It's not an exaggeration to call Bangalore the startup capital of India. In fact it could be the startup capital of the WORLD? In 2020, 800 new startups popped up in Bangalore -- 200 more than in San Francisco - all while a pandemic ravaged the world.

But how often do we hear about these startups unless they've raised a big round or ended up going the unicorn route. So today I decided to ask Bangaloreans what their favourite new startups are. And what better place than Clubhouse, the hub for all things public opinion and crowdsourced lists? So in a 2-hour session today morning as part of the newly-minted "Bangalore Breakfast Club" we asked the audience (over 100 people) to give a shoutout to their favourite startup as a consumer, and a total of 50 odd startups were mentioned! While the usual suspects such as Big Basket, Zoom Cars, Myntra, Practo, Swiggy and Yulu did make their due mentions, it's the much smaller and recent DTC ecommerce startups that were a revelation from the session.

So on a huge public request, here goes a list of these consumer-approved Bangalore based startups:

(It's a living list so will be updated on a continual basis.)

1) Radboards - Hoverboards ecommerce store

Taking last mile mobility to the next level, Radboards, started by Kiran, sells funky hoverboards to those who like their movement a little more fun!

2) Doggy Bakery: Dog treats and accessories

I've always maintained that Bangalore is the most dog friendly in the city, so it's no surprise that some of the upcoming startups in the city cater to our 4-legged friends. The Doggy Bakery is a gourmet pet treats and accessories store that my own pets have patronised of late.

3) Bare Necessities - Zero Waste Products

Sustainable lifestyle is the need of the house. Bare Necessities is doing its bit by selling its skin care and wellness products in plastic-free and recyclable packaging.

4) Huda Bar - Energy bars

Huda bar sells organic and nutritious foods like granola bars and honey made with ethically sourced and quality ingredients.

5) The Habitainer -- Houses made from shipping containers

Every year thousands of shipping containers are abandoned after they outlive their utility. Bangalore based Habitainer aims to turn this ecological crime into mobile homes.

6) Soul Company - Curated Experiences

The Soul Company organises curated experiential trips such as hotel stays with the royalty, elaborate dates, gourmet cooking classes and more.

7) Shades Of Spring - Flower Subscriptions

Shades of Spring does hand-made, high end flower bouquets deliveries and also undertakes weekly subscriptions.

8) Bums On The Saddle - Biking gear

You know bikes are a serious business in a city when there's an 8-year old startup just selling biking gear like bike components, helmets, protective gear and bike accessories.

9) Capsul - Streetwear

Established in 2018 by Meenakshi & Bhavisha, Capsul claims to be India's first multibrand streetwear store meant for millennials & Gen Z in India.

10) ElderAid - Holistic Elderly Care

ElderAid aims to support the elderly with healthcare, wellness, care-taking & concierge support.

11) Birthday engineers - Surprise / event planners

Birthday Engineers manages end-to-end personalised and emotional surprises on behalf of the recipients' loved ones.

12) Camp Monk - Curated camping experiences

CampMonk helps people search and book camp sites and camping trips in and around Bangalore.

13) Unventured - Cycling Trips

Unventured organizes day hike and bike tours around bangalore. This is the third travel and adventure related startup, pointing to the growing popularity of adventure activities in Bangalore.

14) Classic Chase - Vintage cars

Why buy a vintage car when you can be driven around in one for a fraction of the cost at Classic Chase? This startup is owned by Rupali Prakash's family who owns all the vintage cars (totalling over 100) as what was originally a personal collection.

15) Deep Rooted - Organic Farmers

Organic farming seems to be the hottest vertical in the city for sure. Deep Rooted delivers freshly farmed and organically grown vegetables and fruits to your doorstep in Bangalore.

16 ) Soul Slings - Wearable baby carriers

Some of the best startups happen when the founders try to solve their own problems. Soul Slings came into being when the founder was pregnant for the second time and needed an India climate friendly and sustainable baby carrier option.

17) FarmiZen -- Community-driven food system

Farmizen delivers freshly grown and organic food, and you also get an option to "own" a piece of the farm and choose your own vegetables.

18) Mitti Cafe - Cafe with a cause

Mitti runs cafés across India that are managed by hundreds of adults with special needs who are trained by Mitti. Mitti currently operates 6 cafés within institutions such as Wipro, Infosys, Accenture, Wells Fargo, ANZ Bank, IQVIA, and Cytecare Hospital and also a standalone cafe in Koramangla.

19) Roots and Herbs - Ayurvedic skincare and wellness

Roots And Herbs is an environment friendly and ethical natural wellness brand that sells products such as skincare creams, serums, oils, soaps and teas.

20) Gourmet Garden - organic foods

Food startups have been a blessing during the pandemic with extended lockdowns. Gourmet Garden delivers sustainably produced and organic food products such as fresh produce, vegetables, fruits and spices.

21) Go Native

Go Native runs online and physical stores in Bangalore that sell ethically sourced, cottage industry and hand-made ecofriendly goods like ceramics, fabrics, home linen and food.

22) Freeup -- Social selling app

One of my personal favourites, Freeup is a Bangalore-origin app-based startup that runs a peer-to-peer social selling app which helps you list, sell and buy pre-loved and other goods for "points" or cash and facilitate logistics of the delivery.

23) Masai School - Coding School

Masai school runs coding courses with the premise that the student pays no fees until they land a job.

24) Care On Call - 24/7 medical help at home

Another pandemic gift to the startup world, CareOnCall offers GP consultations, an online prescription service and phone access to GPs, nurses and physios 24/7 through a phone call.

25) Living Food - Gourmet, natural foods

Living food home delivers customised, gourmet and high-end food products such as breads, fresh produce, fermented foods like Sourdough breads, Kombucha, microgreens, and teas.

To be continued....

To hear about the next round of Bangalore based consumer startups on the Clubhouse room live, follow the Bangalore Breakfast Club here. We talk startups every Wednesday, 10-11.55am.