Unicorns and Soonicorns of India
The term Unicorn was coined by Aileen Lee (founder of Cowboy Ventures) in 2013. Unicorn refers to technology start-ups valued at more than a billion dollars. In 2013, the United States had 39 unicorns, while the number of unicorns of India was zero. In 2019, India ranked third in Hurun Global Unicorn List. Amazing, isn’t it?
Unicorns of India (2014-19)
| Name | Industry | Business | Valuation (US$ billions) | Launch Year | Unicorn since |
| InMobi | Tech | Enterprise platforms for marketers | 1.0 | 2007 | 2014 |
| Ola | Transportation | Ride-sharing, taxi, food delivery | 6.2 | 2010 | 2014 |
| Snapdeal | Retail | E-commerce | 1.0 | 2010 | 2014 |
| Quikr | Media | Classified advertising | 1.0 | 2008 | 2015 |
| Hike | Tech | Freeware, messaging, and voice over IP | 1.4 | 2012 | 2016 |
| ShopClues | Retail | Online marketplace | 1.1 | 2011 | 2016 |
| Paytm Mall | Financial services | E-commerce | 15.0 | 2010 | 2017 |
| ReNew Power | Energy | Renewable energy | 2.0 | 2011 | 2017 |
| BillDesk | Financial services | Online Payments | 1.8 | 2000 | 2018 |
| Flipkart | Retail | Online store | 22.0 | 2007 | 2018 |
| Freshworks | Tech | Enterprise software | 1.5 | 2010 | 2018 |
| Musigma | Tech | Data analytics and management consulting | 1.5 | 2004 | 2018 |
| OYO | Hospitality | Budget lodging website | 10.0 | 2013 | 2018 |
| Pine Labs | Financial services | Merchant payment platform | 1.0 | 1998 | 2018 |
| Policy Bazaar | Financial services | Insurance plan aggregator | 1.0 | 2008 | 2018 |
| Swiggy | Transportation | Online food ordering and delivery | 3.3 | 2014 | 2018 |
| Think and Learn Private (Byju’s) | Tech | Education technology and tutoring | 5.4 | 2008 | 2018 |
| Udaan | Logistics | B2B trading platform | 2.3 | 2016 | 2018 |
| Zomato | Transportation | Restaurant aggregator and food delivery | 2.5 | 2008 | 2018 |
| Big Basket | Retail | Online megastore | 1.2 | 2011 | 2019 |
| CitiusTech | Healthtech | Healthcare technology services | 1.0 | 2005 | 2019 |
| Delhivery | Logistics | Third-party logistics | 1.6 | 2011 | 2019 |
| Dream11 | Media | Fantasy sports platform | 1.5 | 2008 | 2019 |
| Druva | Tech | Cloud-based data protection | 1.0 | 2014 | 2019 |
| Icertis | Tech | Contact management software | 1.0 | 2009 | 2019 |
| Ola Electric | Automotive | Mobility | 1.0 | 2017 | 2019 |
| Rivigo | Logistics | Logistics | 1.0 | 2014 | 2019 |
But that’s not all. ‘Soonicorn’ is another related term that was recently coined which refers to the start-ups that are soon to be unicorns. Inc42 came up with the list of Indian soonicorns with the potential of becoming unicorn by 2020 and here it goes.
Soonicorns of India (2020)
- BankBazaar
- Capillary Tech
- CarDekho
- CarTrade
- Cure.fit
- DailyHunt
- Fino Paytech
- FirstCry
- GreyOrange
- Grofers
- LendingKart
- LensKart
- Livspace
- Capital Float
- Droom
- Mswipe
- Pepperfry
- Power2SME
- Practo
- Rategain
- ShareChat
- Urban Ladder
- XpressBees
- Zoomcar
- Zerodha
- IndiaMart
- Nazara
- BookMyShow
As we can see, the start-up industry in India has really prospered in recent years. According to Inc42, by 2025, India’s unicorn club will touch the 100 mark. So, if you wish to launch a start-up, this is the perfect time.
Just do it.
Good Luck!
