The Most Valuable Startups In India In 2020

India’s startup ecosystem, once a fledgling niche industry, is now a full-fledged global giant. India is home to the third highest number of startups in the world, the world’s biggest startup funds actively invest in India, and Indian talent has found itself in the world’s biggest tech companies. But even in India, several world-class startups that have been created, andd many have attained some jaw-dropping valuations. These are the most valuable startups in India in 2020.

1.Paytm
$16 billion (Rs. 1,12,000 crore)

Paytm is perhaps India’s most ubiquitous startup — its payment QR codes are now found at shops big and small, it sells everything from movie tickets to gold, and the cashbacks it pioneered have been adopted by the entire industry. Paytm is now nearly a decade old, but is venturing into newer businesses, like selling mutual funds and even setting up a cloud platform. Its founder, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, is now comfortably a billionaire, and the company he’s founded is now worth $16 billion. 

 

2.Oyo Rooms
$10 billion (Rs. 70,000 crore)

Oyo is another startup that’s fairly ubiquitous — from Delhi to Dalhousie, its hotel boards are visible wherever you go. Oyo has seen a breathtaking increase in its valuation over the last 19 months — until October 2018, it wasn’t even worth $1 billion, but had then raised a mega $1 billion round to be valued at $5 billion. Since then, it’s set up more rooms in China than in India, expanded into the US, Japan and Saudi Arabia, and is now worth $10 billion, making it the second among the most valuable startups in India.

3. Ola Cabs
$6.32 billion (Rs. 44,240 crore)

Ola Cabs has not only managed to stave off the challenge from what was once the world’s most valuable startup — Uber — but has managed to create a thriving business in its own right. Ola now runs everything from cabs to bike taxis to shared taxis to even a ferry service, and is now worth $6.32 billion. While now all of its bets have played out — it had acquired Foodpanda in 2017, but ended up shutting it down — it’s still third on the list of most valuable startups in India.

4. Byju’s
$5.75 billion (Rs. 40,250 crore)

Byju’s journey has been quite something to behold — what had started off as a single man helping his friends crack the CAT exam is now one of the world’s largest ed-tech companies. It’s now the sponsor of the Indian cricket team, an honour that was previously reserved for decades-old companies, it’s signed Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador, and even more incredibly, it’s profitable, becoming the first Indian consumer unicorn to reach the milestone. Byju’s is now fourth on the list of most valuable startups in India with a valuation of $5.75 billion.

5. Swiggy
$3.3 billion (Rs. 23,100 crore)

Swiggy had started off as a food delivery service, but is now looking to become much more. It delivers groceries through Swiggy Stores, and has started a Dunzo-like conceirge service as well. While it has expanded into newer verticals, it has also expanded its geographical footprint, and is now available in 500 cities across India. Investors have rewarded Swiggy with its expansion, and the company is now valued at $3.3 billion.

6. Udaan
$2.3 billion (Rs. 16,100 billion)

Udaan is the youngest startup on this list. Founded only in 2016, it had become the fastest Indian startup to reach the $1 billion valuation in 2018. Since then, it’s managed to raise its valuation to $2.3 billion, placing it sixth on the list of most valuable startups in India. Udaan is a B2B trade platform, which is designed specifically for small and medium business in India. Udaan aims to bring traders, wholesalers, retailers and manufacturers in India on to a single platform, from where they can transact among themselves and grow their businesses.

7. Zomato
$2.18 billion (Rs. 15,260 crore)

Zomato had started off aggregating restaurants online, but has gone on to do several different things since then. It’s started delivering food, it runs the popular Zomato Gold loyalty program, and even runs Hyperpure, which delivers fresh ingredients to restaurants. For being the leader in the food tech space in India, Zomato is valued at $2.18 billion.

8. Delhivery
$1.5 billion (Rs. 10,500 crore)

Delhivery is one of the most recent additions to India’s unicorn club. It had been founded in 2011, and initially delivered shipments for e-commerce companies in NCR. By 2018, Delhivery has delivered 250 million shipments — that’s nearly one shipment for every fifth Indian. It now has 21,o00 employees, and operates 30 fulfillment centers in 12 cities. It’s also earned itself a valuation of $1 billion, putting it on the list of the most valuable startups in India.

9. Policy Bazaar
$1.5 billion (Rs. 10,500 crore)

Policy Bazaar has been selling insurance online for a while now, and it’s managed to earn itself a valuation of $1.5 billion. Policy Bazaar now sells Rs. 3000 crore of insurance premiums, and has revenue of Rs. 600-700 crore. What’s more, it’s among the handful of startups in India that’s profitable.

10. Lenskart
$1.5 billion (Rs. 10,500 crore)

Lenskart had started off selling eyewear online, but has managed to build up a sizable offline presence — its stores are now dotted all over the country, and the discounts it offers have managed to earn it quite a few customers. Lenskart is now valued at $1.5 billion, putting it on the list of India’s most valuable startups.

11. InMobi
$1 billion (Rs. 7000 crore)

InMobi is quite an old hand at the startup game. Its ad business makes it worth $1 billion, and it continues to be on the list of the most valuable startups in India.

12. Dream11
$1 billion (Rs. 7000 crore)

Dream11 is the product of India’s new economy — until a few years ago, fantasy games weren’t even mainstream in India, but now Dream 11 is worth a cool $1 billion. Dream11 now has expanded into fantasy games beyond just cricket, earned itself some big-name investors in the form of Alibaba, and is worth $1 billion.

13. Big Basket
$1 billion (Rs. 7000 crore)

Big Basket was amongst the first few companies to deliver groceries at home in India. And while newer competitors have come and gone, Big Basket is still the only grocery delivery company to be on the list of most valuable startups in India with a valuation at $1 billion.