Diabytes
Meet Men, Once Target Of Trolls For Their Startup, Now Their Company Is Valued For Rs 320,000,000,000; Their Business Is…
Two IIT graduates launched a failed startup called Fashnear, but didn’t give up. They used the lessons from that failure to build Meesho—a platform once mocked online, now worth Rs 32,370 crore to Rs 33,200 crore (approx). By focusing on small-town sellers and keeping their platform commission-free, they turned memes into momentum and built a business that’s now challenging Amazon and Flipkart.
Trolled But Not Troubled
Meesho wasn’t always taken seriously. In fact, jokes and memes mocking its affordability flooded the internet. But instead of being discouraged, founders Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal turned the mockery into motivation—and built one of India’s most valuable startups.
It All Started With a Failure
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In 2015, IIT Delhi grads Vidit and Sanjeev launched a hyperlocal fashion delivery app—Fashnear. It didn’t work. The duo even stood outside stores trying to attract customers. Though the idea failed, it gave them critical insights into India's retail market.
Meet the Founders
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Vidit Aatrey hails from a middle-class family in Meerut. Alongside his IIT mate Sanjeev Barnwal, they decided to try again—this time by supporting small sellers using social media. They saw potential in what others ignored.
Birth of Meesho
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The idea: empower home-based entrepreneurs, especially women, to sell products using WhatsApp and Facebook. They created a simple, commission-free platform—and Meesho was born in late 2015. Their dining table became their office.
Trolled for Being 'Cheap'
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As Meesho grew, so did online jokes calling it “too cheap to trust.” But instead of fighting the image, they embraced it. Affordability became Meesho’s USP—helping it win millions of price-conscious shoppers in smaller towns.
Beating the Biggies
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In FY2023, Meesho’s user base grew by 32 per cent, ahead of Amazon’s 13 per cent and Flipkart’s 21 per cent. It became India’s most downloaded shopping app, hitting 145 million installs, and reached customers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities like no one else, as per Data.ai .
The Meesho Model
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Meesho allows over 1.1 million sellers to offer products in 700+ categories—without paying commission. That’s how they keep prices low. In 2022, they crossed 100 million monthly orders. The business model clicked.
A Unicorn Story That Inspires
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In 2019, Facebook invested Rs 200 crore. By 2021, Meesho became a unicorn with 1 billion dollars valuation, as per media reports. From being the butt of jokes to becoming a top shopping platform—Meesho’s journey proves that belief beats ridicule.
(Images credit: @RohitKYT/X, @thefaadguy/X, @CA_vkchangani/X, @Investclubsv/X
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