Introduction

To start up is to begin one of life's great adventures, begins this fast-paced account of one of India's great success stories. India was home to more than 90,000 startups by mid-2023, making it the world's third ranking country in this sphere. It is a segment that has delivered over a hundred companies valued at more than a billion dollars, and created hundreds of thousands of jobs.

How did this phenomenon come about, what triggered this explosion of energy, who are the people—some who risked all they had on their ventures—who propelled India on to the global stage?

The Book and Its Significance

Archana Rai, a journalist who has covered the startup world in depth, brings it all together in this exciting story, The Unicorn Quest: India Learns to Start Up. It is not a story without its ups and downs but one whose success is integral to India's own ambitions to be a front-ranking economic power. Here are some pathbreakers and their companies whose contribution goes beyond the numbers to be a major factor in the world's newfound respect for India.