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Snapdeal Cofounders Write To Employees After Terminating Flipkart Deal

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Snapdeal recently decided to go their own independent route and declined the $ 900 million takeover offer from Flipkart. After the collapse of the merger, many senior level executives including the Vice President of Product Pradeep Desai, the Vice President of Engineering Viraj Chatterjee and the Head of IT Gaurav Gupta quit the ecommerce company. The company had laid off close to 600 employees earlier this year, across the ecommerce marketplace and its subsidiaries, FreeCharge and Vulcan Express.

While Snapdeal has successfully sold its online payments arm FreeCharge to Axis Bank, the future of the logistics arm Vulcan Express still hangs in the balance. The founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, who have been hesitant about the Flipkart merger since the beginning, released a letter to the employees speaking about the future of Snapdeal. In the letter, the founders touched upon various issues including the ecommerce market in India and their journey as an independent entity. They even spoke about the extensive media coverage the deal received and the complexities it involved.

Both the cofounders firmly believe in the new direction, Snapdeal 2.0, the company must take and the laser focus required to become a ‘champion’ online market space. They aim to make around Rs. 150 crores gross profit in the next 12 months, with a tight control on costs and higher efficiency.

Success is never final, failure is rarely fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts,” the letter added. The fate of this ecommerce company at present remains uncertain, despite the high hopes of the cofounders. One thing that remains certain is that the immediate sale of their logistics arm Vulcan Express, acquired in 2015, will deeply influence the growth of Snapdeal 2.0.

You can find the complete letter here –

Dear Team,

Over the last few months, our company has been engaged in strategic discussions with other players. A lot of time and effort has gone into the process from all participants in this exhausting process. The process has led to intense speculations and uncertainty for our team, partners and shareholders. And now it is time to finally put an end to this saga.

We will be continuing the Snapdeal journey as an independent company. As we have often discussed, the opportunity of e-commerce in India is immense, and the surface of this $200 Billion market has barely been scratched yet. We have a tremendous team, millions of loyal customers, hundreds of thousands of motivated sellers and a phenomenal platform that has been built with years of effort.

All the ingredients of success have always been there in our company. And after the last few months of tumultuousness, it is time to focus on the business and leverage all our strengths to progress towards our vision of building the best marketplace to connect buyers to sellers in India.

The good question to ask is why are we moving down an independent path, when so much effort went into determining a strategic combination. There are a few reasons for this, which go beyond the fact that the deal being contemplated was incredibly complex to execute as reported extensively by the media.

Firstly, there isn’t going to be one successful model for e-commerce in India. In every market, there are multiple successful e-commerce businesses, and as long as one’s strategy is differentiated and has a clear path to success, there is a great company that can be built. We firmly believe in our new direction – Snapdeal 2.0 – part of which is a laser focus on being a champion for all sellers in India, enabling anyone to setup a store online in a few minutes and focusing on providing large selection of products at great prices to consumers.

Secondly, we have made tremendous progress towards this new path over the last few months and are already profitable at an gross profit (a.k.a. net margin) level, with clear visibility to making upwards of Rs 150 Crores in gross profit in the next 12 months.

Finally, with the ongoing streamlining of costs and sale of some of our assets, such as Freecharge, we are financially self sufficient as a company and don’t need to raise additional capital to reach profitability. Needless to say, we will need to keep a tight control on our costs and work towards becoming a hyper efficient culture delivering profitable growth, month on month. 

Success is never final, failure is rarely fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. Let’s work together to make Snapdeal 2.0 a super success!

Thanks!

Kunal & Rohit

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Zepto Prepares for IPO with $250 Million Secondary Share Sale to Boost Domestic Investor Ownership

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Zepto Prepares for IPO with $250 Million Secondary Share Sale to Boost Domestic Investor Ownership

Zepto, the Bengaluru-based quick commerce startup, is preparing for its initial public offering (IPO) by facilitating a secondary share sale worth up to $250 million. This strategic move aims to increase Indian investor ownership from approximately 33% to nearly 50% before the anticipated public listing later this year or early next year.

Funding and Investor Details

The secondary sale will involve private equity firms, including Motilal Oswal Financial Services and Edelweiss Financial Services, allowing existing investors and employees to liquidate their shares. Although Zepto will not raise additional capital through this transaction, it is expected to execute the sale at a valuation of just over $5 billion, consistent with its last funding round in November 2024.

Objectives Behind the Sale

The primary goal of this secondary share sale is to enhance domestic ownership in Zepto, aligning with regulatory preferences and making the IPO more attractive to local institutional investors. Co-founders Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra currently hold about 20% of the company, and increasing Indian shareholder stakes is seen as a way to strengthen governance and influence over the company’s future direction.

Market Context

Zepto operates in India’s competitive grocery delivery market, facing challenges from established players like Amazon India, Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket. Founded in 2021 by Palicha and Vohra after they dropped out of Stanford University, Zepto has quickly gained traction in the quick commerce sector.

Conclusion

As Zepto approaches its IPO, this secondary share sale represents a crucial step in solidifying its position in the Indian market. By boosting domestic investor participation, Zepto aims to enhance its credibility and appeal as it prepares for a public listing amidst a wave of Indian startups entering the stock market.

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Regional OTT Platform STAGE Raises $12.5 Million to Expand Bhojpuri and Cultural Offerings

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Regional OTT platform STAGE has successfully raised $12.5 million in its Series B funding round, a move that highlights the increasing demand for regional content in India. The round was co-led by Goodwater Capital and Blume Ventures, with participation from Physis Capital and several angel investors.

The funding includes $10 million in primary capital and $2.5 million from secondary share sales, allowing early investors to partially exit. This capital will enable STAGE to enhance its content offerings, particularly in underserved languages like Bhojpuri, while strengthening its technological capabilities.

 

Since its launch in 2019, STAGE has quickly established itself as a leader in the regional OTT market, reporting an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of ₹180 crore (approximately $21.7 million) and over 4.4 million paying subscribers. The platform has achieved over 20 million app installs and experienced significant growth, with a 289% increase in revenue and a 286% rise in subscribers over the past year, driven by original series such as Videshi Bahu, Kaand 2010, and Bhawani.

 

CEO Vinay Singhal emphasized that this funding is not just financial support but a validation of India’s diverse regional cultures. He noted that dialects like Haryanvi and Bhojpuri should be celebrated rather than viewed as liabilities. With this new funding, STAGE plans to further invest in content creation and technology development to enrich its storytelling experience.

 

As the demand for regional language content continues to grow, STAGE’s strategic investments position it well to expand into more languages and cultural narratives, solidifying its place in the competitive OTT landscape alongside platforms like aha video and Chaupal.

 

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From Space to Earth: Sunita Williams’ Inspiring Journey and Homecoming Celebration

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Sunita Williams, the celebrated Indian-American astronaut, recently returned to Earth after an extended nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Initially scheduled for just eight days, her mission was prolonged due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which rendered it unsafe for their return.

On March 19, 2025, Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore safely splashed down off the Florida coast. 

 

Their homecoming was celebrated in Jhulasan village, Gujarat, where special prayers and rituals were held to honor her safe return. Family members expressed their joy and gratitude, emphasizing her strong ties to her ancestral home.

Upon her return, Williams received accolades from Indian officials, including a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed pride in her achievements and resilience. He highlighted the inspiration she provides to future generations of scientists.

 

While her return marks a moment of celebration, it also signals the start of new challenges. After spending 286 days in space, Williams will undergo a 45-day rehabilitation period to readjust to life on Earth and regain physical strength.

Sunita Williams’ journey serves as an inspiration not only for India but for aspiring scientists worldwide, showcasing the significant contributions of Indian-origin individuals in global space exploration.

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