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Forbes India Magazine - October 17, 2025

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In this issue

Quick Commerce Special—gives insights into a sector that is witnessing hectic activity. We profile Zepto that became a unicorn in 2023 and introduced the concept of dark stores in India.
It is now shifting gears by focusing on wallet share, unit economics and sustainable growth. The competition, though, is heating up with Blinkit and Instamart spending huge amounts to capture market share.
The issue also looks at the functioning of dark stores and gives a pictorial description of the same. That apart, we have stories on the impact of GST rate cuts on the sales of cars and the craze for the latest iPhone.

THE H-1B HURDLE

US Big Tech employs significant numbers under the H-IB visa programme, rivalling Indian IT giants such as Cognizant and TCS

1 mins

Long Rate Pause?

Bond markets had been signalling a pause in the interest rate cycle. With economic un- certainties, RBI can now get the time to evaluate the impact of GST cuts on consumption

4 mins

H-1B, or not to be

The H-1B visa application fee hike can dampen hiring by US Big Tech and startups, but is unlikely to have significant impact on Indian IT companies

4 mins

The American Dream Dilemma

The H-1B visa fee hike is just the latest shake-up in a long series of Trump-era changes that have rattled Indian students in the US over the past few months

5 mins

The Trust Label

The e-grocery sector has delivered speed and convenience. It now needs to build loyalty and private labels are the lever to make that happen

4 mins

Decriminalising Defamation

The Supreme Court's recent observation is an attempt to do away with an archaic law, and align with contemporary values and standards

3 mins

Apple's Big Bite

The iPhone 16 was already the most-shipped device in Q2, and the iPhone 17 is expected to increase sales further

4 mins

A Rollercoaster Ride?

Car sales zoom with GST cuts, but EV adoptions may stutter as the tax gap shrinks between them and ICE vehicles

4 mins

WHAT COMES AFTER SPEED

With competition heating up and an IPO on the horizon, how does Zepto plan to stay ahead in the fast-moving world of quick commerce?

10+ mins

YOUNG, NOT RECKLESS

What it's like to be 23-year-old founders at Zepto

2 mins

DASHING IN THE DARK (STORE)

Cramped dark stores are tech-enabled, micro-warehouses where the countdown begins once an order is received, and is processed within minutes

3 mins

A MAD RUSH

Forbes India reporter's first-hand experience of visiting and packing orders inside a dark store in Bengaluru

2 mins

CARBELIM: AN IIT MADRAS INCUBATED CLIMATE-TECH MAKING BUILDINGS BREATHE AND CITIES COME ALIVE

Across the world's fast-growing cities, air pollution has become an invisible crisis.

2 mins

TRANSFORMING LIVES: DR. AJAYYA KUMAR'S SUCCESS369 FORMULA!

\"Success without clarity is failure in disguise.\" For Dr. Ajayya Kumar, this isn't just a personal mantra — it's the foundation of a movement.

3 mins

SCAN, PACK, DELIVER

Wonder how orders on quick commerce platforms get delivered in minutes? Here's a pictorial look at the chaos and precision inside a dark store

1 mins

WHY WE CHOSE TO INVEST IN ZEPTO

Few companies have managed to surpass their own projections of scale like Zepto has

3 mins

EARTHEN CONNECT: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE LIVING WITH TRACEABILITY AND FAIR-TRADE PRACTICES

Technology is the foundation of a transparent and sustainable agri-tech ecosystem. It doesn't just digitize processes; it builds trust, ensures accountability, and connects farmers to global markets. By leveraging innovation, we can create a food system that is both efficient and equitable.\"

1 mins

DESIGN IS THE ULTIMATE DIFFERENTIATOR: THE STORY OF PRIMARC

In Kolkata's dynamic real estate landscape, few names have risen as swiftly, and with as much distinction, as Primarc. Under the leadership of Sidharth Pansari, the youngest ex-President of CREDAI Bengal, the company has transformed from a promising player into one of the city's fastest-growing and most innovative developers, setting benchmarks across residential, commercial, hospitality, and retail.

2 mins

Rebuilding TAFE

After a protracted legal battle with US agricultural machine manufacturer AGCO, Mallika Srinivasan is leading the tractor maker with renewed vigour

7 mins

Golden Period

Demand for gold loans will continue to be strong as interest rates weaken and geopolitical tensions lead to an uncertain macroeconomic environment. NBFC giants and new-age firms can build a robust portfolio, say experts

6 mins

The $29 Trillion Opportunity

Private equity and credit firms are setting their sights on the country's vast retirement savings—which should make the markets fairer for everyone, so long as customers have their eyes wide open

10+ mins

Policing Panopticon

With over 80,000 AI-powered cameras in the US, Flock Safety is a $7.5 billion business, and CEO Garrett Langley has a noble (if Sisyphean) goal: Eliminating crime in America

10+ mins

Biotech Billionaire

Akeso CEO Michelle Xia gained experience in the US before launching her own biotech company back home in China. Now its cancer-fighting drug has put her in the spotlight of global pharmaceutical firms

8 mins

Small Wonders, Big Numbers

Low- and mid-budget films—with rooted stories, age-appropriate casting and traditional marketing—are raking in the moolah. Why is the audience rejecting superstar-led projects?

7 mins

'Always Wanted to Create an Album on Gandhi'

Three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej on collaborating with Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi and the challenges of working with 200 musicians across 40 countries

6 mins

'In India, Trust is the Key to Success'

Borzo CEO Alina Kisina on the evolving last-mile delivery landscape, how supporting SMEs is at the heart of its growth strategy and why she sees AI as an opportunity, not a threat

5 mins

'Unlike Humans, Dogs don't Hold Grudges'

Meher Pudumjee wasn't a dog lover until Lara came into her life five years ago. One among seven in a litter on a street, she brought her home on her lap. That's when Pudumjee felt that 'umbilical cord'-like attachment for the pet.

1 mins

Read all Stories from Forbes India

Forbes India Magazine Description:

Publisher: Network18-Media-&-Investments-Limited

Category: Business

Language: English

Frequency: Fortnightly

Forbes is the world’s leading business magazine and since its inception in 1917, Forbes has stood, unwavering, for one overriding principle: the unshakable belief in the power of free enterprise.

Forbes mission has always been clear and unchanging: to provide insights and information that ensure the success of the world’s most influential. Faithfully fulfilling that promise is what draws today's most influential business leaders to Forbes. These high-powered decision-makers represent a community of like-minded individuals bound by their unshakable belief in the spirit of free enterprise. They contribute to it, profit from it and their lives are better for it. For them, Forbes is the quintessential Capitalist Tool.

True to its pedigree, Forbes India has donned on the role of the drama critic to Indian business. Since its launch in 2009, the magazine has helped readers connect the dots, form patterns and see beyond the obvious, giving them a perspective beyond the obvious.