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Zepto Co-Founder and CEO Aadit Palicha has accused the CFO of a rival company of orchestrating a smear campaign against the quick commerce platform. In a detailed post on LinkedIn, Palicha claimed that the competitor's CFO attempted to spread misinformation about Zepto through multiple channels — including calling its investors, distributing false financial data to journalists, and using paid social media bots to influence public sentiment.

Palicha stated:

“Over the past few days, the CFO of one of our competitors has been trying to build a smear campaign against Zepto… this episode is below the stature expected of the CFO of a high-quality company.”

Amid the rising allegations, Palicha has publicly addressed key metrics to set the record straight and reinforce confidence among investors and customers.

Strong Growth in Gross Order Value (GOV):

Zepto has seen a rapid rise in its monthly GOV, jumping from around Rs 750 crore in May 2024 to Rs 2,400 crore in May 2025. The company includes fruits and vegetables at selling price and ad revenue in its GOV metric.

EBITDA Improvement:

The startup has achieved a 20 percentage point improvement in EBITDA between January 2025 and May 2025, bringing it close to single-digit territory. Additionally, cash burn has declined by approximately 65% in the same period.

Balanced Growth with Profit Focus:

Despite prioritizing profitability, Zepto has still managed to grow by nearly 20% in GOV from January to May 2025, reflecting steady month-on-month growth of 4% to 5%.

Dark Stores Nearing Profitability:

By the next quarter, Zepto expects most of its dark stores to turn EBITDA positive, even after including backend, last-mile, and fixed/variable costs. The company also expects its overall EBITDA and Operating Cash Flow to approach breakeven soon.

Strong Cash Reserves:

Zepto claims to have Rs 7,445 crore in net cash at the start of this quarter, fully reconciled with bank statements. This gives the startup multiple years of runway based on current burn rates.

Financial Governance:

Palicha emphasized that Zepto has a rigorous audit trail backed by a Big Four audit firm. The company boasts strong vendor reconciliations, asset verification processes, and zero material discrepancies in its financial due diligence.

No Store Rationalisation Plans:

Contrary to rumors, Zepto is not planning to shut stores. Instead, the company is focused on expanding store launches to meet growing demand.

Focus on Execution, Not Misinformation

Closing his statement, Palicha urged the rival CFO to stop the alleged defamation attempts, adding that such tactics only reinforce Zepto’s position as a formidable player in the quick commerce space.

“I’m okay with healthy, aggressive competitive talk — but lies are not acceptable… It’s best for all of us to focus on execution.”

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