According to the Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2025, the number of privately held unicorns worldwide has increased by 70 from the previous year to a record 1,523 companies valued at over $1 billion each. India now boasts 73 unicorns in 2025, up from just one in 2011, securing its place as the third-largest startup ecosystem globally.
According to the Hurun India Unicorn Report 2025, the nation welcomed 11 new unicorns this year, including well-known ones like Rapido, DarwinBox, Moneyview, and others.
Unicorns Raining Job Opportunities for Indians
OfBusiness and PhysicsWallah were the top unicorn employers. With well-known female founders like Garima Sawhney (Pristyn Care), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics), and Ruchi Kalra (OfBusiness), the ecosystem is becoming more diversified.
Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra of Zepto, both 22 years old, are notable for being the youngest unicorn founders. With 26 unicorns valued at $70 billion, Bengaluru is the geographic leader in India. Delhi-NCR comes in second with 12 unicorns worth $36.3 billion, while Mumbai has 11 unicorns worth $22.8 billion.
With Zerodha ($8.2B), Razorpay ($7.5B), and Lenskart ($7.5B) at the top of the list of India’s most valuable unicorns in 2025, fintech and e-commerce remain the main drivers of the country’s startup scene.
Unicorns Making Large in India’s Startup Ecosystem
Navi Technologies, Vivriti Capital, Rapido, Netradyne, Jumbotail, DarwinBox, Moneyview, Veritas Finance, Juspay, and Drools are some of the other notable acquisitions. With these newcomers, India’s unicorn count currently stands at 73 in 2025, representing a variety of industries from sustainability and finance to technology and mobility.
Due to the effects of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, real money gaming businesses Dream11, MPL, Gameskraft, Games24x7, Zupee, and WinZO have currently been removed from the list. The number of investors has increased dramatically, from 182 in 2021 to 1,014 in 2025. With 42 wagers, Peak XV Partners is in first place. With AI, SpaceTech, and New Energy growing from nine businesses in 2022 to 19 in 2025, the emergence of new-age industries is remarkable.
In just three years, the valuation of New Energy startups alone has increased by 1,389%, while SpaceTech has established a $1.8 billion presence. With 26 unicorns totalling $70 billion, Bengaluru remains the hub of India’s startup scene. For Indian start-up founders, IITs and IIMs continue to be the best breeding grounds. IIM Ahmedabad has the most postgraduate founders (27), whereas IIT Delhi has the most undergraduate founders (42).
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•India ranks 3rd globally with 73 •11 new unicorns this year: Rapido, •Youngest founders: Aadit Palicha •Bengaluru (26 unicorns, $70B), |
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