Zepto's Aadit Palicha to become youngest MD, CEO in India
What's the story
Aadit Palicha, the co-founder of Zepto, is set to become the youngest managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of a publicly listed company in India. At just 23 years old, he will achieve this milestone when Zepto lists on stock exchanges later this year. His co-founder Kaivalya Vohra will also join him in this historic achievement for Indian entrepreneurship.
Business evolution
From Stanford dropouts to quick-commerce titans
Palicha and Vohra's entrepreneurial journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic when they dropped out of Stanford University to start a business in India. They first launched KiranaKart before pivoting to Zepto in 2021, betting on the idea of 10-minute grocery deliveries. Today, Zepto is one of India's largest quick-commerce platforms, competing with Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Flipkart Minutes, Amazon Now and BigBasket.
Market strategy
Zepto files updated IPO papers with SEBI
Zepto recently filed updated IPO papers with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), proposing a fresh issue of shares worth ₹8,010 crore. The overall issue size is expected to be between ₹9,000 crore and ₹10,000 crore. According to the company's updated draft red herring prospectus (UDRHP), Zepto ended FY26 with 1,139 dark stores across 66 cities.
Operational expansion
Impressive growth and market position
Zepto's revenue from operations more than doubled to ₹22,624 crore from ₹11,110 crore a year earlier. The company processed 210 million orders in the March quarter alone. Average daily orders rose to 23.3 lakh while dark-store productivity reached a record 2,140 orders per store per day. Despite these impressive numbers, neither Palicha nor Vohra are selling shares in the IPO as it is entirely investor-led, with existing shareholders such as Nexus Venture Partners and Contrary Capital partially monetizing their holdings.