OYO tops LinkedIn's first Startups List for India; Cure.Fit, Dunzo follow

The professional network ranked Indian startups based on employment growth, engagement, job interest, and attraction of top talent.

LinkedIn has announced its inaugural Top Startups List for India based on “the billions of actions taken by more than 50+ million professionals on LinkedIn in India”.

The top three spots go to hospitality startup OYO, health and wellness startup Cure.Fit and on-demand local delivery service Dunzo. 

The professional network, which counts India among its top markets, revealed the list “is fuelled by proprietary LinkedIn data including employment growth, engagement, job interest, and attraction of top talent combined with an editorial lens.” The time frame for the list was July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018.

Others to make it to the top 10 include Rivigo (logistics), Digit Insurance (fintech), Little Black Book (local discovery), Republic World (broadcast media), The Minimalist (design and branding), Razorpay (digital payments), and Nineleaps (product development accelerator).

Adith Charlie, India Editor, LinkedIn, said:

“The Top Startups List, an extension of the Top Companies franchise, brings to light how these young companies are disrupting industries and attracting talent in India. The debut edition of the India list sees a diverse mix of consumer-driven businesses and B2B startups across industries such as health and wellness, hospitality, fintech, and ecommerce.”

LinkedIn indicated that B2B companies constitute nearly 50 percent of the list whereas 20 percent of the companies, Nineleaps, Zapr Media Labs, BrowsterStack, SigTuple, and Exadatum are deep tech startups.

All 25 startups to make it to the list “through their unique offerings and bold leadership represent the thriving startup landscape in India, the third largest startup ecosystem in the world,” LinkedIn stated.

Top startups now have begun to realise that “employee is king”. This was a common thread in all companies featured in the list.

“Startups recognise the value of imbibing a sense of belonging in their workforce,” LinkedIn said. “Another emerging trend is the adoption of unique employee engagement models,” it added.

Cure.Fit, for instance, offers its employees unlimited leave, fixed increments every six months, weekly cricket matches and a concierge service for personal tasks. At Jumbotail (a B2B e-marketplace that connects neighbourhood stores with their suppliers), 80 percent weightage to peers feedback is given as opposed to 20 percent weightage to the manager’s rating.

LinkedIn’s Adith stated, “Professionals turn to LinkedIn for news, views, and insights to stay informed, to hire, or to get hired. LinkedIn’s unique data helps us identify the top trends that drive India’s young economy – why these are the most preferred places to work for professionals today and how their innovative business ideas are changing the way we live.”