India is home to some of the world's most innovative startups.

According to a report by NASSCOM (the trade association of India), India has emerged as the 3rd largest startup ecosystem globally, with about 50,000 startups in 2018. The number is only growing, as the compound annual growth rate of startup funding during the bridge funding stage in 2022 was approximately 82% in India. The expected increase in the number of tech startups in India is projected to grow from 68 thousand in 2023 to 1.8 lakh in 2030

What's driving this growth? A combination of factors includes:

• Increased funding 
• Rising interest from angel investors and venture capitalists.
• A young population with plenty of creativity and energy.

The top 40 Indian startups are leading the pack regarding innovation and impact:

Ola

Ola is India's leading online taxi service, with over 150,000 vehicles registered on its platform. The company was founded in 2010 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati and has since raised over $3.8B in funding.

• Founding Date: 2010
• Founder(s): Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati 
• Funding Raised: $3.8B
• Valuation: $7.3B

boAt

boAt is known for its consumer audio lifestyle brand, offering a wide range of headphones, wireless headsets, portable speakers, and home audio systems, catering to “boAtheads” worldwide.

• Founding Date: 2016
• Founder(s): Aman Gupta and Sameer Mehta
• Funding Raised: $228M
• Valuation: $1.4B

BharatPe

BharatPe is an Indian multinational fintech company that specializes in providing digital payment and financial services to small merchants and grocery stores. Founded in 2018, BharatPe builds a comprehensive fintech platform for offline merchants and small businesses, offering a suite of services tailored to their needs.

• Founding Date: 2018
• Founder(s): Shashvat Nakrani
• Funding Raised: $693M
• Valuation: $2.9B

CRED

CRED is a members-only platform for credit card users in India, offering benefits such as rewards and cashback for timely credit card bill payments. Members can use the CRED app to manage their credit card payments, track expenses, and earn rewards. 

The app has garnered popularity among creditworthy individuals, with over 25 million members benefiting from its services.

• Founding Date: 2018
• Founder(s): Kunal Shah
• Funding Raised: $1.1B
• Valuation: $6.5B

Delhivery

Delhivery is an Indian logistics and supply chain company based in Gurugram. It was founded in 2011 by Sahil Barua, Mohit Tandon, Bhavesh Manglani, and Suraj Saharan. The company offers a range of services including express parcel delivery, warehousing, cross-border logistics, fulfillment, and more. 

• Founding Date: 2011
• Founder(s): Sahi Barua
• Funding Raised: $1.7B
• Valuation: $3.7B

Nykaa

Nykaa, an Indian e-commerce platform specializing in beauty, wellness, and fashion products, was founded in 2012 by Falguni Nayar, a former investment banker. Falguni Nayar serves as the Founder, Executive Chairperson, Managing Director, and CEO of Nykaa. 

She envisioned Nykaa as a one-stop destination for beauty and wellness needs, aiming to bridge the gap she observed in the Indian cosmetics market.

• Founding Date: 2012
• Founder(s): Falguni Nayar
• Funding Raised: $64.4M
• Valuation: $5.8B

Urban Company

Urban Company, formerly known as UrbanClap, is a platform that offers a wide range of expert local services, including beauty, cleaning, repair, and home services. Customers can find trusted professionals near them to take care of various tasks at home or for personal grooming. 

Whether it's cleaning services, beauty treatments, or repair work, Urban Company connects users with professionals who are verified and skilled in their respective fields.

• Founding Date: 2014
• Founder(s): Abhiraj Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra
• Funding Raised: $626M
• Valuation: $2.8B

UpGrad

UpGrad, founded in 2015, is a prominent player in the online education sector, offering various programs and courses tailored for professionals seeking to upskill or pursue higher education. 

It provides postgraduate programs (PGPs) and master's degrees in fields such as AI, ML, data science, digital marketing, and more. UpGrad is known for its focus on career-oriented education, aiming to empower learners with practical skills and knowledge for career advancement in today's competitive job market.

• Founding Date: 2015
• Founder(s): Mayank Kumar and Ravijot Chugh
• Funding Raised: $456M
• Valuation: $2.3B

Unacademy

Unacademy is India's largest learning platform, offering unlimited access to structured courses, doubt-clearing sessions, and various educational resources. It provides live classes, test series, doubt-solving sessions, and batch courses covering over 100 subjects, allowing learners to study from the comfort of their homes

• Founding Date: 2015
• Founder(s): Gaurav Munjal and Dheeraj Meena
• Funding Raised: $886M
• Valuation: $3.4B

1mg

1mg is India's leading online pharmacy offering a wide range of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, along with health products. 

Customers can conveniently order medicines online through the 1mg website or mobile app, with delivery available in over 100 cities across India. The app provides features such as same-day or next-day delivery for medicines and health products.

• Founding Date: 2015
• Founder(s): Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal, and Vikas Chauhan
• Funding Raised: $81.1M
• Valuation: $1.3B

Licious

Licious is an online platform that allows customers to order fresh and high-quality meat products conveniently from the comfort of their homes. They offer a variety of options including chicken, fish/prawns, and mutton, ensuring 100% freshness and top-notch quality. Customers can place their orders easily through the Licious website or mobile app.

• Founding Date: 2015
• Founder(s): Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta
• Funding Raised: $488M
• Valuation: $1.0B

Groww

Groww is a Bangalore-based investment platform that allows users to invest in mutual funds, stocks, digital gold, and other financial products. Founded in 2016, Groww was established by four former Flipkart employees: Lalit Keshre (CEO), Harsh Jain (COO), Neeraj Singh (CTO), and Ishan Bansal. 

The founders recognized the need for a user-friendly investment platform and aimed to simplify the investment process for retail investors in India. Since its inception, Groww has experienced rapid growth, attracting millions of users and raising significant funding to expand its services

• Founding Date: 2017
• Founder(s): Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Neeraj Singh, and Ishan Bansal
• Funding Raised: $393M
• Valuation: $3.0B

Zerodha

Zerodha is an Indian financial services company that has become one of the largest stockbrokers in India. It offers a wide range of financial services, including brokerage-free equity investments, retail and institutional broking, commodity trading, mutual funds, and more.

• Founding Date: 2010
• Founder(s): Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath
• Funding Raised: Bootstrapped
• Valuation: $1.0B

Borzo

Borzo is a reliable same-day delivery service primarily focused on providing courier delivery solutions for businesses. With its fast, intracity courier delivery service, Borzo offers easy logistics solutions starting from just ₹40. 

• Founding Date: 2012
• Founder(s): Mike Alexandrovski
• Funding Raised: $57.6M
• Valuation: $200M

Zoho

Zoho is a renowned provider of cloud-based software suites tailored for businesses of all sizes. With over 55 applications, Zoho serves more than 100 million users worldwide, offering end-to-end solutions for various business needs. 

• Founding Date: 1996
• Founder(s): Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas
• Funding Raised: $50M
• Valuation: $1B

Rapido

Rapido is India's largest bike taxi app, offering intra-city commuting services in over 100 cities. It is known for providing affordable transportation options through its bike taxi services. Additionally, Rapido has expanded its offerings to include bike rentals, providing access to various bikes and scooters in select locations. 

• Founding Date: 2015
• Founder(s): Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli, SR Rishikesh
• Funding Raised: $352M
• Valuation: $830B

BluSmart Mobility

BluSmart is India's pioneering all-electric ride-hailing service, offering sustainable and reliable mobility solutions in urban areas. It aims to transform Indian cities by providing 100% electric transportation options, contributing to a cleaner environment. 

• Founding Date: 2019
• Founder(s): Anmol Singh Jaggi, Punit K Goyal, and Puneet Singh
• Funding Raised: $78.5M
• Valuation: $185M

Myntra

Myntra is a prominent online shopping platform in India, offering a wide range of fashion and lifestyle products for men, women, and kids. 

From clothing to accessories, footwear, and personal care items, Myntra provides a diverse selection of trendy and fashionable products. Customers can shop conveniently through its website or mobile app, exploring various brands and styles to suit their preferences. 

• Founding Date: 2007
• Founder(s): Mukesh Bansal, Ashutosh Lawania, and Vineet Saxena
• Funding Raised:$601M 
• Valuation: $464—696M

Sugar Cosmetics

Sugar Cosmetics is a popular beauty brand offering a wide range of makeup products for the face, eyes, and lips. Their products are known for their premium quality and innovative formulations. 

Customers can shop for Sugar Cosmetics products online through their official website or other e-commerce platforms like Nykaa. The brand is well-regarded for its trendy and vibrant makeup collections, catering to diverse makeup needs and preferences.

• Founding Date: 2012
• Founder(s): Vineeta Singh and Kaushik Mukherjee
• Funding Raised: $80M
• Valuation: $500M

Lenskart

Lenskart is an online platform offering a wide range of eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and frames for purchase. They provide authentic, premium brands, blending modern styles with the latest designs

• Founding Date: 2008
• Founder(s): Piyush Bansal
• Funding Raised: $1.5B
• Valuation: $4.5B

Zomato

Zomato is India's leading restaurant discovery and food delivery service. The company was founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah and has raised over $2.5B in funding.

• Founding Date: 2008
• Founder(s): Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah
• Funding Raised: $2.5B
• Valuation: $17.4B

Freshworks

Freshworks is India's leading cloud-based customer relations management (CRM) software company. The company was founded in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham and Sridhar Vembu and has raised over $484M in funding.

• Founding Date: 2010
• Founder(s): Girish Mathrubootham and Sridhar Vembu
• Funding Raised: $484M
• Valuation: $5.2B

InMobi

InMobi is a mobile marketing platform that empowers businesses to grow by leveraging advanced intelligence to identify, engage, and acquire their best customers [1]. They develop transformative technologies aimed at making positive impacts on individuals, businesses, and societies globally

• Founding Date: 2007
• Founder(s): Naveen Tewari, Mohit Saxena, Amit Gupta, and Abhay Singhal 
• Funding Raised: $221M
• Valuation: $1B

IndiaStack

IndiaStack is India's leading platform for building digital products. The company was founded in 2016 by IIT alumni Jayant Kadambi, Anand Chandrasekaran, and Pranav Sethi and has raised over $60 million in funding.

• Founding Date: 2009
• Founder(s): Jayant Kadambi, Anand Chandrasekaran, and Pranav Sethi
• Funding Raised: $60M
• Valuation: Unknown

CureFit

CureFit is a comprehensive health and fitness company that provides both digital and offline experiences across various aspects of wellness, including fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. 

It offers a range of services such as group workouts, gym sessions, and sports activities like swimming and badminton.

• Founding Date: 2016
• Founder(s): Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
• Funding Raised: $524M
• Valuation: 1.5B

OYO Rooms

OYO Rooms is India's leading hotel chain, with over 10,000 hotels partnered in 230 cities. They provide standardized AC rooms with amenities like breakfast, LED TV, Wi-Fi, and hygienic washrooms to ensure a safe and comfortable stay for guests.

The company was founded in 2013 by Ritesh Agarwal and has raised over $500 million in funding.

• Founding Date: 2013
• Founder(s): Ritesh Agarwal
• Funding Raised: $3.5B
• Valuation: $9.6B

BigBasket

BigBasket is India's leading online grocery delivery services provider and warehouse, with over 18,000 products on its platform. The company was founded in 2011 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (not related) and has raised over $1.3B in funding.

• Founding Date: 2011
• Founder(s): Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal
• Funding Raised: $1.3B
• Valuation: $3.22B

Policybazaar

Policybazaar is India's leading online insurance marketplace. The company was founded in 2008 by Yashish Dahiya and Alok Bansal and has raised over $854M in funding.

• Founding Date: 2011
• Founder(s): Yashish Dahiya and Alok Bansal 
• Funding Raised: $854M
• Valuation: $5.2B

CarDekho

CarDekho is India's leading online car marketplace. The company was founded in 2008 by Amit Jain and Rajesh Jain and has raised over $390 million in funding.

• Founding Date: 2008
• Founder(s): Amit Jain and Rajesh Jain 
• Funding Raised: $448M
• Valuation: $1.2B

Flipkart

Flipkart is an Indian multinational e-commerce company headquartered in Bangalore, India, and incorporated in Singapore. It operates as one of the largest online marketplaces in India, offering a wide range of products including electronics, fashion, appliances, books, and more.

• Founding Date: 2007
• Founder(s): Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal  
• Funding Raised: $10.8B
• Valuation: $35B

Quikr

Quikr is India's leading online classifieds platform, with over 25 million registered users. The company was founded in 2008 by Pranay Chulet and Jiby Thomas and has raised over $350M in funding.

• Founding Date: 2008
• Founder(s): Pranay Chulet and Jiby Thomas   
• Funding Raised: $350M
• Valuation: $557M

Paytm

Paytm is India's largest mobile payments company, with over 250 million users. The company was founded in 2010 by Vijay Shekhar Sharma and has raised over $5.2B in funding.

• Founding Date: 2010
• Founder(s): Vijay Shekhar Sharma 
• Funding Raised: $5.2B
• Valuation: $2.3B

MuSigma

MuSigma is India's leading data analytics company. The company was founded in 2004 by Dhiraj C Rajaram.

• Founding Date: 2004
• Founder(s): Dhiraj C Rajaram    
• Funding Raised: $178M
• Valuation: $1.5B

Swiggy

Swiggy is an Indian online food ordering and delivery platform founded in 2014, and headquartered in Bangalore. It operates in more than 500 cities across India, offering food delivery from a wide range of restaurants and cuisines.

• Founding Date: 2014
• Founder(s): Sriharsha Majety    
• Funding Raised: $4.3B
• Valuation: 10.7B

BlinkIt

BlinkIt, formerly known as Grofers, is an Indian online grocery delivery platform. It offers quick delivery of groceries and essential items to customers' doorsteps in minutes, providing convenience and efficiency in shopping.

• Founding Date: 2013
• Founder(s): Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar     
• Funding Raised: 614M
• Valuation: $568M

Practo

Practo is India's leading healthcare technology company, with over 20M patient records organized on its platform. 

• Founding Date: 2008
• Founder(s): Shashank, ND     
• Funding Raised: 228M
• Valuation: $310M

Razorpay 

Razorpay is India's leading payment gateway. It was founded in 2014 by Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar.

• Founding Date: 2014
• Founder(s): Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar    
• Funding Raised: 762M
• Valuation: $7.5B

IndiaMart

India Mart is an Indian e-commerce company that provides business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) services. It was founded in 1996 by Brijesh Agrawal and Dinesh Agrawal.

• Founding Date: 1996
• Founder(s): Brijesh Agrawal and Dinesh Agrawal   
• Funding Raised: 40.7M
• Valuation: $2B

The Viral Fever 

The Viral Fever (TVF) is a popular Indian content creation platform known for producing web series, sketches, and other digital content. It started as a YouTube channel and was founded by Arunabh Kumar in 2010. 

TVF gained immense popularity for its unique storytelling, relatable characters, and humor that resonated with the younger audience. Some of TVF's most well-known web series include "Permanent Roommates," "Pitchers," and "Kota Factory," which have received critical acclaim and garnered millions of views on various digital platforms.

• Founding Date: 2010
• Founder(s): Arunabh Kumar   
• Funding Raised: $23M
• Valuation: $82M

Healthkart

Healthkart is an India-based e-commerce retailer that sells dietary supplements, sports nutrition products, health foods, beauty products, etc. Akhiles co-founded the company.

• Founding Date: 2011
• Founder(s): Sameer Maheshwari 
• Funding Raised: $172M
• Valuation: $350M

MakeMyTrip 

MakeMyTrip is India's leading online travel company. It was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra.

• Founding Date: 2000
• Founder(s): Deep Kalra 
• Funding Raised: $38M
• Valuation: $6B

Cleartrip 

Cleartrip is India's leading online travel agency. It was founded in 2006 by Hrush Bhatt and Stuart McClure.

• Founding Date: 2006
• Founder(s): Hrush Bhatt and Stuart McClure 
• Funding Raised: $56M
• Valuation: $30M

👉 That's the end of the list

India is home to some of the world's leading startups, with over 40 companies have raised over $1 billion in funding. These companies are innovating in various industries, from e-commerce to health and fitness to mobile payments. India's startup scene is booming, and there are plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors. 

What's your favourite Indian startup?