Darwinbox has already served 1.5 million employees across 650+ organizations from over 90 different industries. The company claims to be the third-largest HRTech platform after SAP and Oracle. The growing HR Tech platform has raised $72 million in its Series D funding round from TCV on January 25, 2022, to attain the unicorn club of Indian companies. The unicorn valuation obtained by Darwinbox has made it the first Indian Saas unicorn of 2022 and the fourth unicorn overall that the country has seen this year.

    DealShare

    Startup Name DealShare
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Grocery
    Founders Rajat Shikhar, Sankar Bora, Sourjyendu Medda, and Vineet Rao
    Founded 2018
    Investors Tiger Global, Alteria Capital, Alpha Wave Global, Innoven Capital and other
    Products and Services Grocery and other consumer products via its ecommerce business
    Valuation $1.62 billion+ (January 2022)

    DealShare is a social eCommerce startup based in Bengaluru. Founded in 2018 by Rajat Shikhar, Sankar Bora, Sourjyendu Medda, and Vineet Rao, DealShare boasts of having multi-category consumer goods that are available at affordable prices.

    DealShare has turned into a unicorn, as per the reports dated January 27, 2022. The Bangalore-based grocery and essentials delivery eCommerce platform have raised $130 million via a Series E funding round led by Tiger Global, Alpha Wave, Kora Investment, and others for this recent round in funding.

    ElasticRun

    Startup Name ElasticRun
    Headquarters Pune, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Logistics, Transportation
    Founders Sandeep Deshmukh, Saurabh Nigam, Shitiz Bansal
    Founded 2015
    Investors Softbank, Kalaari, Prosus, Innoven, Norwest Venture Partners and more
    Products and Services Online system, logistics and transportation support
    Valuation $1 billion+ (February 2022)

    ElasticRun is an eCommerce logistics and transportation-based startup headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, which is designed to serve as an online system that will empower the eCommerce and distribution industry of India by improving the reception of orders from customers and the dispatch of delivery drivers.

    In a recent round of funding dated February 8, 2022, ElasticRun has raised over $300 million from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Goldman Sachs with some of its existing investors including Prosus Ventures. At the conclusion of the fresh funding round, the company posted a post-money valuation of $1.44 bn. ElasticRun was just valued at $400 mn during the last round that it saw in April 2021, thereby implying that the valuation of the company saw a 3X rise. With this round, the Kirana commerce platform becomes the 6th unicorn startup in India in 2022.

    Livspace

    Startup Name Livspace
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Furniture, Interior design
    Founders Anuj Srivastava, Ramakant Sharma, Shagufta Anurag
    Founded 2014
    Investors Trifecta, Saint Gobain, Bessemer Venture, Helion Venture, Kharis Capital, and more
    Products and Services Interior Design solutions
    Valuation $1.44 billion+ (February 2022)

    Built with an aim to connect individuals with designers, services, and products, Livspace is an interior designing startup that works as an omnichannel home interior and renovation platform. Headquartered in Bengaluru, Livspace helps homeowners to find pre-created looks for rooms, kitchens, and storage areas on the platform. Furthermore, Livspace also extends the opportunities to its customers to choose and buy the designs they want, along with further options for customization.

    The Anuj Srivastava and Ramakant Sharma-led startup raised $180 Mn in a Series F funding round led by American investment giant KKR & Co. and other existing investors of Livspace including Jungle Ventures, Venturi Partners, Ingka Group (Ikea), and Peugeot Investments. This has lifted the valuation of Livspace to $1.44 bn. With the unicorn valuation that Livspace attained with the funding round dated February 8, 2022, the company witnessed a 2X jump in its valuation since December 2019, when it was valued at $500 million. The company became the 7th Indian unicorn in 2022 and is the 50th unicorn since January 2021.

    Xpressbees

    Startup Name Xpressbees
    Headquarters Pune, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Logistics, Supply Chain Management
    Founders Amitava Saha, Supam Maheshwari
    Founded 2015
    Investors Blackstone Capital, TPG Growth, Gaja Capital, Alibaba Group, InnoVen Capital and more
    Products and Services Express delivery services, ecommerce logistics services
    Valuation $1 billion+ (February 2022)

    Founded by Supam Maheshwari and Amitava Saha, Xpressbees is an eCommerce logistics platform that extends reliable delivery solutions to its partners along with customized delivery solutions. Headquartered in Pune, India, the company offers a wide range of delivery and logistics-oriented services including comprehensive last-mile delivery, reverse logistics, payment collection, drop shipping, vendor management, cross-border services, fulfilment services, and more. Furthermore, Xpressbees also boasts of bringing in tailored software solutions to clients.

    Xpressbees is the 8th unicorn company in India, which raised $300 million worth of funds in its latest Series F funding round led by Blackstone Growth, TPG Growth, and ChrysCapital on February 9, 2022. The funding round via which it raised the funds that will support the next phase of business growth of Xpressbees also saw participation from its existing investors including Investcorp and Norwest Venture Partners.

    Uniphore

    Startup Name Uniphore
    Headquarters Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and Palo Alto, California, USA
    Industry AI, Saas, Software
    Founders Ravi Saraogi, Umesh Sachdev
    Founded 2008
    Investors IIFL, Sorenson, March Capital, Chiratae Ventures and more
    Products and Services auMina and akeira and other software products
    Valuation $2.5 billion+ (February 2022)

    Uniphore is a Conversational Automation platform founded by Ravi Saraogi and Umesh Sachdev in 2008. The customer service platform developed by Uniphore is powered by AI and automation technologies the vision of which is to bridge the gap between people and machines through voice. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Uniphore extends first-rate customer service to global businesses and helps them benefit from the integrated suite of software products for conversational analytics, assistance, and security that Uniphore provides. auMina and akeira, two proprietary AI solutions are already developed by Uniphore in the speech analytics and virtual assistant verticals.

    Uniphore raised $400 million in a Series E round led by NEA, March Capital, and others to become the eighth unicorn of India in 2022, as per the reports dated February 16, 2022, at the end of which the company was valued at $2.5 billion.

    Hasura

    Startup Name Hasura
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Software
    Founders Rajoshi Ghosh and Tanmay Gopal
    Founded 2017
    Investors Greenoaks, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Vertex Ventures and more
    Products and Services GraphQL development platform
    Valuation $1 billion+ (February 2022)

    Hasura is a Bengaluru-based GraphQL development platform that has built its platform with an aim to boost web application development. The Rajoshi Ghosh and Tanmay Gopal-led startup plan to do this by reducing the roadblocks, thereby making data access easy for the frontend and full-stack developers. The platform turned into an open-source platform in July 2018 and since then developers from around the world have used Hasura to help themselves build the data layer for modern applications.

    This developer-focused tooling products platform turned into a unicorn on February 22, 2022, thereby becoming the 10th Indian startup to enter the coveted unicorn club in 2022. It raised a funding of $100 million to obtain unicorn status in its Series C funding round.

    CredAvenue

    Startup Name CredAvenue
    Headquarters Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
    Industry Fintech, Finance, PaaS
    Founders Gaurav Kumar and Vineet Sukumar
    Founded 2017
    Investors Dragoneer, B Capital Group, Insight Partners, Sequoia Capital and more
    Products and Services CredLoan, CredCo-Lend, Plutus
    Valuation $1.3 billion+ (March 2022)

    Termed as a complete corporate debt solution, CredAvenue is founded by Gaurav Kumar in 2017 and is designed as a fully integrated, unified digital platform, which helps investors discover, trade, execute and fulfil debt solutions for investors. Vineet Sukumar, who joined the startup in October 2020 also stands as the Founder and Director of CredAvenue.

    CredAvenue turned into a unicorn on March 6, 2022, by raising $137 million worth of funds in a series-B round led by Insight Partners, B Capital Group, and Dragoneer. The company is currently valued at over $1.3 billion, which is more than double the valuation of CredAvenue that was measured in September 2021. The Chennai-based debt marketplace startup becomes the 11th Indian startup to attain unicorn status in 2022.

    Amagi

    Startup Name Amagi
    Headquarters New York, US
    Industry Media, Advertising, Entertainment
    Founders Baskar Subramanian, Srinivasan KA, Srividhya Srinivasan
    Founded 2008
    Investors Accel, Mayfield, Premjiinvest, Emerald Media and more
    Products and Services Cloud solutions for broadcasting
    Valuation $1 billion+ (March 2022)

    Founded in 2009, by Baskar Subramanian, Srinivasan KA, Srividhya Srinivasan, and originally headquartered in Bengaluru, Amagi is a media-tech and broadcasting startup that helps target TV advertisements geographically. As a Cloud Saas technology provider, Amagi offers a mix of media and innovation to bring services that are powerful, cost-effective, and result-oriented, thereby making a way for a new TV-media advertising platform.

    Amagi raised $95 million in funding on March 16, 2022, led by Accel and a clutch of existing investors like Norwest Venture Partners and Avataar Ventures, which helped it attain a unicorn valuation. With this funding round, Amagi becomes the 12th Indian startup to enter the unicorn club in 2022. It is also presently hailed as one of the highest valued media tech companies in the world.

    CommerceIQ

    Startup Name CommerceIQ
    Headquarters Palo Alto, California, USA
    Industry Machine Learning, AI, Ecommerce
    Founders Guru Hariharan
    Founded 2012
    Investors Softbank, Insight, Shasta Ventures and more
    Products and Services Tools and technology for bettering ecommerce
    Valuation $1 billion+ (March 2022)

    Started as Boomerang Commerce, founded by Guru Hariharan, CommerceIQ is an omnichannel management platform that is currently headquartered in Palo Alto, California, US. Founded in 2012, CommerceIQ uses cutting-edge technologies including Machine Learning and Automation to multiply e-commerce sales.

    CommerceIQ raised $115 million in its Series D funding round dated March 21, 2022, led by Softbank to turn a unicorn. This funding round made CommerceIQ the 13th unicorn that India has seen so far in 2022 and the second Indian company to turn unicorn by a funding round led by SoftBank after ElasticRun.

    Oxyzo

    Startup Name Oxyzo
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
    Industry Fintech, Financial Services, Lending
    Founders Asish Mohapatra, Bhuvan Gupta, Nitin Jain, Ruchi Kalra, Vasant Shridhar
    Founded 2016
    Investors Alpha Wave, LLC, Matrix, Capital Management, Tiger Global, Norwest and more
    Products and Services Financial Services
    Valuation $1 billion+ (March 2022)

    Oxyzo is a credit solutions provider, working as the lending arm of the unicorn industrial goods and services procurement platform, OfBusiness. Founded by Asish Mohapatra, Ruchi Kalra, with a deep understanding of the SMEs’ business trends, Oxyzo aims to transform small and medium-scale enterprises into something bigger in terms of operations, revenue, and profit margins.

    In the latest Series A funding round that Oxyzo witnessed on March 23, 2022, where it received $200 million from a clutch of investors including Alpha Wave Global, Tiger Global, Matrix Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, and more, the company turned unicorn. This was the first external round of investment that Oxyzo received that has made it attain unicorn status. Owned by OfBusiness, Oxyzo is the second unicorn of the group. Raising such a large amount in the Series A round, Oxyzo has also been recorded as the first Indian startup to do so to date.

    Games 24×7

    Startup Name Games 24×7
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Gaming, Fantasy Sports
    Founders Bhavin Pandya, Trivikraman Thampy
    Founded 2006
    Investors Malabar Investment and more
    Products and Services Gaming platform
    Valuation $1 billion+ (April 2022)

    Games 24×7 is India’s leading scientific gaming company. Founded by Bhavin Pandya and Trivikraman Thampy, on June 1, 2006, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Games 24×7 offers real money skill gaming, daily sports fantasy games, and casual gaming for its users.

    The leading games platform recently turned unicorn on March 30, 2022, by raising $75 mn of funds led by Malabar India Fund and is currently valued at $2.5 billion. Tiger Global was an existing investor who also took part in the same funding round. Games 24×7 is currently hailed as India’s 99th unicorn company, as per the reports dated 30th March 2022.

    Open

    Startup Name Open
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Fintech, Financial Services, Banking
    Founders Ajeesh Achuthan, Anish Achuthan, Deena Jacon, Mabel Chacko
    Founded 2017
    Investors Temasek, IIFL, Trifecta and more
    Products and Services Neobanking services
    Valuation $1 billion+ (May 2022)

    Open is a neobanking startup that was founded in 2017 and is headquartered currently in Bangalore. Ajeesh Achuthan, Anish Achuthan, Deena Jacon, and Mabel Chacko were the minds behind the foundation of Open.

    The neobanking culture is rapidly influencing the Indian banking and financial system and Open has been one of the major players in this growing culture. Open is currently powering 2.3+ million SMEs and processing over $30 billion in annualized transactions, which is certainly huge. This neobanking startup has put another feather in its cap by raising $50 mn in its Series D round on May 2, 2022, and turning into a unicorn, led by IIFL, Temasek, 3one4 Capital, and Tiger Global. With this, Open has seized the title of being the 1st Indian unicorn from the neobanking space and the 16th unicorn that India has seen so far in 2022.

    It is also important to note here that Open has resumed India’s unicorn streak, which showed an unprecedented pause towards the end of March 2022, after Games 24×7 achieved the unicorn status.

    PhysicsWallah

    Startup Name PhysicsWallah
    Headquarters Noida, UP, India
    Industry Edtech, Elearning
    Founders Alakh Pandey
    Founded 2016
    Investors Westbridge, and GSV Ventures
    Products and Services Tutoring, Study materials for Classes 6-12, and Live Courses for them and for the other entrance examinations like JEE, NEET and more
    Valuation $1.1 billion+ (June 2022)

    PhysicsWallah is an edtech company founded by Alakh Pandey in 2016, where Prateek Maheshwari. It offers online and offline courses and study materials for engineering and medical entrance examinations like JEE and NEET along with various entrance and state board exams. Video lectures, live classes, test series, and dynamic exercises are some of the main services that PhysicsWallah offers.

    PhysicsWallah had last seen the Series A funding round, which was the maiden fundraising round that poured $100 mn into the startup. This round was led by Westbridge and GSV Ventures and helped the bootstrapped startup turn into an Indian unicorn company on June 7, 2022, thereby making PhysicsWallah the 101st Indian unicorn. PhysicsWallah, which was valued at $1.1 bn post the infusion, is currently hailed as the second bootstrapped Indian company that turned a unicorn. PhysicsWallah belongs to the edtech space that is seeing a huge upheaval after the unwinding of the country post-pandemic. Losses rage the edtech sector now, and layoffs are the new normal for the Edtech space in India.

    Purplle

    Startup Name Purplle
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Beauty, Cosmetics, Ecommerce
    Founders Manish Taneja, Rahul Dash
    Founded 2012
    Investors Blume Ventures, Kedaara Capital, PremjiInvest, Goldman Sachs and more
    Products and Services Ecommerce platform for cosmetics and beauty products including haircare, skincare products and more
    Valuation $1.1 billion+ (June 2022)

    Purplle is an Indian multi-brand beauty retailing online marketplace that was founded in 2011. Founded by Rahul Dash and Manish Taneja, Purplle is an online store that offers a wide range of products spanning numerous categories like fragrances, cosmetics, hair and skincare, and more.

    The Mumbai-headquartered D2C cosmetic ecommerce brand turned unicorn on June 7, 2022, by raising $33 mn of funding from South Korea-based Paramark Ventures and its existing investors including Kedaara Capital, Blume Ventures, and PremjiInvest.

    LeadSquared

    Startup Name LeadSquared
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Saas, Technology
    Founders Nilesh Patel, Prashant Singh, and Sudhakar Gorti
    Founded 2011
    Investors WestBridge Capital, International Finance Corporation, Gaja Capital and more
    Products and Services Marketing Automation, Field Force Automation, Self-serve Portal, Sales Execution CRM, Sales Performance Suite
    Valuation $1 billion+ (June 2022)

    Raising $153 mn in its Series C funding round from WestBridge Capital and others, LeadSquared turned unicorn, thereby becoming the 103rd Indian unicorn, as of June 21, 2022. With this latest funding in its arsenal, LeadSquared is planning to invest more in its business in India and North America. It is also looking to foray into the APAC and EMEA regions ahead, and would also fund some acquisitions. Besides, it is also looking to increase its workforce, and might even double its headcounts in the next 18 months.

    LeadSquared was founded by Nilesh Patel, Prashant Singh, and Sudhakar Gorti in 2011, and is currently headquartered in Bengaluru. New Jersey, Philippines, South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia are some other territories where the company has seen its expansion to date. As a company, LeadSquared offers solutions for end-to-end sales, marketing, and onboarding automation, making these processes easy for its customers. LeadSquared already has 2,000+ customers, which belong to a variety of industries, including education, BFSI, healthcare, real estate, automotive, hospitality, and more. Some of its customers include biggies like Byju’s, Godrej Housing Finance, Olx, Dunzo, Practo, Kotak Securities, Amazon Pay, NIIT, Uni, and more.

    OneCard

    Startup Name OneCard
    Headquarters Pune, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Financial Services, Credit card challenger
    Founder Vaibhav Hathi, Rupesh Kumar, Anurag Sinha
    Founded 2018
    Investors Sequoia Capital, Ocean View Investment, QED Holdings, Matrix Partners, Hummingbird and more
    Products and Services Metal credit cards, Visa credit cards, OneScore
    Valuation $1.3 billion (FY22)

    OneCard was founded in 2018 by Vaibhav Hathi, Rupesh Kumar, and Anurag Sinha, and is a subsidiary of FPL Technologies. Being an Indian startup from the credit card challenger space, OneCard competes with companies like Slice, Karbon Card, Uni Card, and more. OneCard rolled out its first mobile metal credit card in 2020, which it offers as a service along with Visa credit cards in partnership with numerous banks, and OneScore, a digital credit score checking platform that helps users check their credit scores without paying anything and without even any spams. OneCard currently extends its services in 12+ states across India.

    OneCard turned unicorn after it raised $100 mn in funds via its Series D funding round led by Temasek, Sequoia Capital, QED Holdings, Matrix Partners, Hummingbird, and others, on June 13, 2022. With this fundraising round, OneCard is now valued at around $1.3 bn, thereby turning into the 104th Indian unicorn in 2022. Its total funding now crossed $225 mn, as of July 14th, 2022. After Slice, OneCard is now the second unicorn Indian startup in the credit card challenger space now.

    5ire

    Startup Name 5ire
    Headquarters London, England, UK
    Industry Blockchain Network
    Founder Pratik Gauri, Prateek Dwivedi, and Vilma Mattila
    Founded August 2021
    Investors SRAM & MRAM, GEM Global Yield LLC SCS (GGY), Launchpool, Sanctum Global Ventures
    Products and Services 5th generation Layer-1 (L1) blockchain network, 5irechain testnet, mainnet
    Valuation $1.5 billion (July 2022)

    5ire is a London-based 5th generation Layer-1 (L1) blockchain network founded by Pratik Gauri and Prateek Dwivedi, who are of Indian origin, and with the help of web3 financier Vilma Mattila, in August 2021. 5ire aims to build a space in the web3 revolution, just like Google did in the case of web1 revolution and Facebook revolutionised the web2 space, mentioned the company CEO Pratik Gauri. The name “5ire” came from the idea of the 5th industrial revolution.

    5ire raised $100 mn in Series A funding from UK-based conglomerate SRAM & MRAM at a valuation of $1.5 Bn to be listed as the 105th unicorn of India.

    Shiprocket

    Startup Name Shiprocket
    Headquarters New Delhi, India
    Industry Ecommerce, Logistics, Supply Chain Management
    Founders Gautam Kapoor, Saahil Goel, Vishesh Khurana and Akshay Ghulati
    Founded 2017
    Investors Tamesek Holdings, Lightrock, Bertelsmann, Moore Strategic Ventures
    Products and Services Ecommerce Logistics and Shipping Software, Courier Delivery App
    Valuation $1.2 billion (August 2022)

    Shiprocket was founded in 2017 by Gautam Kapoor, Saahil Goel, Vishesh Khurana and Akshay Ghulati. The startup is a developer of an eCommerce shipping and enablement application and is headquartered in New Delhi. The platform makes use of a machine learning-based data engine to recommend the best courier service for a business and select a courier company. Apart from this, it offers benefits like packaging, warehousing, printing shipping labels, and tracking orders from a single panel. This helps the merchants and sellers to manage the deliveries smoothly.

    The Zomato-backed logistics startup has become the 106thunicorn startup in India after raising $33.5 million from Temasek Holdings and Lightrock raising its valuation to $1.2 billion. This makes it the 21st Indian startup to turn unicorn in 2022.

    Tata 1mg

    Startup Name Tata 1mg
    Headquarters Gurugram, Haryana, India
    Industry HealthTech
    Founders Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal, Vikas Chauhan
    Founded 2015
    Investors Tata Digital, KWE Beteiligungen AG, HBM Healthcare Investments, MAF Mauritius, MPOF Mauritius
    Products and Services Medicines, Lab Tests, Doctor consultation
    Valuation $1.25 (September 2022)

    Tata 1mg (formerly 1mg) was founded in the year 2015 by Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal, and Vikas Chauhan. The startup is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana. It is an online drug delivery platform that intends to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. The platform is known to offer medicines and other healthcare products, lab tests, and online consultations from healthcare professionals. All this makes it a one-stop solution for all of the customers’ healthcare needs.

    The Tata-owned health tech platform has become the 107th unicorn startup in India after raising $40 million in an internal round of funding led by Tata Digital, raising its valuation to $1.25 billion.

    Molbio Diagnostics

    Startup Name Molbio Diagnostics
    Headquarters VERNA, Goa, India
    Industry HealthTech, MedTech
    Founders Chandrasekhar Nair, Sriram Natarajan
    Founded 2010
    Investors Temasek Holdings, Motilal Oswal Private Equity
    Products and Services Medical Diagnostics, TB Diagnostic Tools, RT-PCR
    Valuation $1.53 (September 2022)

    Molbio Diagnostics is a manufacturer of molecular diagnostics. The company was founded by Sriram Natarajan and Chandrasekhar Nair and is headquartered in Verna, Goa. It operates as a platform that specializes in providing affordable diagnoses for tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

    After raising $85 million from Temasek and existing investor Motilal Oswal Alternates, Molbio Diagnostics became India’s 108th unicorn startup in September 2022 and the first unicorn startup from Goa, increasing its valuation to $1.53 billion.

    Zepto

    Startup Name Zepto
    Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
    Industry Delivery Service, Grocery Delivery, Quick Commerce
    Founders Aadit Palicha, Kaivalya Vohra
    Founded 2021
    Investors StepStone Group, Goodwater Capital
    Products and Services Online grocer
    Valuation $1.4 billion (August 2023)

    Zepto was founded by Kaivalya Vohra and Aadit Palicha, both Stanford students who decided to drop out of the university to pursue entrepreneurship. The startup was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Mumbai. It is a quick commerce platform designed to deliver groceries to your doorstep within 10 minutes, ensuring convenient access to essential food items.

    Zepto became India’s first unicorn in 2023 after a long 11-month unicorn drought. The startup raised $200 million in a Series E funding round led by StepStone Group with participation from Goodwater Capital and existing investors in August 2023. This funding round increased Zepto’s valuation to $1.4 billion, making it an exclusive member of the unicorn club.

    Krutrim

    Startup Name Krutrim
    Industry Research Services
    Founder Bhavish Aggarwal
    Founded 2023
    Investors Matrix Partners India and others
    Valuation $1 billion (January 2024)

    Krutrim is an artificial intelligence startup launched by Ola founder and Chairman Bhavish Aggarwal in 2023. Krutrim AI is a part of the Ola group and is committed to building the entire AI computing stack for the future. It aims to provide an advanced AI computing stack for India, including infrastructure, cloud services, foundational models, and AI-powered applications. By offering a comprehensive AI computing stack tailored for the Indian market, Krutrim aims to empower consumers, startups, enterprises, and scientists with cutting-edge technology.

    India’s own AI, Krutrim AI, raised $50 million at a valuation of $1 billion in a funding round led by Matrix Partners India and others. This not only makes Krutrim India’s first unicorn of 2024 but also represents a historic achievement as India gets its first artificial intelligence unicorn, marking it as Bhavish Aggarwal’s third unicorn startup.


    OLA’s Bhavish Aggarwal Launches ’Made for India” Krutrim AI
    OLA co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal has unveiled a bold ambition: Krutrim AI, a “made for India” rival to global behemoths like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.


    Perfios

    Startup Name Perfios
    Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
    Industry Financial Services, SaaS, Fintech
    Founders Debasish Chakraborty, V.R. Govindarajan, Kunnath Santosh
    Founded 2008
    Investors Teachers’ Venture Growth, Kedaara Capital
    Products and Services Real-Time Credit Decisioning, Analytics, Onboarding Automation, SME Lending Solutions, and More
    Valuation $1 billion (March 2024)

    Perfios Software Solutions is India’s leading B2B fintech software company. Headquartered in Bangalore, Perfios specializes in credit decisioning, analytics, and onboarding automation. Their core data platform seamlessly aggregates and analyzes both structured and unstructured data, providing tailored solutions for the BFSI sector. Perfios empowers financial institutions to make informed decisions while enhancing customer experiences across the banking, financial services, and insurance sectors.

    Perfios raised $80 million from Teachers’ Venture Growth (TVG), the late-stage venture and growth investment arm of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. This deal has raised Perfios’ valuation to $1 billion, making it a unicorn startup in India.

    Porter

    Startup Name Porter
    Headquarter Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Logistics, Transportation
    Founder Pranav Goel, Uttam Digga, Vikas Choudhary
    Founded 2014
    Investors Tiger Global Management, Vitruvian Partners
    Products and Services Two-wheelers, Trucks, Packers and Movers, Porter for Enterprise, Courier Service
    Valuation $1 Billion (May 2024)

    Porter is an online logistics marketplace that simplifies truck booking for businesses. They offer mini trucks and tempo rentals based on date and location, with real-time tracking for efficient logistics management.

    Founded in 2014 by Pranav Goel, Uttam Digga, and Vikas Choudhary and headquartered in Bengaluru, Porter has disrupted logistics with its on-demand marketplace for LCVs, bikes, and specialised services like Enterprise and Packers & Movers.

    Porter became the third unicorn startup in India in 2024 following a recent friends and family round, during which individuals purchased shares from the company’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) at a valuation of $1 billion. This came after a successful funding round in 2021, where Porter raised $100 million from investors like Tiger Global Management and Vitruvian Partners.

    RateGain

    Startup Name RateGain Travel Technologies Limited
    Headquarter Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
    Industry SaaS, Travel Technology, Hospitality Solutions
    Founder Bhanu Chopra
    Founded 2004
    Investors Pinebridge Global Funds, Troo Capital, ICICI Prudential MF, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance
    Products and Services Hotel Distribution, Hotel Booking Engine, Travel-Intent, Competitor Pricing Intelligence
    Valuation $1 Billion

    RateGain Travel Technologies Limited is a SaaS company in the travel and hospitality industry. It offers solutions for hotels, airlines, online travel agents, and more. Founded in 2004 by Bhanu Chopra, RateGain operates in over 100 countries.

    In 2024, RateGain became the only listed company to reach unicorn status in India, with a valuation of $1 billion. Headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, the company helps businesses grow revenue through acquisition, retention, and wallet share expansion. It was one of the six companies that entered the Indian startup unicorn club in 2024.

    Rapido

    STARTUP NAME Rapido
    Headquarter Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Transportation, Mobility Tech
    Founder Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli, Rishikesh SR
    Founded 2015
    Investors WestBridge Capital, Nexus Venture Partners
    Products and Services Bike Taxi Service, Auto Rickshaw Services
    Valuation $1 Billion (July 2024)

    Rapido is India’s largest and fastest-growing bike taxi app service. Headquartered in Bengaluru, Rapido offers two-wheeler ride services with transparent fares, making intra-city travel and last-mile connectivity affordable and fun. The platform also includes app-based auto rickshaws and delivery services, quickly expanding into various transportation solutions.

    Founded in 2015 by Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli, and Rishikesh SR, Rapido raised $120 million in a Series E funding round in July 2024, led by WestBridge Capital. This funding round boosted Rapido’s valuation to over a billion, making it a unicorn startup in India.

    Ather Energy

    Startup Name Ather Energy
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Automotive, Electric vehicles, Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
    Founder Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain
    Founded 2013
    Investors Hero MotoCorp, Caladium Investment, NIIF, Stride Ventures
    Products and Services Electric Two-Wheelers, Charging Infrastructure
    Valuation $1.3 Billion (August 2024)

    Ather Energy is a leading electric two-wheeler manufacturer in India, headquartered in Bengaluru. The company is known for its innovative and eco-friendly scooters, including the Ather 450 series and Ather Rizta, which feature advanced lithium-ion battery packs and digital management systems. Ather Energy’s products are designed to offer a cleaner, smarter mode of transportation.

    Founded in 2013 by Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, Ather Energy secured $71 million in a funding round led by the existing investor National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) in August 2024. This funding round increased Ather Energy’s valuation to $1.3 billion, making it a unicorn startup in India.

    Moneyview

    Startup Name Moneyview
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry FinTech, Digital Lending, Personal Financial Management
    Founder Puneet Agarwal, Sanjay Aggarwal
    Founded 2014
    Investors Accel India, Nexus Ventures, Tiger Global Management
    Products and Services Loans, Investments, Personal Finance Management Solutions, Smart Pay, Credit Tracker
    Valuation $1.2 Billion (September 2024)

    Moneyview, a leading consumer lending platform, offers personalised financial products such as loans, credit tracking, investments, and personal financial management solutions. Headquartered in Bengaluru, the company enables users to access instant personal loans, track finances, and manage expenses through a seamless, paperless process.

    Founded in 2014 by Puneet Agarwal and Sanjay Aggarwal, Moneyview became a unicorn startup in September 2024 after raising $4.6 million in a funding round from Accel India and Nexus Ventures, bringing its valuation to $1.2 billion.

    Netradyne

    Startup Name Netradyne
    Headquarters Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
    Industry Logistics, AI, SaaS, Fleet Management
    Founder Avneesh Agrawal, David Julian
    Founded 2015
    Investors Point72 Private Investments, Pavilion Capital, Qualcomm Ventures
    Products and Services Fleet Camera System, Driver•i One, Driver•i Hub-X, Driver Drowsiness with Driver Monitoring System (DMS) Sensor
    Valuation $1.34 Billion (January 2025)

    Netradyne is a leading logistics AI startup, transforming fleet management with advanced technology. The company utilises artificial intelligence, machine learning, and edge computing to enhance driver safety by minimising accidents, identifying risky driving behaviours, and shielding drivers from false claims. Its flagship product, Driver•i, collects and analyses vast amounts of data to set new safety standards for commercial vehicles, helping businesses enhance safety, boost profitability, and build a driver-focused culture.

    Founded in 2015 by Avneesh Agrawal, Netradyne became India’s first unicorn of 2025 in January after securing $90 million in a Series D funding round led by Point72 Private Investments, alongside Qualcomm Ventures and Pavilion Capital, bringing its valuation to $1.34 billion.

    Former Indian Unicorn Companies

    India has seen many unicorn companies to date and the above list containing is a testament to that. However, if you wonder about the total number of unicorns in India, then the numbers would be even more than what reflects in the list above because many of the unicorn companies in the country have either gone defunct or devalued thus, lost their unicorn status. Here’s remembering the prominent ones among them:

    Quikr

    Quikr is a Bengaluru-based Indian online marketplace and classified advertising company that was founded in 2008 by Pranay Chulet. Quikr boasts of having its listings in over 1000 cities in India across a wide range of product categories including cars, mobile phones, household products, education, jobs, services, and more.

    The online classified ads major was valued at over $1.5 billion on October 8, 2015. However, the company lost its unicorn status in February 2020.

    Hike Messenger

    Started as a social media instant messaging app, Hike Messenger was beyond a craze when it first launched. It was the time when Whatsapp was launched recently in India and was far from gaining the popularity that it is currently known for. Kavin Bharti Mitta, who was the founder and CEO of Hike, founded the company in December 2012.

    Hike raised $175 million in a Series D funding round, which valued the startup at $1.4 billion in just under 3.7 years in August 2016, thereby becoming the then youngest startup in India to achieve the feat!

    However, the company saw a massive drop in its revenue as Whatsapp rapidly rose to fame and dominated the market. The company tried some strategies to lift its brand value. It even tried a sticker-centric experience by rebranding itself as Hike Sticker Chat in April 2019. The company finally announced its shutdown on January 15, 2021.

    Shopclues

    ShopClues was founded by Sanjay Sethi, Radhika Aggarwal, and Sandeep Aggarwal in 2011 and has claimed to be India’s first and largest managed marketplace. It was once a promising company with over 2.5 crore listed products and 6,00,000+ merchants. Shopclues also turned into a unicorn back in 2016 and was hailed as the fourth unicorn startup in India. However, ShopClues has slowly and steadily collapsed from being a promising unicorn to an also-ran by the company and was finally sold to Singapore-based Qoo10 Pte Ltd at a valuation of just $70-100 million in an all-stock deal.

    FAQs

    What is the meaning of a Unicorn startup?

    Startups with a valuation of over $1 Billion are known as Unicorns.

    How many unicorn startups are there in India in 2024?

    As of September 2024, there are 117 unicorns in India.

    Which are the top Indian unicorns?

    Some of the top unicorns that India boasts of today are:

    • Zomato
    • Nykaa
    • PolicyBazaar
    • OYO
    • Ola
    • Paytm
    • Swiggy
    • BYJU’S
    • FirstCry
    • Lenskart
    • Freshworks
    • Moglix
    • Nykaa
    • Swiggy
    • Pine Labs
    • BlackBuck

    Which is India’s first unicorn startup?

    InMobi, a Bangalore-based multinational mobile advertising technology company, founded in 2007 is the first to enter the unicorn club. InMobi became the first unicorn in 2011.

    Is Nykaa a unicorn?

    Nykaa entered the unicorn club in 2020.

    Which country has the most unicorns?

    The United States is at the top of the list with over 650 unicorns as of August 2023.

    What is the obsession with unicorn startups?

    Unicorn startups boast of their valuation, which has crossed the $1 billion mark, and are always at the edge of their gameplay. The companies grouped in as unicorns are forever in competition with each other, and always stand as inspirational figures for the rest of the startups and other budding companies.

    How many companies turn unicorns?

    Though startups are everywhere now around us, as per the recently conducted surveys, 9 out of every 10 startups fail. Therefore, being a successful startup and turning it into a unicorn is always difficult for startups. AngelList says that a venture-backed seed-stage startup has a 1 in 40 shot, which is equivalent to a 2.5% chance of achieving unicorn status today.

    Is Zerodha a unicorn?

    Yes, Zerodha entered the unicorn club in 2020 with a valuation of about $1 billion.

    Which Indian startups became unicorns in 2020?

    • Pine Labs
    • FirstCry
    • Nykaa
    • Unacademy
    • Zerodha
    • Razorpay
    • Postman
    • Cars24
    • Dailyhunt
    • Glance, InMobi, and more.

    Which Indian startups became unicorns in 2021?

    • BrowserStack
    • Moglix
    • PharmEasy
    • CRED
    • Meesho
    • Urban Company
    • Digit Insurance
    • Groww
    • Gupshup
    • Chargebee
    • Zeta
    • Infra.Market
    • Innovaccer
    • Five Star Business Finance
    • Licious
    • Vedantu and more.

    How many startups turned unicorns in India in 2024?

    As of September 2024, six startups turned unicorns including Krutrim, Perfios, Porter, Rapido, Ather Energy, and Moneyview.

    What are the Indian companies that turned unicorns in 2022?

    The Indian companies that turned unicorns in 2022 are:

    • Mamaearth
    • Fractal Analytics
    • LEAD School
    • Darwinbox
    • DealShare
    • ElasticRun
    • Livspace
    • Xpressbees
    • Uniphore
    • Hasura
    • CredAvenue
    • Amagi
    • CommerceIQ
    • Oxyzo
    • Games 24×7
    • Open
    • PhysicsWallah
    • Purplle
    • LeadSquared
    • OneCard
    • 5ire
  • Dropping Out to Cashing In: Remarkable Rise of Nikhil Kamath to India’s Youngest Billionaire

    Is it just me, or is skipping school or the college exit door like a secret handshake to the world of success and stardom? There are so many dropouts-turned-superstars out there that it’s starting to seem like an underground club, where the membership fee is ditching the classroom.

    On a lighter note, we usually encounter successful people who don’t hold a proper or suitable college degree. But such people have created a history that stands as a testimony to their intellect for all the future.

    In this article, we explore the journey of one such person, who dropped out of school to later found India’s largest stockbroker – Zerodha. We will explore the success story of Nikhil Kamath, early life, his education, personal life, career, investments, and much more.

    Nikhil Kamath Biography

    Name Nikhil Kamath
    Birthplace Shimoga, Karnataka
    Date of Birth September 5, 1986
    Nationality Indian
    Education School dropout
    Position Co-founder and CFO
    Net worth $3 billion (January 2025)

    Nikhil Kamath – Early Life & Education
    Nikhil Kamath – Career
    Nikhil Kamath – Entering the Trading World
    Nikhil Kamath – Personal life
    Nikhil Kamath – Podcast
    Nikhil Kamath – Zerodha
    Nikhil Kamath – WTFund
    Nikhil Kamath – Personal Investments
    Nikhil Kamath – Partner Investments
    Nikhil Kamath – Philanthropy
    Nikhil Kamath – Controversies
    Nikhil Kamath – Awards & Recognitions

    Nikhil Kamath – Early Life & Education

    Nikhil Kamath was born in Karnataka, India, in 1986. Since his dad was a bank employee, he often got transfers. Nikhil was 9 years old when they finally settled in Bangalore.

    Though Nikhil displayed a strong aptitude for mathematics and problem-solving from a young age, he hated the traditional way of taking formal school education. In Bangalore, he attended a local school. Since the school didn’t let him appear for the 10th board exams citing his disinterest in studies as a reason, he decided to drop out of school. Thus, Nikhil didn’t have a formal mode of education after that.

    Nikhil Kamath – Career

    After dropping out of school in 10th grade, which was a huge decision, Nikhil Kamath’s journey to success was a remarkable tale of determination and resourcefulness.

    After leaving school without a clear plan, he found himself working at a call center at the age of 17. To make ends meet, he even faked his birth certificate to land the job, which paid him a meager salary of INR 8,000.


    Zerodha Success Story – The Largest Stock Broker in India
    Zerodha is an Indian financial services company founded by Nithin and Nikhil Kamath in 2010. Check out Zerodha’s business model, revenue, profit, and more.


    Nikhil Kamath – Entering the Trading World

    During those challenging times, he labored at the call center from 4 PM to 1 AM, and in the mornings, he delved into the world of trading. Nikhil learned the ropes of life outside his family’s protective cocoon, and he discovered that it was in the outside world where the real lessons were learned.

    Around the age of 18, Nikhil decided to venture into stock trading more seriously. His father entrusted him with some of his savings. This leap of faith from his father marked the beginning of Nikhil’s journey as a trader. He not only managed his father’s money successfully but also convinced his manager at the call center to invest in stocks.

    It turned out to be a fruitful endeavor, and soon, others followed suit, allowing Nikhil to manage their funds. In his final year at the call center, he cleverly managed the entire team’s money, which meant he didn’t have to go to work physically, yet he received incentives.

    Zerodha’s Inception

    Nikhil’s ambition eventually led him to leave his job and team up with his older brother Nithin Kamath, to launch Kamath Associates in 2010, which later evolved into the highly successful brokerage firm, Zerodha. His journey from a call center employee to a prominent figure in the financial world is a testament to his resourcefulness and dedication.

    Nikhil Kamath – Personal life

    Nikhil Kamath resides in the city of Bangalore, India. His parents are U.R. Kamath, an employee of Canara Bank, and Revathi Kamath. He was married to Amanda Puravankara who was the director of Provident Housing Ltd., Bangalore. The couple reportedly separated within a year of their marriage. Kamath is an avid reader and a chess player.


    Nithin Kamath Biography: Education | Family | Zerodha | Net Worth
    Nithin Kamath is a Co-founder of the brokerage company Zerodha and Rainmatter. Know about Nithin Kamath’s education, family, children, success story, net worth, etc. Learn more about him on Nithin Kamath Wikipedia.


    Nikhil Kamath – Podcast

    Nikhil Kamath also hosts a podcast series “WTF is”, in which he interviews industry leaders and close friends in light-hearted but thought-provoking conversations. The program discusses various subjects including technology, social media, alternative energy, and more.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his podcast debut with Nikhil Kamath on 10 January 2025. The two-hour episode, titled “People with The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi x Nikhil Kamath,” is part of Kamath’s “WTF is” podcast series.

    The conversation explored various topics, including PM Modi’s childhood, similarities between politics and entrepreneurship, essential skills for entering politics, governance, and global affairs.

    People with The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi x Nikhil Kamath

    Nikhil Kamath – Zerodha

    Zerodha Website
    Zerodha Website

    Zerodha, a game-changing player in India’s trading and investment scene, commenced its operations on August 15, 2010, with a clear-cut mission: to remove the hurdles that traders and investors often faced, especially in terms of cost, support, and technology. The company’s name, “Zerodha,” cleverly combines “Zero” with “Rodha,” a Sanskrit word meaning barrier, to reflect their commitment to this vision.

    Today, Zerodha proudly stands as one of India’s largest stockbrokers, thanks to its innovative pricing models and cutting-edge technology developed in-house.

    They boast a massive client base of over 1 crore, managing millions of orders daily through their user-friendly investment platforms. Their influence is felt in the trading world, accounting for a significant 15% of all retail trading volumes in India.

    Another creation of Kamath, True Beacon is a fee-free investment management company that targets investors with extremely high net worths.

    Also, Rainmatter is their venture capital fund and incubator that invests in fintech companies and ventures that promote financial inclusion.

    Nikhil Kamath – WTFund

    Nikhil Kamath introduced the ‘Innovators Under 25‘ at the most recent WTFund Summit in Mumbai. An inaugural event was held in September 2024, to celebrate the establishment of WTFund, the first non-equity grant fund in India, to support innovation among entrepreneurs under the age of 25. It was a pivotal event for India’s startup ecosystem, showcasing the next generation of innovators ready to shape the country’s future.

    The role of young entrepreneurs in creating India’s future was highlighted by Kamath. Anyone, from 25 to 80 years old, may be an entrepreneur and create the next great product. “But, come on, the enthusiasm, determination, and boldness usually come more naturally when you’re younger,” Kamath said.

    To support nine startups now and nine thousand young businesses tomorrow, Kamath said, “We’re dedicated to building an India that isn’t afraid to take risks and step outside our comfort zones.” He went on to say that he hopes to aid thousands of startups in the future. Whoever decides to build their own aspirations instead of helping someone else realize theirs will lead India in the coming decade. The diversity of India’s innovation landscape is on full display among the fifteen grantees.


    Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath Launches ‘Innovators Under 25’
    Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath introduced the ‘Innovators Under 25’ at the most recent WTFund Summit in Mumbai.


    Nikhil Kamath – Personal Investments

    Kamath has recently revealed in his podcast about his investment of INR 400 crore in Radico Khaitan for a 1.6-1.7% stake. Additionally, Nikhil has made some significant personal investments:

    Announced Date Organization Name Lead Investor Funding Round Money Raised
    September 11, 2023 Pee Safe Series B ₹250 million
    June 26, 2023 Mainstreet Seed Round ₹2 million
    January 31, 2023 Nourish You Seed Round ₹163.7 million
    July 26, 2022 Nas Company Venture Round ₹12 million
    March 15, 2022 Licious Series F ₹11.5 billion
    February 8, 2022 Kofluence Yes Seed Round ₹4 million
    January 27, 2022 Growth School Seed Round ₹375 million
    April 1, 2021 Third Wave Coffee Yes Seed Round
    March 17, 2021 Vokal Secondary Market

    Nikhil Kamath – Partner Investments

    In addition to his personal investments, Nikhil has also made investments as a partner:

    Announced Date Organization Name Investor Name Lead Investor Funding Round Money Raised
    October 13, 2023 Emoha Elder Care Gruhas Proptech Yes Series B $11 million
    April 5, 2023 Ossus Biorenewables Gruhas Proptech Yes Seed Round ₹197 million
    March 15, 2023 Spirit Media Gruhas Proptech Yes Venture Round
    February 25, 2022 Licious Gruhas Proptech Yes Series F ₹91.4 million
    February 17, 2022 Omnipresent Robot Technologies Gruhas Proptech Yes Venture Round

    Nikhil Kamath – Philanthropy

    Nikhil is also known for his philanthropy:

    • Nikhil Kamath recently joined the list of wealthy people around the world who have signed the Giving Pledge & pledged to donate 50% of their money to philanthropic causes. Notably, Kamath is the youngest Indian philanthropist to join the Giving Pledge.
    • Kamath also launched the Young India Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP), which mandates the signatories who are below 45 years of age to donate 25% of their fortune with a minimum spend of ₹1 crore per year.
    • According to the EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022, Kamath donated ₹100 crore of his wealth in 2022, along with his brother and co-founder of Zerodha, Nithin Kamath.

    Nikhil Kamath – Controversies

    Nikhil Kamath competed in a charity chess match against Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world chess champion. He won the match, much to the amazement of everyone. However, the multibillionaire eventually apologized for beating the chess champion unfairly and acknowledged doing so.

    He tweeted, “I had help from the people analyzing the game, computers, and the graciousness of Anand sir himself to treat the game as a learning experience. This was for fun and charity. In hindsight, it was quite silly as I didn’t realize all the confusion that can get caused due to this. Apologies.”

    Nikhil Kamath – Awards & Recognitions

    Here are some prominent awards and recognitions for Nikhil Kamath:

    • He was among the Forbes India ‘30 under 30’ young entrepreneurs, in 2016
    • He was listed as the richest self-made Indian under 40 by ‘IIFL Wealth Hurun India 40 & Under Self-Made Rich List 2022’
    • He made it into Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires in 2023
    • The Hurun India Report 2024 ranks Nithin and Nikhil Kamath 8th among self-made entrepreneurs for Zerodha, valued at Rs 64,800 crore.

    FAQs

    Who is Nikhil Kamath?

    Nikhil Kamath is the founder and CFO of Zerodha, which is an online trading service provider company.

    Where is Nikhil Kamath birthplace?

    Nikhil Kamath was born on September 5, 1986, in Shimoga, Karnataka.

    Who are Nikhil Kamath parents?

    Nithin was born in Shivamogga, Karnataka, India, to a Konkani family. His father, Late U.R. Kamath, was employed as one of the executives of Canara Bank. His mother, Revathi Kamath, taught him to play the musical instrument, the veena.

    When was Nikhil Kamath born?

    Nikhil Kamath was born on September 5, 1986. His age is 39 years.

    Who are the founders of Zerodha?

    Nikhil Kamath and Nithin Kamath co-founded Zerodha.

    Where did Nikhil Kamath study?

    Nikhil Kamath did not follow a traditional education path. He dropped out of school after completing the 10th grade to pursue his interests in chess, stock trading, and entrepreneurship.

    What is Nikhil Kamath net worth?

    The net worth of Nikhil Kamath is $3 billion (January 2025).

    What is Nikhil Kamath education?

    Since the school in Bangalore, didn’t let him appear for the 10th board exams citing his disinterest in studies as a reason, he decided to drop out of school.

    How Nikhil Kamath became billionaire?

    Nikhil Kamath became a billionaire by co-founding Zerodha, India’s largest discount brokerage, which revolutionized stock trading with its low-cost, user-friendly platform. His success was driven by his expertise in stock trading, strategic thinking, and focus on simplifying investments for retail investors.

  • Nithin Kamath: The Unlikely Billionaire Who’s Shaking Up India’s Stock Market

    Nithin Kamath is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zerodha, the largest stock brokerage firm in India, headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka. He is an Indian entrepreneur, stockbroker, and columnist for The Financial Express. Nithin gained recognition in the financial industry for his pioneering work in discount broking, which led to Zerodha’s success.

    Nithin Kamath has been acknowledged for his achievements and influence in the Indian business landscape. He has received several awards and accolades, including The Economic Times naming him among the Top 10 Businessmen to Watch Out for in India in 2016, specifically highlighting his contributions to discount broking. He also received the Forbes India Leadership Award – Conscious Capitalist of the Year (2019). Additionally, his entrepreneurial endeavors have led to a significant net worth of $1.5 billion.

    Zerodha’s success has also been widely recognized. In the IIFL Wealth Hurun India 40 and Under Self-Made Rich List of 2020, Zerodha topped the rankings. This accomplishment further highlights Nithin Kamath’s entrepreneurial prowess and Zerodha’s position as a leading player in the Indian brokerage industry.

    Here, in this article, we will learn about Nithin Kamath, his education, personal life, his parents, Zerodha, and more.

    Nithin Kamath Biography

    Name Nithin Kamath
    Date of Birth 5th October, 1979
    Birthplace Shivamogga, Karnataka, India
    Nationality Indian
    Educational Qualification Bachelor’s in Engineering
    Profession Entrepreneur, Stockbroker, Columnist
    Position Founder & CEO, Zerodha
    Net worth $4.5 billion (January 2025)
    Father Late U.R Kamath
    Mother Revati
    Brother Nikhil Kamath
    Spouse Seema Patil
    Son Kiaan Kamath

    Below is Nithin Kamath’s portfolio and his success story.

    Nithin Kamath – Personal Life
    Nithin Kamath – Education
    Nithin Kamath – Career
    Nithin Kamath – Success Story
    Nithin Kamath – Founder & CEO of Zerodha
    Nithin Kamath – True Beacon
    Nithin Kamath – Rainmatter
    Nithin Kamath – Personal Investments
    Nithin Kamath – Honors & Awards
    Nithin Kamath – Fun Facts

    Nithin Kamath – Personal Life

    Nithin Kamath's Family
    Nithin Kamath’s Family

    Nithin was born in Shivamogga, Karnataka, India, to a Konkani family. His father, U.R. Kamath, was employed as one of the executives of Canara Bank. His mother, Revathi Kamath, taught him to play the musical instrument, the veena.

    He also has a younger brother, Nikhil Kamath, in his family who is the Co-founder at Zerodha. Nithin Kamath’s wife is Seema Patil; they both got married in 2008. He loves to play basketball. The couple is also blessed with a son named Kiaan.

    Nithin Kamath had a mild stroke in January 2024. He shared this news in a LinkedIn post. His story shows how important it is to care for your heart and brain health.

    Kamath, known as a fitness lover, said his stroke was caused by stress, lack of sleep, tiredness, and over-exercising. His experience reminds us to keep a balance in life, exercise in moderation, and get enough rest.

    Nithin Kamath's LinkedIn Post
    Nithin Kamath’s LinkedIn Post

    Nithin Kamath – Education

    Nithin Kamath’s education journey began during his childhood when he traveled across India while accompanying his father’s profession. Eventually, he settled in Bangalore in 1996, where he completed his secondary education and college studies.

    Nithin Kamath’s formal education culminated with his graduation from Bangalore Institute of Technology, where he specialized in Electronics and Telecommunications. His academic background in this field likely contributed to his technical expertise and understanding of the evolving financial technology landscape.


    Nikhil Kamath: Zerodha’s Dropout Billionaire | Net Worth | Education | Career
    Explore the extraordinary story of Nikhil Kamath, the self-made entrepreneur and founder of Zerodha, as he turned his trading passion into a billion-dollar success story. Know more about him on Nikhil Kamath Wikipedia.


    Nithin Kamath – Career

    During his early years, Nithin Kamath exhibited a passion for trading and entrepreneurship. Here is a revised overview of his professional journey:

    1. Early Trading Experience: At the age of 17, Nithin began managing his father’s trading account, which allowed him to gain practical experience in the financial markets while still pursuing his studies.
    2. Self-Employment as a Proprietary Trader: While in college, Nithin became a self-employed proprietary trader from January 1997 to January 2004. This period allowed him to further refine his trading skills and gain a deeper understanding of market dynamics.
    3. Work in a Call Center: Due to a lack of trading capital, Nithin worked at a call center for three years. He traded during the day and worked as a Senior Telesales Executive in a call center-focused company from January 2001 to June 2004.
    4. Sub-Broker and Portfolio Advisory Services: Nithin began his professional career as a sub-broker, partnering with Kamath Associates, which operated as a franchisee of Reliance Money. During this time (January 2004 to January 2010), he provided portfolio advisory services and engaged in proprietary trading.
    5. Co-founding Zerodha: In late 2010, Nithin Kamath, together with his younger brother Nikhil, founded their stock brokerage firm, Zerodha. This marked the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey, aimed at revolutionizing the brokerage industry in India through the introduction of discount broking and innovative trading technologies.

    Zerodha founder Nithin Kamath’s experiences as a trader, work in a call center, and his tenure as a sub-broker provided him with valuable insights and paved the way for the establishment of Zerodha, which has become one of the largest retail stock brokerage firms in India.


    Zerodha Success Story: Founded | Founders | Business Model
    Zerodha is an Indian financial services company founded by Nithin and Nikhil Kamath in 2010. Check out Zerodha’s story, founders, business model, revenue model, profit, and more.


    Nithin Kamath – Success Story

    Nithin Kamath’s success story is intricately linked to the founding and growth of Zerodha, which has brought about significant disruption in the brokerage industry. Nithin drew inspiration from NSE’s free trading platform called ‘NOW’ as he observed the need for change in the industry.

    Nithin Kamath - Success Story
    Nithin Kamath – Success Story

    With a decade of experience in trading the stock markets, Nithin recognized the challenges and limitations faced by traders, which led him to establish Zerodha. He aimed to alleviate the fatigue associated with the pursuit of stock market trading and create a brokerage firm that addressed the barriers traders encountered. The name Zerodha itself is a combination of “Zero” and “Rodha,” the Sanskrit word for barrier.

    In 2010, Nithin and his brother, along with a team of five people, embarked on their entrepreneurial journey. Zerodha initially focused on serving day traders, and over time, the venture experienced significant growth. The company’s disruptive pricing models and in-house technology played a pivotal role in propelling Zerodha to become one of the largest stockbrokers in India in terms of active retail clients.

    Through their innovative approach, Zerodha has reshaped the brokerage landscape, making trading more accessible, affordable, and efficient for retail investors. Nithin Kamath’s vision and commitment to driving positive change have played a significant role in the success of Zerodha.

    Nithin Kamath – Founder & CEO of Zerodha

    Nithin Kamath - Zerodha Logo
    Nithin Kamath – Zerodha Logo

    Nithin founded Zerodha in August 2010 and has a, physical presence across several major cities in India. It is considered India’s one of the largest brokerage firm. Zerodha entered the Unicorn Club in June 2020 with a self-assessed valuation of $1 billion. Today’s online stock brokerage platform has over 22 lakh active users with three million trades daily.

    How does Zerodha work?

    Zerodha offers trading in equities, currencies, bonds, commodities, and mutual funds. An investor needs to pay Rs.300 to open a Zerodha account. They provide free equity delivery investments.

    Equity delivery, equity intraday, futures, and options variably charge Security transaction tax. A flat fee of Rs.20 is asked for every trade, irrespective of its size, without a brokerage fee. Nearly 2 lakh Zerodha accounts add up every month. The Zerodha login and interface are also easy to navigate and are designed to help beginners.

    Zerodha Kite, a new addition to Zerodha, is an online trading software that allows its users to trade at BSE, NSE, and MCX. It’s a front-end application that is built in-house by Zerodha engineers. Zerodha margin calculator is another popular tool that lets its customers calculate the margin required for futures contracts.


    Business Model of Zerodha – How does Zerodha make Money
    Zerodha is India’s one of the biggest stock broker which revolutionized stock brokerage industry. Lets look at its business model to understand how it makes money.


    How does Zerodha make money?

    Nithin Kamath shared on 20 January 2025 that Zerodha now has over 1.6 crore users, with 30% of them joining through referrals, all achieved without any advertising.

    Zerodha is a low-cost trading service; it also has free add-ons that attract millions of customers to trade or invest in the stock market and pay brokerage to Zerodha. Besides that, it is an online platform that helps reduce operational costs and helps them scale up their business. Zerodha also spends money on advertising or marketing.

    Number of Active Clients in 2023
    Number of Active Clients in 2023

    New data from NSE says Groww, backed by investors like Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global, is now the top player by active clients. It marked the end of Zerodha’s long streak as India’s biggest brokerage firm with the most active users. In September, Zerodha’s market share stayed at 19.4%, but Groww’s went up to 19.9%.


    Zerodha Marketing Strategy | Zerodha Digital Marketing
    Zerodha is an online brokerage platform. Get insights into Zerodha’s Marketing Strategy that gave it a success without Zerodha advertisements.


    Nithin Kamath – True Beacon

    Nithin, along with his brother, founded True Beacon, an investment management firm. The venture is aimed at ultra-high-net-worth investors and operates on a zero-free model. The Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) does not charge an account on the grounds of an account opening fee, redemption fee, and maintenance fee. At the end of the financial year, it charges a 10% performance fee on the gains from the investor.

    The Zerodha Universe

    Nithin Kamath – Rainmatter

    Nithin Kamath - Rainmatter Logo
    Nithin Kamath – Rainmatter Logo

    Nithin Kamath’s Rainmatter is a Bengaluru-based financial technology startup fund and incubator founded by Nithin in 2015. The company is an initiative by Zerodha that would ensue funds and incubate innovative startups. Moreover, it has invested in various startups to achieve the goal of growing the Indian capital markets.

    Rainmatter Climate works on funding startups and grassroots organizations working on climate change. As per regulatory filings, Nithin, his wife Seema, and his brother Nikhil have been appointed directors of the venture, Rainmatter Land Development. The paid-up capital for this new venture is INR 10 lakh.

    Nithin Kamath – Personal Investments

    Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath has made quite a few personal investments and they are mentioned as below:

    Date Company Name Round Amount
    Sep 12, 2023 Pee Safe Series B $3M
    Dec 27, 2022 The Whole Truth Foods Series B $15M
    Aug 26, 2022 GalaxEye Seed $3.52M
    Jul 04, 2022 Climes Seed $1.2M
    Apr 28, 2022 AssetPlus Series A $3.6M
    Mar 28, 2022 Ultrahuman Series B Undisclosed
    Mar 15, 2022 Licious Series F $150M
    Feb 07, 2022 Invact Seed $5M
    Dec 27, 2021 Kalvium Seed $1.7M
    Dec 17, 2021 Kredily Seed Undisclosed
    Oct 25, 2021 BankSathi Seed $533K
    Oct 11, 2021 Stoa Series A $1.6M
    Jul 24, 2021 The Whole Truth Foods Series A $6M
    May 19, 2021 AgniKul Series A $11.1M
    Apr 05, 2021 Even Seed $5M
    Mar 31, 2021 Kudos Finance and Investments Seed $664K
    Mar 20, 2020 ImStrong Seed $397K

    List of Nithin Kamath’s Investments | Companies Backed by the Zerodha Boss
    Nithin Kamath, the Founder and CEO of Zerodha, is a prominent investor. Check out the list of all Nithin Kamath’s investments and explore his full portfolio of companies here.


    Nithin Kamath – Honors & Awards

    Nithin Kamath has received several honors and awards throughout his career. Here is a revised list:

    • Emerging Entrepreneur Award (2014) – Conferred by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in recognition of Nithin Kamath’s entrepreneurial accomplishments.
    • Emerging Brokerage Firm of the Year (2014) – Awarded by BSE and Dun & Bradstreet, acknowledging Zerodha’s emergence as a prominent brokerage firm.
    • Emerging Brokerage Firm of the Year (2015) – Recognized by BSE and Dun & Bradstreet, highlighting Zerodha’s continued growth and success in the brokerage industry.
    • Featured Among Top 10 Indian Businessmen to Watch Out for in 2016 – The Economic Times included Nithin Kamath in this prestigious list during their annual business review, recognizing his influential role in the industry.
    • Forbes India 30 under 30, Finance (2016) – Ranked by Forbes India in their prestigious list of young achievers, specifically in the finance category.
    • Startup of the Year (Bootstrap) 2016 – Awarded by The Economic Times, acknowledging Zerodha’s successful establishment and growth as a bootstrapped startup.
    • IIFL Wealth Hurun India 40 and Under Self-Made Rich List 2020 – Zerodha secured the top position in this list, highlighting the financial success of Nithin Kamath and the company’s achievements.

    These honors and awards serve as a testament to Nithin Kamath’s entrepreneurial prowess and Zerodha’s notable contributions to the brokerage industry in India.

    Nithin Kamath – Fun Facts

    Nithin Kamath’s interests and hobbies add further dimension to his profile. Here’s a revised version:

    • Collecting Memorabilia: Nithin Kamath is known to have acquired a football jersey signed by the legendary footballer Lionel Messi at an auction, showcasing his appreciation for sports and collectibles.
    • Active Lifestyle: Nithin enjoys various physical activities, such as running, cycling, and swimming, which contribute to his active and healthy lifestyle. Additionally, he has a penchant for playing the guitar, showcasing his passion for music.
    • Inspirations: Nithin Kamath has drawn inspiration from notable Indian businessman Azim Premji, appreciating his accomplishments and perhaps incorporating some of his principles into his entrepreneurial journey.
    • Literary Interests: Nithin Kamath is an avid reader, and one of his favorite books is “Market Wizards” by Jack Schwager, indicating his interest in investment and financial literature.
    • Musical Preferences: Pink Floyd is Nithin Kamath’s favorite band, showcasing his appreciation for their music and potentially reflecting his taste for classic rock.
    • Early Trading Experience: Nithin Kamath started his trading journey at the age of 17, demonstrating his early passion for the financial markets.
    • Other Interests: Nithin Kamath is a martial arts enthusiast and also enjoys playing poker, indicating his diverse range of interests beyond the realm of finance and entrepreneurship.

    FAQs

    What is Zerodha owner name?

    Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath are the owners of Zerodha.

    What is Nithin Kamath’s net worth?

    Nithin Kamath’s net worth is $4.5 billion (January 2025).

    What is Nithin Kamath’s salary?

    According to various reports (2023), Nithin Kamath receives a monthly salary of INR 4.16 crore as his basic pay. In addition, he also receives INR 2 crore as a house rent allowance, INR 1.6 crore as other perquisites, and an additional INR 41 lakhs as various allowances.

    What is Nithin Kamath date of birth?

    Nithin Kamath was born on 5th October 1979. Nithin Kamath age is 45 years.

    What is Nithin Kamath education qualification?

    Nithin completed his bachelor’s in electronics and telecommunications from the Bangalore Institute of Technology.

    Who is Nitin Kamath wife?

    Seema Patil is Nithin Kamath’s wife.

    Who is Nithin Kamath’s brother?

    Nikhil Kamath, a co-founder of Zerodha, is Nithin Kamath’s brother.

    Who is in Nithin Kamath family?

    Nithin Kamath is married to Seema Patil, who is also actively involved in Zerodha’s operations. They have a son together. Nithin’s brother, Nikhil Kamath, is his co-founder at Zerodha and handles key business areas like trading and investment strategy. The Kamath family is known for their simple lifestyle and focus on fitness and health.

    Who are Nithin Kamath children?

    Nithin Kamath and his wife Seema Kamath have a son named Kian Kamath.

    What is Nithin Kamath’s mother tongue?

    The mother tongue of Nithin Kamath is Konkani.

    What inspired Nithin Kamath to start Zerodha?

    Nithin Kamath drew inspiration from NSE’s free trading platform ‘NOW’ and recognized the need for disruption in the brokerage industry. He aimed to make trading more accessible and affordable for retail investors, which led to the establishment of Zerodha.

    Who are Nithin Kamath parents?

    Nithin was born in Shivamogga, Karnataka, India, to a Konkani family. His father, Late U.R. Kamath, was employed as one of the executives of Canara Bank. His mother, Revathi Kamath, taught him to play the musical instrument, the veena.

    Is Zerodha good for beginners?

    The flat fee model of Zerodha is as low as Rs. 20, which is why many beginner-level traders prefer Zerodha.

    How can I get started with Zerodha?

    To start trading with Zerodha, you can visit their official website and follow the account opening process. It usually involves providing your personal and financial details and completing the necessary documentation. Zerodha offers online account opening and a seamless onboarding experience.

  • Zerodha Launches a Trading Platform for Borrowed Funds

    The margin trading feature (MTF), which Zerodha has introduced, enables users to trade on borrowed funds on the platform. Nithin Kamath, founder and CEO of Zerodha, said on X on December 19, “I don’t know if it is a good time with the markets falling, but we are finally launching MTF (margin trading facility), which allows you to buy stocks for delivery by borrowing money from us.” However, Zerodha cautioned against utilising MTF in its blog post. Its post stated that trade with caution because leverage is like a weapon of mass destruction, and MTF is a leveraged product.

    Platform to Charge 0.04%

    Zerodha claims that because keeping a stock purchased through an MTF has a cost, time is working against the user while engaging in a leveraged trade. It is important to mention that the platform will charge a daily fee of 0.04% of the funded amount. On the site, users are able to borrow up to 80% of the transacted value. “This reduces the potential profits the longer you hold,” Zerodha stated. Speaking on the subject, Kamath claimed that clients who trade for delivery frequently overlook the effect of borrowing costs, which results in a larger loss. However, MTF has expanded significantly over the past three to four years, and almost everyone now offers it.

    The Feature is Added on Demand

    Given the extent of consumer demand for the feature, it aligned perfectly for Zerodha to roll out this new feature. With the launch of its new product, Zerodha anticipates a 30% drop in trades on its online broking platform due to the Securities and Exchange Board of India‘s (SEBI) new derivatives framework. Nonetheless, the business was able to increase its consolidated revenue from INR 6,832.8 Cr to INR 9,372.1 Cr for the fiscal year that ended in March 2024 (FY24), a 37.16% increase.

    Sebi acknowledged the speculative nature of index derivatives trading on October 1 and issued a set of instructions aimed at lowering risks for retail traders in the F&O market. One of the main instructions is that option buyers must pay the premiums beforehand; formerly, traders could pay the premium after the trading day. Traders must now pay the entire premium at the time of order placement under the new regulation.

    The market regulator has also implemented other significant steps, such as restricting weekly index expiries to a single exchange and raising the minimum contract size for index derivatives, which will make them less available to smaller retail traders. 93% of retail traders in the F&O category lost money between FY22 and FY24, according to a recent Sebi report, while only 1% of them made earnings of more than INR 1 lakh yearly. 89% of retail traders in the category lost money between FY19 and FY22, according to a previous Sebi survey.


    SEBI Tightens Rules for SME IPOs to Protect Investors
    SEBI introduces stricter rules for SME IPOs, aiming to enhance investor protection and ensure higher transparency in small and medium enterprise listings.


  • Nithin Kamath Expects Sebi’s New F&O Standards to Impact Zerodha’s Operations

    According to Zerodha’s cofounder Nithin Kamath, recent actions taken by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) regarding futures and options (F&O) trading are predicted to have a nearly 30% negative impact on Zerodha’s business and cut the company’s overall F&O trading volumes by 60%. Kamath further stated that the company will determine its pricing structure following the implementation of the new rules on November 20.

    As it stands, over 60% of all F&O trades and roughly 30% of all orders will be impacted, assuming that those who trade weekly don’t switch to trading monthly. Kamath posted on X. I suppose that as of November 20th, everything will become much more apparent. He continued, “We will then consider the impact on the business when deciding on our change in pricing structure.”

    Market Regulator Releasing Key Directives

    The market regulator acknowledged the speculative nature of index derivatives trading on October 1 and issued a set of instructions aimed at lowering risks for retail traders in the F&O market. One of the main instructions is that option buyers must pay the premiums beforehand; formerly, traders could pay the premium after the trading day. Traders must now pay the entire premium at the time of order placement under the new regulation.

    The market regulator has also implemented other significant steps, such as restricting weekly index expiries to a single exchange and raising the minimum contract size for index derivatives, which will make them less available to smaller retail traders.

    93% of Retail Traders Suffered Losses

    93% of retail traders in the F&O category lost money between FY22 and FY24, according to a recent Sebi report, while only 1% of them made earnings of more than INR 1 lakh yearly. 89% of retail traders in the category lost money between FY19 and FY22, according to a previous Sebi survey.

    From 5.1 million retail merchants in FY22 to 9.6 million in FY24, the number of traders on Dalal Street has almost doubled. This sharp rise raised concerns that savings are shifting from safe investments to high-risk ventures in the F&O sector.

    Zerodha’s Additional Concern

    Stricter guidelines regarding the referral program are among the additional threats mentioned by Zerodha. The business announced that it has relied on word-of-mouth recommendations from customers since its inception to run sizable partner and referral programs. When customers brought in new customers, the company rewarded them with a small cut of the broking as a commission.

    These distributions must now halt because the exchanges released new criteria stating that only Authorised Persons (AP) who have registered on the exchanges may receive payouts. As a result, growth will be impacted as thousands of referrers will now be limited to a small number of registered APs.


    Nithin Kamath: Education | Family | Zerodha
    Nithin Kamath is a Co-founder of the brokerage company Zerodha and Rainmatter. Know about Nithin Kamath’s education, family, children, success story, etc. Learn more about him on Nithin Kamath Wikipedia.


  • Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath Launches ‘Innovators Under 25’

    Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath introduced the ‘Innovators Under 25’ at the most recent WTFund Summit in Mumbai. An inaugural event was held to celebrate the establishment of WTFund, the first non-equity grant fund in India, to support innovation among entrepreneurs under the age of 25. Jeet Adani, Kishore Biyani, Nithin Kamath, Jay Kotak, Ananya Birla, and Shashwat Goenka were among the notable individuals who attended the event.

    WTFund’s Initial Group of Trailblazers

    Kamath introduced the first round of WTFund grantees at the summit; they were fifteen entrepreneurs from fields as diverse as healthcare, artificial intelligence, and sustainable consumer goods with ambitious ideas. To drive innovation and challenge conventional businesses, the program seeks to equip young minds with the resources they need.

    The role of young entrepreneurs in creating India’s future was highlighted by Kamath. Anyone, from 25 to 80 years old, may be an entrepreneur and create the next great product. “But, come on, the enthusiasm, determination, and boldness usually come more naturally when you’re younger,” he said.

    To support nine startups now and nine thousand young businesses tomorrow, Kamath said, “We’re dedicated to building an India that isn’t afraid to take risks and step outside our comfort zones.” He went on to say that he hopes to aid thousands of startups in the future. Whoever decides to build their own aspirations instead of helping someone else realize theirs will lead India in the coming decade. The diversity of India’s innovation landscape is on full display among the fifteen grantees.

    Assistance Extending Beyond Monetary Grants

    With non-equity awards of up to INR 20 lakh, WTFund provides more than only financial aid. The young entrepreneurs learn from established professionals in the field while keeping complete control of their companies. This direction, together with access to accounting and legal services, and strategic alliances with industry heavyweights, provides them with the groundwork they need to expand their firms.

    Beyond providing financial support, Kamath wants the fund to help young entrepreneurs grow their businesses and have a positive impact on the sector. With the help of WTFund’s resources, these innovators will be able to conquer the obstacles of startup life and set themselves up for sustained success.

    The WTFund Summit marks a fresh chapter for India’s startup scene, bringing together influential Indian businesspeople to support the country’s aspiring innovators. The fund paves the way for game-changing innovations in many different fields by providing essential funding to young entrepreneurs.


    Nikhil Kamath: Zerodha’s Dropout Billionaire
    Explore the extraordinary journey of Nikhil Kamath, the self-made entrepreneur and founder of Zerodha, as he turned his trading passion into a billion-dollar success story.


  • Zerodha Adds Privacy Mode on Kite to Help Prevent Overtrading and Protect Data

    Zerodha, the most prominent broker in India, has recently implemented a new privacy mode option on its website. This feature allows customers to protect sensitive information such as details, profit and loss (P&L), and other sensitive elements.

    As a result of the fact that constantly seeing real-time changes in the profit and loss statement can frequently be distracting and may be enticing to overtrade, Zerodha claims that the feature will assist investors in avoiding overtrading.

    To help people against heavy losses

    “At Zerodha, our primary objective has always been to assist individuals in improving their financial situation”. In a blog post, the broker stated that this can take the shape of warnings and nudges that assist customers in increasing their chances of winning when trading, as well as the development of features that can assist in preventing excessive trading.

    The urge to engage in an excessive number of trades, particularly when things are not going as planned, might result in an endless cycle of trading losses. It developed Kill Switch, which enables users to instantly shut one or more segments on Kite, so compelling investors to take a break. This was done with the intention of assisting users in avoiding the risks associated with overtrading.

    Traders are able to get a comprehensive view of their charges throughout the day, which enables them to make more informed trading decisions and encourages them to be more mindful of their trading activity. Zerodha introduced the virtual contract note on Kite as the next step, which displays charges for all of the orders that were placed during the day period.

    Major benefits of the feature

    It is now possible for users of Kite to effortlessly conceal all of these figures thanks to the privacy mode, which enables them to concentrate on a trading strategy without becoming distracted by the day-to-day swings of their accounts.

    It is also helpful for users to have this functionality in circumstances where they are presenting their device to friends or family members and want to conceal important financial information.

    Already accessible on the Kite online, the privacy mode will soon be made available on the Kite mobile app as well. In order to engage this feature, investors can activate it by clicking on the user ID on Kite and selecting the toggle button for the privacy mode.

    In the past, Zerodha has introduced to its trading platform, Kite, features that are similar to those that are helpful to investors. The first of them was the Kill Switch, which gave users the ability to instantly disable one or more trading segments on Kite. This was done to encourage users to take a break from trading and to prevent them from making rash choices. Based on this, Zerodha produced the Virtual Contract Note, which gave traders a comprehensive view of the charges for all orders submitted throughout the day along with a detailed breakdown of expenses. This was created to provide traders with a comprehensive picture of the charges.


    Zerodha Success Story – The Largest Stock Broker in India
    Zerodha is an Indian financial services company founded by Nithin and Nikhil Kamath in 2010. Check out Zerodha’s business model, revenue, profit, and more.


  • Impact of Discount Brokerage Firms on the Stock Market

    The Indian stock market is going through a major transformation, all thanks to the rise of discount brokerage firms! As more and more people are entering into the stock market, the term “Discount Broker” has become increasingly prevalent. 

    Surprisingly, over 70% of the new Demat (dematerialized) accounts initiated in both the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) are facilitated by these ‘discount brokerage firms’. When individuals opt to open new demat accounts, they prefer selecting the best discount brokers in India. 

    Why Are Discount Brokerages Needed?
    What Is Discount Brokerage?
    Impact of Discount Brokerages
    How Did It Begin?

    Why Are Discount Brokerage Firms Becoming the Preferred Choice for Retail Investors?
    Impact on Market Dynamics
    Challenges and Opportunities
    Conclusion

    Why Are Discount Brokerages Needed?

    Discount brokerage firms help investors save big on brokerage fees, take control of their investments, and provide access to the latest information and technology to trade anywhere, anytime, and with minimal funds.

    Trading with the help of the best discount brokers can lead to substantial savings, with potential reductions of up to 90% on brokerage fees. Additionally, individuals can access a user-friendly interface, real-time market data, analysis, news, charts, and key takeaways without paying much as brokerage fees.

    A few years ago, trading stocks at any time or place, making payments, big trades, and figuring out brokerage and tax components before trading was tough. However, discount brokers have significantly streamlined this process, and made trading a ‘routine’ for any common man. 

    “Each and every Indian is enjoying the fruit of development. So, to that extent, when we see the last few years, it is the small investors from tier 2, and tier 3 cities are joining the capital market and enjoying the growth that we are seeing in the capital market. That is something very, very important for the development of India and for the capital market,” – Securities & Exchange Board of India SEBI Whole Time Member Kamlesh Chandra Varshney said in a capital markets summit in Mumbai on February 19.

    Even small investors or the common man can now maintain an account, trade, invest, buy, or sell stocks daily, monthly, and annually with minimum brokerage fees. 


    Top 10 Discount Brokers in India in 2024
    If you are planning to invest in stocks from your home through your smartphone, here are the 10 best discount brokers to help you invest.


    What Is Discount Brokerage?

    Discount brokerage firms are like your auction assistants but with a twist – they guide you through buying or selling stocks. These firms give access to the stock exchange, just like traditional brokers, but at a fraction of the cost.

    With their user-friendly platforms and affordable services, discount brokerage firms make stock trading easy and capital markets have become accessible for everyone. Discount brokers use technology to keep costs low and put the power of trading in your hands.

    “The capital market too comes with inherent risks and individuals must exercise due diligence before making investments. Phones have become a convenient tool in the investment process and individual investors rely heavily on it. There is a need to enhance investor’s awareness of the risk posed by technology. Today cybersecurity and threats to tech resilience have emerged as the biggest threat in the capital markets and are giving sleepless nights to the stakeholders,” – Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Whole Time Member Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan said at a summit.

    Unlike traditional brokers, these low-cost brokers skip the extras like investment advice and research reports. But, they’re experts in technology and market trends, always staying ahead of the game. Discount brokers charge over 60% less than full-service brokers. And they give free trading software to all their customers.

    Top Stock Brokers Based on Active Client
    Top Stockbrokers Based on Active Clients

    Impact of Discount Brokerages

    Discount brokerage platforms have significantly reformed the landscape of stock market participation in India. With their competitive pricing models and high technology, they have opened up new opportunities for retail investors like never before. 

    As of December 2023, Zerodha has the largest client base with over 64 lakh clients, which is about 20% of the total Demat account holders in India. Second, comes Groww with a 53 lakh client base which is 16% of the total numbers. These figures underscore the growing popularity of discount brokerage platforms among retail investors.

    These discount brokerages have empowered a new generation of investors, including millennials and first-time traders, to engage actively in the stock market. As a result, the stock market has seen a surge in retail participation, with a significant portion of trading volumes attributed to individual investors using discount brokerage platforms.

    Overall, discount brokerage firm’s innovative approach to pricing and technology has made stock trading more accessible and affordable, paving the way for a more inclusive and dynamic market ecosystem.

    How Did It Begin?

    The discount brokerage industry in India started to gain momentum in the early 2010s with the emergence of online discount trading platforms, led by Zerodha, which was the first to offer flat-fee trading services. 

    Since then, several other players have joined the market. Here are some of the prominent players, who have helped the common man dive into the stock market:

    Zerodha

    Established in 2010, Zerodha is one of the largest discount brokerage firms in India. It pioneered the concept of discount brokerage in the country and has since grown exponentially, capturing a significant market share with its low-cost trading platform and innovative offerings.

    “We just introduced two new cool features on @zerodhaonline Console: Timeline and Stock Insights, both powered by @Tijori1,” Zerodha online CEO and Founder Nithin Kamath said in a tweet on February 13.

    Post of Nithin Kamath (Founder & CEO of Zerodha) on X

    Upstox

    Upstox (formerly RKSV Securities) is another leading discount brokerage firm known for its low brokerage fees, advanced trading platforms, and robust technology infrastructure. It has gained popularity among retail investors for its user-friendly interface and competitive pricing.

    5paisa

    Launched in 2016, 5paisa is a disruptive player in the discount brokerage space, offering a wide range of financial products and services at competitive rates. With its emphasis on digital innovation and customer-centric approach, 5paisa has emerged as a formidable competitor in the market.

    Angel Broking

    While traditionally a full-service brokerage, Angel Broking has adapted to the changing market dynamics by introducing discount brokerage services under its Angel Broking Prime brand. It offers discounted brokerage plans and advanced trading platforms to cater to the evolving needs of investors.

    Groww

    Groww is a fintech platform that started as a mutual fund investment platform but has since expanded its offerings to include discount brokerage services. With its user-friendly interface and zero-commission trading model, Groww has attracted a growing base of retail investors.

    These discount brokerage firms, along with others in the market, have disrupted the traditional brokerage model by offering low-cost trading solutions, innovative technology platforms, and a customer-centric approach. Their emergence has widened stock market participation, empowering retail investors and challenging established players in the industry. 

    Here are the key differences between traditional brokers and discount brokers:

    Feature Full-Service Broker Discount Broker
    Services Provided Offer a wide range of services including research, advisory, and portfolio management Typically provides basic trading services with limited research and advisory support
    Brokerage Fees Charge higher brokerage fees and commissions Charge lower brokerage fees, often flat-rate or based on transaction volume
    Investment Minimums Often require higher minimum investment amounts Have lower or no minimum investment requirements
    Trading Platforms Provide advanced trading platforms with additional features Offer simple, user-friendly trading platforms
    Customer Support Offer personalized customer support and dedicated relationship managers Provide basic customer support with limited personalization
    Investment Advice Offer investment advice and recommendations Provide minimal investment advice and recommendations
    Additional Services Offer add-ons such as wealth management and financial planning Typically do not offer additional services beyond trading

    Why Are Discount Brokerage Firms Becoming the Preferred Choice for Retail Investors?

    1. Low-Cost Advantage: Discount brokers offer the lowest brokerage charges compared to full-service brokers. This cost-efficient model allows traders to convert trades into profits with a lower Break-even Point (BEP), making investing more accessible to a wider audience.
    2. Online Trading Terminal: One of the hallmarks of discount brokerage firms is their centralized online trading terminals. These platforms provide investors with user-friendly interfaces and real-time market data and analysis, empowering them to manage their investments wisely and efficiently. Moreover, these services are often provided free of cost, enhancing the overall trading experience.
    3. Unbiased Offerings: Regardless of the investor’s size or investment portfolio, discount brokers provide equal access to securities. This unbiased approach ensures that all clients have access to the same investment opportunities, leveling the playing field for both individual and institutional investors.
    4. Low Transactional Costs: Discount brokers leverage their high trading volumes to offer lower transaction costs to clients. This cost-saving benefit enables investors to execute trades more frequently without incurring substantial fees, thereby maximizing their long-term potential returns.
    5. Transparency: Transparency is paramount in the discount brokerage model. These firms offer clients 100% transparency in their costs, providing access to brokerage calculators, margin calculators, charges sheets, and trade confirmations. This transparency fosters trust and confidence among investors, more retail participation, and enables them to make informed and unbiased decisions.
    6. Client Education: Education is key to success in the stock market, and discount brokerage firms recognize this. They offer a wealth of online educational resources, including video tutorials and market insights, to empower clients with the knowledge needed to navigate the financial markets effectively.
      For Example: Zerodha Varsity stands out as a market leader in investor education, offering a comprehensive collection of financial resources. Similar to Zerodha Varsity, Upstox Learning Centre is dedicated to providing fundamental lessons to investors. Groww’s Blog is another platform that pursues a similar strategy of educating investors by offering insightful articles and market analysis.
    7. Financial Education: In India, financial literacy is very low. People are hesitant to invest in the stock markets, they usually prefer investing in traditional investment tools like the fixed deposit and provident funds. But brokerage firms have broken this norm and addressed the status quo, by providing comprehensive educational resources and empowering users with valuable knowledge.
      These platforms are transforming the way investors approach the markets. With access to these educational platforms, investors can equip themselves with the skills and insights needed to navigate the complexities of the financial world confidently.
    8. No Misleading Practices: Unlike some full-service brokers, discount brokerage firms refrain from setting brokerage or third-party product sales targets for their employees. This commitment to integrity ensures that clients receive unbiased advice and recommendations tailored to their individual investment goals.
    9. Paperless Account Opening: With the convenience of Aadhar Number verification, discount brokers offer seamless and paperless account opening processes. Investors can open online trading accounts in a matter of minutes, eliminating the need for cumbersome paperwork and expediting the onboarding process.
    10. No Minimum Brokerage: Unlike full-service brokers, discount brokerage firms do not impose minimum brokerage charges. This means that even investors trading in penny stocks or smaller volumes can benefit from the low-cost advantages offered by discount brokers.
    11. Flat Brokerage Charges: Discount brokers charge flat brokerage fees, such as Rs 20 per trade (Zerodha’s leading discount brokerage charges for Futures & Options), irrespective of the trade volume. In contrast, full-service brokers typically charge based on a percentage of the trading volume, resulting in higher costs for investors.

    The drive for financial inclusion in India, the digitalization of the economy and the emergence of discount brokers have led many people to opt for fishing in the stock market. The surge in Demat account registrations has been propelled by the competitive brokerage rates and streamlined onboarding procedures facilitated by digital brokerage platforms. 

    The digital economy’s share of India’s GDP has grown significantly, rising from around 4-4.5% in 2014 to a projected over 20% by 2026.

    Currently, only about 7-8% of Indians have Demat accounts. The number of Demat accounts has increased to 14 crore accounts as of January 2023. Finance experts are of the view that the number of Demat accounts in India will cross the 25 crores milestone by the year 2030.

    In December 2023, there was a surge in new investor accounts, with nearly 4 million opened with the Central Depository Services (CDSL) and an additional half a million with the National Securities Depository (NSDL), it reflects a notable increase in interest and participation in the stock market.

    “India is the fastest growing economy in the world. Our capital markets are also performing well. We exceeded the $4 trillion market cap for NSE. And the number of Demat accounts has grown up to more than 14 crores. It is important to become prosperous, not only in our immediate future but in the long-term we invest in the market infrastructure, and provide opportunities for all citizens in our region to reach their potential. The retail participation from urban and rural India in capital markets has been growing strongly with more and more SIP (systematic investment plan) accounts as well as direct investments clearly indicating the growth of the economy,” said Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in an Assocham event on February 19.

    Overall, discount brokerage firms have emerged as a game-changer in the world of investing, offering cost-effective solutions and empowering investors to take control of their financial future. 

    Leading Equity Brokerage Firms in India in Financial Year 2022, by Number of Active Clients

    Impact on Market Dynamics

    The influx of retail investors facilitated by discount brokerages has significantly altered market dynamics. Increased retail participation has led to heightened trading volumes and market volatility, influencing stock prices and the overall market sentiment. 

    With the help of low-cost brokerage firms, more people are starting to invest in the stock market. This is happening for a few reasons. First, there aren’t as many good places to save money anymore, and interest rates are meager. 

    Furthermore, the democratization of investing has empowered individuals from diverse backgrounds and mindsets to engage with financial markets, fostering a more inclusive and dynamic trading environment.

    Challenges and Opportunities

    While discount brokerage brings undeniable benefits, it also presents challenges and opportunities for market stakeholders. Traditional brokerage firms are forced to adapt or risk becoming obsolete in the face of intensified competition. Regulatory bodies must navigate the evolving landscape to ensure investor protection and market integrity. Meanwhile, innovative fintech startups are seizing the opportunity to disrupt the market further, introducing novel technologies and services to cater to evolving investor needs.

    Conclusion

    The impact of discount brokerage on India’s stock market is undeniable, with far-reaching implications for investors, market participants, and regulatory bodies alike. As the industry continues to evolve, stakeholders must embrace change and seize the opportunities presented by this transformative shift. With innovation and adaptability, India’s stock market is primed to thrive in the era of discount brokerage.

    Key Takeaways

    • A discount broker is a stockbroker who carries out stock transactions (buy and sell orders) with less or no commissions.
    • Discount brokers do not provide the personalized investment advice or guidance provided by a full-service broker.
    • Discount brokers offer low-cost trades, online account management, research tools, and educational resources.
    • Discount brokers comprise a large section of the fintech industry.

    Don’t think too much…join the revolution and start trading smarter with discount brokerage firms today! 


    Full-time Broker VS Discount Broker
    Navigate the financial landscape wisely with our comparison of full-time brokers and discount brokers. Discover the advantages and considerations of each approach, empowering you to make informed decisions about your investments.


  • Top 13 Most Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India in 2023

    India is a global leader in the number of startups, with many talented entrepreneurs taking the plunge to bring their ideas to life. Despite the inherent risks, startups in India have a promising future thanks to the creative techniques and unique business models devised by the country’s youth.

    Bootstrapping, which involves starting a business with one’s own finances without external funding, is a popular approach among Indian entrepreneurs. This independent method has paved the way for numerous successful bootstrapped startups in India, some of which have been thriving for over 25 years. These startups span various sectors, including food, software, dating, and shopping, and have honed their strategies to cater perfectly to Indian households.

    Overall, the future looks bright for bootstrapped startups in India as they continue to innovate and meet the needs of the country’s dynamic market. Join us on this exploration of India’s top bootstrapped startups, where we will showcase their inspiring stories, shed light on their remarkable achievements, and delve into the secrets of their success.

    Most successful Indian Bootstrapped Startups

    Top Bootstrapped Startups In India

    Here are some of the most successful bootstrapped startups in India.

    1. FusionCharts
    2. Zoho Corporation
    3. 42Gears
    4. Zerodha
    5. Freshworks
    6. GrabOn
    7. HappyFox
    8. QuackQuack
    9. Thinkpot
    10. Kayako
    11. Wingify
    12. Tagalys
    13. SocialPilot

    FusionCharts

    Company Name FusionCharts
    Website www.fusioncharts.com
    Headquarters Kolkata
    Deals In Data visualization solutions
    Founders Pallav Nadhani
    Founded 2003

    FusionChart - Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India
    FusionChart – Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India

    It is a startup with offices in places such as Bangalore and Kolkata. It is a one hundred percent bootstrapped startup and was started in 2003. It helps to chart several pieces of information together. It uses various software such as Javascript, SVG, and VML and can create compact, interactive, and easily understood charts.

    Pallav Nadhani started it. It has spread in over one hundred eighteen countries and is used mainly in the United States, Korea, and Europe. It has over ten million users. It has expanded many times its original size and has been recognized widely. Its staff has also been increased up to two hundred and fifty times and its revenue.

    Nadhani worked alone developing the product, its website, sales, marketing, and customer support for the first three years. Also, she independently set up the whole company, and the company used up the money it made in expanding its area of business. These apps are mainly used because of their ease and effectiveness in depicting ideas in charts.


    36 Successful Startups in Kolkata | List of Kolkata Startups
    Kolkata (capital of West Bengal) has established itself as a major entrepreneurial hub. Here’s a list of 35 Kolkata-based startups & companies.


    Zoho Corporation

    Company Name Zoho Corporation
    Website www.zoho.com
    Headquarters Chennai
    Deals In Online productivity tools and business software solutions
    Founders Sridhar Vembu, Tony G. Thomas, Sreenivas Kanumuru
    Founded 1996

    Zoho - Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India
    Zoho – Successful Bootstrapped Startups in India

    It is a company that makes business tools based on the web. It offers a range of software that office workers need. It was founded as early as 1996. In its previous stage, it was also known by the name AdventNet. It is privately owned. There are over fifty applications that are a part of the software set provided by it. It helps in conducting office functions with ease.

    Sridhar Vembu founded it along with Tony Thomas. Zoho was founded in the year 1996 and has now spread over the globe. Its headquarters is in Chennai, which is in India. Its total assets include five hundred seventy million US dollars. It has many employees, which is more than ten thousand people working under it. It has a total of twelve offices worldwide.

    It is a bootstrapped startup as it first started with the two brothers who set up this company with the help of Tony Thomas. Sridhar agreed to do the sales himself and printed cards for business. After getting many contracts, they started focusing their attention on making new products. After the year nineteen ninety-eight, when the sales of this company crossed the one million mark, they started getting paid and hiring people t work for them.

    ZOHO the bootstrapped company (Zoho Case study )

    42Gears

    Company Name 42Gears
    Website www.42gears.com
    Headquarters Banglore
    Deals In Enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions
    Founders Onkar Singh
    Founded 2009

    42Gears - Bootstrapped Startup in India
    42Gears – Bootstrapped Startup in India

    42 Gears provide a set of software tools that are a single management system used in mobiles, personal computers, and other devices. It also helps in other functions such as securing the phone, creating content, collaborating, etc. It also has a private mobile testing app that goes by the name Astrofarm. It helps in mobile security, management, EMM, BYOD, MDM, etc.

    It was founded in 2009 by Onkar Singh and Prakash Gupta. It has over eighteen thousand customers and has spread across one hundred fifteen different countries across the globe. It has been successfully used in more than five million devices and has one hundred thirty partners worldwide. It is still privately owned and gaining popularity with social media advertising.

    It is bootstrapped as Onkar and Prakash set up this company on their own. They decided to risk it, as they were sure that they would be stable once the economy had recovered. His thirteen years of experience in the software field helped them create proper tools that would be helpful to people. Also, the company flourished after they made a profit on their own.


    Top Cybersecurity Companies In India
    We’ve compiled a list of some of the best cyber security companies to help you pick a partner to protect your company.


    Zerodha

    Company Name Zerodha
    Website Zerodha.com
    Headquarters Banglore
    Deals In Online retail stockbroking and investment services
    Founders Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath
    Founded 2010

    Zerodha - bootstrap company in india
    Zerodha – bootstrap company in India

    It is a platform that deals explicitly with electronic trading and provides financial services. Its products include kites, coins, and consoles, and it offers services for trading with commodities, mutual funds, government funds, bonds, equity, etc. It reached its peak in the year 2020. The name comes from the words Zero and Rodha combined.

    Nithin Kamath founded this Zerodha in the year 2010. Its headquarters is in Bangalore. Its income is ₹4,042 crores. And at present, it has over one thousand one hundred people working under it. About five million people are using it now, and it has become the largest retail stockbroker in India, with almost fifteen percent of stocks from the market at its name.

    It is a bootstrapped startup as, In June two thousand twenty, Zerodha attained a self-assessed valuation of over one billion USD. The money that was used to set up the company was their own. In the year two thousand fifteen, Zerodha won the Bootstrap Champ trophy. They have to rely totally on their salaries for their company’s growth.


    Exhaustive List of Top 91 Startups In Bangalore [2022 List]
    Bengaluru, the Indian Silicon Valley, is the breeding ground for various startups. Here are some of the most successful startups from Bangalore.


    Freshworks

    Company Name Freshworks
    Website www.freshworks.com
    Headquarters Chennai
    Deals In Customer engagement software
    Founders Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy
    Founded 2010

    Freshworks - bootstrap startup in India
    Freshworks – bootstrap startup in India

    Freshworks is a global software company that provides customer engagement software solutions to businesses. Their suite of products includes helpdesk software, CRM, marketing automation, and more, helping organizations streamline customer support, sales, and marketing processes for improved customer experiences and business growth. Furthermore, Freshworks has expanded its product portfolio to include Freshservice (IT service management software), Freshchat (live chat software), Freshcaller (cloud-based call center software), and more.

    It was founded by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy in 2010, with the aim of offering a cloud-based customer support software solution. Freshworks started as a bootstrapped company in India and now has gained recognition and a loyal customer base worldwide.

    GrabOn

    Company Name GrabOn
    Website www.grabon.in
    Headquarters Hyderabad
    Deals In Online coupon codes, deals, and discounts for online shopping sites in India
    Founders Ashok Reddy, Bhanu Raj
    Founded 2013

    GrabOn - indian bootstrapped startup
    GrabOn – Indian bootstrapped startup

    GrabOn is probably the first company that comes to our mind when we think about the bootstrapped business of India. Founded by Ashok Reddy in 2013, it is the largest and leading affiliate e-commerce brand in the country. With its wide range of coupons and deals on various renowned brands, it has truly made the shopping experience for online shoppers easy and affordable.

    GrabOn ensures that its deals and coupons are regularly updated and verified to maintain their authenticity and usability. Users can explore deals based on specific categories or search for deals from their preferred online stores. The platform also provides a seamless user experience with features like deal alerts, personalized recommendations, and user reviews.


    List of Top 15 Afilliate Marketing Companies in India
    With growing demands of online shopping, affiliate marketing in India is gaining rapid momentum. Here is list of top Affiliate Marketing companies in India.


    HappyFox

    Company Name HappyFox
    Website www.happyfox.com
    Headquarters Chennai
    Deals In Customer support and helpdesk software
    Founders Shalin Jain, Shervin John Thulasidasan
    Founded 2011

    HappyFox - top bootstrapped startups in India
    HappyFox – top bootstrapped startups in India

    HappyFox, founded in 2011 by Shalin Jain, started as a bootstrap company, relying on its internal resources and self-funding to establish its customer support and helpdesk software solutions. As a bootstrap company, HappyFox demonstrated remarkable determination, resilience, and a commitment to building a successful business without relying on external investments.

    It is a help desk and customer support software solution company. Over the years, the company has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming the best ticketing software for modern IT teams. Trusted and used by several fortune 500 brands, the company offers mind-blowing customer support all the time. Moreover, the company has also expanded its business and has its presence in California. So, if you are looking for a smart help desk software, happyFox is all you need!


    12 Best Customer Experience Management Software Tools 2023
    Here is the list of best customer experience management software that help you manage your organization’s interactions with customers.


    QuackQuack

    Company Name QuackQuack
    Website www.quackquack.in
    Headquarters Hyderabad
    Deals In Online dating platform
    Founders Ravi Mittal
    Founded 2010

    QuackQuack - bootstrapped startup in India
    QuackQuack – bootstrapped startup in India

    QuackQuack is an Indian online dating platform founded in 2010 by Ravi Mittal. It is headquartered in Hyderabad, India. It is known to have been a bootstrap company during its early stages. QuackQuack is designed to connect singles and facilitate meaningful relationships, friendships, and matchmaking.

    With more than 4 million users, over 800k downloads, the company has seen 2.05 million matches. Going forward, the company is planning to start an in-app video chat feature using which strangers can have a video call if they want to. The company is also planning to launch its app in nearly 10 international languages.


    Find Love in a Swipe: The Top Dating Apps of 2023
    Discover the best dating apps to connect with like-minded singles in 2023. Our comprehensive list includes the top apps for both casual hookups and serious relationships.


    Thinkpot

    Company Name Thinkpot
    Website www.thinkpot.com
    Headquarters Mumbai
    Deals In Inspirational and motivational products
    Founders Manoj Pillai
    Founded 2014

    Thinkpot, successful bootstrapped startups in India
    Thinkpot, successful bootstrapped startups in India

    Thinkpot is another successful bootstrapped company which is doing just fabulous work in creating and offering inspirational and motivational products. It is a leading merchandise brand in India which has gained huge fame due to its incredible range of products. Established in 2014 by Sumit and Ritesh, the company today deals in more than 1000 exemplary products. From stationary to bags and pouches, from drinkware to palo healthcare, you can find a vast collection of products at an affordable price. All the products of the company and designed to meet the trendy taste and preferences of today’s generation. They are made using unique technology and are sure to be of supreme quality.


    Top 15 Clothing Franchise Businesses in India in 2021
    Clothing franchise is one of the most lucrative franchise business in India, So here are Top 15 Clothing Franchise Businesses in India you must consider.


    Kayako

    Company Name Kayako
    Website www.kayako.com
    Headquarters Jalandhar
    Deals In Customer service software
    Founders Varun Shoor, Vikas Bhagat
    Founded 2001

    Kayako - bootstrapped company in India
    Kayako – bootstrapped company in India

    Kayako, a customer service software company, initially started as a bootstrap company. Founded in 2001 by Varun Shoor and Vikas Bhagat, Kayako focused on developing innovative solutions to help businesses improve their customer support processes. Kayako’s bootstrapping journey involved careful financial management, strategic planning, and a focus on delivering value to its customers. By staying lean and agile, the company could adapt quickly to market demands, invest in product enhancements, and provide exceptional customer service.

    The brand is known to provide customer service and help desk software services to businesses. The company provides a brilliant support to lakhs of firms and is still growing big day by day. Besides this, it also offers some excellent solutions such as e-commerce support, ticketing software, customer support, shared inbox and much more.


    Top 10 Outbound Call Center Software in 2023
    This blog lists the top Outbound Call Center Software. These will help you in creating a smooth business communication network in your company.


    Wingify

    Company Name Wingify
    Website www.wingify.com
    Headquarters New Delhi
    Deals In Conversion rate optimization (CRO) software
    Founders Paras Chopra
    Founded 2009

    Wingify - Indian bootstrapped startup
    Wingify – Indian bootstrapped startup

    Wingify is recognized as one of the successful bootstrapped startups in India. It was founded in 2009 by Paras Chopra with the aim of providing conversion rate optimization (CRO) software solutions to businesses. By relying on its internal resources and revenue generation, Wingify managed to grow and establish itself as a leading player in the CRO software market without external funding or investments.

    Currently, thousands of customers use the extra-ordinary services provided by the company. With its par-excellent solutions such as e-commerce, SaaS, e-learning, media/publication and enterprises, Wingify has today become the country’s pioneering tool for optimizing a business’s online presence.


    Top 10 A/B Testing Tools of 2023
    This blog lists the top 10 A/B Testing tools which will allow businesses to compare two different versions of a website or mobile app.


    Tagalys

    Company Name Tagalys
    Website www.tagalys.com
    Headquarters Chennai
    Deals In eCommerce merchandising
    Founders Antony Kattukaran, Palaniappan Murugappan
    Founded 2012

    Tagalys - bootstrapped startup in India
    Tagalys – bootstrapped startup in India

    Tagalys is an Indian company that specializes in eCommerce merchandising solutions. Established by Antony Kattukaran and Palaniappan Chellapan, Tagalys has become the go-to option for retailers to optimize their business. Their software platform helps online retailers optimize and personalize their product search, navigation, and recommendations to enhance the shopping experience for customers. This company is on a mission to provide dynamic merchandising to various businesses. So, if someone wants to build and boost the revenue of an online store, Tagalys can be their best companion.

    SocialPilot

    Company Name SocialPilot
    Website www.socialpilot.co
    Headquarters Rajkot
    Deals In Social media marketing tools
    Founders Jimit Bagadiya, Tejas Mehta
    Founded 2014

    Social media has become a powerful tool in today’s world. It can easily make or break any business. Last on our list is one such bootstrapped company ‘SocialPilot’ that helps businesses to scale up their social media channels by offering social media marketing tools. Be it brand collaborations, engaging posts or insightful analysis, the company will take care of all your social media activities and give you the best results at the best price.

    Conclusion

    As we know, bootstrapping means being independent in every way and keeping everything in our own hands; it reduces the chances of getting into debt. Considering that most startups fail (almost ninety percent), we cannot guarantee that a bootstrapped startup will always be successful. The model of business and the goods that it deals with should be unique. Rest is a matter of luck regarding how the public responds to these products. But as bootstrapping makes the company independent, there are fewer chances of going indebted if it doesn’t succeed. All that is needed to make a company work is innovation.

    Bootstrapping is a good idea at present. the Thriving ecosystem of bootstrapped startups in India is a testament to the entrepreneurial talent, innovative ideas, and unwavering determination of Indian entrepreneurs. As they continue to disrupt industries, create value, and make a positive impact, these bootstrapped startups are shaping the future of India’s business landscape.

    FAQs

    What does it mean for a startup to be bootstrapped?

    Bootstrapping refers to starting and growing a business using the founder’s personal funds and resources, without external investment or funding.

    Which are the top Indian startups that are bootstrapped?

    Top Indian Startups that are bootstrapped are:

    • FusionCharts
    • ZOHO
    • 42Gears
    • Zerodha
    • Freshworks
    • Wingify
    • InMobi
    • MyOperator
    • Kayako
    • Paytm

    Which Indian bootstrapped startup became unicorn?

    Zerodha is an Indian bootstrapped startup that became unicorn in 2020.

    Why do startups need bootstrapping?

    Startups may choose bootstrapping to maintain control, avoid debt or equity financing, build resourcefulness, and prove viability before seeking external funding. It fosters independence and allows founders to retain ownership and decision-making power.

    What makes a bootstrapped company survive?

    If you too want to kick-start a bootstrap business, you must keep the below things in mind.

    • Come up with an innovative and unique business idea
    • Hire excellent employees as employees will be your true investment
    • Control your expenses
    • Focus on your customers
    • Keep an eye on your metrics

    What are the challenges faced by bootstrapped startups?

    Bootstrapped startups often face challenges such as limited resources, slower growth, and increased financial constraints. They need to carefully manage their finances, prioritize investments, and find creative solutions to overcome hurdles.

  • List of 10 Youngest Self-made Billionaires in India

    Our India stands as the second-largest population in the world with a rapidly thriving economy over the past few decades. Before India’s Independence, agriculture played a vital role in developing the economy.

    Following the 21st century, we have witnessed numerous entrepreneurs arising in every corner of India with a motive to bring a prosperous future for Indians.

    Conscientiously, India became the third-largest in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) after the United States of America and China. Because of this fact, our entrepreneurs are the sole reason for the success of the Indian Economy, which stated that over 58.5 million entrepreneurs are there in India, of which nearly 13% are women.

    Without any background or experience, some self-made business people took the determination to create a miracle in burgeoning the economy and ultimately becoming the richest entrepreneur at a very young age.

    Youngest Self-Made Richest Entrepreneurs in India

    Nithin Kamath
    Nikhil Kamath
    Divyank Turakhia
    Ankit Bhati
    Bhavish Agarwal
    Vijay Shekar Sharma
    Binny Bansal
    Sachin Bansal
    Ritesh Agarwal
    Deepinder Goyal

    Nithin Kamath

    Net Worth – $1.5 Billion
    Founded – Zerodha
    Education – Graduation in engineering

    Nithin Kamath - Youngest Billionaire in India
    Nithin Kamath – Youngest Billionaire in India

    With an aim of breaking all barriers which are faced by investors and traders in India regarding cost, technology and support. Nithin Kamath, a Chartered Accountant (CA) took part in building a hassle-free online discount brokerage firm- Zerodha. He is the Founder as well as the CEO of Zerodha. He is mostly known for tweeting educational and informative content on social media.

    Ultimately, the company became India’s first discount brokerage firm, after it was founded in the year 2010. As of 2021, Zerodha is said to have over 5 million active clients. The net worth of Nithin Kamath is INR 14500 Crores.

    Nikhil Kamath

    Net Worth – $1.5 Billion
    Founded – Zerodha
    Education – School Dropout

    Nikhil Kamath - Youngest Billionaire in India
    Nikhil Kamath – Youngest Billionaire in India

    Nikhil Kamath is the Co-founder of India’s biggest trading platform, Zerodha. Although he dropped out of his school at a young age, he hustled and secures a job in a call centre, when he was just 17. Nikhil Kamath, after getting into trading along with his brother founded Zerodha. When he got into stock markets, he decided to start trading.

    Zerodha solves all the problems and barriers faced by traders and investors. The current net worth of Nikhil Kamath is INR 11100. Zerodha was founded by Nikhil Kamath and his brother in the year 2010. He is one of the richest self-made billionaires in India at the age of 40.

    Divyank Turakhia

    Net Worth – $1.76 Billion
    Founded – Media.net
    Education – Graduated from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics

    Divyank Turakhia - self made billionaires in India
    Divyank Turakhia – self made Billionaires in India

    Divyank Turakhia being tech-savvy, began his career in coding at the age of 8 and mastered every aspect of computer programming. He was born on 29th January 1982 and did his schooling at Arya Vidya Mandir in Bandra and holds a degree in the field of Commerce and Economics from Narsee Monjee College in Mumbai. He founded media.net and later sold it to Chinese consortium for $900 million.

    According to IIFA Wealth, He is the second richest self-made entrepreneur under 40, and his net worth is estimated to be 12,500 crores.

    Ankit Bhati

    Net Worth – $615 Million
    Founded – Ola
    Education –  IIT Bombay

    Ankit Bhati - Youngest billionaire in India
    Ankit Bhati – Youngest billionaire in India

    Ankit Bhati is the Co-founder and was the former CTO of one of India’s most popular and used ridesharing Ola Cabs. Ola Cabs was founded in the year 2010. . Recently, Ankit Bhati has launched a new SaaS startup named Amnic. The net worth of Ankit Bhati is INR 1600 Crores. With the increasing demand for ridesharing systems, Ola Cabs are one of the two ridesharing companies that are dominating the Indian market.

    Bhavish Agarwal

    Net Worth – $990 Million
    Founded – Ola
    Education – IIT Bombay

    Bhavish Agarwal – Youngest billionaire in India

    In recent times, Ola resulted in a turning point in the development of the Indian economy, where people encountered comfortable rental transport at an affordable rate. Bhavish Aggarwal commenced their idea of innovating technology-based cab services in India and started Ola and became one of the richest entrepreneurs with a net worth of close to INR 7500 Crores.


    List of World’s Richest Sports Team owners 2021
    There is no shortage of rich people all around the globe. Every day we hear the list lengthening. Also, every day a new name tops the list. The extravagant lifestyle, the desires of these people never come to an end. Among those, owning expensive things is another of their hobbies.


    Vijay Shekar Sharma

    Net Worth – $1.3 Billion
    Founded – Paytm
    Education – Bachelor of Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering

    Vijay Shekhar Sharma - Youngest billionaire in India
    Vijay Shekhar Sharma – Youngest billionaire in India

    Vijay Shekhar Sharma is one of those Indian billionaire businessmen who achieved many things at such a young age. He is none other than the founder and chief executive officer of the financial technology firm, Paytm. He sold the website that he created while in college, named indiasite.net for $1 million.

    He then started One97 Communications where they provided people with exam results, cricket scores, ringtones and jokes. In 2010 it became the parent organization of Paytm. In 2017, Forbes ranked him as India’s youngest billionaire and in the same year, he was headlined in Time Magazine’s World’s 100 Most Influential People 2017 List.

    Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffet subsidized $300 million in the business in 2018. And again in 2020, Forbes featured him as the 62nd richest person in India and his net worth is $2.3 billion.

    Binny Bansal

    Net Worth – $1.3 Billion
    Founded – Flipkart
    Education – Graduate from IIT Delhi

    Binny Bansal - Self made Billionaires in India
    Binny Bansal – Self-made Billionaires in India

    Binny Bansal is the founder of the e-commerce platform named Flipkart. He co-founded Flipkart in 2007 and now he has become one of the biggest names in the Indian e-commerce industry. At first, Binny Bansal worked at Sarnoff Corporation, Binny Bansal completed his degree in computer engineering from IIT Delhi. He was the former CEO of Flipkart.

    Flipkart was launched in 2007, at first it was more like a small book store, then it become an e-commerce platform. In 2018, Walmart acquired Flipkart. Today the valuation of Flipkart is around $37.8 billion.

    Sachin Bansal

    Net Worth – $1.3 Billion
    Founded – Flipkart
    Education – Graduate from IIT Delhi

    Sachin Bansal - Self made Billionaires in India
    Sachin Bansal – Self-made Billionaires in India

    Sachin Bansal is an Indian entrepreneur who co-founded one of the most popular Indian e-commerce platforms Flipkart. Flipkart is an e-commerce company that is famous for selling consumer electronics, fashion, groceries and lifestyle-related products. Flipkart was acquired by Walmart in 2018. Sachin Bansal got his degree in Computer Engineering after attending IIT Delhi and founded Flipkart along with Binny Bansal. The net worth of Sachin Bansal is INR 8848 Cores.

    Ritesh Agarwal

    Net Worth – $1.1 Billion
    Founded – Oyo Rooms
    Education – College Dropout

    Ritesh Agarwal - Youngest Billionaire in India
    Ritesh Agarwal – Youngest Billionaire in India

    This 27-year-old Ritesh Agarwal is one the youngest billionaire in 2021 in India. He is the Founder and CEO of OYO Rooms. He commenced OYO Rooms as a small lodging portal under budget.

    In 2012, it was added to the accelerator program by Venture Nursery. In 2013, it won $100,000 in the Thiel Fellowship program and in 2013, he launched OYO Rooms. The company was a success and the stakes tripled when Agarwal purchased $2 billion worth shares in the company.

    He is named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Asia and also is nominated for the Business World Young Entrepreneur Award. As per reports, Ritesh Agarwal’s net worth is around $1.1 billion.


    Top 8 Digital Entrepreneurs in India
    Here’s a curated list of the most popular & successful digital entrepreneurs in India. Get a sneak-peek into who they are.


    Deepinder Goyal

    Net Worth – $650 Million
    Founded – Zomato
    Education – Graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

    Deepinder Goyal - Self made Billionaire in India
    Deepinder Goyal – Self made Billionaire in India

    Deepinder Goyal is the founder of Zomato, which delivers food from restaurants to every corner of the city. Foodiebay was the name of the firm when they initially started, that is in 2008 and later in 2010, they renamed the company Zomato when the company gained popularity among the people.

    It also acquired Cibando, Gastronauci, Poland’s restaurant search assistance in 2014, and Seattle founded Urbanspoon, it turned out to be their massive gain. As per the report, Deepinder Goyal’s current net worth is around Rs 2,200 crore.

    Conclusion

    Our entrepreneurs are the sole reason for the success of the Indian Economy. Many fresh talents are rising from the corners of the country and are giving a hand in creating a prosperous. As of 2021, there are many such successful entrepreneurs, here we have just mentioned a few.

    FAQs

    Who is the youngest self-made billionaire in India?

    Nikhil Kamath, the co-founder of Zerodha is India’s youngest billionaire at the age of 34.

    Who is the youngest self made billionaire entrepreneur in the world?

    Austin Russell founder of Luminar Technologies is the world’s youngest self-made billionaire.

    Who is India’s youngest millionaire entrepreneur?

    Sunil Butolia is India’s youngest millionaire at the age of 18.

    Who are self made entrepreneurs?

    Self made entrepreneurs are the people who have started with a lack of money, education, or social status and have become both rich and successful through their own efforts.  

    Who is the world’s youngest billionaire?

    The world’s youngest billionaire is German heir Kevin David Lehmann, who is just 19.

    How many Indian billionaires are there now?

    Currently, there are 215+ Indian billionaires, with 58 new additions, as of March 2022.

    Who are the top youngest billionaires in India?

    The top 10 youngest billionaires in India are:

    • Nithin Kamath
    • Nikhil Kamath
    • Divyank Turakhia
    • Ankit Bhati
    • Bhavish Agarwal
    • Vijay Shekar Sharma
    • Binny Bansal
    • Sachin Bansal
    • Ritesh Agarwal
    • Deepinder Goyal