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Day 2 of The Indian Startup War Stories: Zomato vs. Swiggy – The Food Delivery Bloodbath This wasn’t just a fight for orders. It was a war for who controls how India eats. Two giants, Zomato and Swiggy, turned food delivery into an addiction. But behind the free deliveries and crazy discounts was a ruthless battle of survival. One had the brand. The other had the strategy. Only one could dominate. --- Zomato: The First Mover That Almost Lost In 2008, Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah launched Zomato. But here’s the twist—Zomato wasn’t a delivery app. It was just a restaurant listing platform. People used it to find food, not order it. For years, Zomato was India’s food-tech leader. Then in 2014, a new player arrived—Swiggy. Unlike Zomato, Swiggy didn’t just connect customers to restaurants. It delivered the food. Suddenly, the rules changed. --- Swiggy’s Masterstroke: Controlling Delivery Swiggy, founded by Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy, and Rahul Jaimini, built its own fleet of delivery riders. This gave Swiggy three superpowers: Faster delivery times (No dependency on third parties) Better customer experience (Full control = fewer complaints) Massive restaurant network (No restrictions on partnerships) By 2017, Swiggy overtook Zomato in orders. Zomato had two choices: adapt or lose. --- The Discount War Begins – Who Could Burn More Cash? Both startups had billions in funding. And they used it for one thing—war. 50%+ discounts became common. Free deliveries, cashbacks, and festival offers flooded the market. Restaurants were forced into exclusive partnerships. Zomato launched Zomato Gold (now Zomato Pro) to lock in users. Swiggy hit back with Swiggy Super (later Swiggy One). For customers, this was heaven. For the startups? A survival battle. --- The Turning Point – Who Survived? By 2021, the game changed. Investors demanded profits. Restaurants fought back against high commissions. Competition in quick commerce (Blinkit, Instamart) was rising. Then came Zomato’s biggest power move—going public. In 2021, Zomato raised ₹9,000 crores ($1.3 billion) in India’s first food-tech IPO. It was no longer just a startup—it was a listed company. Swiggy wasn’t far behind. In 2022, it raised funding at a $10.7 billion valuation, proving it could hold its ground. But neither was just about food delivery anymore. Zomato acquired Blinkit (quick commerce). Swiggy expanded into Instamart (groceries). The war evolved. Now, they aren’t just fighting for food orders—they are fighting for India’s entire online consumption. --- This was just Day 2. Tomorrow, we break down Ola vs. Uber – The Brutal Ridesharing War. Follow Vishu Bheda now—because the biggest battles are yet to come.