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ET Startup Awards: Celebrating the best startups

The sixth edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards — Indian entrepreneurship’s most-coveted recognition — is being launched on Friday. As always, we have eight categories, including the prestigious Startup of the Year, along with an additional prize to recognise the efforts of those companies that have found ways of fighting the pandemic.



A high-powered jury consisting of top business leaders, investors and startup entrepreneurs will meet virtually on August 20 to decide the winners. It will be chaired by Rajesh Gopinathan, CEO, Tata Consultancy Services. The other members include Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart; Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, Byju’s; Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder, Info Edge; Bejul Somaia, partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners; Roopa Kudva, MD, Omidyar Network India; Satyan Gajwani, vice chairman, Times Internet Ltd; Larry Illg, CEO, Prosus Ventures (formerly Naspers Ventures); Sahil Barua, cofounder and CEO, Delhivery; and Albinder Dhindsa, cofounder and CEO, Grofers.

This year’s programme takes place against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic that has resulted in death and suffering across the world.

Businesses have been disrupted, job losses have soared and companies are struggling to revive operations, resulting in a severe hit to the global economy. But amid the struggles, there are opportunities and a golden chance for entrepreneurship to flourish. We have seen resilience and quick changes in business models by nimble startups over the past five months, ensuring that they stay relevant. Digital technologies will be at the forefront, more so now than ever before, a theme we are tracking during this year’s awards.

Starting Friday, ET will unveil the contenders who have made it to the shortlist. We will begin with the Bootstrap Champs — those entrepreneurs who have built a startup without outside funding — and the Top Innovators, startups with an original idea that have set themselves apart from competition. We will also recognise students who have founded companies while they were on campus, women entrepreneurs, social enterprises that combine profits and the public good, investors with a Midas touch, and founders who have made a successful comeback. The new category of Covid-19 innovation will recognise startups driving solutions in the healthcare, diagnostics and research space to battle the disease.

ET reached out to more than 100 of the country’s top entrepreneurs, investors, industry groups and other stakeholders to compile a list of India’s brightest entrepreneurial talent. This was then distilled by the paper’s editorial team, which worked with Tracxn as its knowledge partner, to arrive at the final shortlist.

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