The Entrepreneurial Journey of Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra: Building Zepto and Shaping Quick Commerce in India

The Entrepreneurial Journey of Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra: Building Zepto and Shaping Quick Commerce in India
Case Code: LDEN230
Case Length: 13 Pages
Period: -
Pub Date: 2025
Teaching Note: Available
Price: Rs.400
Organization : Zepto
Industry :Retailing
Countries : India
Themes: Entrepreneurial Strategy,
The Entrepreneurial Journey of Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra: Building Zepto and Shaping Quick Commerce in India
Abstract Case Intro 1 Case Intro 2 Excerpts

Abstract

The case tracks the entrepreneurial journey of Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, the two young founders of Zepto, who introduced the concept of 10-minute grocery delivery to Indian customers. This marked the beginning of quick commerce in India, and set the standard for other companies like Swiggy, BigBasket, etc.

The case goes on to examine the journey of Aadit and Kaivalya. It looks at what shaped their thoughts when Aadit set up the GoPool carpooling app while still in high school in Dubai, and how he managed nevertheless to achieve excellent academic grades; what made the duo forego the opportunity to pursue higher education at the prestigious Stanford University, USA, to set up their own company – KiranaKart Technologies Ltd; the hardships they faced and lessons they learnt, while trying to convince mom-and-pop stores in Mumbai to install an app which would receive orders from customers and deliver groceries home. This was challenging as it was new to everyone involved – the founders, the mom-and-pop stores and the customers. It also delves into the circumstances which led them to change the business model – from the Market Place model of KiranaKart to the Dark Stores driven business model of Zepto.

The case finally touches upon the progress Zepto has made since its inception, and the impending challenges for the company, and, more importantly, its founders – Aadit and Kaivalya.

Issues

The case is structured to achieve the following teaching objectives:

  • Understand the key drivers of entrepreneurial behavior.
  • Assess how entrepreneurs identify market gaps, validate opportunities, and adapt offerings based on customer feedback and market needs.
  • Distinguish between planned, emergent, deliberate, realized, and abandoned strategies.

Contents

Keywords

Zepto; entrepreneurs; entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial behavior; planned strategy; emergent strategy; realized strategy; abandoned strategy; start up; quick commerce; e-commerce; Business Model Transition; competition; scaling up

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