ET Startup Awards 2026: Top ‘Startup of the Year’ Nominees Revealed

The Economic Times has revealed the contenders for its prestigious ‘Startup of the Year’ award, part of the 12th annual ET Startup Awards 2026. Six companies are vying for the top honor, representing diverse sectors from logistics to spacetech.

This coveted recognition celebrates breakthrough innovation, exceptional execution, and rapid growth. The strength of founding and management teams also plays a crucial role in the selection process.

Meet the ‘Startup of the Year’ Nominees

Bengaluru-based Porter, co-founded by Uttam Digga and Pranav Goel, delivers on-demand logistics solutions. The company serves both small and medium enterprises and individual customers.

• Founded in 2014, Porter specializes in last-mile delivery.
• Their services utilize a range of vehicles for efficient transport.
• Key investors include Kedaara Capital, Wellington Management, and Tiger Global.

Hyderabad’s Skyroot Aerospace, established by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, holds the distinction of being India’s first spacetech unicorn. They focus on developing rockets to provide dedicated orbital access.

• Founded in 2018, Skyroot builds vehicles for small satellite operators.
• Their Vikram-1 vehicle successfully reached Low Earth Orbit in July 2026.
• The company is actively developing the larger Vikram-2 and reusable rocket technology.
• Investors include GIC, Temasek, BlackRock, and Arkam Ventures.

Rapido, co-founded by Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli, and Rishikesh SR, operates as India’s largest ride-hailing platform. The Bengaluru-based firm offers two-, three-, and four-wheeler taxi services.

• Operating in 400 cities, Rapido has a broad reach across India.
• The company recently expanded into food delivery with its ‘Ownly‘ app.
• ‘Ownly’ targets value-conscious consumers in the competitive food delivery market.
• Major investors include Prosus, Nexus Venture Partners, and WestBridge Capital.

Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal co-founded Bengaluru’s Meesho, an e-commerce marketplace renowned for its focus on low-priced, unbranded products. They primarily cater to non-metro markets.

• Founded in 2015, Meesho offers apparel, home goods, and electronics.
• The company also launched ‘Meesho Mall‘ for branded products.
• Meesho went public in December 2025.
• Its valuation stands at over $9 billion.

Groww, launched by Lalit Keshre, Harsh Jain, Neeraj Singh, and Ishan Bansal, is India’s largest investment platform. This Bengaluru-based company targets new-generation retail traders.

• Founded in 2016, Groww provides direct mutual funds and stockbroking services.
• The platform aims to become India’s leading wealth platform.
• Groww went public in November 2025.
• Its market capitalization exceeds $12 billion.

Bengaluru-based Sarvam, founded by Pratyush Kumar and Vivek Raghavan in 2023, is an AI company building foundational models. It is the first Indian firm to develop large language models from scratch.

• Sarvam has built 105 billion and 30 billion parameter models.
• They provide AI applications specifically tailored for Indian users.
• Clients include enterprises, government agencies, and developers.
• Investors incl…

These six nominees exemplify the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit driving India’s startup ecosystem. The final winner of the ‘Startup of the Year’ will be announced at the ET Startup Awards 2026, highlighting a company that has truly made a significant impact.