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Zepto to raise $500 Mn at $7 Bn valuation: Report

Entrackr · 1d ago

Medial

Zepto to raise $500 Mn at $7 Bn valuation: Report Quick commerce firm Zepto is in advanced talks to raise $500 million in a new funding round led by existing backers General Catalyst, Avenir, and others, according to a Moneycontrol report. The round is expected to value the Mumbai-based startup at around $7 billion, a significant jump from its previous valuation of $5 billion when it raised $350 million in November 2024. In total, the Aadit Palicha-led company raised $1.35 billion in 2024. This development comes shortly after Zepto postponed its planned initial public offering (IPO) to 2026. The company had already completed its reverse flip to India in January this year. Zepto is currently prioritizing lower cash burn and stronger profitability ahead of its public listing. In response to rising operational costs, the company has temporarily shut down its food service arm, Zepto Cafe, in several smaller North Indian cities such as Agra, Chandigarh, Meerut, Mohali, and Amritsar. Zepto is also facing strong competition from rivals including Blinkit and Swiggy. According to an ICICI Securities report, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart surged ahead in Q1 FY26, expanding gross order value by over 25% and 22%, respectively. The duo outperformed the overall quick-commerce sector’s sub-20% growth. In April, Palicha said the company is approaching an annualized Gross Order Value (GOV) of $4 billion. According to him, Zepto scaled from $1 billion to $3 billion in GOV within eight months, reflecting around 300% year-on-year growth and a 30% increase since January 2025. Recently, Palicha added that a majority of Zepto's dark stores are expected to become fully EBITDA-positive in the next quarter. Earlier this year, it closed a $665 million Series F round followed by a $340 million top-up, raising over $1 billion in 2024 alone. Zepto claims a majority of its dark stores have turned EBITDA positive, with deeper expansion planned across metros and Tier II/III cities. The upcoming funding is likely to support operational scale, enhance its tech stack, and sharpen its supply chain efficiencies. While earlier reports suggested a delayed IPO timeline, Zepto has clarified it is targeting a late-2025 to early-2026 window, contingent on market conditions. The company is also said to be aligning its cap table to include more domestic investors in preparation for a potential India listing. Founded in 2021, Zepto competes with Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket in India’s fast-evolving quick commerce space.