A distinguished panel featuring industry leaders from iconic Indian startups and corporates gathers today to select winners for the annual Economic Times Startup Awards, celebrating excellence in innovation, leadership, and social impact.
- Elite jury includes leaders from Wipro, Paytm, Flipkart, and Swiggy
- Awards celebrate innovation, women-led ventures, social enterprises, and more
- Startup of the Year nominees feature India's rapidly scaling startups
What happened
The Economic Times Startup Awards (ETSA) 2026 jury, headed by Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji, assembled to evaluate nominees and determine winners for the 12th annual awards. The jury panel consists of prominent figures such as Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm, Mukesh Bansal of Myntra and Curefit, Sachin Bansal of Flipkart and Navi, and CEOs and founders from other leading startups and corporates.
The awards recognize entrepreneurial excellence across multiple categories, including innovation, women-led ventures, social impact enterprises, and campus startups. ETSA has established itself as India’s premier platform to highlight remarkable achievements and emerging trends within the startup ecosystem.
Why it matters
ETSA plays a vital role in highlighting and celebrating India’s fast-evolving startup landscape, offering validation and visibility that can accelerate growth and investment opportunities for winning ventures. Recognition from such a prestigious award enhances the credibility of entrepreneurs and their ventures, encouraging innovation and perseverance within the ecosystem.
Furthermore, the awards foster awareness of startups that are pioneering technological advancements, social change, and gender inclusivity. This creates inspiration and benchmarks for the broader startup community, galvanizing efforts to build sustainable and impactful businesses.
What to watch next
Attention will focus on the announcement of winners across categories such as Startup of the Year — with nominees including high-growth companies like Porter, Skyroot Aerospace, Rapido, Meesho, Groww, and Sarvam— as well as the Best Innovator, Comeback Kid, Best on Campus, Woman Ahead, and Social Enterprise awards.
Post-award, industry observers and investors will closely watch how recognition influences these startups' trajectories, funding activity, partnerships, and scaling efforts within India’s dynamic and competitive startup ecosystem.