“Fortune favours the brave.” Today, with the use of AI, founders have found new ways to build their products, automate work, and operate with limited resources. According to LinkedIn data, four out of ten professionals across the globe have credited AI with starting a business. But like everything, it also has a flipside. As more ideas successfully turn into companies, the market is now becoming crowded with unprecedented competition. With the present market scenario, starting a company is becoming more feasible with AI tools, but standing out is the real struggle. 

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Amidst the fierce landscape, which startups are breaking through? The list of the top 10 emerging Indian startups attracting talent and gaining business momentum, as per the LinkedIn 2026 ranking, is as follows.

1. Zepto: 

Founded in 2021 by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, Zepto is a quick-commerce application delivering groceries,  electronics, beauty products, apparel, and more across more than 50 cities in India. Expanding beyond deliveries, the company also runs Zepto Café, offering a vast menu of more than 200 items. With headquarters located in Bengaluru, Zepto now has over 5,000 employees working across diverse fields. 

2. topmate.io: 

The Bengaluru-based platform enables professionals to monetise their content and expertise via paid consultations, webinars, online courses, and digital products. topmate.io was founded in May 2021 by Ankit Agarwal, Dinesh Singh, and Pawan Kumar, with headquarters in Bengaluru. 

3. Matiks:

Math-focused gaming startup Matiks was founded in 2024. The application combines cognitive training with competitive games. It offers logic, puzzles, and mental math games and a one-on-one live gameplay arena for players across more than 50 countries. It is headquartered in Bengaluru with over 35 full-time employees. 

4. Figuring Out Media & Education:

The Mumbai-based company produces media content to power the Figuring Out Podcast, which is founded and hosted by Raj Shamani. Its largest job functions include Media and Communication, Marketing, and Arts and Design, and it was founded in 2022. 

5. Zetheta Algorithms Private Limited:

Headquartered in Mumbai, the fintech startup was founded in 2023. It offers a risk-profiling tool for investment advisors and wealth management. Furthermore, the startup uses AI-powered project assessment to help students and freshers connect with potential employers. 

6. Snabbit:

Earlier this year, the quick-service application closed a $56-million funding round as per LinkedIn data. Working with over 400 employees, the startup was founded in 2024 and has grown by leaps and bounds since. It offers on-demand home services, including home cleaning, salon, and cooking services, across 10 Indian cities and 150 micro-markets. 

7. Emergent:

The AI-powered development platform helps in monetizing your ideas by turning them into an app using plain-language prompts. In July, the company reached a milestone of becoming a unicorn with a $130-million funding round, based on LinkedIn data shared. The startup was founded in 2024 with headquarters in San Francisco. 

8. Weekday (YC W21):

This AI-recruitment startup runs on outbound sourcing campaigns to find the right talent match. It helps professionals search and apply for jobs across the web. The platform was founded in 2021 by Amit Singh (CEO), Chetan Dalal, and Anubhav Malik (CTO).

9. Sarvam:

Founded in 2023, the full-stack Generative AI platform joined the unicorn elite club in June with a $234-million fundraise. Sarvam is an Indian AI startup headquartered in Bengaluru and aims to build sovereign AI for India through products like voice and coding agents and APIs. 

10. Palmonas:

The Pune-based jewellery startup aims to make luxury affordable. The Indian demi-jewellery brand is co-designed and backed by Shraddha Kapoor.  From daily-wear gold chains for women, to fuss-free diamond rings, to modern takes on the silver mangalsutra, Palmonas offers silver, platinum-plated silver, and gold jewellery. The company has 78 stores across India and plans to expand into Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar by the end of the year. 

How LinkedIn Measures Startups?

LinkedIn measures startups based on four pillars:

1. Employment Growth:  Measured as a percentage employee increase over the specified time frame. It must be a minimum of 5%.

2. Job Interest:  Rate at which people view and apply to jobs at the company, including paid internships and unpaid postings. 

3. Engagement:  It is the non-employee views and follows of the company’s LinkedIn page, along with how many non-employees are viewing employees at that startup. 

4. Attraction of top talent:  It measures how many employees have been recruited by the startup away from any global LinkedIn Top Company, as a percentage of the startup’s total workforce. 

Across all eligible startups, data is normalised, and the time frame is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.