India's top start-ups generate $5 billion for employees this year

With many Indian start-ups opting for public issues and listings on the stock markets, several of their loyal employees are witnessing massive valuations of their holdings in the company, running into millions of dollars.

According to a news report, 10 companies that have listed (or are planning for a listing) have generated about $5.2 billion for their personnel through the employee stock option plans (Esops).

Topping the list is food-tech major Zomato, whose Esop portfolio doubled from $745 million at the time of the IPO to more than $1.5 billion. The three co-founders, Mohit Gupta, Gaurav Gupta and Gunjan Patidar, are now holding stocks worth over $150 million.

The next is Oravel Stays Pvt Ltd (which manages the Oyo hotel aggregator platform), with an Esop pool of $1.1 billion and company valuation of $10 billion.

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Paytm, the country’s most valued start-up, has an Esop pool of nearly $900 million. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder, controls two-thirds of it.

Other start-ups include PharmEasy, an online pharmacy, and PB Fintech (which has PolicyBazaar and PaisaBazaar), who have allotted over $1 billion worth of cumulative options.

• India