In India’s startup arena, home to 195,065 DPIIT-recognized ventures and a $450 billion digital economy, the obsession with headline-grabbing valuations—112 unicorns worth $350 billion—and funding rounds ($7.7 billion in 9M 2025, down 23% YoY) often overshadows the metrics that truly define success. With 90% of startups failing within five years, focusing solely on billion-dollar tags or cash burns misses the mark on sustainability, impact, and resilience. As India’s ecosystem matures—evidenced by 12 IPOs in H1 2025 and a pivot to profitability—metrics like customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), unit economics, social return on investment (SROI), and regional equity are emerging as true north stars. Backed by Tracxn, Inc42, and…