Zepto raises $665 million at $3.6 billion valuation

Quick commerce startup Zepto on Friday raised $665 million in funding at a $3.6 billion valuation in a highly oversubscribed round.

This comes just nine months after the company raised $235 million at a $1.4 billion valuation.

Avenir, Lightspeed, and Avra (Anu Hariharan’s new fund) joined the company’s cap table as new investors, among others.

Existing investors Glade Brook, Nexus, and StepStone co-led the round with Goodwater and Lachy Groom doubling down as well.

In terms of business performance, Zepto’s GMV (gross merchandise value) has multiplied year-on-year to a base of over $1 billion, and around 75% of the company’s stores are fully EBITDA positive as of May 2024, the grocery delivery unicorn says.

These stores previously took 23 months to achieve profitability; today, they only take six months, it says.

“This dynamic of stores turning profitable faster and faster has enabled Zepto to grow rapidly while simultaneously achieving near EBITDA positivity at a company level. We plan to continue operating with fiscal discipline as we scale from 350 stores to 700 stores by reinvesting the capital generated from mature stores back into the business. If we are able to achieve this while continuing to delight customers, I believe we will be ready to go public relatively soon,” says Zepto co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha.

Zepto competes with Zomato-owned Blinkit and Swiggy’s Instamart in the quick commerce space.

Zepto co-founder and CTO Kaivalya Vohra says the most exciting part about this next phase of Zepto’s journey are the major new projects that will enhance customer experience, from launching new categories to expanding initiatives like Zepto Pass. “To build out this roadmap, we plan to hire top talent across engineering, product, growth, finance, operations, and category management. If you are looking for a high growth, high meritocracy and high intensity culture where you can convert hard work and ambition into disproportionate career growth, Zepto is the place for you,” says Vohra.

This fundraise also marks the formal launch of Avra Capital, a growth equity fund started by Anu Hariharan (the former MD of Y Combinator Continuity). Zepto is the firm’s first investment globally.

“We are thrilled to partner with Zepto once more, this time through Avra, marking our first global investment. Zepto may appear to be a mere 10-minute quick commerce company at first glance, but they are transforming Indian e-commerce by creating the ‘Hyperlocal Amazon’ combining affordable prices with local convenience,” says Hariharan.

Paul Hudson, CIO of Glade Brook Capital Partners, says, “Zepto is redefining e-commerce in India, with uniquely strong product-market fit and world-class execution and innovation. The Zepto team embodies what is possible for the next generation of Indian founders, and Glade Brook could not be more excited to continue our partnership.”