Pune has rapidly become a major hub in the Indian startup ecosystem, which has progressed from its industrial and educational past to a source of modern vibrancy. Being located in Maharashtra’s west, Pune has access to a prospering stock-pile of skilled professionals and a contemporary infrastructure, which propels the entrepreneurial activity into growth. In 2024, $395 Million raised by the Pune Startups over 70 rounds of fundraising.
Although the amount of funding has decreased modestly compared to the $437-million digit that was raised through 110 rounds during 2023, the investor sentiment is stable due to the thriving environment and developing presence of global capability centers in the city. Startup Companies in Pune’s influence thus spreads figuratively over a wider national startup spectrum; India rose to the third spot globally in startup landscapes by April 2025, reflecting clear advancement in terms of innovation and submission of patents. The national momentum is high in Pune’s booming business environment, with it being essential in the rise of India into significance on the world stage.
Pune’s Energetic Startup Ecosystem
The story of Pune’s rise to a prominent startup hub is the story of tapping into its existing strengths and opening up new ones. The urban identity has moved away from the past emphasis on educational institutes and conventional industries towards creating a lively ecosystem that encourages the concept of entrepreneur ideas to digital ventures. Clearly growing and with data, the rapidly evolving landscape is now attracting the attention of investors globally.
Funding Trends and Investment Highlights
The size of the activity gives an undeniable perception. From 2014 up to 2024, entrepreneurs in Pune came together and raised over $ 4.7 bn in 380 investment deals. The impressive investment demonstrates that the city still has an interest among investors to invest in its economy. Although the total funding is different on an annual basis, the momentum in deals is regularly achieved and it indicates a vibrant and progressive startup setting.
The startup ecosystem in Pune attracted a total of $395 million due to 70 funding deals in 2024, after last year’s influx of $437 million through 110-rounds. Although there has been a slight decline in aggregate funding for 2024, the continued level of deals indicates that early and growth-stage investments have not slowed.
The Rise of Pune’s Unicorns
The presence of high value Startup Companies in Pune continues to show Pune as a hub for startups. There are seven unicorn startups in Pune; these include FirstCry, Xpressbees, Icertis, Druva, ElasticRun, MindTickle and FPL Technologies that are representatives of this group. Such companies with billions in market valuation have significant economic contributions and – inspiring startups – offer skilled resources.
Sectoral Strengths and Global Recognition
Apart from the basic figures, in specific sub sectors Pune appears special in its ecosystem. Pune ranks at #88, as of May 2025, among global city rankings for its Software & Data industry ecosystem, as top companies take in over $96.3 million to date. Moreover, Pune is a glowing name internationally in Ecommerce & Retail, and with #56 it claims that the best startups in the industry have attracted over $415 million.
Plus, Pune’s location and the industrial heritage make it no. 36 globally in the ecosystem of the Transportation industry, as some of the best leading startups of this industry have generated more than $31.6 million through investments. Applying these sector benchmarks makes clear that Pune is positioning itself to be a leader in these areas worldwide.
A Network of Support: Investors and Institutions
Behind it, there is a dynamic movement, given momentum by a developed support infrastructure. Having more than 54 active Venture Capital firms that manage portfolios for over 500 firms, Pune is a significant startup hub, providing crucial financial and strategic support through a firm’s development. Bourgeoisie, incubators, and accelerators actively involved, working together, are the cornerstone, which helps startups to bring their ideas into booming, scalable ventures in Pune city, which lives and breathes.
Why the ‘Oxford of the East’ is a Hotspot for Startups
A deliberate set of conditions has led to the rapid growth of Startup Companies in Pune. it is because of various complementary benefits converging:
- Exceptional Talent Pool: Famous for its many educational institutions, Pune is known as the ‘Oxford of the East’ which roars out a constant supply of talented engineers, IT, management personnel and others from its talent pool that make it an ideal asset to startups.
- Strong IT and Industrial Base: Pune’s IT industry has a seasoned character, with a large portion of the market in manufacturing and the automotive industries. This creates a very efficient ecosystem of both competent professionals and valuable early backers of new enterprises, together with a solid basis to welcome technological change.
- Cost-Effectiveness: In terms of operation costs like real estate and the hiring of skilled workers, Pune is more affordable than the same-sized urban hubs as Mumbai and Bengaluru. Recovering from these costs as soon as possible gives a great advantage for startups which are just starting out.
- Proximity to Mumbai: Pune is his proximity to Mumbai, India’s financial capital, allows entrepreneurs to interact with investors, partner with other businesses and open up to a bigger market. With the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in place, travel between the two cities ceases to be a chore and becomes unimposing.
- Supportive Government Policies: With these initiatives, Startup India and Maharashtra industrial policy, the central and state governments promote the startups by providing benefits, financial support, and relief of the regulatory burden. In addition, growth of SNZ and IT parks in Pune has encouraged it through the provision of advanced infrastructure facilities.
- Growing Entrepreneurial Culture: The city Pune has experienced a rise in projects by entrepreneurs creating a world that appreciates innovation, adventurousness, and teamwork. The cooperative spaces that exist, the interactional events, and supportive networks ensure a thriving environment that can be used to promote the sharing and development of innovative concepts.
- Quality of Life: The city of Pune embraces a massive amount of urban infrastructure and proximity to green spaces and for that reason, there is the above average standard of living. In turn, Pune becomes an attractive place for talented personnel and business owners, and helps retain the workforce and talent.
Top 10 Startup Companies in Pune
1. MindTickle
- Founded: 2011
- Industry/Sector: SaaS, Sales Enablement
Mohit Garg, Deepak Diwakar, Nishant M and Krishna Depura were the founders of the website in 2011. By providing businesses with the resources needed, MindTickle allows organizations to experience even bigger revenue growth with their improved sales strategies. Since its inception, the company has shown robust growth, with a $100 million Series E funding round in 2021 making the company a unicorn with a family worth MindTickle’s platform that combines gamification, microlearning, and data analytics in delivering dynamic and interactive learning opportunities.
It is one of the best Startup Companies in Pune. At the end of the year, by then MindTickle was a truly global player with a stable footprint in Pune’s tech ecosystem, capable of serving businesses all over the world across multiple sectors.
Key Services:
- Sales Readiness Platform
- Sales Enablement Solutions
- Microlearning and Training Tools
- Performance Analytics
- Mobile Learning Solutions
Address: WorldTrade Center, 10th Floor, Tower 2, Kharadi, Pune, Maharashtra 411014, India
Website: www.mindtickle.com
HQ: Pune, India (with additional offices in San Francisco, USA)
2. Haber
- Founded: 2017
- Industry/Sector: Industrial Tech, AI, IoT
It was established by Haber in 2017 by Vipin Raghavan, IIT Madras graduate, that aimed at improving resource efficiency in industrial processes through AI and IoT technologies. Haber is committed to engineering AI-based technologies that will simplify processes, save resources and enhance the production of the product. Haber applies data analysis and machine learning capabilities, through its flagship solution, eLIXA, to provide instant process recommendations and control to industrial operations.
In 2025, Haber became one of the market pioneers in the Industrial AI industry, having raised major resources while a significant Series B round in 2023 deserves to be highlighted. With international expansion and continued product innovation from its Pune head office, Haber has made its services committed to the major industries of manufacturing, food processing and chemicals.
Key Services:
- eLIXA AI Platform
- Industrial Process Automation
- Predictive Analytics Solutions
- Resource Efficiency Management
- IoT-enabled Industrial Monitoring
Address: 90/10, Manikchand Galleria, Model Colony, Shivajinagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411016, India
Website: www.haberwater.com
HQ: Pune, India
3. Fibe (formerly EarlySalary)
- Founded: 2015
- Industry/Sector: FinTech, Consumer Lending
It all started in 2015 with EarlySalary before 2022 rebranding to Fibe and is now a co-founding venture by Akshay Mehrotra and Ashish Goyal to address the financial needs of young working professionals. By means of proprietary underwriting tools, Fibe became a trailblazer in India with the help of rapid salary advances and small loans that determined creditworthiness based on non-traditional analytics. Since its first operations, Fibe has placed loans equivalent to billions of rupees to millions of clients in India.
A year before its rebranding, Fibe finished a big $110 million Series D round. Fibe has grown to become a leading financial services company by 2025, with various credit solutions in the market and not forgetting its promise of being at the forefront of technology. Through strong growth in customer acquisition and loan disbursement the firm has become an important participant in India’s financial technology market, serving hundreds of cities.
Key Services:
- Instant Personal Loans
- Salary Advances
- Consumer Durable Loans
- Educational Fee Financing
- Digital Credit Line
Address: 5th Floor, Regent Plaza, Baner Road, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra 411045, India
Website: www.fibe.in
HQ: Pune, India
4. Ecozen
- Founded: 2010
- Industry/Sector: AgriTech, Clean Energy
Established in 2010 by Devendra Gupta, Prateek Singhal and Vivek Pandey, all graduates from IIT Kharagpur, Ecozen was born in an era when technological solutions were used to solve India’s agricultural problems. Ecozen is centered on developing sophisticated solar-energy driven agricultural solutions aimed at increasing crop yields while at the same time increasing income with minimum environmental effects. Ecozen’s flagship products are: Ecofrost (solar cold rooms) & Ecotron (solar pumps with IoT).
Ecozen has sourced various funding sources with the $25 million Series C financing it attracted in 2023 that allowed it control overseas. By 2025, Ecozen has established its foothold as a South Asian, African and Southeast Asian entity and keeps its innovation hub at its Pune Headquarters. Through this, the company touches more than 100,000 farmers in the world and has made giant steps in reducing post-harvest waste and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Key Services:
- Ecofrost (Solar Cold Storage Solutions)
- Ecotron (Smart Solar Pumping Systems)
- IoT-enabled Farm Management
- Clean Energy Agricultural Solutions
- Supply Chain Optimization for Perishables
Address: Plot No. 19, Mohan Nagar Industrial Estate, Near Deccan College, Yerawada, Pune, Maharashtra 411006, India
Website: www.ecozensolutions.com
HQ: Pune, India
5. Rebel Foods
- Founded: 2011
- Industry/Sector: FoodTech, Cloud Kitchen
Rebel Foods led by success cases Jaydeep Barman (INSEAD Graduate) & Kallol Banerjee (INSEAD Graduate) who launched in 2011 as Faasos until the year 2015 in India, Rebel Foods pioneered history after introducing the cloud kitchen model, where many food brands are run from centralized hubs designed for delivery purposes. By 2025, the company was out to stand firm with more than 450 food brands in over 70 cities worldwide. The Startup that raised $175 million from investors such as Artis Ventures and Google Ventures, in 2021, became a unicorn company after gaining $1.4 billion valuation, is Razorpay.
It was founded by Ashutosh Bathala and Rohit Kapoor (both Stanford alumni). Rebel Foods is the manager of successful virtual restaurant brands like Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Ovenstory Pizza and Mandarin Oak, in addition to others. Working alongside some of the world’s biggest partners, such as Wendy’s, and Biryani Blues has diversified the company’s menu while still being on the cutting edge of innovation in food technology, the logistics of food aesthetics, and multi-brand kitchen strategies.
Key Services:
- Multi-brand Cloud Kitchen Operations
- Food Delivery Services
- Virtual Restaurant Brands
- Kitchen-as-a-Service Platform
- Supply Chain Management Solutions for Food Service
Address: Reheja Platinum, Unit 1101, 11th Floor, Sag Baug Road, Off Andheri-Kurla Road, Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai (Corporate); Operations in Pune at: Baner, Kharadi, and multiple locations
Website: www.rebelfoods.com
HQ: Mumbai, India (with significant operations in Pune)
6. UGAOO
- Founded: 2015
- Industry/Sector: AgriTech, E-commerce
In 2015, UGAOO – a result of the initiative of Siddhant Bhalinge, who realised that the online gardening domain of India was under-served. Through supply of high quality gardening products, plants and learning materials, UGAOO has transformed the urban Indian home gardening experience. Starting from Pune, UGAOO spread rapidly using the increased consumer interest in home gardening during pandemic periods. As at the year 2025, the startup counts more than 25,000 pin codes nationally where its services indicate its geo- reach across the country.
The company has enjoyed many rounds of funding, with a significant Series B investment in 2024 supplementing its plan for growth. It is among the best startups companies in India. A company based in India, UGAOO operates an innovative nursery and distribution hubs in strategic places in view of eliminating a smart quality control, raising consciousness on the eco-friendly cultivation amongst the urban consumers.
Key Services:
- Online Plant Store
- Gardening Supplies and Tools
- Plant Care Products
- Garden Design Consultation
- Gardening Education and Workshops
Address: Survey No. 135/1/17, Sinhagad Road, Wadgaon Budruk, Pune, Maharashtra 411041, India
Website: www.ugaoo.com
HQ: Pune, India
7. BharatAgri
- Founded: 2017
- Industry/Sector: AgriTech, AI-based Farm Advisory
Siddharth Dialani and Sai Gole, both alumni of IIT Madras and founders of BharatAgri in 2017, tried to bring scientific farming to all farmers in Using its AI-powered system, BharatAgri provides precise guidance to farmers to get them prepared to make data-driven decisions concerning what crops to grow, irrigation, pest management, etc., and many more farming practices. While using data on soil profile, meteorological data, development of the crops, and market conditions, BharatAgri’s system makes individual recommendations for each farmer who uses the system. BharatAgri had on-boarded more than 1.5 million farmers across India by the end of the year 2025.
BharatAgri announced a significant Series B fund spending at the end of 2023, to be applied toward new market entry and improvement in the platform’s capabilities. BharatAgri has formed partnership with the major players in agriculture like input providers, financial institutions and the government bodies, in order to create a strong support network for the farmers.
Key Services:
- AI-based Personalized Crop Advisory
- Scientific Farming Plans
- Weather-based Farming Recommendations
- Market Linkage Services
- Farm Input Procurement Platform
Address: Office No. 5, 3rd Floor, B Wing, Sai Sangam, Balewadi Phata, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra 411045, India
Website: https://krushidukan.bharatagri.com/
HQ: Pune, India
8. Peppermint Robotics
- Founded: 2019
- Industry/Sector: Robotics, Industrial Automation
Runal Dahiwade, Miraj Vora, and Nityanand Prabhutendolkar in 2019. The firm’s specialty is in designing autonomous cleaning robots for such places as airports, shopping malls, offices and plants. Peppermint’s robots use state of art navigation technology, latest computer vision, and machine learning, to increase efficiency of cleaning, significant cost savings, and low usage of water.
Peppermint Robotics gained a lot in 2025 following the massive Series B funding received in 2024, which helped the firm to open its operations in different countries in Asia and the Middle East. Peppermint Robotics has become the well-known leader of automated cleaning, managing daily maintenance of millions of a square foot around the world. Peppermint Robotics prioritizes R&D at its Pune base and continually introduces new methods in robotics and the development of environmentally responsible cleaning systems.
Key Services:
- Autonomous Cleaning Robots
- Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS)
- Fleet Management Systems
- AI-powered Cleaning Analytics
- Custom Robotics Solutions for Specific Industries
Address: Office No. 407, 4th Floor, Lunkad Sky Station, Viman Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411014, India
Website: https://krushidukan.bharatagri.com/
HQ: Pune, India
9. Kreeda Labs
- Founded: 2021
- Industry/Sector: GameFi, Blockchain Gaming
With the arrival of NFT and blockchain gaming in 2021, seasoned gaming executives Mayur Bhimjiyani and Prasad Nadgurkar came up with Kreeda Labs. The firm is a leader in the Web3 gaming industry with innovation coming in the form of games that blend the blockchain and NFT technology and merge it with play-to-earn models while still engaging users. Kreeda Labs have developed a unique gaming platform where it is easy for traditional gamers to get involved in blockchain gaming without advanced technical skills.
Kreeda’s growth increased after receiving $18 million in Series A funding late in 2023, which created more than 85 professionals by 2025. The company has brought out many successful games that have generated a world thousand player base. Kreeda Labs works in synergy with major blockchain networks while being at the forefront of establishing gaming standards for the fast-fluctuating Web ecosystem.
Key Services:
- Blockchain-based Game Development
- NFT-powered Gaming Platform
- GameFi Ecosystem Creation
- Web3 Gaming Infrastructure
- Gaming Guild Management Tools
Address: Supreme Headquarters, 7th Floor, Survey No. 33, Baner Road, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra 411045, India
Website: www.kreedalabs.com
HQ: Pune, India
10. Vayana
- Founded: 2009
- Industry/Sector: FinTech, Supply Chain Financing
In 2009 by Ram Iyer and later reoriented its business with R. Vaidyanathan (Vaidy) at the helm specializing in supply chain financing. While creating India’s largest platform for trade financing, Vayana connects businesses to financial institutions with a view to releasing working capital that is stuck within chains of supplies. The platform of Vayana enables both local and international trade financing with smooth credit exchange between businesses and financial providers. By 2025, Vayana’s platform had processed over $40bn of finance for over 25,000 businesses across over 600 supply chains in India and elsewhere.
In 2023, Vayana finished a major Series C funding round to finance international growth and expansion of its digital infrastructure. Vayana has launched domain-specific financing products and also assisted MSMEs to acquire cost-effective financing through its embedded finance solutions. Vayana partners with major financial firms, technology vendors, and industry groups on strategic levels.
Key Services:
- Supply Chain Financing Platform
- Trade Financing Solutions
- GST-based Financing
- Cross-border Trade Financing
- Embedded Finance Solutions for B2B Platforms
Address: Office No. 501-504, 5th Floor, A-Wing, Amar Business Park, Baner Road, Baner, Pune, Maharashtra 411045, India
Website: www.vayana.com
HQ: Pune, India
Top Startup Sectors Flourishing in the Puneri Soil
Pune has a diverse range of start up landscapes but some sectors have taken off and shown promise:
- Technology & IT, segments such as SaaS, AI: experience significant growth. Utilizing its historical dominance in IT, Pune provides excellent ground for technology startups to grow. SaaS, AI, and cybersecurity sectors are now massive as indigenous firms develop world-class solutions targeting the outside markets.
- FinTech (Financial Technology): Due to its connection with Mumbai’s finance wing and its good tech population, startup companies in Pune become a promising city for FinTech startups. Major operations in this field include providing digital payment systems, creating loan platforms, controlling investments, and financial analysis.
- EdTech (Education Technology): Due to Pune’s solid educational base, EdTech develops organically. Entrepreneurs are creating portals revolving around online tutorials, professional skill attainment, test preparation, and digital courseware, in accompaniment to an increasing number of students.
- Biotech & HealthTech: Pune’s robust institutes for research and growing healthcare infrastructure based within the city have resulted in advancement in biotechnology and health technology specifically in the areas of diagnostics, telemedicine, medical devices and AI in healthcare.
- D2C & E-commerce: Startup Companies in Pune in particular are notable for the emergence of direct-to-consumer businesses, and e-commerce operations. Local startups are capitalizing on the city’s reliable logistics services and growing consumer patronage to open online stores that will sell various items, including baby supplies and gardening tools.
- Agritech: With The Agricultural history of Pune, Agritech Startup Companies in Pune are developing innovations which will improve farm efficiency and production, improve supply chain and increase market opportunities for farmers through the use of such technologies such as IoT and data analytics.
- Logistics & Supply Chain: Located in a strategic location, surrounded by a considerable industrial scenery, Pune is a critical node in logistics activities. Firms in this industry are researching such innovations as last-mile delivery solutions, effective warehousing, superior freight management and optimisation of supply chain operations.
Estimated Average Salary Ranges for Freshers in Pune Startups (2025)
| Role | Estimated Salary Range (INR per annum) |
| Software Developer | ₹4,00,000 – ₹8,00,000 |
| Data Scientist | ₹5,00,000 – ₹9,00,000 |
| Business Development Executive | ₹3,50,000 – ₹6,00,000 |
| Product Manager | ₹6,00,000 – ₹10,00,000 |
| UI/UX Designer | ₹4,00,000 – ₹7,00,000 |
| Marketing Executive | ₹3,00,000 – ₹5,50,000 |
| Sales Executive | ₹2,50,000 – ₹4,50,000 |
| HR Executive | ₹3,00,000 – ₹5,00,000 |
| Content Writer | ₹2,50,000 – ₹4,00,000 |
| Operations Executive | ₹3,00,000 – ₹5,00,000 |
| Graphic Designer | ₹2,50,000 – ₹4,50,000 |
| Customer Support Executive | ₹2,00,000 – ₹3,50,000 |
Conclusion
Pune’s change from an industrial center to a vibrant ecosystem of start-ups is a tale that reflects its responsiveness, having capable employees, and nurturing support network. Due to a consistent flow of qualified university graduates from surrounding university systems, a strong IT and manufacturing infrastructure, and growing creativity, Startup Companies in Pune have all of the conditions for long-term development in the startup environment.
Its benefits are enhanced by low costs, a convenient geographic position, and an environment that is favourably disposed As the development of emerging and developed segments continues to grow in Pune, the city’s startup environment is likely to play a key role in determining the path of India’s economic and technological development as the latter is expected to be of great promise to entrepreneurs, investors, and job seekers.
Know About Pune’s Different Sectors:
- Manufacturing Companies in Pune
- Finance Companies in Pune
- Product Based Companies in Pune
- MNC Companies in Pune
- Logistics Companies in Pune
FAQs
What are the main reasons for Pune’s growth as a startup hub?
The city’s growth is supported by an enormous talent pool, established IT setup, low operation cost, geostrategic position around Mumbai, and an active ecosystem of incubators, accelerators and money lenders.
What industries are flourishing among startups in Pune?
The primary sectors that are the pillars of Pune’s startup ecosystem are IT (SaaS, AI, Cybersecurity), FinTech, EdTech, Biotech & HealthTech, D2C & E-commerce, Agritech and Logistics.
How much funding have Pune startups raised recently?
In 2024, Pune startups raised $395 million.
Is Pune a good city for freshers looking for startup jobs?
For freshers looking to be employed, Pune presents too many opportunities to choose from, where tech and emerging areas are emphasized and call for applicants with a mix of skill and the willingness to learn.
