In the fray: Flipkart’s entry adds another challenge to the duopoly, but the early focus is on affordability and speed rather than a full national rollout. The company appears to be using Bengaluru as a test bed before deciding whether and how to scale further.
Zepto pauses IPO, announces pre-IPO funding round
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Zepto said on Saturday it has agreed with its major shareholders to close a pre-IPO equity round and defer its public listing.
The company said it will focus on execution for now, citing its strong balance sheet, adding that it will update its draft papers with upcoming financial results.
What happened: ET was the first to report on July 29 that Zepto might defer its listing after a disagreement over its valuation with public market investors.
Sources said discussions from large investors for Zepto’s anchor book were around $2.5-3 billion. This was less than the $3.5-4 billion value being discussed in July. It is less than half of the $7 billion at which Zepto had raised its last funding round in October 2025.
CEO’s take: In a townhall on Friday, CEO Aadit Palicha told employees that the quick commerce company will refile for an IPO over the coming two quarters.
“Palicha also told employees that it will tighten its focus on reducing cash burn while continuing to drive growth before the company refiles its prospectus,” one of the sources told us.
Financials: Zepto said it had Rs 5,681 crore in cash reserves as of March 31, 2026. Even so, the startup’s need for capital is clear from its losses and cash burn. It reported an operating loss of Rs 1,247 crore in the January-March quarter.Shiprocket to launch IPO in 1-2 weeks at a valuation of Rs 7,000 crore
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Saahil Goel, CEO, Shiprocket
Ecommerce logistics services firm Shiprocket is joining the queue of new-age companies hitting the bourses, planning to launch its IPO in the coming one to two weeks, sources said.
Details: It is eyeing a valuation of about Rs 7,000 crore, down about 30% from its last private round valuation of Rs 10,000 crore when the Gurgaon-based firm raised capital in December 2024.
Shiprocket is also expected to file a revised prospectus with updated financials before launching the issue.
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