Unicorns Unacademy, Udaan, and CRED have been named the top three start-ups on the 2021 LinkedIn Top Start-ups List for India.

LinkedIn on Wednesday launched the fourth edition of the 2021 LinkedIn Top Start-ups List for India, as determined by the actions of more than 76 million professionals in India on the platform.

The annual LinkedIn Top Start-ups list includes 25 young, emerging companies where India wants to work now.

“These 25 companies have continued to grow and attract talent and investment in these times of change,” LinkedIn said in an official release.

LinkedIn looked at platform data from July 2020 to June 2021 across four pillars to put together the list. This includes employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement with the company and its employees and how well these start-ups 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.

Top players

Ed-tech platform Unacademy took the top spot on the list, with its valuation surging to $3.44 billion. The platform is bullish on new learning paths for upskilling, hiring, and creator-led courses.

It is followed by B2B e-commerce platform Udaan which grabbed the second spot. The company focusses on solving core trade problems for SMBs, retailers, and manufacturers with its “India-fit low-cost” business model.

Fintech platform CRED came in third. CRED aims to simplify payments for credit card holders and various e-commerce transactions.

Digital transformation has been a predominantly remote reality during the Covid-19 pandemic. As companies accelerate their digital transformation journey, India remains bullish on upskilling.

This is evident across the list with Unacademy, upGrad which stood fourth on the list, and LIDO at 19 featuring as the top EdTech and mentorship players.

The list also captured the rise of Fintech players as the top three contactless payment solutions featured on the list include CRED at the third spot overall on the list, RazorPay at the fifth, and FamPay at 24.

While edtech, fintech, and cloud-based platforms led the way, increased digitisation and investor interest have promoted the expansion of agri-tech start-ups such as nurture.farm which stood 14th on the list and Ninjacart at 22.

Multiple AI-driven customer service start-ups and space tech players also made their debut on the list such as Cogno AI that came in 17th and Verloop.io that took the 20th spot. Sace-tech player Skyroot Aerospace took the seventh spot and Agnikul Cosmos stood at the tenth spot.

With the top three unicorns, and nearly 60 per cent of the 2021 LinkedIn Top Start-ups India List based out of Bengaluru, the city has reinforced its reputation as the “Silicon Valley of India,” LinkedIn said.

Here’s the complete list of top 25 startups as announced by LinkedIn:

  1. Unacademy
  2. Udaan
  3. CRED
  4. upGrad
  5. Razorpay
  6. Meesho
  7. Skyroot Aerospace
  8. boAt
  9. Urban Company
  10. Agnikul Cosmos
  11. ShareChat
  12. Pristyn Care
  13. Dunzo
  14. nurture.farm
  15. Schbang
  16. BluSmart
  17. Cogno AI
  18. NoBroker
  19. LIDO
  20. Verloop.io
  21. Groww
  22. Ninjacart
  23. Trell
  24. FamPay
  25. Mobile Premier League

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

“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. 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,” added Vengurlekar.

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