Zepto Tops LinkedIn’s 2025 ‘Top Startups India’ List for the Third Year in a Row

In a landscape where startups rise and fade with dizzying speed, one name continues to stand tall — Zepto. The Mumbai-based quick commerce giant has once again clinched the No. 1 position on LinkedIn’s “Top Startups India 2025” list, marking an incredible third consecutive win. Following closely behind are Lucidity, an enterprise cloud storage player, and Swish, a fast-growing 10-minute food delivery startup that’s reshaping how Indians dine and dash.

The annual list, released by LinkedIn on Wednesday (October 15), celebrates India’s most promising and resilient startups — the ones where professionals aspire to work, grow, and build meaningful careers.

LinkedIn Top Startups 2025

A Hat-trick for Zepto

From redefining urban grocery delivery to becoming a poster child of India’s quick commerce revolution, Zepto’s dominance on this list is no coincidence. The company, co-founded by Stanford dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, has consistently combined speed with scale — both in its operations and in its hiring.

This third consecutive win underscores how Zepto has managed to do what few Indian startups have — sustain explosive growth while maintaining a strong talent brand. In an era where retention and culture are as crucial as funding and valuation, Zepto seems to have found that delicate balance.

The New Contenders: Lucidity and Swish

Following Zepto on the 2025 list is Lucidity, an enterprise cloud storage firm that has quickly become the backbone for many growing Indian businesses navigating data-heavy operations. With enterprises rushing to modernize their tech stacks, Lucidity’s rise signals the growing demand for secure, scalable, and homegrown storage solutions.

At the third spot is Swish, a 10-minute food delivery platform that has been making waves for its lightning-fast service model and deep integration with local cloud kitchens. Swish’s inclusion also highlights the continuing evolution of India’s hyperlocal ecosystem, even amid debates about sustainability and profitability in the “10-minute delivery” race.

The Method Behind the Ranking

LinkedIn’sTop Startups India list isn’t just a popularity chart — it’s built on proprietary data that captures the real pulse of professional engagement. The ranking evaluates startups across four key metrics:

1. Employee growth – indicating how fast teams are expanding.

2. Member engagement – showing how much interest professionals have in these companies.

3. Job interest – reflecting the volume of people wanting to work there.

4. Ability to attract top talent – based on hiring trends and retention.

To even qualify, startups must tick some strict boxes — they must be privately held, headquartered in India, employ at least 30 people, and be no older than five years. Importantly, any company that has undergone mass layoffs in recent months is automatically excluded.

The data window for the 2025 rankings spanned from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, giving LinkedIn an entire year’s worth of insights into how these companies navigated growth, competition, and the evolving talent landscape.

Despite global funding headwinds and changing investor sentiment, the energy around India’s startups remains vibrant and forward-looking. Lists like LinkedIn’s serve as both recognition and reflection — showcasing how some young companies continue to inspire professionals even in challenging times.

From quick commerce to cloud technology and hyperlocal food delivery, the diversity among the top-ranked startups this year also paints a picture of India’s maturing entrepreneurial ecosystem — one that’s no longer limited to fintech or edtech, but expanding rapidly into every aspect of urban living.

As Zepto celebrates its hat-trick, and newcomers like Lucidity and Swish ride the momentum, one thing is clear: India’s startup talent engine is nowhere close to slowing down.