Bengaluru leads startup hiring with 20% share

Bengaluru: Bengaluru continues to remain the country's dominant startup centre as its share of jobs remains at 20 per cent in April 2026, compared to 21 per cent in the year-ago period.

Delhi-NCR and Mumbai follow with 14 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. Though Bengaluru remained the largest hiring hub, its share has declined as startup activity becomes more geographically distributed.

Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities account for 36 per cent of all startup jobs - up from 31 per cent in April 2025. This signals structural redistribution, according to the latest Insights Tracker report by jobs and talent platform 'foundit'. Tier-2 cities such as Jaipur, Kochi, Indore and Coimbatore are collectively accounting for a growing share of new startup job creation, as 12 per cent of new startups are now establishing themselves in these markets.

Interestingly, Hyderabad's share of startup jobs has doubled from 5 per cent in April 2024 to 10 per cent in April 2026.

The report revealed that the startup hiring landscape is shifting from broad-based, volume-led recruitment to a more specialised, productivity-led model, with startup jobs projected to grow 12 per cent y-o-y in 2026.

Startup jobs increased from 1,16,080 in April 2025 to 1,30,010 in April 2026, adding about 14,000 new jobs over the year. The report also mentioned that fresher hiring has declined from 41 per cent to 36 per cent, while mid-level professionals now account for nearly one in two startup hires.

Fintech, healthtech, SaaS and EV mobility sectors continue to lead, while AI-native startups represent the most dynamic hiring cluster.

As far as industries are concerned, IT-software and services extend its dominance to 34 per cent of all startup jobs. The report said that within this, AI and data roles account for about one-third of all IT hiring in startups. This signals that the startup economy is shifting from general development to intelligence-led product building. BFSI follows with 12 per cent as the industry is supported by continued innovation in payments, embedded finance and wealth tech. Healthcare has seen a consistent rise - from 6 per cent in April 2024 to 11 per cent in April 2026.

"India’s startup hiring market is entering a more mature phase," said Tarun Sinha, CEO of foundit.

"Startups are no longer hiring purely for scale; they are hiring for capability, productivity, and business impact. The rise of AI-led roles, stronger demand for mid-level professionals, and growing participation from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities show that the ecosystem is becoming deeper, more distributed, and more skills-driven," he added.

Startups are now increasingly hiring experienced professionals, as the share of professionals with 4-6 years of experience rose to 31 per cent in April 2026, up from 28 per cent in the same period last year.

Professionals with 7-10 years of experience are also seeing increased hiring, as the share rose from 15 per cent in April 2025 to 17 per cent in 2026. Also, startup compensation trends show that hiring is concentrated in mid-market salary bands. 

Nearly 70 per cent of startup roles are concentrated in the Rs 3-10 LPA range, highlighting strong demand for mid-level, execution-ready talent. High-paying roles of Rs 15 LPA and above account for around 12 per cent of hiring, driven by demand for specialised skills in AI, product, technology leadership, data science, and business strategy.

Entry-level roles below Rs 3 LPA are gradually declining in importance as startups raise skill expectations and reduce low-complexity hiring, the report stated.