India added 1,300 start-ups in 2019, including 7 unicorns

India added over 1,300 start-ups, including 7 unicorns in 2019, making the country the third biggest start-up ecosystem in the world behind China and the US, according to a new report from industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom). The total funding received by start-ups in 2019 stood at $4.4 billion, said the report, adding that total investment in the start-up ecosystem increased by 16 per cent year-on-year in 2019.

The cumulative valuation of the start-ups has now crossed $55 billion. The addition of 7 new unicorns in 2019 has brought up their overall number to 24, according to the report titled "India`s Tech Start-up Ecosystem".

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These 7 unicorns are Pune-based software company Icertis, Bengaluru-based Ola Electric, Delhi-based logistic courier service provider Delhivery, Gurugram-based cargo service Rivigo, Pune-based data protection and management-as-a service Druva, Mumbai-based fantasy sports platform Dream11 and Bengaluru-based online grocery store BigBasket.

The Indian start-up ecosystem has the potential to grow four times by 2025, it added.

"There are multiple levers propelling this remarkable growth of the ecosystem that are bolstering the Indian start-ups as well as creating an environment conducive for continued innovation," said Nasscom president Debjani Ghosh.

"What stands out most starkly in this report is how various elements of the ecosystem are coming together in symphony to give rise to an orchestra of innovation - right from government support, evolution of the investor landscape, increase in participation from the corporates, growth of national digital infrastructure, to incredible global exposure," she said.

The report showed that during 2014-2019, an estimated 8,900 to 9,300 start-ups were born, with their overall base growing at 12-15 per cent year-over-year.

While Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai are home to 55-58 per cent start-ups in India, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Kochi are the emerging start-up hubs in the country, said the report that Nasscom brought out in collaboration with global management and strategy consulting firm Zinnov.