Top 100 Startups in India in 2026

Top 100 startups in India in 2026: the most innovative companies across fintech, SaaS, e-commerce, AI, and healthtech, with sector breakdowns.

India is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with over 100,000 recognized startups and 100+ unicorns as of 2026. From Bengaluru's bustling tech corridors to Delhi-NCR's fintech wave and Mumbai's consumer internet boom, Indian startups are reshaping industries and attracting billions in venture capital.

This guide covers the top 100 startups in India — spanning fintech, SaaS, e-commerce, AI, healthtech, edtech, and more. Whether you're an investor scouting deals, a founder studying the landscape, or simply curious about India's most exciting companies, this list gives you a comprehensive view of the ecosystem.

What Makes a Startup "Top" in India?

Before diving into the list, let's define what makes a startup stand out in India's crowded ecosystem. We evaluate across five dimensions:

Innovation — is the startup solving a uniquely Indian problem or building globally competitive technology?
Scale — revenue, user base, and market share
Funding & Valuation — backing from top-tier investors and unicorn status
Impact — how significantly the startup is transforming its industry
Momentum — growth trajectory and recent milestones

Not every startup on this list is a unicorn, and not every unicorn is on this list. We've prioritized companies building meaningful products with strong execution — not just the highest fundraises.

Top FinTech Startups in India

India's fintech revolution is arguably the most advanced in the world, powered by UPI (Unified Payments Interface), which processes over 12 billion transactions monthly. The FinTech sector accounts for the largest share of India's unicorns.

1. Razorpay

The Stripe of India. Razorpay powers payments for millions of Indian businesses with a developer-first API, plus neobanking, lending, and payroll products. Valued at $7.5B, it's one of India's most valuable fintechs.

2. CRED

A members-only credit card management platform that rewards users for paying bills on time. CRED turned credit card payments — a utility — into an aspirational experience. It's now expanding into lending, e-commerce, and vehicle management.

3. PhonePe

India's largest UPI app by transaction volume, processing 5B+ monthly transactions. Owned by Walmart, PhonePe has expanded from payments into insurance, mutual funds, lending, and merchant commerce. Valued at $12B.

4. Groww

India's largest investment platform, making stock trading, mutual funds, and IPO investing accessible to millions of first-time investors. Groww overtook Zerodha in active users in 2024 with its simple, mobile-first experience.

5. Zerodha

India's original bootstrapped unicorn. Zerodha disrupted stockbroking with zero brokerage fees and a powerful trading platform. Still profitable and founder-owned, it remains a dominant force with 10M+ users.

6. BharatPe

UPI-first merchant payments and lending platform. BharatPe enables small shopkeepers to accept digital payments and access working capital loans — a massive market in a country with 60M+ small merchants.

7. Slice

India's challenger credit card for millennials and Gen Z. Slice turns the credit card experience into a slick, app-native product with no annual fees, flexible repayments, and gamified rewards.

8. Pine Labs

Merchant commerce platform powering point-of-sale, invoicing, and BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) for 500,000+ merchants across India and Southeast Asia. Valued at $5B.

9. PolicyBazaar

India's largest online insurance aggregator. PolicyBazaar has educated millions of Indians about insurance and made policy comparison and purchase dramatically easier. Listed on Indian exchanges in 2021.

10. Paytm

India's pioneer in digital payments. Despite regulatory challenges, Paytm remains one of India's most recognized fintech brands with 300M+ users and a diversified business spanning payments, lending, ticketing, and commerce.

Top SaaS & Enterprise Startups in India

Indian SaaS companies are going global — building in India and selling to the world. The Cloud & Infrastructure and Developer Tools categories are particularly strong.

11. Zoho

India's original SaaS giant. Zoho offers 50+ business applications — CRM, email, office suite, finance — competing directly with Salesforce, Google, and Microsoft. Bootstrapped, profitable, and operating globally with 100M+ users.

12. Freshworks

Customer engagement SaaS company listed on NASDAQ ($FRESH). Freshworks' products — Freshdesk, Freshsales, Freshchat — serve 60,000+ businesses worldwide. A landmark moment for Indian SaaS going public globally.

13. Postman

API development platform used by 30M+ developers worldwide. Postman's collaboration tools have become essential infrastructure for API-first companies. Valued at $5.6B, headquartered in San Francisco with roots in Bengaluru.

14. BrowserStack

Cloud-based web and mobile testing platform used by 50,000+ companies including Microsoft, Twitter, and Spotify. BrowserStack lets developers test across 3,000+ real devices and browsers. Bootstrapped to unicorn status.

15. Hasura

Open-source GraphQL engine that auto-generates APIs from databases. Hasura has become essential Developer Tools infrastructure, used by thousands of engineering teams globally.

16. Chargebee

Subscription billing and revenue management platform. Chargebee helps SaaS companies handle recurring billing, invoicing, and revenue recognition. Valued at $3.5B, with customers in 50+ countries.

17. Druva

Cloud data protection and management platform. Druva provides SaaS-based backup, disaster recovery, and ransomware protection for enterprise data across endpoints, data centers, and cloud workloads.

18. Kissflow

Low-code/no-code work management platform that enables business users to build custom applications. Kissflow competes in the rapidly growing HR & Productivity and workflow automation space.

19. MindTickle

Sales readiness and enablement platform used by 2,000+ enterprises globally. MindTickle helps sales teams onboard faster, master product knowledge, and improve performance through AI-driven coaching.

20. Zenoti

All-in-one software for spas and salons. Zenoti may sound niche, but it powers 25,000+ businesses across 50 countries, including major chains like European Wax Center and Massage Envy. A vertical SaaS success story.

Top E-Commerce & D2C Startups in India

India's e-commerce market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2030, and D2C (direct-to-consumer) brands are growing at 40%+ CAGR.

21. Flipkart

India's homegrown e-commerce giant, now owned by Walmart. Flipkart pioneered online shopping in India and continues to lead alongside Amazon India, with 400M+ registered users and innovations in supply chain and digital payments.

22. Meesho

Social commerce platform that enables anyone to start an online business with zero investment. Meesho democratized e-commerce by targeting tier-2/3 cities and leveraging WhatsApp and Facebook for distribution. Valued at $4.9B.

23. Nykaa

India's beauty and personal care commerce platform. Nykaa went public in 2021 at a $14B valuation — a landmark moment for women-led Indian startups. It combines content, commerce, and community in a category-defining way.

24. Licious

Farm-to-fork meat and seafood D2C brand. Licious built an end-to-end cold chain in India — a genuinely hard infrastructure problem — and created a beloved consumer brand in the process.

25. Mamaearth

Toxin-free personal care brand that became India's fastest unicorn in the D2C space. Mamaearth's content-led, digital-first playbook has been widely emulated by Indian consumer brands.

26. Lenskart

Omnichannel eyewear brand that disrupted India's optical industry. Lenskart combines online try-on, home eye checkups, and 2,000+ physical stores. Valued at $4.5B and expanding aggressively across Asia.

27. FirstCry

India's largest online platform for baby and kids products. FirstCry operates across e-commerce, physical retail, and private labels, capturing the growing parenting economy in India.

28. boAt Lifestyle

India's #1 audio and wearables brand. boAt built a $1.5B brand by understanding Indian consumers — affordable, stylish, and marketed through influencers and lifestyle positioning rather than tech specs.

29. CarDekho

Full-stack auto platform spanning research, buying, selling, insurance, and financing. CarDekho dominates India's auto search market with 50M+ monthly visitors.

30. Zetwerk

B2B manufacturing marketplace connecting buyers with manufacturing suppliers across India and Southeast Asia. Zetwerk has unlocked contract manufacturing at scale, serving industries from aerospace to consumer goods. Valued at $2.7B.

Top AI & Deep Tech Startups in India

India's AI & Machine Learning ecosystem is growing rapidly, with startups building foundational models, AI infrastructure, and industry-specific applications.

31. Krutrim

India's first AI unicorn, building foundational LLMs for Indian languages. Founded by serial entrepreneur Bhavish Aggarwal (Ola), Krutrim is developing AI models trained on multilingual Indian data.

32. Fractal Analytics

AI and analytics powerhouse serving Fortune 500 companies globally. Fractal provides AI-driven decision-making solutions across CPG, retail, healthcare, and financial services. Valued at $3B+.

33. Mad Street Den

Computer vision AI platform (Vue.ai) that powers visual recognition for retail, fashion, and enterprise. Mad Street Den's AI processes billions of images, powering everything from virtual try-on to inventory management.

34. Yellow.ai

Conversational AI platform for enterprise customer experience. Yellow.ai's chatbots and voice AI agents handle millions of customer interactions across 85+ countries.

35. Pixis

AI-powered marketing infrastructure for performance marketing. Pixis uses reinforcement learning to optimize ad campaigns across platforms, serving 200+ global brands.

36. Miko

AI-powered companion robot for children. Miko has shipped to 140+ countries, combining conversational AI, educational content, and emotional engagement in a child-safe platform.

37. Skit

Voice AI platform for Indian languages. Skit (formerly Vernacular.ai) builds speech recognition and conversational AI for the 1B+ people who speak Indian languages — a market global tech giants have underinvested in.

Top HealthTech & Biotech Startups in India

India's Biotech & Life Sciences and healthtech startups are tackling one of the world's most complex healthcare markets.

38. PharmEasy

India's largest online pharmacy and diagnostics platform. PharmEasy consolidated the fragmented pharmacy market through acquisitions and digital infrastructure, serving millions across 20,000+ pin codes.

39. Practo

Pioneer in Indian healthtech. Practo connects patients with doctors for online consultations, clinic management, and medicine delivery. It made digital healthcare mainstream in India.

40. Innovaccer

Healthcare data activation platform. Innovaccer aggregates and analyzes healthcare data to help providers, payers, and life sciences companies improve outcomes. Valued at $3.2B.

41. Cure.fit

Integrated health and wellness platform spanning fitness centers, healthy food, mental wellness, and primary care. Cure.fit (cult.fit) pioneered the fitness-tech category in India.

42. HealthifyMe

AI-powered health and fitness app tailored for the Indian diet and lifestyle. HealthifyMe combines calorie tracking, AI coaching, and human nutritionists for 25M+ users.

43. 1mg

Online pharmacy and digital healthcare platform now owned by Tata Group. 1mg provides medicine delivery, online doctor consultations, lab tests, and health content.

Top EdTech Startups in India

India's edtech sector underwent a massive boom during the pandemic, followed by a correction. The survivors are building sustainable, impactful businesses.

44. BYJU'S

India's most valued edtech company, serving 150M+ learners globally with K-12 learning, test prep, and upskilling. Despite recent challenges, BYJU'S remains a defining force in global edtech.

45. Unacademy

India's largest learning platform for competitive exams. Unacademy's live classes, educator marketplace, and subscription model have democratized access to quality test preparation.

46. UpGrad

Higher education and upskilling platform partnering with top global universities. UpGrad focuses on working professionals pursuing MBAs, data science, and technology courses online.

47. Physics Wallah

The bootstrapped edtech unicorn that disrupted India's test prep market. Physics Wallah (Alakh Pandey) built a massive, affordable learning platform primarily through YouTube, proving that quality education doesn't need venture capital to scale.

48. Classplus

B2B edtech platform enabling coaching centers and tutors to take their businesses online. Classplus provides content delivery, payments, and student management for 100,000+ educators.

Top Mobility & Logistics Startups in India

49. Ola

India's largest ride-hailing platform, now expanding into electric vehicles and AI. Ola Electric is building India's largest EV factory, and Ola's ride-hailing serves 200+ cities.

50. Ather Energy

India's premium electric scooter manufacturer. Ather has set the standard for Indian electric two-wheelers with smart features, fast charging, and genuinely excellent design.

51. Delhivery

India's largest independent logistics company. Delhivery provides express parcel, freight, cross-border, and supply chain services to 25,000+ businesses. Listed on Indian exchanges.

52. Porter

Intra-city logistics platform connecting businesses with trucks and tempos for on-demand goods movement. Porter has become essential infrastructure for Indian commerce.

53. Rapido

Bike taxi and auto rickshaw platform serving 100+ Indian cities. Rapido's low-cost, high-frequency model is perfectly suited for Indian urban transportation.

54. BluSmart

India's first all-electric ride-hailing platform. BluSmart is building EV charging infrastructure alongside its fleet, competing with Ola and Uber in the sustainable mobility space.

55. Euler Motors

Commercial electric vehicle manufacturer focused on last-mile logistics. Euler builds EVs specifically designed for Indian delivery conditions.

Top Enterprise & B2B Startups in India

56. OfBusiness

B2B procurement and financing platform for construction materials. OfBusiness combines raw material procurement with credit financing, serving SMEs in India's massive infrastructure sector. Valued at $5B.

57. Infra.Market

B2B marketplace for construction materials with a private label twist. Infra.Market manufactures and sources materials for institutional customers, now valued at $2.5B.

58. Moglix

B2B commerce platform for industrial goods and MRO (maintenance, repair, operations) supplies. Moglix serves 500,000+ SMEs and 1,000+ large enterprises across India, UAE, and UK.

59. Udaan

India's largest B2B e-commerce platform, connecting manufacturers directly with retailers. Udaan serves 3M+ retailers across categories like electronics, fashion, FMCG, and pharmaceuticals.

60. ElasticRun

Rural commerce and logistics platform that helps FMCG brands reach India's vast rural markets. ElasticRun's network reaches 125,000+ villages through a tech-enabled kirana store network.

Top Consumer Internet Startups in India

61. Swiggy

India's largest food delivery platform, now expanding into quick commerce (Instamart) and dine-out. Swiggy processes millions of orders daily across 500+ cities.

62. Zomato

Food delivery and restaurant discovery platform that went public in 2021. Zomato's content and commerce flywheel, combined with its acquisition of Blinkit (quick commerce), makes it one of India's most influential consumer platforms.

63. Zepto

Quick commerce pioneer that delivers groceries in 10 minutes through a network of dark stores. Zepto's execution speed and operational efficiency have made it India's most-talked-about delivery startup. Valued at $5B+.

64. Dunzo

Same-day delivery and task-running service. Dunzo made instant logistics a consumer habit in Indian cities, though it now faces intense competition from quick commerce players.

65. ShareChat

India's largest social media platform in Indian languages, with 300M+ monthly active users. ShareChat (and its short-video app Moj) serves the massive market of Indian language internet users.

66. Dailyhunt

News and content aggregator serving content in 15 Indian languages to 350M+ users. Dailyhunt is building the information infrastructure for India's next billion internet users.

67. Josh

Short-video platform that surged after TikTok was banned in India. Josh (by VerSe Innovation) grew to 150M+ users by creating a platform purpose-built for Indian creators and audiences.

Top Agritech & Climate Startups in India

68. DeHaat

Full-stack agritech platform serving India's farmers with inputs, advisory, and market linkages. DeHaat's AI-powered advisory and last-mile distribution reaches 2M+ farmers across India's agricultural heartland.

69. Ninjacart

Agri-marketing platform connecting farmers directly with businesses. Ninjacart's supply chain technology reduces food waste and improves farmer incomes by eliminating middlemen.

70. AgroStar

Digital agronomy platform that provides farmers with advisory, inputs, and financing through a mobile-first experience. AgroStar is building the digital infrastructure for India's 120M+ farmers.

71. Ather Energy

(Also featured in Mobility) — Ather's EVs contribute to India's CleanTech & Climate goals by accelerating the transition from petrol two-wheelers to electric.

Top FinTech Infrastructure & InsurTech

78. Setu

API infrastructure for financial services. Setu builds the plumbing that enables any company to embed financial products — payments, lending, insurance, investments — into their apps. Acquired by Pine Labs.

79. ZestMoney

Digital lending platform that pioneered the "Cardless EMI" model in India, enabling millions of consumers without credit cards to access affordable credit at checkout.

80. Digit Insurance

Full-stack digital insurance company. Digit simplified insurance with self-inspection claims, no paperwork, and transparent pricing — growing to become one of India's largest general insurers.

81. Acko

Digital-native insurance company offering auto, health, and gadget insurance. Acko's embedded insurance model partners with platforms like Ola, Amazon, and Zomato to offer contextual coverage.

Top HR Tech & Future of Work

82. Darwinbox

Cloud-based HR management platform serving global enterprises. Darwinbox competes with Workday and SAP SuccessFactors, with 900+ enterprise customers across 100+ countries. Valued at $1.2B.

83. Apna

Professional networking platform for India's grey and blue-collar workforce. Apna's vernacular-first, community-driven approach has created a category-defining platform with 20M+ users.

84. BetterPlace

Workforce management platform for frontline workers. BetterPlace handles onboarding, skilling, attendance, and payroll for the 300M+ informal and contract workers in India.

85. Awign

Work fulfillment platform that converts enterprise tasks into micro-jobs for gig workers. Awign is building the infrastructure for India's gig economy at enterprise scale.

Top Deep Tech & Space Startups

86. Skyroot Aerospace

India's first private company to launch a rocket into space (Vikram-S in 2022). Skyroot is building cost-effective launch vehicles for the small satellite market. See more in Aerospace & Defense.

87. Agnikul Cosmos

Space startup developing on-demand small satellite launch vehicles using 3D-printed rocket engines. Agnikul's approach dramatically reduces rocket manufacturing time and cost.

88. Pixxel

Building a constellation of hyperspectral imaging satellites. Pixxel's satellites capture data across 150+ spectral bands, unlocking insights for agriculture, mining, and climate monitoring.

89. Bellatrix Aerospace

Developing electric and green chemical propulsion systems for satellites. Bellatrix is pushing the frontier of in-space propulsion technology from its Bengaluru labs.

Top Proptech & Real Estate

90. NoBroker

India's largest peer-to-peer property platform, eliminating brokerage fees for renting, buying, and selling. NoBroker proves that even in India's relationship-driven real estate market, technology can disintermediate.

91. Housing.com

Full-stack real estate platform acquired by REA Group. Housing.com combines property search, society management, and home loans in one platform.

Top Web3 & Emerging Tech

92. Polygon

Ethereum scaling platform that's become one of the most widely used layer-2 blockchain networks globally. Originally founded in India, Polygon's technology processes millions of transactions for dApps worldwide.

93. CoinDCX

India's largest crypto exchange, making digital asset trading accessible and compliant in India's evolving regulatory landscape.

94. CoinSwitch

Crypto trading platform that simplified crypto investing for retail Indians with a user-first, education-heavy approach. CoinSwitch onboarded millions during India's crypto boom.

More Top Startups in India (Rounding Out the 100)

95. Urban Company

Home services marketplace for beauty, cleaning, repair, and more. Urban Company standardized service quality and transformed gig work in Indian cities, serving 5M+ customers.

96. OYO

Budget hospitality chain that aggregates and standardizes hotels globally. Despite challenges, OYO remains one of India's most recognized global startup brands.

97. Eruditus

Executive education platform partnering with top global universities (Harvard, MIT, Wharton) to deliver programs to mid-career professionals across 80+ countries.

98. LEAD School

School edtech platform that transforms affordable private schools through a tech-enabled, integrated curriculum system — serving 5,000+ schools across India.

99. Vahdam India

D2C tea brand that ships premium Indian tea to 130+ countries. Vahdam built a global brand by shortening the supply chain — sourcing directly from plantations and selling directly to consumers worldwide.

100. Chaayos

Tea café chain that's building a modern, scalable brand around India's most beloved daily beverage. Chaayos demonstrates how Indian consumer startups can build category-defining food brands.

How to Research These Startups in Depth

This list is a starting point — not the final word. The Indian startup ecosystem evolves rapidly, with new startups emerging monthly and existing ones pivoting, scaling, or getting acquired.

At StartupWiki, we profile hundreds of startups across every category — from FinTech companies transforming financial access to AI & Machine Learning startups building the next wave of intelligence to CleanTech & Climate ventures building a sustainable future. Each profile includes funding data, competitive analysis, business model breakdowns, and go-to-market strategy — exactly the research that helps investors, founders, and talent understand what's happening in the ecosystem.

If you're building an Indian startup that belongs on a list like this one, the StartupWiki launch board is one of the best places to start getting noticed. A verified launch stays in front of the community for a week, and the do-follow backlink to your site continues to earn you SEO value after it. Submit your launch — it takes minutes and costs nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unicorns does India have in 2026?

India crossed 100 unicorns in 2023 and has continued to add more, though at a slower pace as focus shifted from valuation growth to profitability. As of mid-2026, India has approximately 110-115 unicorn companies.

Which city has the most startups in India?

Bengaluru (Bangalore) is India's undisputed startup capital, hosting roughly 35-40% of all Indian unicorns. Delhi-NCR and Mumbai follow as the second and third largest startup hubs. See our guide to startups in Bangalore for a dedicated deep dive.

Which sectors produce the most Indian unicorns?

FinTech leads with the most Indian unicorns (20+), followed by SaaS & Enterprise Tech, E-commerce & D2C, and EdTech. The FinTech and Cloud & Infrastructure categories on StartupWiki feature profiles of many of these companies.

What is the best startup in India?

"Best" depends entirely on your lens. By valuation, Razorpay and PhonePe lead. By profitability, Zerodha and Zoho stand out. By innovation, Pixxel and Skyroot are pushing frontiers. Check our companion guide on the best startups in India for a deeper analysis.

— The StartupWiki Team

Top 100 Startups in India in 2026 — StartupWiki Blog