Aadit Palicha is the co-founder and CEO of Zepto, the quick-commerce company that promises grocery delivery in about ten minutes. He left Stanford University in his teens, started Zepto with his childhood friend Kaivalya Vohra, and built it into one of India’s most valuable startups. This article covers his age, education, family, net worth and where Zepto stands now.
Who is Aadit Palicha?
Aadit Palicha was born in Mumbai in 2001 and spent most of his childhood in Dubai. He is the CEO of Zepto, which competes with Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart in India’s quick-commerce market. His career began with a pandemic-era grocery experiment and became one of the fastest-growing startup stories in the country.
Personal Life
| Company | Zepto |
| Age | 25 years |
| Net Worth | Estimated around ₹5,380 crore (roughly $650 million) |
| Education | C.S at Stanford University (Drop-out). IB Diploma at GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai. |
| Marital Status | Not Married |
Aadit Palicha Age
Aadit Palicha’s age is 25 in 2026. He was born in 2001, which makes him one of India’s youngest CEOs of a company valued in the billions. If Zepto lists on the stock exchanges, he is expected to become the youngest managing director and CEO of a listed Indian company.
Aadit Palicha Education
Palicha studied at GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai and graduated in 2020 with a perfect score of 45 in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. He then enrolled at Stanford University to study computer science. When the pandemic moved classes online, he returned to Mumbai and dropped out to build a company with Kaivalya Vohra. He is also a Y Combinator alumnus.
Aadit Palicha Father and Family
Aadit Palicha’s father is Kavit Palicha, an engineer who is reportedly also a stakeholder in Zepto. His mother, Urvashi Palicha, reportedly runs Search Point, a recruitment firm for finance and technology professionals. The family moved to Dubai when Aadit was young, and he returned to India to build Zepto.
How Aadit Palicha Started Zepto
In 2020, during lockdown, Palicha and Vohra noticed how hard it was to get groceries delivered. They launched KiranaKart, a grocery delivery service, to solve it. Early success convinced them to commit full-time, and they rebuilt the idea as Zepto, a faster, dark-store-based model.
Zepto’s launch date: The company launched in April 2021 in Mumbai, with a promise of delivery in around ten minutes. It reached unicorn status within about four months
Zepto was co-founded by Aadit Palicha (CEO) and Kaivalya Vohra (CTO). If you are tracking the founders behind India’s biggest consumer apps, see our profile of Deepinder Goyal, whose Blinkit is Zepto’s closest rival.
Zepto Investors and Valuation
Zepto has raised money from a mix of venture capital funds, institutions and family offices. Investors include Nexus Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, StepStone and Motilal Oswal. In October 2025, the company raised $450 million in a round led by California’s public pension fund CalPERS, valuing it at about $7 billion. Zepto called it a pre-IPO round.
Aadit Palicha Net Worth in 2026
Aadit Palicha’s net worth is estimated at ₹5,380 crore (about $650 million), according to the Hurun India Rich List. Other sources give lower or higher figures, because Zepto is not yet listed and his holding cannot be valued in the market.
Almost all of that wealth is his equity in Zepto, which is “paper wealth” until the company lists or he sells shares. His net worth is tied to Zepto’s valuation, so it could change significantly once the market prices the company in an IPO.
Is Aadit Palicha a billionaire? On the Hurun estimate of about $650 million, no. He is a centi-millionaire by that count.
Aadit Palicha and Zepto’s Quick-Commerce Competition
Zepto competes with Blinkit (Eternal) and Swiggy Instamart. These companies are expanding dark stores, private labels and advertising businesses. Palicha has said Zepto has become more efficient, with more profitable stores than its entire network had a year ago.
FAQs
He was born in 2001, so he is 25 years old in 2026.
About ₹5,380 crore (roughly $650 million), according to the Hurun India Rich List. This is an estimate based on his Zepto stake.
His father is Kavit Palicha, an engineer who is reportedly a stakeholder in Zepto.
He studied computer science at Stanford University and dropped out to build Zepto. Before that, he completed the IB Diploma at GEMS Modern Academy in Dubai.
Aadit Palicha is the co-founder and CEO of Zepto. Kaivalya Vohra is the co-founder and CTO.
Zepto launched in April 2021 in Mumbai.
Nexus Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, StepStone, Motilal Oswal and CalPERS, among others.
Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, both are Stanford dropouts.