Seasoned Indian business journalist and author of ‘Big Billion Startup- The untold Flipkart story’, Mihir Dalal shares the ups and downs in Flipkart’s growth story and the journey of the people who built it. He and Ravish unpack some stories from the book that have never been told in the media before. Lots of lessons to learn from the big Indian unicorn!
Listen in to this episode on your browser window (if you’re listening on your phone, the audio should continue playing even if you minimise the window) or find us on the podcast app of your choice. We’re live on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts & Stitcher. If you like the episode please consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast app.
Timestamp:
00:50: Amazon’s influence on early Flipkart, Two Pizza teams and culture
06:00: Taking risks even when there isn’t a lot of visibility, turning down early acquisition offers
11:00: On pompous Venture Capital Lords and Flipkart
15:00: Enter the Tiger, Lee Fixel and Deep Kalra
19:00: With $10 million, Flipkart powers ahead
20:01: Flipkart’s official sex appeal bringer
25:00: Iyappa, the Human ERP at Flipkart
29:00: Cash on Delivery as a game changer
32:00: How to hold inventory without inventory
33:00: Sujeet Kumar- the man who got things done
37:20: Competition heats up as Amazon enters India
39:00 General Atlantic shocker and emergency funding
41:03: Fixing the broken bits: Kalyan Krishnamurthy
48:30: After the funding boom, Snapdeal and other rivals
51:15: Mihir reads out a chapter! Enter Softbank!
64:30: Market consolidation, exits and acquisitions
The untold Flipkart story with Mihir Dalal, Author of Big Billion Startup