Aadit Palicha, the CEO of Zepto, recently spoke about how talented people in India are. In a chat with Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, Palicha shared his journey of building Zepto, one of India’s top grocery delivery apps, and talked about the rapid growth of the quick commerce industry in the country.
Starting from WhatsApp to 3,000+ Employees
Zepto was started in 2021 by Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, both of whom dropped out of Stanford University. What started as a simple idea in a WhatsApp group is now a popular app with over 3,000 employees.
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Why Building in India is an Advantage
Palicha said that one of the biggest benefits of building a startup in India is the incredible talent available. He mentioned that although they interviewed American engineers, they found Indian engineers to be just as skilled.
He said, “A lot of people don’t realize how talented Indian professionals are. That’s why many big tech companies open offices in places like Bangalore—to hire this amazing talent.”
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He also pointed out that hiring great talent in India is much easier and less competitive compared to places like San Francisco.
Is Zepto a Success Yet?
Even though Zepto has grown rapidly, Palicha doesn’t think it’s a success just yet. When asked if Zepto had “made it,” he replied, “No, not even close. We still have a long way to go—maybe a couple of decades—before we can say we’ve truly succeeded.”
