According to personnel Moneycontrol talked with, Palicha reportedly said, “We have cracked proximity, but yet to break value, while DMart, the retail behemoth, has cracked value but not proximity.”
Aadit Palicha, co-founder and CEO of Zepto, a significant player in rapid commerce, spoke to almost 5,700 workers per day after raising $450 million in a new round that valued the company at $7 billion.
While congratulating the team on their fundraising efforts, Palicha said that the organization must solve for value moving ahead. Palicha used the term “value” to mean bringing down the cost of items for customers.
According to personnel Moneycontrol talked with, Palicha reportedly said, “We have cracked proximity, but yet to break value, while DMart, the retail behemoth, has cracked value but not proximity.” Palicha went on to say, “Zepto and DMart are now at the same point in time.”
Moneycontrol did not get a response from Zepto
The rapid commerce division of the retail company DMart, called DMart Ready, provides next-day delivery. In contrast, Zepto delivers within ten to fifteen minutes. With around 432 locations, DMart has almost half of Zepto’s 800-1,000 dark retail footprint. Zepto, however, is far smaller in terms of income.
While Zepto is currently losing money, as is the case with many startups, DMart recorded a net profit of Rs 684.85 crore for the quarter that ended in September 2025.
According to reports, Palicha said, “We were number seven when we began, but we are number two today.” Amazon Now, Flipkart Minutes, Tata’s BigBasket, Swiggy’s Instamart, and Eternal’s Blinkit are some of Zepto’s rivals. But according to Palicha, some businesses will fail. Palicha informed staff that there will only be two or three participants.