India’s top 20 start-ups to work for, according to LinkedIn — most are new on the list

The days of easy money are over as entrepreneurs face a funding winter amid a slowing global economy — and start-ups in India are not exempt. 

According to a local report, venture funding came in at $2.19 billion from January to March, dropping from the $11.34 billion invested in the same quarter last year.

However, there are sectors that have “demonstrated resilience amid challenging times,” said Pooja Chhabria, LinkedIn APAC’s head of editorial. 

“Fintech remains a bright spot for investors despite the downturn, especially as we see funding on the recovery path and global tech giants eyeing fintech in India,” she added. 

“The rise of edtech also underscores the continued demand for upskilling among professionals and students, especially with rapid changes due to technologies such as AI.”

This is reflected in the “LinkedIn Top Start-ups 2023″ list for India — which is dominated by fintech-related firms but also includes two new edtech entrants. 

There are 14 new entrants this year, which is “a reflection of a booming entrepreneurial ecosystem and a spirit for innovation,” Chhabria added. 

In compiling the list, LinkedIn drew on in-house data, measuring start-ups based on four aspects: employment growth, jobseeker interest, engagement, and ability to attract talent from LinkedIn’s top companies. 

To be eligible, companies had to be headquartered in India and have 50 or more employees.  LinkedIn said it also lowered its age criteria from seven years or younger, to five years and below to “feature more companies in their earlier, venture stages of growth.” 

Here’s the full list of India’s top start-ups for 2022, according to LinkedIn:

20. Fasal — IT services and consulting

19. DotPe — Software development 

18. TravClan — Software development 

17. AccioJob — E-learning 

16. Housr — Hospitality

15. Exponent Energy — Motor vehicle manufacturing 

14. StockGro — Financial services 

13. Teachnook — E-learning

12. Shyft — Wellness and fitness

11. Jar — Financial services 

10. GrowthSchool — E-learning

9. Supersourcing — Software development

8. Sprinto — Software development

7. Fi — Financial services 

6. GoKwik — Software development

Skyroot Aerospace was founded four years ago by engineers and former scientists from the Indian Space Research Organization. In 2022, it became the first private Indian company to launch a rocket into space. Skyroot Aerospace told Reuters that it’s expecting at least two launches in 2024, following the success of India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Audio series platform Pocket FM offers audio entertainment across multiple genres and Indian languages in its library with more than 100,000 hours of content. According to the company, it serves around 80 million listeners globally.

Founded in 2018, this fintech start-up helps users compare insurance plans, understand policies and buy insurance through its online platform. According to LinkedIn, Ditto Insurance is looking to hire “hundreds of freshers” in the coming year.

Most common skills: Development tools, business management, data science

BluSmart offers electric ride-hailing services in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru with its 4,500-strong electric car fleet. Founded in 2019, the start-up said it will be using its latest cash injection of $42 million to expand this fleet to 10,000 cars by the end of this year and invest in more charging stations across India.