Campus hiring gets a startup booster

Quick commerce, e-commerce and consumer tech drive trend reversal

- S SHANTHI

STARTUP HIRING ACTIVITY on campuses is seeing a marked revival this year. Early placement data show a 25-30% jump in recruiters across top engineering and management institutes for the Class of 2026. Placement coordinators at older IITs say dozens of startups have already signed up for the first phase of placements.

Recruiters estimate that about 40-60 startups are expected to collectively hire from these campuses this year, a broader employer lineup compared to the previous two cycles.

That’s a clear shift from the muted placement cycles of the past two years and is driven by renewed growth momentum in quick commerce, food delivery, consumer tech and e-commerce.

“This marks a turnaround from the hiring freeze of the past couple of years. Startups are coming back to campuses in greater numbers, even rescuing the placement season at some colleges,” Rahul Veerwal, founder and CEO, GetWork, told FE.