Meesho – Company Profile

Founded in 2015, Meesho is a social e-commerce company. It is headquartered in Bengaluru. Over the years, Meesho has emerged as a popular choice for resellers and producers. By using Meesho platform, small businesses and individuals can start their online business with almost zero investment. The focus is on using popular social platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Meesho works as a facilitator to connect sellers to customers and also takes care of payment processing and delivery.

Even when facing tough competition from the likes of Amazon and Flipkart, Meesho has been able to register strong growth over the years. The focus on promoting local producers, sellers and creators has contributed significantly to Meesho’s success. Meesho recently achieved the ‘Unicorn’ tag, which goes on to show its growing worth and potential.

History

Coming from middle-class families, the founders had often purchased goods from small businesses. However, when they looked at the e-commerce revolution taking place in the country, they realized that majority of small businesses were left out. Same was the situation with a number of talented individuals who had unique products to offer but weren’t able to sell online. This prompted the founders to design a platform that will allow producers and resellers to launch their products online. Instead of directly competing with e-commerce giants, the founders thought it suitable to use social platforms for their business.

The focus on tier 2 and tier 3 cities is another factor that has helped Meesho register strong growth. However, competition is expected to get tougher, as e-commerce giants too have stepped up focus on smaller cities and towns. Nonetheless, with its unique business approach and through social selling, Meesho is confident about its future prospects. The company has plans to on-board 100 million small businesses on its platform. This will significantly strengthen its ecosystem and choices available to end users.

Funding

Meesho has received investments worth USD 515.2 million via 9 rounds of funding. Some of the key investors include Y Combinator, SAIF Partners, Sequoia India, Shunwei Capital, DST Partners, RPS Ventures, Venture Highway, Facebook, Naspers, SoftBank Vision Fund and Knollwood Investment. Meesho has also received investments from a number of angel investors.

Acquisitions

Meesho has not made any acquisitions in recent times.

Competitors

Meesho competes with the likes of DealShare, GlowRoad, Shop101, and StoreHippo.

About the Founders

Meesho was founded by IIT graduates Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal. Vidit currently serves as the CEO of Meesho. Earlier, he had worked with companies such as InMobi and ITC Limited. Sanjeev currently serves as the CTO at Meesho. Earlier, he had worked with Sony Corporation and Samsung.