Blinkit vs JD.com: Founders, CEOs and History
Blinkit was founded in 2013 by Albinder Dhindsa, Saurabh Kumar and is led by Albinder Dhindsa. JD.com was founded in 1998 by Richard Liu Qiangdong and is led by Sandy Xu Ran.
Company facts
Founders
Blinkit
Albinder Dhindsa
Albinder Singh Dhindsa is the co-founder of Blinkit and, since February 1, 2026, Group CEO of its parent company Eternal Ltd, which also owns Zomato, District and Hyperpure.
Saurabh Kumar
Saurabh Kumar is the co-founder of Grofers, the grocery delivery startup that became Blinkit.
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
Blinkit
- Albinder Dhindsa2013–present
Co-Founder & CEO; Group CEO of Eternal since February 2026
Co-founded Grofers in 2013, led the 2021 rebuild into Blinkit, agreed the 2022 sale to Zomato, and grew the network from 526 stores in March 2024 to 2,443 by June 2026 before taking charge of the whole Eternal group.
Source - Saurabh Kumar2013–2021
Co-Founder
Saurabh Kumar co-founded Grofers in 2013 and was part of its leadership for almost eight years, through the funding boom, the 2016 layoffs and the move to company-run warehouses.
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: Blinkit and JD.com side by side
1998JD.com
Richard Liu Qiangdong founds Jingdong Century in a 4-square-meter stall in Beijing's Zhongguancun.
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.
2013Blinkit
Company Founded as Grofers
Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar launched a hyperlocal grocery delivery app in Gurugram.
2014JD.com
Lists on NASDAQ (JD), raising about $1.78 billion, after Tencent takes a strategic stake and links JD to WeChat.
2015Blinkit
$120 Million SoftBank-Led Round
Grofers raised its largest early round and acqui-hired SpoonJoy and Townrush in October.
2016Blinkit
Layoffs and Push for Break-Even
Grofers cut about 10% of staff and withdrew 67 campus offers as funding tightened.
2016JD.com
Forms strategic alliance with Walmart, taking over Yihaodian in exchange for JD shares.
2020JD.com
Completes secondary listing on Hong Kong Stock Exchange (9618); spins off JD Health in $3.5B IPO.
2021Blinkit
Relaunch as Blinkit
After Zomato's $100 million investment and Saurabh Kumar's exit, Grofers became Blinkit in December.
2021JD.com
JD Logistics completes separate $3.2 billion IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2618).
2022Blinkit
Zomato Completes Acquisition
The ~$516 million (₹4,447 crore) all-stock deal closed and Blinkit was consolidated from August 10, 2022.
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.
2024Blinkit
Monthly Adjusted EBITDA Break-Even
Blinkit broke even on adjusted EBITDA in March 2024 with 526 stores.
2024Blinkit
Bistro Pilot in Gurugram
Blinkit launched Bistro, a separate app for snacks and meals delivered in minutes, in December 2024.
2024JD.com
Walmart sells its entire JD.com stake in August 2024.
2025Blinkit
Blinkit Ambulance Launched
The first five Blinkit ambulances went into service in Gurugram on January 2, 2025.
2025Blinkit
Parent Becomes Eternal; 1,301 Stores
Zomato renamed itself Eternal Ltd in March 2025, when Blinkit's network reached 1,301 dark stores.
2025Blinkit
Switch to Owned Inventory
From September 1, 2025 Blinkit stopped operating as a marketplace and began buying and selling stock itself.
2025Blinkit
First Positive Quarterly Adjusted EBITDA
Blinkit earned ~$464,000 (₹4 crore) of adjusted EBITDA in the October-December 2025 quarter and ended it with 2,027 stores.
2025JD.com
Launches JD Food Delivery; makes a tender offer for Ceconomy (MediaMarkt, Saturn); revenue reaches ~$182 billion (RMB1,309.1 billion).
2026Blinkit
10-Minute Tagline Dropped; Dhindsa Becomes Group CEO
Blinkit removed its 10-minute claim in January, and Albinder Dhindsa took over as Eternal Group CEO on February 1.
2026Blinkit
₹37,779 Crore FY26 Revenue and 2,443 Stores
Blinkit closed FY26 with ~$4.38 billion (₹37,779 crore) of revenue and reached 2,443 stores by June 30, 2026.
2026JD.com
Q2 revenue falls 2.9% while non-GAAP profit rises 20.8%; Ceconomy deal wins conditional German approval.
Acquisitions
Blinkit
- SpoonJoy2015Undisclosed
- Townrush2015Undisclosed
- MyGreenBox2015Undisclosed
JD.com
- Ceconomy AG2025Undisclosed
- Deppon Logistics2022$1.4B
- China Logistics Property Holdings (CNLP)2022Undisclosed
- Yihaodian2016Undisclosed
Questions about Blinkit vs JD.com
Who is the CEO of Blinkit and JD.com?
Blinkit is led by Albinder Dhindsa 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 Blinkit founded vs JD.com?
JD.com was founded in 1998 — 15 years before Blinkit, which was founded in 2013. JD.com's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Blinkit.
How many employees does Blinkit have compared to JD.com?
JD.com employs approximately 776,682 people. A verified employee count for Blinkit is not currently available.
Where are Blinkit and JD.com headquartered?
Blinkit 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 Blinkit and JD.com?
Blinkit was founded by Albinder Dhindsa, Saurabh Kumar. JD.com was founded by Richard Liu Qiangdong.
Which company has a longer operating history — Blinkit or JD.com?
JD.com has been operating for approximately 28 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Blinkit has been in operation for around 13 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 Blinkit vs JD.com overview