From 19-Year-Old College Dropout To Zepto's CEO: Aadit Palicha's Remarkable Journey

New Delhi: While it takes years to climb up the corporate ladder, this boy is an example of how young age is no barrier when it comes to be at the helm. In today's inspiring story, we shall be talking about Aadit Palicha, who serves as a living testament to the notion that age is no barrier to success.

His journey from a 19-year-old college dropout to the CEO of Zepto, amassing a remarkable Rs 1200 crore in earnings, underscores the idea that determination, innovation, and resilience can overcome societal expectations and traditional timelines. 

Born in 2001, Aadit Palicha stands as one of the youngest CEOs of an Indian billion-dollar company. After completing his school, Aadit was set to pursue computer science at Stanford University.

However, the disruption caused by Covid-19 altered his plans resulting in his decision to drop out of the course. Now, just two years later, he holds the CEO position in a rapidly advancing company within a competitive landscape, facing rivals such as Tata-owned BigBasket, Mukesh Ambani’s RIL-backed Dunzo, and Amazon, led by US billionaire Jeff Bezos. 

Aadit Palicha serves as both the founder and CEO of the online grocery delivery service, Zepto. Within just one year, the company achieved a valuation of Rs 7400 crore ($900 million).Today, it has surged to a staggering worth of over Rs 11,600 crore ($1.4 billion). This rapid ascent catapulted the 20-year-old Palicha to become one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, with a net worth of Rs 1,200 crore, according to the 2022 Hurun list.

His childhood friend and co-founder, Kaivalya Vohra, shares a similar trajectory as a Stanford dropout, with a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore. Prior to Zepto, Aadit Palicha initiated his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 17 with a venture named GoPool, which unfortunately did not achieve success.

Initially planning to pursue studies in the US, the pandemic's impact on Stanford being virtual prompted Aadit to reconsider. Rather than being disheartened, he collaborated with Kaivalya to establish KiranaKart. However, this business lasted only 10 months due to challenges in identifying “a strong product-market fit”.

Amidst the pandemic in 2021, the duo, Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya co-founded Zepto and achieved remarkable growth. The company secured millions in funding within a year. In just a few months post-launch, they became millionaires as Zepto's valuation surged reaching $500 million in 5 months, $900 million in a year, and ultimately hitting $1.4 billion in 2 years.

Despite originally intending to graduate with a Computer Science degree, Aadit Palicha now serves as the CEO of a company valued at over Rs 11,600 crore.