Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Aadit Palicha is the co-founder and CEO of Zepto, one of India's largest quick-commerce grocery platforms. What began as a WhatsApp group delivering groceries to neighbors in Mumbai during COVID has grown into a company employing over 200,000 people, processing millions of deliveries per day and operating one of India's largest fruits and vegetables supply chains — all built around a 10-minute delivery model powered by a network of dark stores.
At Startup School India, Aadit sat down with YC's Jared Friedman to talk about the scrappy origins of Zepto, the pivot from a doorstep delivery model to owning their own dark store infrastructure and how the company is now using AI and robotics to drive supply chain efficiency and grow a fast-scaling advertising business.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:17 – How Zepto Got Started
03:12 – Stanford or Startup?
04:46 – Competing in a Crowded Market
07:03 – The Pivot: Dark Stores & Zepto Is Born
10:30 – The 10-Minute Delivery Vision
12:04 – Obsessing Over 100 Customers
15:07 – The Hidden Supply Chain
18:11 – Scale & What Zepto Is Today
20:05 – The Long-Term Vision for Zepto
22:44 – How Zepto Uses AI
25:35 – The Engineering Team
26:12 – How Aadit Kept Leveling Up
Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/apply
Work at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobs
Aadit Palicha is the co-founder and CEO of Zepto, one of India's largest quick-commerce grocery platforms. What began as a WhatsApp group delivering groceries to neighbors in Mumbai during COVID has grown into a company employing over 200,000 people, processing millions of deliveries per day and operating one of India's largest fruits and vegetables supply chains — all built around a 10-minute delivery model powered by a network of dark stores.
At Startup School India, Aadit sat down with YC's Jared Friedman to talk about the scrappy origins of Zepto, the pivot from a doorstep delivery model to owning their own dark store infrastructure and how the company is now using AI and robotics to drive supply chain efficiency and grow a fast-scaling advertising business.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:17 – How Zepto Got Started
03:12 – Stanford or Startup?
04:46 – Competing in a Crowded Market
07:03 – The Pivot: Dark Stores & Zepto Is Born
10:30 – The 10-Minute Delivery Vision
12:04 – Obsessing Over 100 Customers
15:07 – The Hidden Supply Chain
18:11 – Scale & What Zepto Is Today
20:05 – The Long-Term Vision for Zepto
22:44 – How Zepto Uses AI
25:35 – The Engineering Team
26:12 – How Aadit Kept Leveling Up
Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/apply
Work at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobs
