The past year has proven to be a formidable challenge for startups across various sectors. It was marked by a funding winter, widespread layoffs, leadership transitions, and a more cautious approach from investors. However, as history has often shown, times of uncertainty can act as catalysts for adaptation, innovation, and the emergence of new opportunities within burgeoning industries. Notably, India’s startup landscape has witnessed several remarkable developments: the space tech sector is reaching new heights, artificial intelligence-focused companies are drawing significant investor interest, edtech firms are exploring innovative business-to-business models, and electric vehicle (EV) startups are driving green mobility while investing in EV charging infrastructure.
In the spirit of celebrating innovation and resilience, we present our 6th annual LinkedIn Top Startups list. This list is a testament to the unwavering spirit of entrepreneurship that thrives even in challenging times. It features 20 dynamic Indian companies that have not only navigated through the recent economic and workplace uncertainties but have also captured the attention of both investors and top talent along the way.
A Valuable Resource for You
This list serves as a valuable resource for professionals like you. Each featured company offers insights into the roles, skills, and functions currently in demand. If any of these startups piques your interest, you can connect with employees working at these companies or set up job alerts to stay informed about future opportunities.
Let’s delve into the exciting world of India’s top startups for 2023:
1. Zepto
- Full-time headcount: 1400+
- Headquarters: Mumbai, India
- Year founded: 2021
- Most common skills: Business Management, Data Science, Development Tools
- Most common job titles: Shop Manager, Business Operations Manager, Category Manager
- Largest job functions: Operations, Engineering, Sales
What they do: Zepto is a quick commerce company that delivers groceries and essentials across 10 cities in India. This Mumbai-based startup made waves by securing $200 million in funding in August and becoming India’s first unicorn of 2023.
2. BluSmart
- Full-time headcount: 620
- Headquarters: Gurugram, India
- Year founded: 2018
- Most common skills: Development Tools, Business Management, Data Science
- Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Mobile Application Developer, Product Manager
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Operations, Customer Success and Support
What they do: BluSmart offers electric ride-hailing services in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru with its 4,500-strong electric car fleet. Founded in 2019, the startup aims to expand its fleet to 10,000 cars by the end of the year and invest more in setting up electric chargers across India.
3. Ditto Insurance
- Full-time headcount: 250+
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2018
- Most common skills: Communication, Business Management, Advertising
- Most common job titles: Insurance Advisor, Financial Advisor, Customer Service Quality Manager
- Largest job functions: Sales, Business Development, Finance
What they do: Founded in 2018, Ditto Insurance is an insurtech startup that helps people compare plans, understand policies, and purchase insurance through its online platform. The company is actively looking to hire hundreds of freshers in the coming year.
4. Pocket FM
- Full-time headcount: 480+
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2018
- Most common skills: Writing, Video, Advertising
- Most common job titles: Editor, Audio Engineer, Creative Director
- Largest job functions: Media and Communication, Engineering, Marketing
What they do: Pocket FM is an audio series platform that offers audio entertainment across various genres and Indian languages through its extensive 100,000+ hour content library. As of 2018, the company boasts 80 million listeners globally.
5. Skyroot Aerospace
- Full-time headcount: 260
- Headquarters: Hyderabad, India
- Year founded: 2018
- Most common skills: Machining, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Operations
- Most common job titles: Propulsion Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Quality Assurance, Operations
What they do: Skyroot Aerospace, based in Hyderabad, specializes in futuristic space-launch vehicle design and building. With its maiden mission “Prarambh,” the startup made history in 2022 by becoming the first Indian private company to launch a rocket into space.
6. GoKwik
- Full-time headcount: 275
- Headquarters: New Delhi, India
- Year founded: 2020
- Most common skills: Development Tools, Data Science, Data Storage Technologies
- Most common job titles: Customer Experience Manager, Product Manager, Sales Manager
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Customer Success and Support, Product Management
What they do: GoKwik provides data and technology-driven solutions for eCommerce and D2C brands to enhance customer experience throughout the shopping journey. The startup leverages AI/ML technologies to address challenges like Return to Origin (RTO) and aims to democratize the shopping experience.
7. Fi
- Full-time headcount: 400
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2019
- Most common skills: Development Tools, Data Science, Web Development, Data Storage Technologies, Leadership
- Most common job titles: Product Manager, Risk Analyst, Back End Developer
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Finance, Operations
What they do: Fi is a financial app with an integrated savings account that also offers mutual fund investment options and other financial services, including personal loans in collaboration with regulated entities. The company is actively seeking backend engineers, DevOps experts, and professionals in product design and analytics roles.
8. Sprinto
- Full-time headcount: 150+
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2019
- Most common skills: Business Management, Sales Operations, Development Tools
- Most common job titles: Full Stack Engineer, Customer Experience Manager, Product Manager
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Sales, Marketing
What they do: Sprinto specializes in automating Information Security compliances and privacy regulations for software-as-a-service companies. The startup assists in monitoring entity-level risks and controls. Since its inception in 2020, Sprinto has supported more than 15 compliances.
9. Supersourcing
- Full-time headcount: 120
- Headquarters: Indore, India
- Year founded: 2020
- Most common skills: Business Management, Development Tools, Web Development
- Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Account Manager, Product Manager
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Human Resources, Sales
What they do: Supersourcing operates as a B2B AI-enabled platform for hiring remote engineers. It connects businesses, including medium and small-sized enterprises, and
funded startups, with pre-vetted developers. The startup plans to hire more than 200 freshers in the coming year.
10. GrowthSchool
- Full-time headcount: 180
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2021
- Most common skills: Communication, Digital Marketing, Graphic Design
- Most common job titles: Marketing Analyst, User Experience Researcher, User Experience Designer
- Largest job functions: Marketing, Arts and Design, Information Technology
What they do: GrowthSchool collaborates with instructors to create cohort-based courses covering personal and professional growth topics such as marketing, design, and business. Founded in 2021, GrowthSchool plans to onboard 70-80 freshers in the coming year.
11. Jar
- Full-time headcount: 180+
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2021
- Most common skills: Development Tools, Data Science, Web Development
- Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Product Design Consultant, Mobile Application Developer
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Marketing, Arts and Design
What they do: Jar is an automated gold savings app that enables users to save spare change from their online transactions and invest it in digital gold. The app also offers manual savings options on daily, weekly, or monthly intervals. Launched in 2021, Jar currently boasts more than 1.5 crore users.
12. Shyft
- Full-time headcount: 70
- Headquarters: Gurugram, India
- Year founded: 2019
- Most common skills: Communication, Business Management, Digital Marketing
- Most common job titles: Sales Manager, Yoga Instructor, Product Design Consultant
- Largest job functions: Sales, Community and Social Services, Marketing
What they do: Shyft, formerly known as Mindhouse, is a wellness and life management and tracking platform. It offers health, yoga, nutrition, and dermatology programs and provides personalized employee health and wellness solutions to corporates.
13. Teachnook
- Full-time headcount: 130+
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2021
- Most common skills: Communication, Development Tools, Business Management
- Most common job titles: Academic Advisor, Business Development Executive, Brand Management Specialist
- Largest job functions: Business Development, Education, Sales
What they do: E-learning platform Teachnook offers curated programs to help students upskill in topics like Web3, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality, business development, and performance marketing. It also provides courses and mentorship programs where students can receive guidance from industry experts.
14. StockGro
- Full-time headcount: 60+
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2020
- Most common skills: Development Tools, Business Management, Digital Marketing
- Most common job titles: Outreach Manager, Technician, Community Specialist
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Marketing, Media and Communication
What they do: Bengaluru-based social investment platform StockGro aims to educate young investors about trading and investment. It allows users to build their trading skills in a simulated environment, follow experts and top investors, and provides investment recommendations and portfolio management solutions.
15. Exponent Energy
- Full-time headcount: 185
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2020
- Most common skills: Manufacturing Operations, Business Management, Development Tools
- Most common job titles: Design Engineer, Test Engineer, Embedded Software Engineer
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Operations, Quality Assurance
What they do: Exponent Energy is on a mission to simplify energy solutions for electric vehicles (EVs). The startup offers a rapid 15-minute charging solution for EVs and aims to power 25,000 EVs by the end of 2025 while deploying 1,000 charging stations.
16. Housr
- Full-time headcount: 100
- Headquarters: Gurugram, India
- Year founded: 2019
- Most common skills: Business Management, Communication, Digital Marketing
- Most common job titles: Sales Executive, Property Manager, Content Manager
- Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Marketing
What they do: Housr focuses exclusively on millennials and working professionals, offering luxury co-living and accommodation solutions across five Indian cities with over 75 properties. The company aims to fully automate its properties and expand to other Tier 1 and 2 cities across India.
17. AccioJob
- Full-time headcount: 190
- Headquarters: Gurugram, India
- Year founded: 2018
- Most common skills: Development Tools, Communication, Web Development
- Most common job titles: Full Stack Engineer, Web Development Specialist, Business Operations Analyst
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Operations, Community and Social Services
What they do: Run by IIT Delhi alumni, edtech startup AccioJob offers courses in full-stack web development and data analytics. The company also provides placement services and facilitates career guidance and mentorship from industry experts.
18. TravClan
- Full-time headcount: 190+
- Headquarters: New Delhi, India
- Year founded: 2019
- Most common skills: Communication, Business Management, Digital Marketing
- Most common job titles: Account Manager, Software Engineer, Marketing Associate
- Largest job functions: Operations, Sales, Engineering
What they do: TravClan is a B2B platform that offers business solutions for travel companies, including flight and hotel bookings, travel websites, payment gateways, and marketing material. It also operates as a Destination Management Company across more than 18 domestic and international destinations.
19. DotPe
- Full-time headcount: 450+
- Headquarters: Gurugram, India
- Year founded: 2019
- Most common skills: Business Management, Sales Operations, Data Science
- Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Sales Consultant, Account Manager
- Largest job functions: Sales, Business Development, Engineering
What they do: DotPe provides omni-channel selling solutions, including Point of Sale, e-commerce websites, QR codes, payments, and delivery services. It offers a comprehensive food tech package for food and beverage companies, an all-in-one platform for retail firms to expand online, and customer relationship management tools for service-based businesses.
20. Fasal
- Full-time headcount: 170*
- Headquarters: Bengaluru, India
- Year founded: 2018
- Most common skills: Development Tools, Data Science, Business Management
- Most common job titles: Mechanical Engineer, Product Design Consultant, Artificial Intelligence Specialist
- Largest job functions: Engineering, Community and Social Services, Operations
What they do: Fasal is a full-stack platform for horticulture farming that initially aimed to eliminate uncertainty in farming. Using its AI-driven platform
, the company offers farmers farm-specific, crop-specific, and crop-stage-specific actionable advisory. This assistance helps reduce cultivation costs, improve crop quality, and enhance yields.
Conclusion
These 20 Indian startups represent the resilience, innovation, and growth potential of the country’s dynamic startup ecosystem. They have successfully navigated challenging times and emerged as beacons of hope and inspiration. As they continue to chart new territories and shape the future of their respective industries, these startups invite professionals like you to join their journey.
Whether you are seeking opportunities for growth or simply intrigued by their missions, these startups offer a window into the exciting world of entrepreneurship in India. Join the conversation and explore potential career paths with the hashtag #LinkedInTopStartups.
Methodology
LinkedIn’s Top Startups list is curated based on four key criteria: employment growth, engagement, job interest, and the attraction of top talent. Employment growth is assessed as the percentage increase in headcount over a specific time frame, with a minimum requirement of 10%. Engagement considers the views and follows of the company’s LinkedIn page by non-employees, as well as the number of non-employees viewing the profiles of employees at the startup. Job interest quantifies the rate at which individuals view and apply to job postings at the company, including both paid and unpaid listings. The attraction of top talent measures how many employees the startup has successfully recruited from any global LinkedIn Top Company, expressed as a percentage of the startup’s total workforce. Data is standardized across all eligible startups, and the evaluation period is from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.
To be eligible for inclusion, companies must meet specific criteria, including being fully independent, privately held, having 50 or more full-time employees, being five years or younger, and being headquartered in the country represented on the list. Excluded from consideration are staffing firms, think tanks, venture capital firms, law firms, management and IT consulting firms, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, accelerators, and government-owned entities. Startups that have laid off 20% or more of their workforce, based on corporate announcements or reliable public sources, between July 1, 2022, and the list’s release date, are also ineligible for inclusion. These determinations are made by the LinkedIn News team based on company statements and credible news reports.
About Company Insights
Company insights were sourced from LinkedIn Talent Insights. The data reflects aggregated public member data from active LinkedIn profiles within the relevant country, including full-time employee profiles associated with the company on LinkedIn. Part-time or contractor profiles were excluded from the analysis. Headcount figures were provided by the companies themselves, unless otherwise noted with an asterisk, in which case, the data is derived from LinkedIn. All insights are based on a 12-month period, looking back from July 2023. Skills data was obtained by identifying the most frequently mentioned skills among a company’s employees. The most common job titles represent the roles most prevalent within each startup, while the largest job functions denote the primary functional areas within each company.
Reported by: Isha Chitnis
Methodology and insights by: LinkedIn Economic Graph team
Senior Managing Editor: Nirajita Banerjee
Special Projects Leads: Natalie MacDonald (APAC), Michele Pierri (International), Juliette Faraut
Regional Lead: Pooja Chhabria
International Executive Editor: Sandrine Chauvin
Honoree companies: 1. Zepto | 2. Blusmart | 3. Ditto Insurance | 4. Pocket FM | 5. Skyroot Aerospace | 6. GoKwik | 7. Fi | 8. Sprinto | 9. Supersourcing | 10. GrowthSchool | 11. Jar | 12. Shyft | 13. Teachnook | 14. StockGro | 15. Exponent Energy | 16. Housr | 17. AccioJob | 18. TravClan | 19. DotPe | 20. Fasal
