Inspiring Success Stories of Indian Startups

They had a thought in mind. They quit their comfortable jobs. They put in a lot of effort. History was made by them.

A brand-new generation of startups is emerging in India and making waves both domestically and internationally. They are motivating success tales of individuals who have forged their own paths of invention and aspiration.

1. Make My Trip

Make My Trip, the invention of IIM Ahmedabad alumnus Deep Kalra has over the years transformed the travel sector. It was first introduced to the US market in 2000 to meet the needs of NRIs traveling to India and America. In India, it began operations in 2005 with the sale of airline tickets. After a few years, Make My Trip was listed on NASDAQ and made 3 acquisitions the following year. It has received countless accolades and recognition on a global scale.

2. Flipkart

This one wouldn't be unfamiliar to anyone! Due to its first-mover advantage in the Indian online market, Flipkart enjoyed tremendous success a few years ago. Since Sachin and Binny Bansal, both IIT-D graduates, had experience working with Amazon, they introduced the idea to the Indian market. In 2007, they began selling books; today, they sell nearly everything, from stationery to jewellery, from CDs to personal care products. For approximately INR 2,000 crore, it purchased Myntra.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Flipkart.com has a valuation of $11 billion, placing it among the top five global billion-dollar start-ups.

3. Zomato

Zomato, which was introduced in 2008, hasn't been any less popular. It covers more than 331,200 eateries across 19 nations. It began as Foodiebay.com and was recognized as one of India's most promising internet businesses after just two years. It later received widespread acclaim after two more years.

The co-founders, Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, always desired to forge their own path, one that would be fraught with difficulties. Zomato's growth was agonizingly slow at first because they had no funding. The situation quickly changed, making Zomato what it is today.

4. redBus

RedBus was founded in 2006 and has experienced incredible growth in recent years. This start-up, which offers hotel and bus ticket booking online, was successful due to its original concept of making bus ticket purchasing simpler for the average person. The BITS Pilani students Phanindra, Sudhakar, and Charan came up with this idea when one of them, Phanindra, was unable to return home for Diwali because he was unable to purchase a bus ticket. At the time, they were all employed by reputable MNCs, so starting redBus.in was a huge risk for them. The rest, as they say, is history, but that risk paid off.

5. Housing.com

Twelve IIT-B graduates from Mumbai co-founded Housing.com, a real estate search engine, with the goal of bringing transparency to the real estate market. The exponential rate at which Housing.com has expanded is admirable. Considering that it was only founded two years ago, the response has been phenomenal. Housing.com overcame many obstacles to achieve great success. Since its founding in 2012, it has raised money in four different rounds.

6. InMobi

Entrepreneurial know-how and a creative idea led to the establishment of the industry-dominating mobile ad network InMobi in 2007. Harvard Business School graduate and former McKinsey employee Naveen Tewari wanted to create something he could call his own. It struggled before it finally tasted success. People weren't sure if an Indian company could succeed because it operated internationally.

Despite the challenges, it has received positive feedback from all over the world and is now one of China's biggest mobile ad networks. Its transformation from a start-up to an MNC is undoubtedly motivating.

7. FreeCharge

FreeCharge is an online store that was established in 2010 by Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon. By giving customers coupons from retailers with a value equal to that of the mobile recharge, it has made mobile recharge free. Its success can be attributed to the fact that both customers and retailers benefit from it. Like any start-up, FreeCharge had to overcome many obstacles because everyone thought it was too good to be true and didn't take it seriously. Some retailers believed the idea of "free" would hurt their reputation.

FreeCharge has, however, been able to fix the majority of its issues. They now have partnerships with numerous production companies, including Sony Pictures, YRF, UTV, etc.

8. Ola Cabs

Who would have imagined that booking cabs would be so much simpler a few years ago? Ola Cabs has made cab rides more affordable compared to auto-rickshaw rides. IIT-B graduates Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, who co-founded Ola Cabs, were employed by MNCs prior to embarking on the perilous path of entrepreneurship.

After Bhavish's weekend road trip in a rental car went horribly wrong, this idea was born. In this area, he aimed to give consumers convenience and transparency. Ola Cabs joined the league of the highest-valued start-ups in the nation last October when it raised about $210 million at a valuation of almost $1 billion.

9. Teach for India

Teach For India, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Teach For All international movement, works to guarantee top-quality education for all children. Shaheen Mistri established TFI in 2007 because she firmly believes that every child can and should receive a top-notch education. For the same purpose, TFI offers a fellowship through which it enlists recent graduates and young professionals to work for two years as full-time teachers in low-income schools. Teach For India is currently active in 7 cities, with 910 Fellows and 660 Alumni devoted to eradicating educational inequality.