BigBasket vs Flipkart: Founders, CEOs and History
BigBasket was founded in 2011 by Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh and is led by Amit Nanda. Flipkart was founded in 2007 by Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal and is led by Kalyan Krishnamurthy.
Company facts
Founders
BigBasket
Hari Menon
Hari Menon co-founded Fabmart.com in 1999 and its physical extension Fabmall, a south Indian grocery chain that became part of Aditya Birla Retail's More.
V.S. Sudhakar
V.S. Sudhakar co-founded BigBasket's parent, Supermarket Grocery Supplies, in Bengaluru in December 2011 with Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh, V.S. Ramesh and Abhinay Choudhari.
Vipul Parekh
Vipul Parekh co-founded BigBasket in 2011 and ran its finance and marketing, often acting as its public voice on private labels, which he said made up more than a third of revenue in early 2023.
Abhinay Choudhari
Abhinay Choudhari co-founded BigBasket in December 2011 with Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh and V.S. Ramesh.
V.S. Ramesh
V.S. Ramesh co-founded BigBasket in 2011 and oversaw its logistics and supply chain, the warehouse and delivery network that let it hold its own stock instead of picking orders from local shops.
Flipkart
Sachin Bansal
Sachin Bansal co-founded Flipkart in 2007 alongside Binny Bansal (no relation). Operating initially out of an apartment in Bangalore, they launched the company by selling books online.
Binny Bansal
Binny Bansal co-founded Flipkart in 2007. Serving as the Chief Operating Officer, he designed the underlying supply chain and logistics infrastructure (eKart) that allowed Flipkart to reliably deliver goods across India's notoriously difficult terrain.
CEOs and their tenures
BigBasket
- Hari Menon2011–2026
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Built BigBasket into India's largest online grocer by 2016 and ran it for almost 15 years.
Source - Amit Nanda2026–present
Chief Executive Officer
The first chief executive from outside the founding team. He joined from Amazon India, where he was director of selling partner services, with more than two decades across e-commerce, consumer goods and technology.
Source
Flipkart
- Sachin Bansal2007–2016
Co-founder & former CEO
An IIT Delhi computer science graduate and former Amazon software engineer, Bansal laid the foundational infrastructure for India's modern internet economy.
Source - Binny Bansal2016–2017
Co-founder & former Group CEO
Binny Bansal was instrumental in engineering Ekart's national logistics network before transitioning to Group CEO during Flipkart's historic transaction with Walmart.
Source - Kalyan Krishnamurthy2017–present
CEO
A former Tiger Global managing director with an MBA from UIUC, Krishnamurthy's execution prowess solidified Flipkart's position as India's leading digital retail ecosystem.
Source - Ravi Iyer2019–present
Chief Financial Officer, Flipkart
As Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance, he manages the incredibly complex capital requirements for Flipkart's ongoing, brutal price war against Amazon India.
Source
Timeline: BigBasket and Flipkart side by side
1999BigBasket
Founders start Fabmart.com
K. Vaitheeswaran, Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, V.S. Ramesh and others launched Fabmart.com, one of India's first online stores, selling books, toys and groceries.
2007Flipkart
Flipkart founded in Bengaluru by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal as an online bookstore.
2009Flipkart
Accel India invests $1 million in seed capital, accelerating tech infrastructure and marketing.
2010Flipkart
Flipkart pioneers Cash on Delivery (COD), sparking large consumer trust and transaction growth.
2011BigBasket
BigBasket founded in Bengaluru
Menon, Sudhakar, Parekh, Ramesh and Abhinay Choudhari set up Supermarket Grocery Supplies in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, in December 2011, with $10 million of initial funding from Ascent Capital.
2014Flipkart
Launches inaugural Big Billion Days festival and acquires premier fashion marketplace Myntra for $300M.
2015BigBasket
Delyver acquired
BigBasket bought hyperlocal delivery company Delyver in a cash-and-stock deal to build its last-mile delivery network.
2016BigBasket
India's largest online grocer
By mid-2016 BigBasket operated in eight large Indian cities and had become the country's biggest online grocer.
2016Flipkart
Acquires UPI payments startup PhonePe, integrating mobile payments across its commerce ecosystem.
2017Flipkart
Kalyan Krishnamurthy becomes CEO; Flipkart raises $1.4 billion from Tencent, eBay and Microsoft, then $2.5 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund.
2018BigBasket
Alibaba leads $300 million round
Alibaba Group led a $300 million round in February 2018 that valued BigBasket at about $950 million. It then sold around 18,000 items to eight million customers in 25 cities.
2018BigBasket
BBdaily and BB Instant launched through acquisitions
In October 2018 BigBasket bought milk delivery startups RainCan and Morning Cart outright and a controlling stake in vending machine startup Kwik24, creating its BBdaily subscription service and BB Instant vending machines.
2018Flipkart
Walmart acquires a 77% controlling stake for $16 billion, its largest acquisition ever.
2019BigBasket
Unicorn valuation
A $150 million round led by Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund, CDC Group and Alibaba took BigBasket's valuation past $1 billion in May 2019.
2020BigBasket
Data breach of about 20 million users
Cyble reported in November 2020 that details of about 2 crore BigBasket users were on sale on the dark web. The company acknowledged the potential breach and filed a police complaint with the Bengaluru cyber crime cell.
2021BigBasket
Tata Digital takes majority control
Tata Digital bought a 64.3 percent stake in May 2021, adding about $200 million of fresh capital and buying out Alibaba and Actis in a deal reported at about $1.1 billion (₹9,500 crore).
2021BigBasket
BB Now and the first fresho store
In November 2021 BigBasket launched BB Now, its quick delivery service, and opened its first physical store in Bengaluru under the fresho brand for fruit and vegetables.
2021Flipkart
Acquires travel platform Cleartrip; raises $3.6 billion at a $37.6 billion valuation.
2022BigBasket
$200 million at a $3.2 billion valuation
BigBasket raised $200 million from investors including Tata Digital at a $3.2 billion valuation, announced in December 2022, and said it was eyeing a stock market listing by 2025.
2022Flipkart
Completes the separation of PhonePe into an independent company, with both remaining under Walmart majority ownership.
2024BigBasket
Full switch to quick commerce
In August 2024 BigBasket dropped scheduled next-day slots and moved its whole business to 10-to-30-minute delivery, folding BBdaily into the main app.
2024Flipkart
Raises about $1 billion in a Walmart-led round including Google at a roughly $36 billion valuation; launches Flipkart Minutes quick commerce in August.
2025BigBasket
10-minute food delivery pilot
BigBasket began 10-minute food delivery in Bengaluru in June 2025 with Tata Starbucks and Qmin, the food platform of Indian Hotels Company. Tata Sons also hired Citi and Moelis that year to look for outside investors.
2025Flipkart
Flipkart India reports FY2025 revenue of ~$9.6 billion (₹82,787 crore) (+17.3%) and a ~$602 million (₹5,189 crore) loss; marketplace arm Flipkart Internet cuts its loss 37%.
2026BigBasket
Amit Nanda becomes CEO
Amazon veteran Amit Nanda replaced co-founder Hari Menon as chief executive on 16 June 2026. Menon and Vipul Parekh moved to board and mentoring roles; BigBasket then ran more than 850 dark stores.
2026BigBasket
Focus narrowed to about 40 cities; FY2026 loss reported
In July 2026 BigBasket cut its focus to about 40 profitable cities from 76 markets. Tata Sons' annual report showed the consumer arm's loss up 66 percent to ~$356 million (₹3,073 crore) on ~$954 million (₹8,223 crore) of revenue.
2026BigBasket
Hari Menon retires from full-time role
Co-founder Hari Menon's last day in full-time employment was 30 September 2026. He remains on the board and mentors the leadership team.
2026Flipkart
Completes reverse flip of its holding company from Singapore to India in March; a July employee buyback values Flipkart at about $38.2 billion as it prepares for an Indian IPO.
Acquisitions
BigBasket
- RainCan and Morning Cart2018Undisclosed
- Kwik24 (Savis Retail), controlling stake2018Undisclosed
- Delyver2015Undisclosed
Flipkart
- Cleartrip2021$40M
- eBay India2017Undisclosed
- Jabong2016$70M
- Myntra2014$300M
Questions about BigBasket vs Flipkart
Who is the CEO of BigBasket and Flipkart?
BigBasket is led by Amit Nanda and Flipkart is led by Kalyan Krishnamurthy. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BigBasket founded vs Flipkart?
Flipkart was founded in 2007 — 4 years before BigBasket, which was founded in 2011. Flipkart's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger BigBasket.
How many employees does BigBasket have compared to Flipkart?
BigBasket employs approximately 58,000 people, while Flipkart employs approximately 45,000. BigBasket has the larger workforce at 58,000 employees, compared to Flipkart's 45,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are BigBasket and Flipkart headquartered?
Both BigBasket and Flipkart are headquartered in India. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded BigBasket and Flipkart?
BigBasket was founded by Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, Abhinay Choudhari, V.S. Ramesh. Flipkart was founded by Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal.
Which company has a longer operating history — BigBasket or Flipkart?
Flipkart has been operating for approximately 19 years, making it the more established of the two companies. BigBasket has been in operation for around 15 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the BigBasket vs Flipkart overview