In this article, we are going to talk about some of the leading unicorn startups in India. But before talking about that, we have to know what does unicorn startup means? What it represents? How this term came into existence and why we use a mythical animal to represent the startups.

 So let’s first know the meaning of unicorn startup.

Unicorn Startup

Unicorn startup is a privately own company that has a valuation of more than $1 billion.  The term was first coined in the year 2013 by venture capitalist Aileen Lee who used this term to represent the rarity of such startups. Although, the no. of unicorn startups has increased this definition has remained intact since then.

In this article, some of the leading unicorn companies as per Hurun Global Unicorn List are being discussed briefly along with their valuation.

Paytm

Valued at US$16bn, Paytm is one of the leading Unicorn start-ups in India. Paytm was founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma in the year of 2010. Paytm allows users to do a number of transactions such as making transfers, paying bills, recharge, shopping, paying payouts, etc. This leading company is headquartered in Noida, a region adjacent to New Delhi.

Oyo rooms

Valued at US$8bn, Oyo is one of the leading chains of hotels, homes, and spaces. Also known as, Oyo Hotels & Homes, it was founded in the year 2013 by Ritesh Agarwal. This privately held unicorn company not only serves in Asia but in America and Europe also. The headquarters of the company is situated in Gurgaon, Haryana.

BYJU’s

Byju’s is an Indian educational technology (ed-tech) company that was included in the unicorn startup list with a valuation of US$8bn. The Byju’s was founded in the year 2011 by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath. Byju’s is an online tutoring firm that works on the freemium model. The headquarters of the firm is situated in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Ola cabs

Ola cabs with the current valuation of US$ 6billion make its place in the list. Ola cabs was founded in the year 2010. The founders of the unicorn startup are Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati. The headquarters of the firm is situated in Bangalore, Karnataka. This ride-sharing company offers its services not only in India but in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand also.

Swiggy

Swiggy- an online food ordering and delivery platform is currently valued at US$3.5 billion.  Swiggy is a unicorn company is based in Bangalore (Karnataka) founded in the year of 2014. The founders of Swiggy are Nandan Reddy, Rahul Jaimini, and Sriharsha Majety.  Currently, more than three hundred cities are served by swiggy.

Zomato

Zomato, one of the leading food delivery app is a unicorn startup that currently valued at US$3.5billion. Zomato was founded in the year 2008. The founders of this food delivery app are Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah.  Zomato is currently serving in more than 10,000 cities.

ReNew power

Valued at US$3bn, ReNew Power is one of the leading renewable energy IPP in India and has been one of the pioneers in the renewable energy landscape. ReNew Power was founded in the year 2011 by Sumant Sinha. This unicorn company is operating various renewable energy projects in several Indian states and setting new benchmarks. In the present time, when global warming and climate change are becoming the major issues, this startup is working to bring eco-friendly solutions.

Zerodha

Zerodha, an Indian financial company is currently valued at US$3bn. Zerodha is a unicorn startup which was founded in the year 2010. The founders of the company are Nithin kamath and Nikhil Kamath. The company is headquartered in Bengaluru. Zerodha is one of the leading retailing stock brokerage firm in India. It offers retail and institutional broking, currencies and commodities trading, mutual funds, and bonds.

Bigbasket

Valued at US$2.5Bn, Bigbasket is one of the online grocery supermarkets in India. Bigbasket was founded in the year 2011. The founders of the BigBasket are Abhinay Choudhari, Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh, and VS Sudhakar. Some of the key investors of the company are Alibaba Group, PaytmMall, and Helion Venture Partners. The company is headquartered in Bengaluru has a very diverse portfolio containing 12000 products and over 1000 brands.

Udaan

Udaan is a B2B e-commerce Company which is currently valued at US$2.5Bn. Udaan is India’s fastest growing startup that has achieved the status of a unicorn. Udaan is operated by Hiveloop Technology private limited founded in the year 2016. The founders of the company are Amod Malviya, Vaibhav Gupta, and Sujeet Kumar. Some of the key investors of the firm are DST Global, Yuri Milner, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The headquarters of the Udaan is situated in Bangalore, Karnataka.