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CREDIBILITYMay 10, 2025 · 6 min read

How to Check Startup Credibility in India

Startup credibility isn't a single yes/no answer — it's a composite of signals from public data sources. This guide explains what to check, where to find it, and how to interpret what you find. TruthDeck automates all of it, but understanding each source makes you a sharper evaluator.

What "startup credibility" actually means

Credibility in the startup context means: are the claims this startup makes verifiable by independent public data? It's not about whether the business will succeed — a credible startup can still fail. It's about whether what they say about themselves is true.

The three most commonly fabricated claims in Indian startups are: funding amounts, user numbers, and founding date. A credibility check focuses primarily on these.

The 6 sources to check

MCA21 (mca.gov.in)
Legal registration status
Search the company name or CIN. Confirms the entity is registered, its date of incorporation, and current status (Active / Struck Off / Dormant).
Crunchbase
Funding history and investors
Search the startup name. Look for funding rounds, investor names, and announced valuations. Any claim not appearing here after 6+ months should be questioned.
Google News
Independent coverage and controversy
Search "<Startup Name> site:economictimes.com" or similar. Also search "<Name> fraud" and "<Name> controversy". Real startups have coverage from multiple independent outlets.
App Store / Play Store
Product existence and user traction
Search the product name. Verify the developer matches the company. Check download band (Android shows approximate installs) and review sentiment.
LinkedIn
Team size and founder history
Search the company page — employee count on LinkedIn roughly correlates with actual headcount. Check founder profiles for consistent history and verifiable past roles.
WHOIS / who.is
Domain age vs. claimed founding date
Look up the company's domain. A 2019-founded startup with a 2024 domain needs to explain the gap — valid reasons exist (rebrand) but silence is a red flag.

What a credibility score tells you

Rather than checking each source manually, TruthDeck aggregates all six into a single TruthScore from 0–100. Scores above 75 indicate a startup with strong, consistent public presence. Scores between 45 and 74 indicate missing or inconsistent signals. Below 45 means limited verifiable data or active red flags.

Importantly, a low score doesn't always mean fraud — a genuine early-stage startup with no press coverage and no app will score low simply because there's little to verify. Context matters: a Seed-stage startup scoring 50 is not the same concern as a Series B startup scoring 30.

Industry-specific credibility checks

Certain sectors require additional checks beyond the six above:

  • FinTech: RBI NBFC registration, payment aggregator licence, prepaid wallet licence. Check RBI's public database at rbi.org.in.
  • HealthTech / Pharma: CDSCO, drug licence, clinical trial registrations. Unregistered health claims are a regulatory risk.
  • EdTech: Fee refund policies, UGC recognition if degree-linked, DPIIT startup recognition for tax benefits they may claim.
  • FoodTech: FSSAI licence number (publicly verifiable at fssai.gov.in).

Browse TruthDeck's sector-specific rankings: FinTech, HealthTech, EdTech, SaaS.

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