Zepto leads LinkedIn’s top 20 startups list; 14 new entrants in 2024

Professional social network LinkedIn, in its annual ranking of emerging companies, has listed quick commerce platform Zepto as the top choice startup where professionals want to work. The list for India, dominated by software-focused start-ups, shows 20 emerging Indian companies, which are growing fast as well as building innovative solutions.

LinkedIn says its Top Startups India List 2024 is fuelled by data based on actions of over 1 billion members globally across four core areas: employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement within the company and its employees, and how well these startups have pulled talent from the flagship LinkedIn Top Companies list. The platform says the list will help professionals discover “emerging companies” across industries and equip them with the right insights.

Ranked number 1, Mumbai-headquartered Zepto has around 2,613 full-time employees. India’s first unicorn of 2023 is an e-grocery company present across 10 Indian cities, with plans to enter 10 new cities. In June, the company raised $665 million in funding at a $3.6 billion valuation.

The Bengaluru-headquartered Sprinto, ranked 2, has around 240 employees. It is into making compliance faster and easier for tech companies. Software startup Lucidity, ranked 3, has around 78 employees. Headquartered in Bengaluru, it helps enterprises move data to cloud storage and harness cloud-native functionalities.

GrowthX, ranked 4th, is based in Pune. It offers exclusive membership for founders, and product, marketing, and business professionals. The benefits include learning programmes, curated community experiences, and support for tangible outcomes at work.

The number 5 on the list is Bengaluru-based Jar, which has 316 employees. The micro-savings platform encourages people to save through a “piggy bank”-like concept. The automated investment app allows users to save and invest money into digital gold and also offers daily savings and instant loan features.

The other startups in the top 20 list include Wiingy, SourceBae, BiofuelCircle, Supersourcing, Battery Smart, Scrut Automation, MindPeers, Oben Electric, Convin, GIVA, TravClan, Bijak, GoKwik, Refyne India and Plum.

LinkedIn says while the e-grocery platform retains the top spot, several other emerging companies in the software category have grabbed top spots. These include compliance firms Sprinto (2) and Scrut Automation (11), biofuel supply chain platform BiofuelCircle (8), conversation intelligence platform Convin (14), e-commerce platform GoKwik (18), and cloud storage management platform Lucidity (3), which debuts this year.

The top startups list also features a diverse mix of finance and insurance services firms like Jar (5), Plum (20), Refyne India (19), HR tech companies like Supersourcing (9), SourceBae (7), and EV companies such as Battery Smart (10) and Oben Electric (13).

LinkedIn says this year’s list is a reflection of India’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem. "Bengaluru continues to thrive with half of the top startups headquartered in the city. 14 startups are new entrants in this year’s list and several first-time categories like biofuel, compliance, and mental health point to the diversity of career opportunities for professionals eyeing the world of start-ups,” says Nirajita Banerjee, Career Expert and Head of Editorial, LinkedIn India.

The social professional platform says to be eligible for the ranking, companies were required to be headquartered in India, fully independent, privately held, with 50 or more full-time employees, and 5 years old or younger.