The LinkedIn Startups 2021 list captures the rise of fintech players with three contactless payment solutions–CRED, RazorPay, and FamPay–making it to the top 25.
Edtech startup Unacademy has won the number one spot in the Linked 2021 25 Top Startups in India followed by B2B e-commerce platform Udaan, and fintech firm CRED. The list reflects the top 25 companies that have continued to attract investment, employees, and attention in 2021.
LinkedIn looked at platform data from July 2020 to June 2021 across four pillars: employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement with the company and its employees, and how well these startups pulled talent from LinkedIn’s flagship Top Companies list.
In order to be eligible, companies must be seven years old or younger, have at least 50 employees, be privately held, and be headquartered in India.
Unacademy, with a valuation of $3.44 billion, took the number one position. Unacademy – which bills itself as the “Netflix of education” eyes new categories like upskilling, hiring and creator-led courses. The SoftBank-backed startup has rolled out stock options to reward its teachers for loyalty and plans to give out nearly $40 million in grants over the next few years.
With these top three unicorns, and nearly 60 per cent of the 2021 LinkedIn Top Startups India List based out of Bengaluru, the city has reinforced its reputation as the “Silicon Valley of India”. Others in the top 10 include upGrad (4th), Razorpay (5th), Meesho (6th), Skyroot Aerospace (7th), boAt (8th), Urban Company (9th) and Agnikul Cosmos (10th).
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. The companies on the list are also at the forefront of what’s next for employees promoting greater flexibility, deeper engagement, and improved wellness offerings,” said Ankit Vengurlekar, India Managing Editor, LinkedIn News.
Vengurlekar further added that “the pandemic has shifted how we think about our careers and lives, and these companies are leading the way with employment opportunities and innovative plans for how we approach the future of work.”
The report further noted that amid the digital boom, India remained bullish on upskilling, which reflects across the list with Unacademy, upGrad, and LIDO (19th) featuring as the top ed-tech and mentorship players.
The list also captures the rise of fintech players as the top three contactless payment solutions featured on the list include CRED, RazorPay, and FamPay (24th).
[Inputs from PTI]
