Which IIT Built the Most Unicorns? Check Complete Campus List with Valuations
The article analyzes how Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been pivotal in India's tech startup wave, producing numerous billion-dollar companies. It provides a campus-wise breakdown of unicorn founders from IIT Delhi, Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, and Roorkee, along with their company valuations.
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been functioning as a main stage at offering India's tech startup wave for the past decade. It is functioning as a model from which many billion-dollar startups have emerged. Different IIT systems have made contributions to the innovation ecosystem offering an optimal environment for young minds to grow and flourish. IIT Delhi has been at the top of producing a number of unicorn founders. The famous names include Flipkart, Zomato, and Meesho. While other institutions like IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur are also a part of this wave, producing multi-million startups. In this article, we provide students a complete analysis of how many unicorns came from each of the IIT schools and the famous names behind these big startups.
IIT Unicorn Founders 2026: Overview
Check which IIT is at the top preparing unicorns for the country.
| Particulars | Descriptions |
| Top IITs Producing Founders | IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee |
| Key Unicorn Startups | Flipkart, Zomato, Myntra, Swiggy, Razorpay etc. |
| Notable Founders | Sachin & Binny Bansal, Mukesh Bansal, Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar |
| Number of IITs | 23 |
Campus-Wise Breakdown: IIT Delhi
IIT Delhi is known as the best for boosting the digital economy through its curriculum, ecosystem, and network of renowned alumni. The famous alumnus includes co-founders of companies like Flipkart and Zomato, multi-billion-dollar companies such as those valued between $27 billion and $37 billion, as well as companies such as PolicyBazaar, Meesho, and CarDekho involved in the finance technology and commerce sectors.
| Company | Founder(s) | Estimated Latest Valuation |
| Flipkart | Sachin & Binny Bansal | $37B |
| Zomato / Eternal | Deepinder Goyal | $25 - 28B |
| PolicyBazaar / PB Fintech | Yashish Dahiya | $7.5 - 8B |
| Meesho | Vidit Aatrey & Sanjeev Barnwal | $3.5 - 5B |
| CarDekho | Amit & Anurag Jain | $1.2 - 1.5B |
Campus-Wise Breakdown: IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay is another top institution offering entrepreneurs and successful innovators in India. The graduates from here have established multibillion companies in several industries, from electric vehicles and financial tech companies like Ola and Groww to logistics and realty companies like Delhivery, Cars24, and NoBroker.
| Company | Founder(s) | Estimated Latest Valuation |
| Ola | Bhavish Aggarwal & Ankit Bhati | $7.3B |
| Groww | Lalit Keshre & co-founders | $3B |
| NoBroker | Akhil Gupta (co-founder/CTO) | $1B |
| Cars24 | Vikram Chopra | $3.3B |
| Delhivery | Suraj Saharan | $4.5B |
Campus-Wise Breakdown: IIT Kanpur
IIT Kanpur has produced business leaders who have transformed traditional industries into large digital networks. Graduates from the institutions are Urban Company and Moglix, and on the back of multi-billion dollar enterprises such as ShareChat and Myntra.
| Company | Founder(s) | Estimated Latest Valuation |
| Urban Company | Abhiraj Bhal, Varun Khaitan | $2.4B |
| Moglix | Rahul Garg | $2.6B |
| ShareChat (Mohalla Tech) | Ankush Sachdeva, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Farid Ahsan | $5B |
| Myntra (co-founder) | Mukesh Bansal | $2.5B |
| Rivigo | Deepak Garg | $1.0B |
Campus-Wise Breakdown: IIT Kharagpur
IIT Kharagpur's alumni network anchors several prominent startups, producing healthcare tech unicorns like Innovaccer alongside scale-ups like B2B marketplace Udaan. The campus footprint also extends to consumer internet and logistics giants including Swiggy, Porter, and Slice.
| Company | Founder(s) | Estimated Latest Valuation |
| Innovaccer | Abhinav Shashank, Kanav Hasija | $3.2B |
| Udaan (co-founder) | Amod Malviya | $1.8B |
| Swiggy | Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy | $10.7B |
| Porter | Pranav Goel | $1.2B |
| Slice | Rajan Bajaj | $1.5B |
Campus-Wise Breakdown: IIT Madras
IIT Madras is known for offering exposure and good connections across business domains. The famous startup founders are Zetwerk and Uniphore, who are also its famous alumni. While graduates of IIT Madras have been consistent in being innovators like Ather Energy and Zenoti in the field of sustainable technology.
| Company | Founder(s) | Estimated Latest Valuation |
| Zetwerk | Amrit Acharya | $3 - 4B |
| Uniphore | Umesh Sachdev, Ravi Saraogi | $2.5B |
| Ather Energy | Tarun Mehta, Swapnil Jain | $1.5B |
| Zenoti | Sudheer Koneru | $1.0B |
Campus-Wise Breakdown: IIT Roorkee
Many IIT Roorkee alumni have established large technology companies, such as Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar co-founded Razorpay. The company values at $7.5B, and major technology firms are part of the network, like Mohit Saxena, co-founder of InMobi.
| Company | Founder(s) | Latest Valuation |
| Razorpay | Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar | $7.5B |
| InMobi (co-founder) | Mohit Saxena | $2.1B |
Note: These valuations are based on different sources; we don’t claim the data provided here.
Do students need an IIT to found a startup?
No, it is not necessary to need IITs to set up startups or to need success. However, it is true that IITs offer good opportunities, ecosystems, and alumni networks, and access to early business capitals. But the real skill in growing these startups is problem-solving, market execution, and resilience. This can be learned by getting adequate exposure, which is possible anywhere.
Most flourishing startups in India and around the world have been started by students coming from non-IIT background.
Also check| No JEE Advanced or GATE? Check Alternative Options To Get into IIT in 2026
Jaya Gupta is an Education Content professional with over four years of experience in writing marketing and academic content, alongside a year of experience working with an indie publishing house. Currently, she is covering higher education content for Jagran Josh (Jagran New Media), leveraging her academic knowledge. She specializes in covering management, engineering, law, medical colleges, study abroad and GATE exams. She holds a Master's degree in English Literature, successfully qualified the 2024 UGC NET, and has guided more than 100 students in framing effective study-abroad academic essays. Her writing interests vary across education, creative expression, and digital culture.