Back to feeds

Binny Bansal: The Tech Entrepreneur Who Transformed Indian E-commerce Early Life and Education Binny Bansal was born in Chandigarh, India, in 1983 to a business family. His early education took place in Chandigarh, where he attended a local school before pursuing his higher education at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. At IIT Delhi, he studied Computer Science and Engineering, laying the foundation for his future career in technology. After graduating from IIT Delhi in 2005, Bansal began his professional career at Sarnoff Corporation, where he worked briefly. However, his most significant pre-entrepreneurial role was at Amazon.com, where he worked as a software engineer. This experience would later prove invaluable in shaping his understanding of e-commerce operations and technology infrastructure. The Flipkart Journey Founding and Early Days In 2007, Binny Bansal, along with his IIT Delhi batchmate Sachin Bansal (no relation), founded Flipkart. The company began as an online bookstore, operating from a two-bedroom apartment in Bangalore. With an initial investment of around $6,000 from their savings, the two founders personally delivered books on their scooters in the early days. Growth and Innovation Under Binny's leadership as COO and later CEO, Flipkart introduced several innovative features to the Indian e-commerce landscape: - Cash on Delivery (COD) payment option, which revolutionized e-commerce in India - Next-day delivery service - In-house supply chain and logistics (eKart) - Mobile-first approach when smartphone adoption was rising in India Binny served as Flipkart's Chief Operating Officer (COO) from 2007 to 2016, managing the company's crucial supply chain and logistics operations. In 2016, he became the CEO when Sachin Bansal stepped down, and later transitioned to the role of Group CEO when Kalyan Krishnamurthy took over as Flipkart CEO. Walmart Acquisition In 2018, Walmart acquired a 77% stake in Flipkart for $16 billion, marking India's largest e-commerce deal and making it one of the most significant exits in Indian startup history. Following the acquisition, Binny Bansal initially remained as Group CEO but later stepped down in November 2018. Post-Flipkart Ventures Angel Investments: BrightCHAMPS: An edtech platform focused on teaching kids coding. Virgio: A fashion tech startup. Flash: A logistics and delivery service. Hire Quotient: A recruitment technology platform. Glints: A talent recruitment platform. Overall, Binny Bansal has backed approximately 47 companies across 64 funding rounds, which include: 28 seed-stage deals 14 early-stage investments 4 late-stage investments Some of the prominent startups he has invested in include: Ather Energy: An electric scooter manufacturer. SigTuple: A healthcare startup using AI for medical diagnostics. Unacademy: An online learning platform. Conclusion From an IIT graduate to co-founding and scaling, Flipkart represents one of India's most successful entrepreneurial stories. His work has not only transformed Indian e-commerce but has also inspired countless entrepreneurs and helped shape India's startup ecosystem. Through his current ventures and investments, he continues to influence and support the next generation of Indian entrepreneurs, cementing his legacy as one of India's most influential tech entrepreneurs. Stay Updated. Stay Informed. Stay Ahead. Share the Medial App with your network, colleagues, and friends. Let's brainstorm, discuss together and help each other achieve our goals. And don't forget to rate us on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store to help us reach even more amazing people like you.