As India’s job market shifts focus from degrees to demonstrable skills, Unstop has emerged as the country’s early talent platform. In an exclusive conversation, Ankit Aggarwal, the founder and CEO of Unstop, shares how the platform grew from a college competition portal to a career engine used by over 23 million students and fresh graduates—and why this is just the beginning.
In 2019, when Ankit Aggarwal launched Unstop, the goal was simple: connect college students with real-world opportunities. But over time, the platform evolved into something far more ambitious—a full-stack ecosystem for early talent, combining upskilling, networking, and hiring.
“We’ve gone beyond resumes and job listings,” says Aggarwal. “Students today want to build their skills, prove themselves in real scenarios, and connect with the right employers. Unstop brings all that together in one place.”
That holistic model is clearly working. Over the last financial year alone, Unstop claims that its user base has more than doubled, jumping from 9 million to over 23 million. Monthly Active Users (MAUs) tripled year-over-year, reaching 6.5 million.
“Over the past year, we have seen tremendous growth across all key metrics — but this is just the beginning. We’ve built India’s largest early talent platform — now we aim to reach all 42 million graduates nationwide,” says Aggarwal
While LinkedIn and Naukri continue to dominate in mid-to-senior hiring, Unstop claims to have become the platform of choice for students, freshers and recent grads.
“We’ve built the biggest early talent community in India,” Aggarwal says. “But what excites me more is that we’ve earned their trust. They’re not just signing up—they’re engaging, building teams, hosting events, learning new skills,” he added.
One of Unstop’s biggest levers has been its Campus Ambassador Program, now active in over 20,000 colleges. “That’s our distribution engine,” he explains. “When students become ambassadors, they don’t just represent us—they create a culture of participation on campus.”
Experiential hiring
At the core of Unstop’s model is the idea of experiential hiring. Students don’t just upload resumes—they participate in competitions, team challenges, and mentorship programs. Recruiters, in turn, can watch candidates in action.
“You see a student lead a team, solve real problems, and present solutions under pressure. That’s far more telling than a one-page CV,” says Aggarwal.
This strategy has attracted major recruiters. Companies like Flipkart, Amazon, and Reliance now use Unstop to source and assess talent.
Unstop asserts to be financially cautious. With backing from investors like Mynavi (Japan), Coursera, Venture Catalysts, and Caret Capital, the company has avoided high-burn tactics.
“Our revenue nearly doubled last year,” says Aggarwal. “More importantly, our losses actually decreased. That’s rare in this phase of scaling, and something we’re proud of.”
Is the company planning to raise more capital? “Not at the moment,” he says. “But never say never. For now, the focus is on sustainable value creation—for both users and our enterprise clients.”
As India’s talent pipeline grows younger and more ambitious, Unstop is positioning itself as the default platform for launching careers.