upGrad tops the 2020 LinkedIn Top Startups list of Edtech startups, followed by Cred, a credit card rewards programme, and Unschool, another Edtech business.
Based on four metrics-employee growth; job-seeker interest; member interaction with the organisation and its employees, the 2020 LinkedIn Top Startups list ranked businesses. A business had to be 7 years of age or younger, and have at least 50 employees, to be included on the list.
- Upgrad
- According to LinkedIn, the start-up not only saw an improvement in its core MBA and vertical data science but also collaborated with local universities to deliver new courses. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the company had announced pay cuts of up to 30 percent but agreed to restore original wages and refund the deducted sum after a turnaround in sales.
- Cred
According to LinkedIn, the Credit Card Rewards Platform was swift to roll out new products aimed at solving liquidity problems soon after the COVID-19 outbreak began in India. The business focuses on wealthy clients, a strategy that gives it the confidence to prioritise size over sales for the moment.
- Unschool
A marketplace for e-mentorship where subject matter experts can tutor learners, Unschool has tapped rewards and gamified models during the pandemic to expand its internal workforce. As the T-Hub-incubated startup aims to capitalize on the e-learning boom, paying subscribers and sales have increased almost 10-fold since February.
- Unacademy
Unacademy, which helps students prepare for competitive exams, has had a stellar run: it became the second e-learning startup to join the unicorn club in India, acquired multiple companies to diversify their deals, and launched new products to supercharge their growth. Buoyed by a rise of 100 percent in its subscriber base since the pandemic began,
- Whatfix
Earlier this year, Whatfix, a software-as-a-service company that helps organizations accelerate digital adoption and improve user experience through enterprise applications, raised $32 million in Series C funding. Whatfix sees good tailwinds going ahead as remote work becomes the norm and more companies go online.
- RazorPay
Since April, Razorpay ‘s payments platform has seen demand grow by 50 percent month-on-month, leading it to introduce a number of new features aimed at small businesses, freelancers, and end-users. In line with the digitization in the midst of the pandemic, utility payments on Razorpay have shot up, although the start-up continues to see strong growth for its neo-banking arm.
- Zigram
Zigram is doubling its engineering and product creation in areas related to digital transformation, risk management, and improved data asset quality to exploit the opportunities provided by the pandemic, LinkedIn says. The start-up, which develops and manages customer data properties, needs to be “amazing in an unpredictable world to be consistent, consistent, creative, and trustworthy.”
- Yellow Messenger
Yellow Messenger, which provides conversational automation through platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Assistant, has been in the grip of action: in April, it closed its $20 million Series B investment, met its growth goals in the last two years, and is spreading to the US and the EU.
From brand names like Schlumberger and Accenture to recent additions like Unicommerce and Spencer, as brands look to go direct-to-consumer, the company’s customer list is growing.
- PeeSafe
Pee Safe, which with its revolutionary offerings has disrupted the female hygiene market, introduced items such as hand sanitisers, surface protectants and face masks just before the start of the pandemic. Since March, the business has seen a spike in online sales, which offset a drop in footfall at physical stores.
- UrbanClap
For Urban Company (formerly Urban Clap), the business has bounced back to pre-COVID levels, powered by its home-based grooming, appliance repair and maintenance services. In the company’s third employee stock option buyback initiative, approximately 120 employees through designations and positions have recently made money.
