Studied at IIT, left high paying jobs to built business empire worth Rs 400000000000; company is…, founder is...
Sanjeev Barnwal and Vidit Aatrey were very close friends during college at IIT Delhi, and after graduation, Sanjeev joined Sony's core tech team and moved to Japan, where he gained significant experience in the industry. Throughout this journey, the spark in him for entrepreneurship didn't fade. He was ready to do something on his own. Soon, he reconnected Vidit, who was working with InMobi in Bangalore, to discuss launching a startup together.
In June 2015, Sanjeev and Vidit took the huge step to quit their high-paying jobs and pursue their entrepreneurial vision. Family and friends were worried and critical about leaving steady jobs, but they moved forward with their vision to build a fashion marketplace to help small businesses. With very limited money, they launched Meesho from a two-bedroom apartment in Koramangala, Bengaluru. The dining table was their first desk, and that was the beginning of Meesho!
Aatrey and Barnwal detected a situation — Platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp were clearly being used, but not for business. They did what nobody else would do — build an app, Meesho, -because of their existing business model of enabling resellers to begin a business, especially homemakers. Sellers on Meesho can start with their own personal online store, and then promote those products to their social circles, chat with their customers on WhatsApp, and link their stores with their Facebook profiles. Meesho takes care of collecting the payments and delivering the goods, so the business aspect of owning your own business from your home became simple. Building an agency business from home, it is easy. Meesho simply takes a commission from sellers.
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