BENGALURU: Instant delivery platform Dunzo co-founder Kabeer Biswas will head Walmart-owned Flipkart‘s quick commerce operations, Minutes, according to sources familiar with the matter. Founded in 2014 as a WhatsApp group, Dunzo pioneered a unique pick-up and drop service that expanded nationwide from its initial operations in Bengaluru.
Reliance Retail led a $240 million round in Dunzo in 2022 and became the largest shareholder in the company. Through the deal, it bought a 25.8% stake in the Bengaluru-based startup. In the last few years, the startup faced severe financial difficulties, failing to pay staff salaries for more than 18 months. Biswas himself went without his salary for an extended period. Following the earlier departures of fellow co-founders Mukund Jha, Dalvir Suri, and Ankur Agarwal, Biswas stepped down from his position at Dunzo recently.
Flipkart Minutes is the latest entrant in India’s quick commerce sector, which is heating up as players such as Blinkit, Zepto, Dunzo, and Swiggy Instamart battle for dominance. With an addressable market projected to reach $20 billion by 2026, these companies are racing to expand delivery networks and lock in customer loyalty with promises of sub-15-minute deliveries. Meanwhile, well-entrenched rivals like Swiggy’s Instamart, Zomato’s Blinkit, and Zepto intensified the fight for market share, leaving Dunzo struggling to carve out a distinct identity.
A spokesperson for Flipkart and Biswas did not respond to TOI’s queries till the time of going to press.
