Mumbai’s Isha Lodha calls Zepto a lifesaver. “I was so used to visiting my local fruit and vegetable vendor in Andheri’s Lokhandwala market for daily supplies that the series of Covidinduced lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 came as a rude shock,” she recalls. That was when she learnt about the quick commerce app that promised delivery of grocery and other items within 10 minutes. Today, Zepto has become a way of life in her household.
According to a market report by Bobble AI Data Intelligence Division, Zepto witnessed a 946% user growth between December 2021 and March 2022. On the other hand, bigger brands like Reliance-owned Dunzo and Tata Group’s Big Basket clocked 94% and 58% growth, respectively.
Starting Young
Zepto was founded in 2021 by two 19-year-old Stanford dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra. Originally from Mumbai, Palicha and Vohra are childhood friends. Their parents moved to Dubai when the boys were young.
Vohra, also the chief technology officer of Zepto, started programming when he was around 11, aiming to work at a leading tech company in Silicon Valley. Palicha designed GoPool as a student project that would help parents find and schedule carpools for their school-going children. While he had earlier considered a career in law and then professional gaming, he found his calling in entrepreneurship when he stumbled on YCombinator Startup School sessions.
Reshaping the Grocery Game
This story is from the December 2023 edition of Outlook Business.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2023 edition of Outlook Business.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Faultline Called Unemployment
With youths accounting for a staggering majority of the unemployed population in India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which claims to have put India on a sound growth track, has some tough questions to answer as it seeks a third term at the Centre
'TECH, GOVERNMENT SUPPORT DRIVING GROWTH IN INDIA'S EXPORTS'
As overall exports in India witnessed a rise over the previous year, Akshay Ghulati, co-founder of Strategy and Global Expansion at Shiprocket Global, talks about five drivers of booming trade in India
IN THE RIGHT ENSEMBLE
Manish Kapoor MD and CEO of global clothing brand Pepe Jeans London, finds happiness in spending time with his family and bonding with them over leisure trips, Formula One races, cricket matches and cooking
GREEN GLOBETROTTING
Amid growing awareness about sustainable tourism, more people are hoping to reduce their carbon footprint. Besides benefitting the planet, sustainable tourism also presents the industry with the opportunity to grow responsibly
LOOPM ALTERNATIVES: ADDING A NEW AND LASTING DIMENSION TO PRESERVING FOOD
LoopFresh, an Indian innovation promises to transform the way perishables are stored on our supermarket shelves to retain their freshness.
PLANET VS PLASTIC OR PLASTIC VS SUBSTITUTES?
The theme of Earth Day 2024 was Planet vs Plastic, but plastic industry stakeholders are armed with studies to find faults with its alternatives
WELSPUN LIVING LIMITED: MAKING STRIDES TOWARDS GREENER FUTURE
Striving to advance systematically on the path of sustainable development, Welspun, a global leader in home solutions, is making a mark with its holistic Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) approach towards well-being of all the stakeholders
PROMOTING BIOFUELS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SUPPLY
Biofuels offer a viable solution to reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel while providing cleaner energy, states Kishan Karunakaran, CEO of Buyofuel. In an interview he speaks about how agro-waste and even plastics and tyres can be utilised for producing biofuels, thus supporting a circular economy.
A Ready Reckoner for Climate Justice
In Climate Change: The Policy, Law, and Practice, Jatinder Cheema presents a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change and the corresponding policy, legal and practical responses needed to address this global crisis effectively
TETRA PAK'S AMBITION TO LEAD THE SUSTAINABILITY TRANSFORMATION
Tetra Pak has set 2030 net zero emission goals for itself and 2050 net Zero emission goals for its supply chain. Juhi Gupta, Director Sustainability Tetra Pak, South Asia, in an interview shares how this is being achieved. Excerpts: