Mumbai-born Aadit Palicha has built Zepto, one of India’s fastest-growing quick commerce startups, now valued at over ₹61,000 crore (US $7 billion). The Indian-origin entrepreneur, who dropped out of Stanford University to chase his business dreams, has quickly become one of the youngest founders of a multi-billion-dollar company. After starting Zepto in 2021 with co-founder Kaivalya Vohra, Palicha’s company changed the way urban Indians order groceries, promising delivery in under 10 minutes. His journey from early failures to building a unicorn in under three years has inspired India’s growing startup ecosystem. But as Zepto’s valuation soars, so do the challenges. Amid a new round of massive funding, Palicha now faces the tough task of sustaining profitability while taking on giants like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart.
Born in 2001, Aadit Palicha grew up in Mumbai with a keen interest in entrepreneurship. The rise of Zepto and its young founders
Born in 2001, Aadit Palicha grew up in Mumbai with a keen interest in entrepreneurship. By the age of 17, he had already launched his first venture, GoPool, a ride-sharing app that didn’t take off. But that didn’t slow him down. He soon enrolled in Stanford University, one of the world’s top tech institutions, to study computer science.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. During lockdown, Palicha and his childhood friend Kaivalya Vohra realised that grocery delivery was broken, orders took too long, and convenience stores couldn’t meet digital-age expectations. The duo dropped out of Stanford to start KiranaKart, a hyperlocal grocery delivery platform. But within months, they pivoted again, this time with a much bolder idea: deliver groceries in just 10 minutes.
That’s how Zepto was born in April 2021, named after the term “zeptosecond,” representing one trillionth of a second, symbolising speed.
A billion-dollar idea that clicked
The idea of instant grocery delivery sounded ambitious, even unrealistic, but Zepto made it work through a network of micro-warehouses, known as “dark stores,” spread across India’s biggest cities. Within months, it became one of the most talked-about startups in India’s tech ecosystem.
Today, Zepto competes head-on with Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket, and Flipkart Minutes, and has expanded its presence to multiple metro cities.
According to Moneycontrol, the startup recently raised $450 million (around ₹4,000 crore) in a funding round led by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and General Catalyst, taking its valuation to $7 billion, up from $5 billion just last year.
Existing investors such as Avenir, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, Stepstone Group, and Nexus Venture Partners also participated in the round.
From failed startups to a ₹61,000 crore empire
Palicha and Vohra’s journey wasn’t smooth. Before Zepto, they experimented with multiple ideas that didn’t succeed. Yet, each setback added to their understanding of how to solve India’s delivery problem at scale. Their focus on speed, efficiency, and consistent service helped Zepto attract young urban consumers.
The company claims to have scaled order volume by 200% over the past 18 months while improving profitability across stores. This rapid rise, combined with India’s booming online grocery market (expected to cross $500 billion in the coming years), has positioned Zepto as one of the most promising consumer tech companies in the country.
The road ahead: Speed vs sustainability
While Zepto’s success story is remarkable, the road ahead is far from easy. The company’s biggest challenge now lies in maintaining rapid growth without burning cash, a balance that’s difficult in India’s highly competitive delivery market.
As Blinkit (backed by Zomato) and Swiggy’s Instamart push toward profitability, Zepto will need to show investors it can sustain its breakneck speed without compromising unit economics.
Still, with a young and determined founder, deep investor confidence, and a growing appetite for instant delivery, Aadit Palicha and Zepto represent a new generation of Indian startups, fearless, fast-moving, and shaping how millions of Indians shop every day.