Shubham Sawarkar
Today, LinkedIn released “LinkedIn Top Startups 2021,” a list of the top 25 Indian startups companies where you can work right now.
In the aftermath of the outbreak, professionals across India have been forced to rethink how they live and work for the past year and a half. Many professionals are seeking something new, asking themselves, “What’s next?” as the economy begins to revive at varied rates across industries.
“To put together this year’s rankings, we looked at LinkedIn data across four pillars: employee growth; jobseeker interest; member engagement with the company and its employees; and how well these startups pulled talent from our flagship LinkedIn Top Companies list. In order to be eligible, companies must be 7 years old or younger, have at least 50 employees, be privately held, and headquartered in India.” – LinkedIn News India
Joining a company can, of course, be a risky proposition in and of itself. According to research, up to 90% of startups fail, so those that are succeeding today may look very different a year from now. Startups, on the other hand, can be excellent places to gain experience, advance your career, and develop critical skills. Are you considering joining one?
Above all, this collection is intended to serve as a resource for you. If you think a startup is a good fit for your next employment, look into who you could know at each firm, see what roles are currently available, or take a LinkedIn Learning course on one of the most in-demand talents among employees.
See also: LinkedIn Reveals 15 Fastest-Growing Jobs In India
LinkedIn’s testing methodology for startups Insight Data
“LinkedIn evaluates businesses on four pillars: job growth, engagement, job interest, and top talent attraction. Employment growth is measured as a percentage increase in headcount over the specified time range, which must be at least 15%.”
“Non-employee views and following of the company’s LinkedIn profile, as well as how many non-employees are observing employees at that firm, are all factors in engagement. The pace at which people are seeing and applying for employment at the company, both paid and unpaid, is measured by job interest.”
“The number of employees recruited away from any global LinkedIn Top Company as a percentage of the startup’s total workforce is referred to as “attraction of top talent.” All qualifying startups’ data is normalized. The methodology is valid from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.”
Startups Eligibility for this Insight Data
“Companies must be entirely independent, privately held, have 50 or more full-time employees, be 7 years old or younger, and have their headquarters in the country on which the list appears to be eligible.”
“Staffing companies think tanks, venture capital firms, legal firms, management and IT consulting businesses, nonprofits, and philanthropy, accelerators, and government-owned entities are all excluded. In addition, startups who have laid off 20% or more of their personnel within the methodology’s time span are ineligible.”
These are the top 25 Indian startups companies where you can work right now (Source: LinkedIn)
Unacademy – which bills itself as the “Netflix of education” – has seen its valuation soar to $3.44 billion as the company eyes new categories like upskilling, hiring, and creator-led courses. The SoftBank-backed startup has rolled out stock options to reward its teachers for loyalty and plans to give out nearly $40 million in grants over the next few years. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 5,000 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2015 | Most common skills: C (Programming Language), C++, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Most common job titles: Teacher, Senior Business Development Executive, Sales Manager
Three million retailers, 30,000 sellers, and 900 cities: that’s the scale of Udaan, which has cornered 80% of India’s B2B e-commerce market by bridging the digital divide for millions of small shops. Revenue has bounced back to pre-second wave levels and the company is targeting 100% year-on-year growth this year. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 4,500 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2016 | Most common skills: Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Market Research | Most common job titles: Business Development Executive, Team Lead, Operations Executive
Credit card rewards platform CRED grabbed attention after its quirky ads featuring Rahul Dravid and other former cricketers went viral. There are many perks to working at this fintech unicorn: ESOPs for all employees, unlimited leave, and salary advance, to name a few. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 400 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2018 | Most common skills: Java, SQL, Python (Programming Language) | Most common job titles: Product Specialist, Back End Developer, Software Engineer
Remote work and rising demand for upskilling have become tailwinds for online educators upGrad, which doubled its learner base in just eight months. A recent entrant into the unicorn club, the Ronnie Screwvala-led startup has upped its merger and acquisitions game and is pushing for international expansion. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 3,350 | Headquarters: Mumbai | Year founded: 2015 | Most common skills: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Market Research, C (Programming Language) | Most common job titles: Senior Admissions Counsellor, Academic Adviser, Business Development Manager
If you do online transactions, chances are you use Razorpay’s payment gateway quite often. The fintech unicorn has had a banner year: it processed $40 billion worth of payments while revenue rose by 40-45% month-on-month throughout 2020. This unprecedented surge in digital transactions has prompted the company to launch new products and hire in large numbers. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 1,890 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2014 | Most common skills: Java, C (Programming Language), C++ | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Junior Analyst, Frontend Engineer
Social commerce platform Meesho – short for “Meri Shop” – turned into a unicorn in April following a large funding round led by SoftBank. Placing importance on employee wellbeing, Meesho has announced a 10-day companywide break this November following festive season sales on the platform. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 1,000 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2015 | Most common skills: SQL, C (Programming Language), Java | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Key Account Manager, Business Development Manager
Founded by engineers of ISRO’s rocket design centre, Skyroot is building technologies for reliable and economic access to space. The award-winning startup is testing a futuristic cryogenic engine that runs on cleaner-burning liquid natural gas. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 80 | Headquarters: Hyderabad | Year founded: 2018 | Most common skills: SOLIDWORKS, MATLAB, ANSYS | Most common job titles: Propulsion Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineer, Design Analysis Engineer
Homegrown consumer electronics brand boAt has taken the audio equipment space by storm with its value-for-money offerings and smart marketing tactics. Its vastly popular headphones, earbuds, and speakers have captured more than a third of the domestic market, while the company has emerged as the fifth biggest wearables brand in the world. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 290 | Headquarters: New Delhi | Year founded: 2016 | Most common skills: Product Development, Adobe Photoshop, Digital Marketing | Most common job titles: Product Manager, Marketing Manager, Operations Manager
Whether it was getting a haircut or fixing a broken tap, home services startup Urban Company emerged as the go-to platform when we were cooped up inside during lockdowns. The strong business moats reflect in the company’s growth: it has become a unicorn, achieved business volumes that are twice the pre-pandemic levels, and plans to go public within two years. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 1,300 | Headquarters: Gurugram | Year founded: 2014 | Most common skills: C++, C (Programming Language), SQL | Most common job titles: Category Manager, Software Engineer, Customer Service Specialist
Working closely with ISRO, AgniKul Cosmos builds launch vehicles to carry small satellites to low earth orbit. The liquid-oxygen powered launches were paused during the peak of COVID-19, to allow sufficient oxygen supply for those suffering from the illness. Working closely with ISRO, AgniKul Cosmos builds launch vehicles to carry small satellites to low earth orbit. The liquid-oxygen powered launches were paused during the peak of COVID-19, to allow sufficient oxygen supply for those suffering from the illness. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 80 | Headquarters: Chennai | Year founded: 2017 | Most common skills: ANSYS, MATLAB, SOLIDWORKS | Most common job titles: Strategist, Propulsion Engineer, Structures Engineer
It’s been a hectic year at Twitter and Snap-backed ShareChat, which launched its short-video app Moj after TikTok was banned in India. The startup prides itself on its machine learning-based content recommendation technology and supporting creators with a vast music library, Snap’s augmented reality filters, and powerful editing tools. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 1,260 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2015 | Most common skills: C++, Python (Programming Language), C (Programming Language) | Most common job titles: Software Engineer Operations Lead Data Scientist
What happens when two doctors and a startup veteran come together? A lean healthcare startup-like Pristyn Care offers minimally invasive surgeries by renting idle infrastructure in hospitals. That approach has helped the company achieve scale: it now offers services in over 30 cities and aims to grow the business five-fold in the next two years.
Full-time headcount: 1,200 | Headquarters: Gurugram | Year founded: 2018 | Most common skills: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Operations Management, Market Research | Most common job titles: Business Development Manager, Category Manager, General Manager
From delivering your forgotten phone charger to making a pharmacy run, this hyperlocal delivery platform has transformed the way people shop. As part of its ‘Dunzo Daily’ service in Bengaluru, the startup aims to provide groceries and essentials to customers within 19 minutes. Looking to have more women join their team, the startup has set a higher incentive for referrals of female candidates. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 450 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2015 | Most common skills: SQL, Python (Programming Language), C (Programming Language) | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Operational Specialist, Community Specialist
This farmtech company provides more than 1 million farmers with tech-driven solutions and scientific information at every stage of the crop cycle. To help curb pollution from stubble-burning practices in Punjab and Haryana, the startup is offering farmers a bio-enzyme that can decompose crop residue. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 270 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2020 | Most common skills: C++, Java, C (Programming Language) | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Senior Program Manager, Product Manager
This social marketing company was behind a campaign that saw its client, glue manufacturer Fevicol, comment on more than 100 brands’ Friendship Day posts, to “cement the bonds” of friendship. The startup has hired more than 200 employees since the pandemic and is on the lookout for more creative minds. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 650 | Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra | Year founded: 2015 | Most common skills: Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, Adobe Photoshop | Most common job titles: Solutions Strategist, Creative Strategist, Visualiser
To create a diverse and inclusive workforce, the all-electric ride-hailing platform plans to onboard at least 500 women driver-partners in one year. It recently made headlines for its partnership with Jio-bp to set up electric vehicle charging stations in the country. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 102 | Headquarters: Gurugram | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: SQL, Java, Core Java | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Android Developer, iOS Developer
The startup helps businesses automate customer support using natural language processing-driven bots. From going almost bankrupt to reaching $1 million in revenue in 2.5 years, the startup is a testament to how to rise against the tide. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 80 | Headquarters: Mumbai | Year founded: 2017 | Most common skills: Python (Programming Language), C (Programming Language), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Python Developer, Django Developer
NoBroker, a tech-driven real estate platform that connects buyers and sellers directly, has diversified its offerings by providing services like painting, home sanitization, cleaning, and pest control. The company hopes to expand its footprint to the top 50 Indian cities. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 2,000 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2014 | Most common skills: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), SQL, C++ | Most common job titles: Relationship Manager, Sales Executive, Unit Lead
This edtech startup hired over 500 online tutors during the pandemic. Lido Learning has taken its coding program to the US and Canada, with hopes to expand to the UK, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 1,215* | Headquarters: Mumbai | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: Python (Programming Language), C++, Java | Most common job titles: Online Tutor, Curriculum Designer, Business Development Manager
A platform that automates customer support tasks for companies, Verloop.io aims to expand its presence to Europe and the US and double the size of its team in the coming months. It is looking to hire across engineering, product, marketing, and sales roles. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 120 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2017 | Most common skills: Python (Programming Language), SQL, JavaScript | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Customer Success Manager, Sales Development Representative
Simplifying investment for the masses, this fintech firm has made its way to India’s startup unicorn club. What’s next? The company is entering the mutual funds’ space through its acquisition of Indiabulls Asset Management Company. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 700 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2016 | Most common skills: Java, C (Programming Language), C++ | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Equity Trader, Customer Success Executive
This startup is working to fix the inefficiencies in India’s fresh food supply chain by tapping technology and analytics. Within 12 hours, 1,400 tonnes of perishables are transported directly from farms to businesses every single day. This has helped increase farmers’ incomes by 15-20% while retailers get quality products at a reasonable cost. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 1,640 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2015 | Most common skills: Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Logistics Management | Most common job titles: Sales Executive, Operations Executive, Operations Manager
This lifestyle vlogging platform allows influencers to share product recommendations through short videos and users to buy those wares. The social commerce platform recently raised $45 million from Mirae Asset, H&M Group, and LB Investments. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 500 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2016 | Most common skills: Python (Programming Language), C (Programming Language), C++ | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Content Specialist, Content Moderator
FamPay offers numberless prepaid cards for teens. The app equips children to make online transactions without depending on their parents for banking details or OTPs. The startup claims that it values talent over the degree and 65% of its team comes from unconventional backgrounds such as sports and performing arts. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 65 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2019 | Most common skills: SQL, Social Media Marketing, Python (Programming Language) | Most common job titles: Growth Specialist, Software Engineer, Customer Success Specialist
A recent addition to India’s unicorn club, the esports and online gaming platform plans to amplify its reach in the US and Indonesia. The startup is also looking to invest in original gaming content and hire talent across engineering, product management, and design functions. (See full profile at LinkedIn)
Full-time headcount: 800 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2018 | Most common skills: SQL, Java, C++ | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Product Manager, Data Analyst
Source: LinkedIn
