[Year in Review 2021] From the oldest unicorn in the ecosystem to the youngest: A lookback
In 2021, a total of 44 Indian startups entered the unicorn club — taking the total to more than 2X of the number of unicorns that the ecosystem had until 2020.
Rajiv Bhuva
Tuesday December 28, 2021 , 3 min Read
Rightfully hailed as the year of unicorns, 2021 saw 44 Indian startups cross the $1-billion valuation, entering the coveted unicorn club — taking the total to more than double of the 33 unicorns India saw cumulatively between 2011 and 2020.
YourStory Research reveals that India is now home to a total of 77 active unicorns with a cumulative valuation of more than $203.6 billion.
In 2021, coveted valuation within 6 months.
, founded by Ananth Narayanan earlier this year, made a new record by becoming the youngest Indian unicorn when it achieved theThe D2C (direct-to-consumer) house of brands startup raised a Series B funding of $135 million led by Alpha Wave Ventures (erstwhile
) with participation from all existing investors — , , and .(Naspers) also invested in this latest funding round, marking its first investment in this space.
So far, Mensa Brands has raised over $300 million in equity and debt.
Cumulatively, India’s 77 active startup unicorns have been around for over 570 years. Chennai-based NBFC entered the unicorn club this year.
, which was incorporated in 1984, took 37 years, and alsoWhile the 44 unicorns of 2021 have raised nearly $17.8 billion over the years, they raised over $12.3 billion during 2021, across 86 funding transactions that involved multiple round-types.
On a quarterly-basis, the third quarter (Q3) of 2021 was the busiest with 28 funding deals cumulatively witnessing investments of $4.7 billion, followed by Q4 when 24 deals worth over $3.9 billion were clinched.
In 2021, fintech continued to lead the pack with 10 new entrants to the unicorn club — starting from first insuretech player to achieve the unicorn status. Months later, in October, joined the club as well after it raised a Series D round of funding of $255 million.
, which also became thebecame the youngest fintech unicorn in April, raised three funding rounds in total this year, and its current valuation is more than $4 billion.
, founded by Kunal Shah in 2018,2021 was a year of firsts. Investors’ unicorn search went beyond just the metros and Tier-I cities as Jaipur-based
became India’s first non-metro unicorn.In October, the automobile classifieds platform raised $250 million — $200 million equity in a Series E round and $50 million debt in its pre-IPO round.
Then, fresh meat brand India's first D2C unicorn after it raised $52 million in a Series G round, led by IIFL AMC's Late-Stage Tech Fund.
becameThis year also saw the formation of India’s first as well as second crypto unicorns —
and .