Meesho vs Rakuten: Founders, CEOs and History
Meesho was founded in 2015 by Vidit Aatrey, Sanjeev Barnwal and is led by Vidit Aatrey. Rakuten was founded in 1997 by Hiroshi Mikitani and is led by Hiroshi Mikitani.
Company facts
Founders
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…
Rakuten
Hiroshi Mikitani
Hiroshi Mikitani founded Rakuten in 1997 after leaving the Industrial Bank of Japan, and has led it as chairman and CEO since.
CEOs and their tenures
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
Rakuten
- Hiroshi Mikitani1997–present
Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Founded Rakuten in 1997 and still leads it as chairman and CEO. Built Ichiba, expanded into card, banking and brokerage, mandated English internally in 2010, and launched Rakuten Mobile.
Source - Masatada Kobayashi1997–2024
Co-Founder
Masatada Kobayashi co-founded Rakuten alongside Hiroshi Mikitani. He was instrumental in establishing the early technical and operational framework of the Rakuten Ichiba marketplace, laying the groundwork for its expansion into a global internet services ecosy…
Source
Timeline: Meesho and Rakuten side by side
1997Rakuten
MDM, Inc. (Rakuten) Founded by Hiroshi Mikitani in Tokyo
Launched Rakuten Ichiba online shopping mall with 13 merchants and 5 employees.
2000Rakuten
Initial Public Offering on JASDAQ
Listed publicly in Tokyo, fueling rapid e-commerce and digital service expansion.
2004Rakuten
Launch of Professional Baseball Team (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles)
Became the first new NPB baseball franchise in 50 years, establishing national brand trust.
2005Rakuten
Entry into FinTech with Rakuten Card & Bank Acquisitions
Acquired credit card and banking operations, creating the financial engine of the Rakuten Ecosystem.
2010Rakuten
Pioneered 'Englishnization' Corporate Language Mandate
Made English the official internal working language of Rakuten, attracting global engineering talent.
2010Rakuten
Buy.com Acquired
Rakuten bought the US online retailer Buy.com in 2010 for about $250 million.
2011Rakuten
Acquired Kobo Inc.
Rakuten acquired Kobo Inc. for $315 million.
2014Rakuten
Viber and Ebates Acquired
Rakuten bought the messaging app Viber for about $900 million and the cashback site Ebates for about $1 billion in 2014.
2015Meesho
Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal start Fashnear Technologies in Bengaluru.
2016Meesho
Pivot to Meesho, a social reselling app; joins Y Combinator Summer 2016 batch.
2019Meesho
Facebook invests in Meesho, its first investment in an Indian startup.
2020Rakuten
Commercial Launch of Rakuten Mobile Open RAN Network
Launched the world's first fully virtualized cloud-native 4G/5G mobile telecommunications network.
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.
2024Meesho
Launches the Valmo logistics marketplace and completes reverse flip of its holding company to India.
2024Rakuten
Rollout of Platinum Band (700 MHz) & Rakuten Symphony Expansion
Commercialized sub-1 GHz frequencies in Japan and expanded global Open RAN software exports.
2025Meesho
Lists on NSE and BSE on December 10 after a ~$629 million (₹5,421 crore) IPO priced at ₹111 per share.
2025Rakuten
FY2025 Revenue Reaches ¥2.50 Trillion
All three segments grew, lifting revenue 9.5% to ~$16.7 billion (¥2,496.6 billion).
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).
2026Rakuten
First Quarterly Net Profit Since 2020 and Fintech Reorganization
Q2 2026 net income of ~$182 million (¥27.2 billion) on record revenue of ~$4.46 billion (¥665.5 billion); Rakuten Card and Rakuten Securities Holdings move under a new Rakuten Bank group in October 2026.
Acquisitions
Rakuten
- Ebates (Rakuten Rewards)2014$1B
- Viber Media2014$900M
- Kobo Inc.2011$315M
Questions about Meesho vs Rakuten
Who is the CEO of Meesho and Rakuten?
Meesho is led by Vidit Aatrey and Rakuten is led by Hiroshi Mikitani. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Meesho founded vs Rakuten?
Rakuten was founded in 1997 — 18 years before Meesho, which was founded in 2015. Rakuten'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 Meesho have compared to Rakuten?
Meesho employs approximately 2,078 people, while Rakuten employs approximately 33,000. Rakuten has the larger workforce at 33,000 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 Meesho and Rakuten headquartered?
Meesho is headquartered in India and Rakuten is headquartered in Japan. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Meesho and Rakuten?
Meesho was founded by Vidit Aatrey, Sanjeev Barnwal. Rakuten was founded by Hiroshi Mikitani.
Which company has a longer operating history — Meesho or Rakuten?
Rakuten has been operating for approximately 29 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 Meesho vs Rakuten overview