India’s 5 Most Valued Startups 2021: Valuation, Funding, Market

Ardell Cristy


5 min go through


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From social commerce platform Meesho to e-pharmacy PharmEasy to fintech platform CRED, it is raining Unicorns in India—with 25 Unicorns in eight months. Home to the world’s 3rd-major startup ecosystem, the state is arguably turning into a profitable Unicorn ranch. 

The quantity of organizations valued at in excess of $1 billion—nicknamed after the legendary creature representing the statistical rarity—based in India is estimated to be 100, with 10 established in 2019 and 13 in 2020, in accordance to the RBI August 2021 bulletin.

Speaking of the variety of Unicorns, India clinches the fourth location, while the US ranks initially, adopted by China and the Uk, in accordance to the Hurun Global Unicorn Checklist 2020.

In spite of an economic downturn, some have managed to transform the tide and make a mark on the industry with their incredible billion-dollar business concepts and styles. On Globe Entrepreneurs’ Working day 2021, let’s just take a search at the 5 most precious Indian startups as of August 2021, according to the CB Insights report.

  1. BYJU’s

Valuation: $16.5 billion

Started: 2011

Entry into the unicorn club: 2018

Sector: Edtech

Headquartered in Bengaluru, BYJU’s holds the best-valued startup title, surpassing fintech enterprise PayTM’s $16-billion valuation. Founded by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath, BYJU’s is on an acquisition spree and has invested about $2 billion around 6 months. It not long ago snagged WhiteHat Jr, a coding platform for children offline test preparation enterprise Aakash Institute and on the net mastering organization Topper.

The world’s most useful educational technologies enterprise, whose buyers incorporate Tencent Holdings, Lightspeed India Companions, and Sequoia Funds India, has lately elevated $350 million and is the 14th most worthwhile startup in the planet. Recognised for its K-12 studying app, the corporation states it caters to approximately 80 million students and is eyeing $1 billion in revenue in excess of the following 12 to 15 months.

2. PayTM

Valuation: $16 billion

Started: 2010

Entry into the unicorn club: 2015

Industry: Fintech

Another well-known Indian startup to make it to the record is the country’s leader in electronic payments—PayTM, founded by DTU-graduate Vijay Shekhar Sharma with an first expenditure of $2 million. Formally known as One97 Communications Ltd., it is marching towards a $2.2 billion initial general public featuring (IPO)—the greatest at any time in the state. The information emerged instantly right after the achievement of India’s to start with Unicorn IPO by Zomato.

The digital payment startup, whose marquee investors consist of Intel Cash, Sapphire Ventures, and Alibaba Team, expects to maximize its revenues to $1 billion in two to 3 several years. The Noida-centered fintech firm, which has virtually 330 million customers, programs to roll out a slew of new goods and services, including mutual money, insurance coverage, lending, and gold revenue.

3. OYO Rooms

Valuation: $9 billion

Started: 2013

Entry into the unicorn club: 2018

Market: Journey

OYO Rooms, which took considerably less than six several years to obtain unicorn status, seamlessly checks into India’s five most-valued startup club. Worldwide tech big Microsoft has just lately invested $5 million in OYO Resorts & Homes. The IPO-bound resort startup has aggressively expanded its existence to many international markets, like Europe, the US, and Southeast Asia. 

Founded by 27-calendar year-aged Ritesh Agarwal, the Gurgaon-dependent hospitality chain has SoftBank Group, Sequoia Money India, and Lightspeed India Partners among the its traders. In accordance to its web site, it has hosted more than 180 million guests of nearly 120 nationalities.

4. Ola Cabs

Valuation: $6.3 billion

Established: 2010

Entry into the unicorn club: 2015

Business: Vehicle and transportation

Ride-hailing big Ola, which has just introduced its very-anticipated electrical scooter, is also among the the big winners of the good deal. It ranks fourth on the list of the most valued startups in India. Founded by two IIT-Bombay learners, Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, it has managed to raise $500 million from Temasek and Plum Wooden Investment decision. 

Backed by Accel Companions, SoftBank Group, and Sequoia Cash, the Bengaluru-based mostly startup is established to launch its initially electric powered vehicle by 2023. Next year, it strategies to enterprise into the community current market and has introduced the enlargement of its personnel inventory solutions pool (ESOP) to INR 3,000 crore, supplying employees with an added INR 400 crore in shares. The corporation statements by itself to be India’s biggest mobility system, serving more than 250 cities throughout India, Australia, New Zealand, and the Uk.

5. Swiggy

Valuation: $5.5 billion

Started: 2014

Entry into the unicorn club: 2018

Marketplace: Provide chain, logistics, and delivery

Previous but not least on the list is India’s largest online food ordering and delivery system Swiggy, popular for its intense strategy and discounting. Just one of India’s swiftest Unicorns, it closed a $1.25-billion funding round just times after the Zomato IPO. In buy to diversify, the Bangalore-dependent foodstuff delivery group has now started off several option expert services, such as grocery supply and courier service Genie. It targets a market place of “close to 100m” Indians.

Established by two BITS Pilani, Nandan Reddy and Sriharsha Majety and a single IIT Kharagpur alumnus, Rahul Jaimini, Swiggy has the guidance of investors, such as Accel India, SAIF Companions, and Norwest Enterprise Partners. The firm’s web-site reports that it operates in about 520 Indian metropolitan areas.

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