What is Unicorn Company in India – In the world of startups, a “unicorn” refers to a privately-held startup company that has achieved a valuation of $1 billion or more. In India, the term “unicorn” has been used to describe a number of successful startups that have achieved this feat. These startups come from a variety of industries, including fintech, e-commerce, logistics, edtech, and more.
What is Unicorn Company in India?
The first Indian startup to achieve unicorn status was Flipkart, an e-commerce platform, in 2012. Since then, the number of Indian unicorns has grown significantly. As of February 2023, India is home to more than 108 unicorns, with a total valuation of over $100 billion.
Indian unicorns have been successful in attracting significant amounts of investment, both from domestic and international investors. Some of the largest investors in Indian unicorns include SoftBank, Tiger Global, and Sequoia Capital, among others. These investors are attracted to the potential of the Indian market, which has a large and growing population and a rapidly expanding digital economy.
The success of Indian unicorns has also been driven by a number of factors, including the country’s strong entrepreneurial spirit, the availability of talent and resources, and the supportive regulatory environment. In recent years, the Indian government has launched a number of initiatives aimed at promoting startups and entrepreneurship, including tax incentives, funding programs, and regulatory reforms. These initiatives have helped to create a favorable environment for startups to thrive in India.
Some of the most successful Indian unicorns include Paytm, a fintech company that provides mobile payments and financial services; Byju’s, an edtech company that offers online learning programs; and Ola, a ride-hailing platform that competes with Uber. Other notable Indian unicorns include Zomato, a food delivery platform; Swiggy, another food delivery platform; and OYO Rooms, a hospitality company.
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Overall, Indian unicorns are an important part of the country’s growing startup ecosystem. They represent the potential of India’s economy and the country’s ability to compete on the global stage. With the continued support of investors, entrepreneurs, and the government, Indian unicorns are poised for continued growth and success in the years to come.
| Startup Name | Industry | Founding Year | Unicorn Entry Year | Current Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhysicsWallah | Edtech | 2016 | 2022 | $1.1 Billion |
| LeadSquared | SaaS- CRM | 2011 | 2022 | $1 BIllion |
| ElasticRun | E-commerce Logistics | 2015 | 2022 | $1.5 Billion |
| LEAD School | Edtech | 2012 | 2022 | $1.1 Billion |
| Purplle | E-commerce Personal Care | 2012 | 2022 | $1.1 Billion |
| DealShare | E-commerce | 2018 | 2022 | $1.7 Billion |
| Xpressbees | E-commerce Logistics | 2015 | 2022 | $1.2 Billion |
| Open | Fintech | 2017 | 2022 | $1 BIllion |
| Games24x7 | Gaming | 2006 | 2022 | $2.5 Billion |
| Amagi | Media, Advertising | 2008 | 2022 | $1 BIllion |
| Fractal Analytics | SaaS- Analytics | 2000 | 2022 | $1 BIllion |
| Darwinbox | SaaS- HR | 2015 | 2022 | $1.07 BIllion |
| Livspace | E-commerce Interior Design | 2014 | 2022 | $1.2 Billion |
| Uniphore | SaaS- Conversational Automation | 2008 | 2022 | $2.5 Billion |
| Hasura | SaaS- Programming Tools | 2017 | 2022 | $1 BIllion |
| Yubi (CredAvenue) | Fintech | 2017 | 2022 | $1.3 Billion |
| CommerceIQ | E-commerce Management Platform | 2012 | 2022 | $1 BIllion |
| Oxyzo | Fintech | 2016 | 2022 | $1 BIllion |
| OneCard | Fintech | 2018 | 2022 | $1.4 Billion |
| Moglix | B2B E-commerce | 2015 | 2021 | $2.6 Billion |
| NoBroker | PropTech | 2014 | 2021 | $1 BIllion |
| MobiKwik | Fintech | 2009 | 2021 | $1 BIllion |
| Spinny | Automotive | 2015 | 2021 | $1.75 Billion |
| MPL | ESports | 2018 | 2021 | $2.3 Billion |
| Acko | Insurtech | 2016 | 2021 | $1.1 Billion |
| ShareChat | Social Media | 2015 | 2021 | $5 Billion |
| Eruditus | Edtech | 2010 | 2021 | $3.2 Billion |
| upGrad | Edtech | 2015 | 2021 | $2.25 Billion |
| Apna | Marketplace- Employment | 2019 | 2021 | $1.1 Billion |
| Urban Company | Home Services | 2014 | 2021 | $2.1 Billion |
| BharatPe | Fintech Payments | 2018 | 2021 | $2.85 Billion |
| CarDekho | E-commerce Automotives | 2007 | 2021 | $1.2 Billion |
| Licious | E-commerce Meat Products | 2015 | 2021 | $1.3 Billion |
| Zetwerk | Marketplace- Consumer goods | 2018 | 2021 | $2.5 Billion |
| Meesho | E-commerce | 2015 | 2021 | $4.9 Billion |
| Blinkit (ex-Grofers) | E-commerce- Groceries | 2013 | 2021 | $0.568 Billion |
| Pristyn Care | Healthtech | 2018 | 2021 | $1.4 Billion |
| Vedantu | Edtech | 2011 | 2021 | $1 BIllion |
| Upstox | Fintech | 2010 | 2021 | $3.4 Billion |
| Slice | Fintech | 2016 | 2021 | $1.4 Billion |
| CRED | Financial Technology | 2018 | 2021 | $6.4 Billion |
| CureFit | Healthcare | 2016 | 2021 | $1.5 Billion |
| Mamaearth | E-commerce Personal Care | 2016 | 2021 | $1.07 Billion |
| Infra.Market | B2B E-commerce | 2016 | 2021 | $2.5 Billion |
| Five Star Business Finance | Financial Services | 1984 | 2021 | $1.4 Billion |
| OfBusiness | Building Materials | 2015 | 2021 | $5 Billion |
| CoinSwitch Kuber | Cryptocurrencies | 2017 | 2021 | $1.9 Billion |
| CoinDCX | Cryptocurrency Exchange | 2018 | 2021 | $2.15 Billion |
| BlackBuck | Logistics | 2015 | 2021 | $1.02 Billion |
| Droom | Marketplace- Automotives | 2014 | 2021 | $1.2 Billion |
| PharmEasy | Online Pharmacy | 2015 | 2021 | $5.6 Billion |
| MyGlamm | Personal Care Marketplace | 2015 | 2021 | $1.2 Billion |
| Digit Insurance | Insurance | 2016 | 2021 | $4 Billion |
| Innovaccer | Healthcare | 2014 | 2021 | $3.2 Billion |
| Groww | Fintech | 2017 | 2021 | $3 Billion |
| Gupshup | Software | 2004 | 2021 | $1.4 Billion |
| Chargebee | Financial Services | 2011 | 2021 | $3.5 Billion |
| Zeta | Fintech | 2015 | 2021 | $1.5 Billion |
| BrowserStack | Cloud Infrastructure and Software | 2011 | 2021 | $4 Billion |
| Mohalla Tech (Moj) | Software | 2015 | 2021 | $5 Billion |
| Matic Network / Polygon | Blockchain | 2018 | 2021 | $10 Billion |
| MindTickle | Saas- Enterprise Software | 2011 | 2021 | $1.2 Billion |
| Rebel Foods | E-commerce Food Delivery | 2011 | 2021 | $1.4 Billion |
| Mensa | Financial Services | 2021 | 2021 | $1.2 Billion |
| GlobalBees | E-commerce Retail | 2021 | 2021 | $1.1 Billion |
| Dailyhunt | Social News | 2007 | 2020 | $5 Billion |
| Unacademy | Edtech | 2015 | 2020 | $3.4 Billion |
| Cars24 | B2C E-commerce | 2015 | 2020 | $3.3 Billion |
| Glance, Inmobi | Mobile Technology | 2019 | 2020 | $1.8 Billion |
| RazorPay | Fintech | 2014 | 2020 | $7.5 Billion |
| Zerodha | Stockbroker | 2010 | 2020 | $2 Billion |
| PhonePe | Fintech Payments | 2015 | 2020 | $5.5 Billion |
| FirstCry | E-commerce | 2010 | 2020 | $2 Billion |
| Nykaa | E-commerce | 2012 | 2020 | $8.3 Billion |
| Pine Labs | Fintech | 1998 | 2020 | $5 Billion |
| Highradius | Fintech | 2006 | 2020 | $3.1 Billion |
| Verse Innovation | Content Technology | 2007 | 2020 | $5 Billion |
| Zenoti | Saas- Spa and Salon Services | 2010 | 2020 | $1.5 Billion |
| Postman | Saas- API Development and Testing | 2014 | 2020 | $5.6 Billion |
| Delhivery | E-commerce Logistics Services | 2011 | 2019 | $4 Billion |
| Icertis | Saas- Contract Management | 2009 | 2019 | $5 Billion |
| Ola Electric | Automotive | 2017 | 2019 | $5 Billion |
| Druva | Saas- Data Management | 2008 | 2019 | $2 Billion |
| BigBasket | E-commerce- Groceries | 2011 | 2019 | $2.7 Billion |
| Rivigo | Logistics | 2014 | 2019 | $1.09 Billion |
| Lenskart | E-commerce- Eyewear | 2010 | 2019 | $4.3 Billion |
| Dream11 | Fantasy Sports | 2008 | 2019 | $8 Billion |
| CitiusTech | Healthcare Technology | 2005 | 2019 | $2.4 Billion |
| Freshworks | SaaS – CRM | 2010 | 2018 | $3.5 Billion |
| Udaan | E-commerce | 2016 | 2018 | $3.1 Billion |
| OYO Rooms | Hospitality | 2013 | 2018 | $9 Billion |
| Paytm Mall | E-commerce | 2017 | 2018 | $0.013 Billion |
| Swiggy | Foodtech | 2014 | 2018 | $10.7 Billion |
| BYJU’S | Edtech | 2011 | 2018 | $22 Billion |
| Policybazaar | Insurance company | 2008 | 2018 | $2.4 Billion |
| Billdesk | Fintech | 2000 | 2018 | $4.7 Billion |
| ReNew Power | Renewable Energy | 2011 | 2017 | $8 Billion |
| OLA | Transportation | 2010 | 2015 | $7.3 Billion |
| Zomato | Foodtech | 2008 | 2015 | $5.4 Billion |
| Paytm | E-commerce Finance | 2010 | 2015 | $16 Billion |
| Mu Sigma | SaaS- Analytics | 2004 | 2013 | $1.5 Billion |
| Flipkart | E-commerce | 2007 | 2012 | $37.6 Billion |
| InMobi | Adtech | 2007 | 2011 | $1 Billion |
| MakeMyTrip | Online Travel | 2000 | 2010 | $2.52 Billion |
List of Indian Unicorns with Their Founder(s) Name(s)
| Company Name | Founder(s) Name(s) |
|---|---|
| Paytm | Vijay Shekhar Sharma |
| Ola | Bhavish Aggarwal, Ankit Bhati |
| Byju’s | Byju Raveendran |
| Zomato | Deepinder Goyal, Pankaj Chaddah |
| Flipkart | Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal |
| BigBasket | Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, Abhinay Choudhari |
| PolicyBazaar | Yashish Dahiya, Alok Bansal, Avaneesh Nirjar |
| Quikr | Pranay Chulet, Jiby Thomas |
| Udaan | Sujeet Kumar, Amod Malviya, Vaibhav Gupta |
| Dream11 | Harsh Jain, Bhavit Sheth |
| Freshworks | Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy |
| InMobi | Naveen Tewari, Mohit Saxena, Amit Gupta, Abhay Singhal |
| Delhivery | Sahil Barua, Suraj Saharan, Bhavesh Manglani, Kapil Bharati |
| Razorpay | Shashank Kumar, Harshil Mathur |
| Unacademy | Gaurav Munjal, Roman Saini, Hemesh Singh |
| Pine Labs | Lokvir Kapoor |
| Nykaa | Falguni Nayar |
| CarDekho | Amit Jain, Anurag Jain |
| Swiggy | Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy, Rahul Jaimini |
| Lenskart | Peyush Bansal |
| Moglix | Rahul Garg |
| BlackBuck | Rajesh Yabaji, Chanakya Hridaya, Ramasubramaniam B |
| Meesho | Vidit Aatrey, Sanjeev Barnwal |
| Sixteen By Sixty Four | Abhinav Tyagi |
| PharmEasy | Dharmil Sheth, Dhaval Shah |
| Postman | Abhinav Asthana, Ankit Sobti, Abhijit Kane |
| CRED | Kunal Shah |
| OfBusiness | Ruchi Kalra, Asish Mohapatra, Bhavesh Gupta |
| Zenoti | Sudheer Koneru |
| Vedantu | Vamsi Krishna, Anand Prakash, Pulkit Jain |
| Bounce | Vivekananda Hallekere, Varun Agni |
| Rupeek | Sumit Maniyar, Srinivasan Ramakrishnan |
| Uniphore | Umesh Sachdev, Ravi Saraogi |
| Chargebee | Krish Subramanian, KP Saravanan, Rajaraman Santhanam, Thiyagarajan T |
| Postscript | Alex Beller, David Dulitz |
| Gupshup | Beerud Sheth |
| BrowserStack | Nakul Aggarwal, Ritesh Arora |
| KreditBee | Madhusudan Ekambaram |
| Zeta | Bhavin Turakhia |
| Eruditus | Chaitanya Kalipatnapu, Ashwin Damera |
| Innovaccer | Abhinav Shashank, Kanav Hasija, Sandeep Gupta, Rajendra Bharti |
| ChargePoint | Pasquale Romano |
| Fino Payments Bank | Rishi Gupta |
| Infra.Market | Souvik Sengupta, Aaditya Sharda |
| Dailyhunt | Um |
Why unicorns are important in India
Unicorns, or companies that are valued at more than $1 billion, are important in India for several reasons. Firstly, they are a symbol of the country’s growing economy and its potential to produce successful startups that can compete on a global scale. India has seen a significant increase in the number of unicorns in recent years, which is a testament to the country’s entrepreneurial spirit and the availability of capital and resources.
Secondly, unicorns are important because they create jobs and contribute to the economy. Many of these companies are in the technology sector, which is known for its high-paying jobs and ability to scale rapidly. This has a positive impact on the overall economy, as it creates more employment opportunities and generates more tax revenue for the government.
Thirdly, unicorns are important because they attract investment and spur innovation. The success of these companies attracts venture capitalists and other investors, who are eager to invest in the next big thing. This in turn creates a more competitive landscape, where startups are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible and creating new products and services that can benefit society.
Fourthly, unicorns are important because they have the potential to disrupt established industries and create new markets. Many of the companies on the list of Indian unicorns are in sectors such as e-commerce, healthcare, and fintech, which are ripe for disruption. By providing innovative solutions to long-standing problems, these companies can change the way we live and work.
Finally, unicorns are important because they inspire others to take risks and pursue their dreams. The success of these companies has created a culture of entrepreneurship in India, where more and more people are starting their own businesses and pursuing their passions. This has the potential to create a virtuous cycle of innovation and growth, where the next generation of unicorns emerge from the current crop of startups.
In conclusion, unicorns are important in India for many reasons. They are a symbol of the country’s growing economy, they create jobs and contribute to the economy, they attract investment and spur innovation, they have the potential to disrupt established industries and create new markets, and they inspire others to take risks and pursue their dreams. As such, they are a crucial part of the Indian startup ecosystem and will continue to play an important role in shaping the country’s future.