Chennai has emerged as India's fastest-growing unicorn hub, adding 5 new billion-dollar startups in the first quarter of 2025 — overtaking Hyderabad and Pune to become India's third-largest startup ecosystem.
The five new unicorns span healthtech (CureLink), fintech (Paywise), edtech (TamilLearn), logistics (FreightTiger) and SaaS (Qable), all headquartered in Chennai's thriving startup corridors around OMR and Perungudi.
Government policy incentives under the Tamil Nadu Startup Policy 2024, including zero-tax status for 5 years and subsidised office space, are credited for the acceleration.
NASSCOM president Debjani Ghosh called Chennai "the new engine of Indian innovation," noting its deep talent pool from IIT Madras and Anna University.