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India has seen a great 2019, with several startups joining the unicorn club.
But the last decade has truly been the decade of startups.
Here’s a look at the top 10 most funded startups of since 2010, according to data sourced from Tracxn.
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Indian startups are closing the decade with a bang. India will enter 2020 with a tag of being the world’s third largest startup ecosystem. This year, eight startups joined the unicorn club taking the number of total unicorns to over 30. And, 50 more lined up as soonicorns or soon-to-be unicorns.
It is not just the year, the decade itself brought a crucial change into the startup ecosystem. It was longer a silent watcher of the internet boom but became an important part of the digital growth.
India’s startups have captured the attention of consumers and money bags – the VCs and PE firms, alike. It is not just Indian investors but global investors are increasing positions into the country’s innovators.
The noise around the startup ecosystem in India, saw the entry of not just global startups in India but also of international VC firms who set up shop in the country.
This decade, the country’s biggest e-commerce deal ever was executed as Walmart acquired 75% of Flipkart in 2018.
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As 2019 comes to an end, here’s a look at the top 10 most funded startups of the decade, according to data sourced from Tracxn.
Paytm received a total funding of over $3.5 billion
The startup that became unanimous with digital payments in India – Paytm is the decade’s most funded startup, as it received a total funding of over $3.5 billion. Founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma in 2010, Paytm has raised investments from SoftBank, Berkshire Hathaway, Alibaba, SAIF Partners and several others. As of November, Paytm has hit a reported valuation of $16 billion.
Ola comes a close second with $3.28 bn funding
India’s answer to Uber, the ride-hailing unicorn Ola is the second most funded startup. It raised a total funding of $3.28 billion. The startup founded by Bhavish Aggarwal has raised money from Steadview Capital, Hyundai, Kia, Sachin Bansal and several others. According to reports, Ola is looking to raise another round of funding which will take its valuation to $10 billion.
OYO Rooms raises over $3 bn as promoter hikes stake
Indian hospitality unicorn OYO Rooms has raised over $3 billion in funding. Founded in 2013 by Ritesh Agarwal, OYO has become one of India’s biggest startups which is aiming to be the world’s largest hotel chain. Of late, the startup has been mired in multiple controversies from hotel owners complaining over payments. Agarwal himself pumped in money into the startup to raise his stake in the business.
Swiggy, challenging the Indian foodtech space
Foodtech giant Swiggy raised over $1.5 billion from investors like Accel, SAIF Partners, Naspers, DST Global, Tencent among others. In India, Swiggy is facing tough competition from Zomato and Ubereats. Founded in 2014 by Sriharsha Majety, Rahul Jaimini, Nandan Reddy, Swiggy has over 1,60,000 restaurant partners across 500 cities in India. It also has a fleet of over 2.25 lakh active delivery partners.
ReNew Power Ventures is leveraging India’s solar and wind potential
The renewable energy startup was founded by Sumant Sinha in 2011 and has raised over $1.4 billion through the years. Based out of Gurgaon, the company claims to be India’s largest independent power producer. The company currently has a renewable asset base of over 8 GW. Of this, more than 5 GW is operational.
Grofers is at the doorstep of the unicorn club
The grocery retail startup has raised over $1.2 billion so far. Grofers was founded in 2013 by Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar. In May 2019, SoftBank led a $200 million funding in the startup, bringing Grofers at the door of the unicorn club. Recently, Grofers expanded its operations to a total of 27 cities across India also covering Tier 2 cities.
Byju's – India’s first edtech unicorn
The first Indian edtech unicorn has raised $970 million so far, from leading investors like Times Group, Qatar Investment Authority, Tencent, Lightspeed Venture Partners and several others. According to reports, Byju’s is now valued at $5.7 billion. In May 2019, the startup said that it had turned profitable, thanks to an increase in the number of paid users, at 2.8 million. This number has doubled since last year, when it stood at 1.26 million in June 2018.
BigBasket – the grocery unicorn
Indian e-grocery startup BigBasket has raised over $885 million so far and also catapulted itself to the unicorn status this year. The last round of funding in March was led by the startup’s existing investor Alibaba while South Korean firm Mirae Asset joined its group of investors. In a recent interview, Hari Menon, co-founder and CEO of Bigbasket said that the company is looking at doubling its revenue to ₹70 billion in FY20.
Udaan called as one of the fastest growing unicorns of India
The B2B e-commerce platform, Udaan has raised $870 million so far and also recently turned a unicorn. Founded in 2016 by Amod Malviya, Vaibhav Gupta, and Sujeet Kumar, Udaan has raised money from Hillhouse Capital Group, GGV Capital, DST Global, Tiger Global Management, SoftBank and several others.
Delhivery – the first unicorn of 2019
This Indian logistics unicorn is also the first unicorn of 2019. Delhivery has raised over $780 million so far. Founded in 2011 by Sahil Barua, Mohit Tandon, Bhavesh Manglani, Suraj Saharan, Kapil Bharati, Delhivery shot to unicorn status after it raised $395 million from SoftBank. The startup managed to create a stronghold with partners like e-commerce unicorns like Flipkart and Paytm amongst others.