Startup Street Special: Rise of India’s tech-driven entrepreneurs

As India complete 75 years of Independence, it is known today for its galloping economy, its abundant youth capital and its startup ecosystem, which is the world’s third largest — 75,000 startups and 100 unicorns,. Since India entered this millennium, there have been few catalysts as powerful as its tech-driven entrepreneurs, the ones who came from humble backgrounds, but were full of hunger and energy to drive the India growth story by building digital businesses for the mobile first generation.

Last year Indian startups raised a record $35 billion compared to just $5 billion in 2016 and in the next two to four years, India could cultivate another 100 unicorns as per a Hurun report. Many of these new billion-dollar startups will emerge from tech-savvy small-town India.

However, it is imperative to take a look at the challenges that startups are facing today. Profitability remains elusive, tech route elicits no confidence, and funding winter turns into a layoff season. While that’s the current environment that narrative sustained. Startups are set to impact India at scale.