Draft:Zepto (company)

Zepto
Company typePrivate
IndustryQ-commerce
FoundedJuly 2021; 2 years ago (2021-07)
Headquarters,
India
Number of locations
200 stores (2023)
Key people
  • Aadit Palicha (CEO)
  • Kaivalya Vohra (CTO)
ServicesOnline grocer
RevenueIncrease 2,024 crore (US$240 million) (FY23)[1]
Negative increase −1,272 crore (US$−150 million) (FY23)
Websitezeptonow.com

Zepto is an Indian Q-commerce company focused on grocery. It was founded in July 2021 by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra. The company is based out of Mumbai and operates over 200 dark-stores across ten metropolitan areas in India.[2]

History

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Aadit Palicha started Zepto with Kaivalya Vohra in 2020 when they were 17 years old.[3][4] Palicha and Vohra skipped college to start Zepto, instead raising capital from Contrary, which offered to invest if they dropped out of Stanford University.[5][6]

Palicha and Vohra originally branded the company as KiranaKart and focused on facilitating grocery delivery by partnering with local kirana stores, but that approach did not gain traction.[7] They also participated in Y Combinator's accelerator program while building out the first version of the platform.[8]

Business

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In 2021, the company rebranded to Zepto and verticalized the operation, building a network of dark stores to fulfill orders. In April 2022, Zepto launched Cafe, a division focused on delivery of coffee and ready-to-eat food.[9] In February 2023, the company launched Bloom, a platform for farmers to manage food production and distribute goods from villages to cities.[10]

Zepto and other major delivery platforms including Zomato, Blinkit, and Swiggy employ over 3 million gig workers.

The company began a paid membership program in February 2024[11], which has over 4 million subscribers as of April 2024.[12]

Controversy

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In April 2022, Anand Mahindra publicly commented that q-commerce delivery is "inhuman" to the delivery workers that Zepto and peers contract to fulfill orders. Palicha responded, arguing that only speeds of less than 15 kmph are necessary to make deliveries.[13] In 2023, the New York Times reported that Zepto delivery drivers make $240 per month on average.[14]

Funding

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Zepto has raised $560 million. The company measures its capital in US dollars rather than Indian Rupees. Other notable investors include Jim Breyer, Lachy Groom, and Global Founders Capital.[15] Zepto was India's first Unicorn (finance) of 2023, and one of two companies to be valued over $1 billion that year.[16]

Round Size Valuation Lead Investor(s)
Seed[17][18] $730,000 $2.5 million Contrary
Series A undisclosed undisclosed Nexus Venture Partners
Series B[19] $60 million $225 million Glade Brook Capital
Series C[20] $100 million $570 million Y Combinator
Series D[21] $200 million $900 million Y Combinator
Series E[22][16] $200 million $1.4 billion StepStone Group

References

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  1. ^ "Zepto's revenue grows 14X to Rs 2,024 Cr in FY23, losses up by 3X". Entrackr. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Many of Zepto's dark stores now profitable; co announces leadership changes". The Times of India. 2023-05-31. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  3. ^ "As Indians expect groceries in 10 mins, delivery agents struggle". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  4. ^ "Y Combinator-backed Zepto launches 10-minute food delivery service 'Cafe' in Mumbai". Moneycontrol. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  5. ^ Hernbroth, Megan. "One Silicon Valley venture firm will invest up to $100,000 in startups founded by college students taking a gap year to become entrepreneurs". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  6. ^ "Stanford dropouts raise $60 million for grocery startup Zepto". Yahoo Finance. 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  7. ^ Li, Steven. "They Raised $360 Million After Dropping Out Of Stanford And Built Grocery Delivery App Zepto, Now Worth $900 Million". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  8. ^ Singh, Manish (2021-10-31). "India's Zepto raises $60M for its 10 minute grocery delivery app". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  9. ^ "Zepto unveils 10-minute food delivery service 'Cafe' in Mumbai: All you need to know". Zee News. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  10. ^ "Zepto's engagement programme, Zepto Bloom for farmers launched'". Financialexpress. 2023-02-13. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  11. ^ Saha, Soumyajit (2024-02-29). "Zepto launches membership programme for all users". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  12. ^ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  13. ^ "Anand Mahindra | Zepto : Anand Mahindra isn't impressed with 10-min delivery, but gives Zepto boss a 'fair' chance to explain his POV". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  14. ^ Schmall, Emily; Singh, Karan Deep; Loke, Atul (2023-01-04). "Need an Onion? These Indian Apps Will Deliver It in Minutes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  15. ^ Singh, Manish (2021-12-20). "Zepto, a 10-minute grocery delivery app in India, raises $100 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  16. ^ a b Sriram, M.; Sriram, M. (2023-08-25). "Zepto raises $200 million at $1.4 billion valuation, becomes first Indian unicorn in nearly a year". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  17. ^ "How two 19-year-old Stanford dropouts founded Zepto". Business Today. 2021-11-12. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  18. ^ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  19. ^ Singh, Manish (2021-10-31). "India's Zepto raises $60M for its 10 minute grocery delivery app". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  20. ^ Singh, Manish (2021-12-20). "Zepto, a 10-minute grocery delivery app in India, raises $100 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  21. ^ Singh, Manish (2022-05-02). "Zepto, a 10-minute grocery delivery app, raises $200 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  22. ^ Cornish, Chloe (2023-08-25). "India's first 'unicorn' of 2023 boosts tech sector's hopes of funding revival". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-08-26.