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ET Startup Awards 2026 Winners List: Groww Named Startup of the Year
The ET Startup Awards (ETSA) is India’s most recognised platform for celebrating high-impact startups, founders, and investors. ET Startup Awards were launched in 2015. The awards recognise companies demonstrating strong execution, innovation, and potential for growth.
The 12th edition took place on October 9, 2026, in Bengaluru. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was the guest of honour.
After almost three hours of deliberation, the winners were chosen by an 11-member jury led by Wipro Executive Chairman Rishad Premji.
ET Startup Awards 2026 Full Winners List
Groww was named Startup of the Year for rapidly growing, being profitable, successfully going public, and sustaining strong execution. The company outperformed competitors such as Meesho, Skyroot, Porter, Rapido, and Sarvam.
Here are the winners across the 8 categories:
Category | Winner |
Startup of the Year | |
Midas Touch (Best Investor) | |
Bootstrap Champ | |
Top Innovator | |
Woman Ahead | Pallavi Mohadikar (Palmonas) and Pallavi Shrivastava (Progcap) - joint winners |
Social Enterprise | |
Comeback Kid | |
Best on Campus |
What Are the ET Startup Awards Categories?
The awards cover different paths to success, not just heavily funded companies. Official category descriptions:
Startup of the Year: Recognises a company with breakthrough innovation, strong execution, fast growth, and the potential to become a major corporation. Team quality matters.
Top Innovator: Honours original ideas that form the core of the business or create clear differentiation.
Best on Campus: For startups founded by students aiming to build a commercial business (with some validation from investors or customers). Pure college projects do not qualify.
Woman Ahead: For startups launched and led by women who compete at the highest level.
Bootstrap Champ: For companies that have earned revenue for at least a year without external capital and show clear potential to scale.
Comeback Kid: Celebrates founders who rebuild or launch a stronger business after setbacks.
Social Enterprise: For startups that combine profits with public good (double bottom line).
Midas Touch - Best Investor: Recognises strong investment performance, including exits.
Why the ET Startup Awards Matter
Many past Startup of the Year winners have gone on to list publicly. Examples include Urban Company (2025), Lenskart (2024), Zomato, Delhivery, Razorpay, Swiggy, and Freshworks. The awards have a strong track record of identifying companies that scale into significant businesses.
The 2026 edition reflected current trends:
- Capital discipline, profitability focus, deeptech progress (Theranautilus), climate solutions (Varaha), and women-led businesses.
- It also recognised bootstrapped growth (Habuild) and second-act founders (Mukund Jha after Dunzo).
Past Startup of the Year Winners
2025: Urban Company
2024: Lenskart
Earlier winners include Zomato, Delhivery, Razorpay, OfBusiness, Swiggy, and others that later listed or became category leaders.
How the Winners Are Chosen
A high-powered jury of founders, investors, and business leaders shortlists and selects winners. For 2026, the jury included Rishad Premji (chair), Sachin Bansal, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Mukesh Bansal, Abhiraj Singh Bhal (Urban Company), and others. Decisions are based on innovation, execution, team strength, and long-term potential rather than funding size alone.
The ET Startup Awards remain a key benchmark for India’s startup ecosystem. The full list of 2026 winners is available on the official site and in Economic Times coverage.
Official Source: ET Startup Awards Official Website
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