Top 20 Indian startups leading the innovation story

Professional networking site LinkedIn recently profiled 20 fast-growing startups that are gaining attention for trailblazing their way through recent economic and workplace challenges and are standing out to investors and top talent.

The list comes against the backdrop of a challenging year for startups across sectors, characterized by a severe funding winter, widespread layoffs, leadership churn and a more cautious approach by investors.

LinkedIn said it has drawn up the list based on data drawn from billions of actions by its 950+ million members. The criteria include employee growth, jobseeker interest, internal company engagement, and the ability to draw talent from top-ranked companies on LinkedIn, according to the report.

Here are the companies that have risen to the challenges and marched ahead:

1. Zepto

Full-time headcount: 1,400+
Headquarters: Mumbai
Year founded: 2021

What they do: The top startup on the LinkedIn list, Zepto, is a quick commerce company delivering groceries and essentials across 10 cities in India. In August, the company achieved unicorn status – India’s first this year – with $200 million in fresh funding, symbolizing the extraordinary potential and innovation in the country’s start-up ecosystem.

2. BlueSmart

Full-time headcount: 620
Headquarters: Gurugram
Year founded: 2018

What they do: With a fleet of 4,500 electric vehicles, BluSmart provides electric ride-hailing services in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and Bengaluru. The startup intends to increase its fleet to 10,000 vehicles by the end of the year and invest more in installing electric chargers all over the country.

3. Ditto Insurance

Full-time headcount: 250+
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2018

What they do: Founded in 2018, this insurance technology, or insurtech, startup helps people compare plans, understand policies, and buy insurance through its online platform. The business informed LinkedIn that in the upcoming year they plan to hire hundreds of freshmen.

4. Pocket FM

Full-time headcount: 480+
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2018

What they do: Audio series platform Pocket FM offers audio entertainment across genres and Indian languages through its 100,000+ hours-strong content library. The company claims it has 80 million listeners globally.

5. Skyroot Aerospace

Full-time headcount: 260
Headquarters: Hyderabad
Year founded: 2018

What they do: Skyroot Aerospace specializes in futuristic space-launch vehicle design and building. With its maiden mission, Prarambh, the startup in 2022 became the first Indian private company to launch a rocket into space.

6.GoKwik

Full-time headcount: 275
Headquarters: New Delhi
Year founded: 2020

What they do: GoKwik offers data and technology-led solutions for e-commerce and direct-to-consumer, or D2C, brands to improve customer experience across the shopping funnel and boost conversion rates and revenue growth.

7. Fi

Full-time headcount: 400
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2019

What they do: Fi is a financial app with an in-built savings account that also offers mutual fund investment options and other financial services such as personal loans in partnership with regulated entities.

8. Sprinto

Full-time headcount: 150+
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2019

What they do: Sprinto automates information security compliances and privacy laws for software-as-a-service companies and helps monitor entity-level risks and controls.

9. Supersourcing

Full-time headcount: 120
Headquarters: Indore
Year founded: 2020

What they do: Supersourcing is a business-to-business (B2B) artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled platform for hiring remote engineers and provides pre-vetted developers to medium and small-sized businesses, enterprises, and funded startups.

10. GrowthSchool

Full-time headcount: 180
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2021
What they do: GrowthSchool partners with instructors to create cohort-based courses on personal and professional growth topics such as marketing, design, and business.

11. Jar

Full-time headcount: 180+
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2021

What they do: Jar is an automated gold savings app that allows people to save spare change from their online transactions and invest it in digital gold, as well as offers manual and daily, weekly, or monthly savings options. Launched in 2021, the app currently has more than 1.5 crore users.

12. Shyft

Full-time headcount: 70
Headquarters: Gurugram
Year founded: 2019

What they do: Shyft, formerly known as Mindhouse, is a wellness and life management and tracking platform that offers health, yoga, nutrition, and dermatology programmes.

13. Teachnook

Full-time headcount: 130+
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2021

What they do: The e-learning platform offers students curated programs to help them upskill on topics such as Web3, augmented reality/virtual reality, business development, and performance marketing.

14. StockGro

Full-time headcount: 60+
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2020

What they do: StockGro aims to educate young investors about trading and investment. It allows people to build their trading skills in a simulated environment, follow experts and top investors, and also provides investment recommendations and portfolio management solutions.

15. Exponent Energy

Full-time headcount: 185
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2020

What they do: This startup is on a mission to simplify energy for electric vehicles (EVs) and offers a 15-minute rapid charging solution for EVs.

16. Housr

Full-time headcount: 100
Headquarters: Gurugram
Year founded: 2019

What they do: Focused exclusively on millennials and working professionals, Housr provides luxury co-living and accommodation solutions across five Indian cities and boasts more than 75 properties.

17.  AccioJob

Full-time headcount: 190
Headquarters: Gurugram
Year founded: 2018

What they do: Run by IIT-Delhi alumni, educational technology, or edtech, startup AccioJob offers courses around full-stack web development and data analytics.

18.TravClan

Full-time headcount: 190+
Headquarters: New Delhi
Year founded: 2019

What they do: TravClan is a B2B platform offering business solutions for travel companies which include flight and hotel bookings, travel websites, payment gateways, and marketing material.

19. DotPe

Full-time headcount: 450+
Headquarters: Gurugram
Year founded: 2019

What they do: DotPe offers business solutions for omnichannel selling that include point of sale, e-commerce website, QR, payments, and delivery. It provides a full-stack food tech offering for food and beverage companies.

20. Fasal

Full-time headcount: 170
Headquarters: Bengaluru
Year founded: 2018

What they do: Fasal is a full-stack platform for horticulture farming, which started with the mission of removing the guesswork from farming. Through its AI-driven platform, the company provides farmers farm-specific, crop-specific, and crop-stage-specific actionable advisory; and helps them reduce the cost of cultivation and increase quality and yield.