BigBasket vs Meesho: Founders, CEOs and History
BigBasket was founded in 2011 by Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh and is led by Amit Nanda. Meesho was founded in 2015 by Vidit Aatrey, Sanjeev Barnwal and is led by Vidit Aatrey.
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.
Meesho
Vidit Aatrey
Vidit Aatrey co-founded Meesho with Sanjeev Barnwal in 2015 and has been CEO since. He steered the pivots from Fashnear to social reselling and then to a zero-commission marketplace, and took Meesho public in December 2025. Vidit Aatrey was born in 1991.
Sanjeev Barnwal
Sanjeev Barnwal co-founded Meesho in 2015 alongside Vidit Aatrey. Recognizing that massive e-commerce giants like Amazon completely ignored rural India, he built the highly optimized, low-bandwidth mobile app that allowed millions of housewives to easily resel…
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
Meesho
- Vidit Aatrey2015–present
Co-founder & CEO
Built Meesho into one of India's largest e-commerce platforms by orders, with 264 million annual transacting users in FY2026.
Source - Sanjeev Barnwal2015–present
Co-Founder & CTO
As Co-Founder and CTO, he ensures the app remains incredibly lightweight and deeply integrated with social media, specifically catering to tier-2 and tier-3 Indian cities with poor internet connectivity.
Source - Dhiresh Bansal2022–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he steered the company away from massive, venture-funded cash burn, proving to highly skeptical investors that selling ultra-cheap items to rural India could actually generate free cash flow.
Source
Timeline: BigBasket and Meesho 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.
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.
2015BigBasket
Delyver acquired
BigBasket bought hyperlocal delivery company Delyver in a cash-and-stock deal to build its last-mile delivery network.
2015Meesho
Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal start Fashnear Technologies in Bengaluru.
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.
2016Meesho
Pivot to Meesho, a social reselling app; joins Y Combinator Summer 2016 batch.
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.
2019Meesho
Facebook invests in Meesho, its first investment in an Indian startup.
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.
2021Meesho
SoftBank-led $300M round in April; $570M round led by Fidelity and B Capital in September at a $4.9B valuation; zero seller commission introduced.
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.
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.
2024Meesho
Launches the Valmo logistics marketplace and completes reverse flip of its holding company to India.
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.
2025Meesho
Lists on NSE and BSE on December 10 after a ~$629 million (₹5,421 crore) IPO priced at ₹111 per share.
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.
2026Meesho
FY2026 revenue rises 34.5% to ~$1.46 billion (₹12,626 crore); Q1 FY27 revenue up 48% to ~$431 million (₹3,713 crore) with net loss of ~$15.4 million (₹132.8 crore).
Acquisitions
BigBasket
- RainCan and Morning Cart2018Undisclosed
- Kwik24 (Savis Retail), controlling stake2018Undisclosed
- Delyver2015Undisclosed
Questions about BigBasket vs Meesho
Who is the CEO of BigBasket and Meesho?
BigBasket is led by Amit Nanda and Meesho is led by Vidit Aatrey. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BigBasket founded vs Meesho?
BigBasket was founded in 2011 — 4 years before Meesho, which was founded in 2015. BigBasket's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Meesho.
How many employees does BigBasket have compared to Meesho?
BigBasket employs approximately 58,000 people, while Meesho employs approximately 2,078. BigBasket has the larger workforce at 58,000 employees, compared to Meesho's 2,078. 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 Meesho headquartered?
Both BigBasket and Meesho are headquartered in India. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded BigBasket and Meesho?
BigBasket was founded by Hari Menon, V.S. Sudhakar, Vipul Parekh, Abhinay Choudhari, V.S. Ramesh. Meesho was founded by Vidit Aatrey, Sanjeev Barnwal.
Which company has a longer operating history — BigBasket or Meesho?
BigBasket has been operating for approximately 15 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Meesho has been in operation for around 11 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 Meesho overview