BigBasket vs JD.com: Founders, CEOs and History
BigBasket was founded in 2011 by Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh and is led by Amit Nanda. JD.com was founded in 1998 by Richard Liu Qiangdong and is led by Sandy Xu Ran.
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.
JD.com
Richard Liu Qiangdong
Richard Liu Qiangdong founded JD.com in Beijing in June 1998 as Jingdong, a small counter in the Zhongguancun electronics market selling magneto-optical drives. He built a reputation for genuine products in a market known for fakes.
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
JD.com
- Richard Liu1998–2022
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
He built JD.com around its own logistics network and listed it on Nasdaq in 2014. He handed the chief executive role to Xu Lei in April 2022 and remained chairman.
Source - Xu Lei2022–2023
CEO
Xu played a critical role in establishing the '618' mid-year shopping festival into China's second-largest nationwide retail event.
Source - Sandy Xu Ran2023–present
CEO
A former PwC audit partner who joined JD as CFO in 2018, Xu has run JD with a focus on cost discipline and shareholder returns, while backing big new bets in food delivery and Europe.
Source
Timeline: BigBasket and JD.com side by side
1998JD.com
Richard Liu Qiangdong founds Jingdong Century in a 4-square-meter stall in Beijing's Zhongguancun.
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.
2003JD.com
SARS epidemic closes physical shops; Liu begins selling electronic components online.
2004JD.com
Permanently shuts physical retail stalls to launch e-commerce website jdlaser.com.
2007JD.com
Raises $10 million from Capital Today; takes radical strategic decision to build in-house JD Logistics.
2010JD.com
Launches the 618 Mid-Year Shopping Festival, transforming it into a nationwide commercial event.
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.
2014JD.com
Lists on NASDAQ (JD), raising about $1.78 billion, after Tencent takes a strategic stake and links JD to WeChat.
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.
2016JD.com
Forms strategic alliance with Walmart, taking over Yihaodian in exchange for JD shares.
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.
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.
2020JD.com
Completes secondary listing on Hong Kong Stock Exchange (9618); spins off JD Health in $3.5B IPO.
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.
2021JD.com
JD Logistics completes separate $3.2 billion IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2618).
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.
2022JD.com
JD Logistics acquires a controlling stake in Deppon Logistics; Xu Lei becomes CEO as Richard Liu stays Chairman.
2023JD.com
CFO Sandy Xu Ran becomes CEO in May 2023.
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.
2024JD.com
Walmart sells its entire JD.com stake in August 2024.
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.
2025JD.com
Launches JD Food Delivery; makes a tender offer for Ceconomy (MediaMarkt, Saturn); revenue reaches ~$182 billion (RMB1,309.1 billion).
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.
2026JD.com
Q2 revenue falls 2.9% while non-GAAP profit rises 20.8%; Ceconomy deal wins conditional German approval.
Acquisitions
BigBasket
- RainCan and Morning Cart2018Undisclosed
- Kwik24 (Savis Retail), controlling stake2018Undisclosed
- Delyver2015Undisclosed
JD.com
- Ceconomy AG2025Undisclosed
- Deppon Logistics2022$1.4B
- China Logistics Property Holdings (CNLP)2022Undisclosed
- Yihaodian2016Undisclosed
Questions about BigBasket vs JD.com
Who is the CEO of BigBasket and JD.com?
BigBasket is led by Amit Nanda and JD.com is led by Sandy Xu Ran. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BigBasket founded vs JD.com?
JD.com was founded in 1998 — 13 years before BigBasket, which was founded in 2011. JD.com'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 JD.com?
BigBasket employs approximately 58,000 people, while JD.com employs approximately 776,682. JD.com has the larger workforce at 776,682 employees, compared to BigBasket's 58,000. 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 JD.com headquartered?
BigBasket is headquartered in India and JD.com is headquartered in China. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded BigBasket and JD.com?
BigBasket was founded by Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, Abhinay Choudhari, V.S. Ramesh. JD.com was founded by Richard Liu Qiangdong.
Which company has a longer operating history — BigBasket or JD.com?
JD.com has been operating for approximately 28 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 JD.com overview