Unicorns Unacademy, Udaan, and CRED top LinkedIn’s Indian start-ups list

LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network, has launched the fourth edition of its top start-ups in India. The annual list reveals 25 young emerging companies in India.

It was made using data from July 2020 to June 2021 led by employee growth, jobseeker interest, and member engagement with the company and its employees. The companies must be seven years old or younger, have at least 50 employees, be privately held, and be headquartered in India.

The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation for companies and consumers alike. Amid this digital boom, India remains bullish on upskilling, which reflects across the list with Unacademy (#1), upGrad (#4), and LIDO (#19) featuring as the top EdTech and mentorship players.

“The 2021 LinkedIn Top Startups list displays the dominance of consumer Internet startups, and showcases how digital transformation is a critical growth lever for companies today,” Ankit Vengurlekar, India Managing Editor, LinkedIn News, said.

The list also captures the rise of Fintech players as the top three contactless payment solutions featured on the list include CRED (#3),  RazorPay (#5), and  FamPay (#24) are helping India shop safely amid the ongoing health crisis.

The country’s largest learning platform Unacademy takes the first position on the list, with its valuation soaring to $3.44 billion. Following suit is India’s largest B2B e-commerce platform Udaan, which works towards solving core trade problems for SMBs, retailers, and manufacturers with its unique “India-fit low-cost” business model.

Taking the last podium spot is CRED, an Indian fintech company that aims to simplify payments for credit card holders and various e-commerce transactions.

Nearly 60% of the 2021 LinkedIn Top Startups India List based out of Bengaluru, the city has reinforced its reputation as the “Silicon Valley of India”.