
With ample funds, quick-commerce unicorn Zepto is gearing up for its initial public offering (IPO) by hiring senior-level talent across various departments, according to Co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha.
"Currently, most of my time is dedicated to interviewing candidates for vice-president positions in business verticals like home and personal care, or meat and seafood," Palicha said at the JIIF Foundation Day event in New Delhi on July 6.
Palicha, a 21-year-old founder, highlighted the challenge of assembling an exceptional team. "It's tough to find the right people and ensure their full commitment. Convincing highly accomplished individuals to fully invest in our vision is a significant challenge. I spend a lot of time ensuring our team is outstanding and well-prepared," he added.
Earlier this year, Nikhil Mittal, a former senior V-P at Zepto, was promoted to chief technology officer.
This follows Zepto's recent $665 million Series F funding round, which valued the company at $3.6 billion. The company is planning its IPO within the next 12-15 months.
Ahead of the IPO, Zepto aims to hire an additional 400-500 employees, focusing on engineering, product, category, growth, and marketing roles, expanding its current team of 1,600 people.
Zepto operates around 350 dark stores in India's top 10 cities and plans to double this number, expanding into 10 more cities.
However, Palicha's comments come amidst several high-level departures from the company.
In June, Zepto's chief marketing officer Amritansu Nanda, chief business officer Viral Jhaveri, chief growth officer Manik Oberoi, and former senior V-P of finance Ashish Shah, who resigned in December 2023, left the company.
Shah is now the chief financial officer at DealShare.