Top 10 Startups in Kanpur

Kanpur once hailed as the “Manchester of the East” for its textile and leather mills – is reinventing itself as a hub for startups in Kanpur. In recent years the city’s entrepreneurs have launched ventures across sustainability, edtech, aerospace and more. Here are 10 standout Kanpur startups, each backed by funding or innovation and reflecting the city’s growing startup ecosystem.

1. Phool.co – Cutting-Edge Biomaterial Solutions

Phool.co (Kanpur Flowercycling Pvt Ltd) was founded in 2017 by IIT Kanpur alumni Ankit Agarwal and Prateek Kumar. The company collects floral waste from temples and rivers and “flower-cycles” it into eco-friendly product – from charcoal-free incense sticks to a vegan leather called Fleather. In April 2022 Phool.co raised a $8 million Series A led by Sixth Sense Ventures. It has since scaled rapidly: by FY2023 the startup reported nearly ₹28.6 crore in revenue (while employing hundreds of local women to make fragrances). Phool.co’s products (incense, soaps, vegan leather) have won certifications like Fairtrade and helped Kanpur’s economy by creating dozens of green jobs.

2. ShabdaNagari – Hindi Social Networking Platform

Founded in 2015, ShabdaNagari is Kanpur’s first Hindi-language social network. Co-founders Amitesh Mishra and team built the platform so Hindi speakers can blog, share articles and connect online in their native language. In early 2016 ShabdaNagari raised about ₹1.2 crore (~$180K) from Kanpur Angels and other investors to grow the site. The platform now hosts tens of thousands of users and content (words, images, videos) in Hindi. Its vision to “bring Hindi speakers online” and bridge India’s digital divide has drawn media attention and support from regional investors.

3. Kritsnam Technologies – IoT for Water Resource Management

Kritsnam Technologies (often misspelled “Kristnam”) emerged from IIT Kanpur’s incubator in 2015. Founders K. Sri Harsha, Prudhvi Sagar, Vinay Chataraju and Neeraj Rai built Dhaara, an IoT-enabled platform for industrial water budgeting and monitoring. Dhaara combines smart flow meters and analytics so factories and farms can set water budgets, track usage and detect leaks. By 2018 Kritsnam had secured roughly ₹6 crore in pre-Series A funding and another ₹2.8 crore in R&D grants from government and corporate partners. The Hyderabad-headquartered startup (born in Kanpur) now says Dhaara is deployed in 25+ Indian states across 80+ cities, helping clients reduce water waste by over 30%. Its early grants came from DST, HUL Foundation, Ericsson, Intel and USAID, and a Series A led by an IIT-Kanpur alumnus was reported in 2018.

4. Melvano – Personalized EdTech for Student Success

Founded in 2018 by Kanpur natives Taran Singh and Sachin Sanodiya (both IIT Kanpur alumni), Melvano began in Kanpur before expanding nationally. This AI‑driven EdTech startup offers personalized courses, mock tests and “reward coins” for IIT‑JEE/NEET aspirants. Its app analyzes each student’s performance to tailor study plans, helping over 200,000 registered learners improve their scores by up to 20% on average. By early 2022, Melvano had secured ₹2.3 crore in seed funding and earned recognition from IIT Madras for its innovative approach to exam prep. The founders’ Kanpur roots drive their mission to bring world‑class STEM coaching to smaller cities, reflecting how startups in Kanpur are exporting local talent and solutions to the broader Indian market.

5. Dream Aerospace – Next-Gen Propulsion Systems

Dream Aerospace is a space-tech startup (satellite propulsion) founded in 2022 by PhD candidate Hari Krishnan KJ and aerospace engineer Rogith S. Based on an IIT Kanpur research project, Dream Aerospace is developing the ATOM Thruster, an efficient satellite engine for small CubeSats. In January 2025 the company raised ₹3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) to build its own high-altitude test facility and continue developing the thruster. Dream Aerospace represents Kanpur’s push into deep tech: its thruster aims to extend small-satellite missions at lower cost, targeting the $9.6 billion global satellite propulsion market. With this funding, co-founders Hari and Rogith are scaling prototypes in a Kanpur lab, exemplifying the city’s new aerospace ambitions.

6. FunkFeets – Asymmetrical Sneaker Marketplace

FunkFeets is a Kanpur-based D2C footwear startup (founded ~2017) known for quirky asymmetrical sneakers. Its canvas shoes feature mismatched, colorful prints – a first of its kind in India to help customers “express individuality” through their footwear. FunkFeets sells online nationwide, and quickly built a cult following for its eye-catching designs. The company closed a seed funding round (approximately ₹75 lakh) in late 2023 to boost production and digital marketing. By merging fashion with fun designs, FunkFeets aims to carve out a niche in the crowded sneaker market. Its success shows how Kanpur startups can thrive by targeting niche consumer segments.

7. ServiceWalaa – OnDemand Home Services Platform

ServiceWalaa (Servicewalaa) is an online marketplace for home services, launched around 2015. The platform connects Kanpur households with local professionals – plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, maids and more for on-demand repairs and maintenance. By vetting service providers and offering easy booking, ServiceWalaa aims to bring transparency and quality assurance to the home-services sector. The startup raised initial capital from local angel investors and expanded its app features to include scheduling and real-time tracking. Though home-services is a competitive category, ServiceWalaa highlights Kanpur’s growing “gig” economy: customers can now get appliance repairs, pest control or remodeling help with a few taps, supporting local technicians along the way.

8. Yua – (Direct-to-Consumer) Retail Network

Yua is a Kanpur-founded retail platform that streamlines supply chains by connecting manufacturers directly with retailers and consumers. The startup’s model eliminates traditional wholesalers and super-stockists in theory reducing costs and improving product traceability. In practice, Yua provides an online-to-offline (O2O) network where small brands and makers can showcase goods and reach neighborhood stores or end-customers without middlemen. Launched in the early 2020s by a team of Kanpur entrepreneurs, Yua (sometimes called Yua Store) targets the $60B+ domestic retail market. By fostering direct relationships and transparent pricing, Yua exemplifies a new wave of “D2C retail startups in Kanpur” aiming to modernize India’s fragmented distribution system.

9. Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS) – Professional Drone Intelligence

Aarav Unmanned Systems now rebranded Aereo is a drone-powered analytics startup founded in 2013 at IIT Kanpur by Vipul Singh and Suhas Banshiwala. It develops AI-driven drone solutions for industrial applications: aerial surveys, mapping, and asset monitoring in mining, infrastructure, agriculture and government projects. Aereo’s drones and software create 3D models and analytics that help clients manage large assets (e.g. mines, railways) more efficiently. The company’s rapid growth attracted a $15 million Series B in July 2024, led by 360 ONE Asset and participants like StartupXseed Ventures. According to the company, this funding will help double its testing facilities and R&D. Aereo reports 400% revenue growth over the past two years, reflecting strong demand for commercial drone intelligence in India. The startup’s success underscores the role of IIT Kanpur and local investors in launching high-tech ventures from the city.

10. HelpUsGreen – Temple Flower Recycling Innovator

HelpUsGreen was founded in 2015. The social enterprise tackles sacred floral waste: it collects used flowers from temples and rivers and processes them into products like incense sticks, organic fertilizers and artisanal soaps. By 2018 HelpUsGreen had achieved a ₹2 crore annual run-rate and raised over ₹4.2 crore in seed funding from Tata Trusts’ Social Alpha and others. The company employs dozens of local women at its Kanpur facility, paying fair wages to handcraft the waste into new goods. HelpUsGreen has since expanded to Varanasi and Mathura, aiming to process 38 tonnes of flowers per day across its plants. Its eco-friendly model not only cleans rivers but also bridges traditional industry and modern business – a signature of Kanpurs green startup movement.

Conclusion

These ten ventures illustrate Kanpur’s transformation from an old industrial city into a budding startup hub. Backed by institutions like IIT Kanpur’s incubator and local angel funds, startups in Kanpur are tackling diverse challenges from river pollution to education, and retail to robotics. Whether it’s Phool.co’s biomaterials, Aereo’s drones or Melvano’s learning app, Kanpur entrepreneurs are building scalable, innovative solutions. With ongoing support from regional investors and government incubators, the city’s tech ecosystem is poised to grow. In short, Kanpur is now as much a part of India’s startup map as its historical industries.