Have you heard about India’s biggest e-commerce company Flipkart? I am sure you must have. It is the oldest startup in India. Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal established Flipkart as an online bookselling platform, which inspired many young minds to startup.Â
Starting modestly today, Flipkart is the most significant e-commerce player in the Indian market. But do you know what a startup is? A startup is a business founded by one or more entrepreneurs to develop a unique product or service that can satisfy the publics’ needs and bring it to market. A startup includes three essential criteria, namely initiative, social impact as well as employment generation.
Launching a startup can be challenging but never futile. All you need is:
- Idea – which is either a product or a service.
- Investment – to lay the foundation for your business.
- ManPower – to work with the minute details.
- Execution – to take a step forward and make it happen.
- Corporate governance – to avoid trouble, transparency with the government is necessary.
A Broad Perspective of Startups
To be successful, a startup should have realistic goals. It should be both profitable and sustainable, i.e., and it should keep doing business without harming the environment, community, or society as a whole, along with the generation of decent profits.
Chronological Order of Foremost Startups in India
1. Flipkart
- Headquartered in: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
- Year of Inception: 2007
- Labour Force: Approximately 25 thousand
- Revenue: INR 43,615 crores (US$6.3 billion), 2019
Flipkart is a superior e-commerce company in India. It has more than 100 thousand registered sellers and 100 million registered users. Commenced by just two members, Flipkart today is a large company selling millions of products across 80+ categories and having 21 state-of-art warehouses across the nation.
2. Paytm
- Headquartered in: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Year of Inception: 2010
- Labour Force: Approximately 9 thousand
- Revenue: INR 3,579 crores (US$500 million), 2019
This startup provides online payment services to people. People use it all over India, just like they use PayPal. The company offers various modes of payments and financial solutions to its customers, offline merchants, and online platforms.
3. Oyo
- Headquartered in: Gurgaon, Haryana, India
- Year of Inception: 2013
- Labour Force: Approximately 19 thousand
OYO Hotels & Homes is a young hotel startup and is the world’s leading chain in hotels, homes, and spaces. OYO began as a hotel startup and has become the fastest-growing hotel chain in the world today. OYO is operative in over 800 cities in 80 countries.
4. Ola
- Headquartered in Bangalore, India
- Year of Inception: 2010
- Labour Force: Approximately 9 thousand
Ola has transformed the way people commute today by becoming an integral part of their everyday travel. Being an Indian ridesharing company and serving around 250 cities in India, Ola is taking over India as we speak. The Ola app offers mobility services by connecting potential customers to drivers, providing a wide range of vehicles, be it auto-rickshaws, taxis, or cabs. Their biggest competitor is Uber.
5. Renew Power
- Headquartered in: Gurgaon, Haryana, India
- Year of Inception: 2011
- Labour Force: Approximately eight hundred
- Awards: 8th India CSR Awards, VC Circle Awards 2020,Â
Renew Power is a major renewable energy company in India. It provides services developing, building, owning, and operating utility-scale wind and solar energy projects. The company’s current renewable asset base is over 8.5 GW, of which more than 5.4 GW is functioning. It has a strong record of organic as well as inorganic growth.
6. Policy Bazaar
- Headquartered in: Gurugram, Haryana, India
- Year of Inception: 2008
- Labour Force: Approximately 3 thousand
Policy Bazaar is the largest insurance aggregator startup in India. They specialized in the comparative study of insurance policies based on price, quality, vendors, etc. It has become the go-to place for Indian consumers looking for insurance solutions across various products and services. Policy Bazaar is well known for its transparency.
7. Swiggy
- Headquartered in: Bangalore, India
- Year of Inception: 2014
- Labour Force: Approximately 3 thousand
Swiggy has transformed the way India eats. Swiggy is a significant food ordering and delivery platform in the country that three young graduates started. This startup continues to grow and has grown by more than 100% since 2018.
8. Zomato
- Headquartered in: Gurugram, Haryana, India
- Year of Inception: 2008
- Labour Force: Approximately 3 thousand
Zomato is a food place aggregator and food delivery startup in India. It is one of the country’s supreme food technology startups that has turned into an international business. What makes Zomato different from its competitors is its collection of food and drink menus and restaurants’ reviews.
9. Rivigo
- Headquartered in: Gurugram, Haryana, India
- Year of Inception: 2014
- Labour Force: Approximately 2 thousand
Rivigo is a technology company that offers safe and efficient logistical solutions. It caters to solving a natural and fundamental problem of truck driver shortage using an advanced relay model. They aim to provide relay trucking innovation, enabled by technology, data, and operational excellence.Â
10. Delhivery
- Headquartered in: Gurugram, Haryana, India
- Year of Inception: 2011
- Labour Force: Approximately 8 thousand
Delhivery uses superior infrastructure, logistics operations, and cutting-edge engineering and technology capabilities to serve the purpose. This startup has delivered over 650 million orders to more than 250 million households across India and has become India’s leading supply chain services company.
Inspiring Startups during the Coronavirus Pandemic
. Hibachi
A contemplative initiative, a reliable firm, and a promising startup define Hibachi as a whole. Founded by Mr. S. C. Sekhar Varma, who got his inspiration from the scattered market for supplying food items, Hibachi satisfies your mouth, stomach, and wallet, all at once with its new and innovative combinations and exciting deals.
. Courier Cart
Today, where the internet has become the modern-day shopping platform, online delivery has become an integral part of any business. Mr. Tiwari, the founder of Courier Cart, came up with the startup idea of providing pickup and delivery services of parcels at doorstep across India. The benefits are designed for all, be it shop owners, businessmen, students, etc.
Conclusion
There are immense profit-making opportunities today, and startups hold the leading position for the same. Startups in India have a high success, and especially with the advent of the internet and technology, even when the world outside has halted, work keeps ongoing. People are finding alternatives to earn money. All one needs is persistence, which is the key to a successful startup in India or worldwide.
