StartupTalky

Tag: #news

  • Ola’s Identity on the Line? Aggarwal’s IP Shift Plan Raises Eyebrows

    As part of the ongoing restructuring, Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal wants to move ANI Technologies’ intellectual property (IP) rights to the Ola name to a holding firm run by his family office.

    As the larger markets and sectors change, Ola’s spokesman informed a media outlet that the group’s structure is being proactively reconfigured to generate greater value and operational agility. This change will be implemented carefully and announced at the appropriate moment.

     Investors in ANI are concerned about the decision because they fear they may lose out on future brand value. In exchange for royalties, ANI Technologies currently licenses the Ola brand to Ola Electric. ANI shareholders might not receive these future profits if the brand intellectual property is transferred out of the company.

    ANI Investors Holds no Stake in Ola Electric and Krutrim

    The matter is delicate because neither Aggarwal’s artificial intelligence (AI) startup Krutrim nor his electric mobility business Ola Electric are owned by ANI’s backers. The move’s structure and whether board or investor approval would be necessary are still unknown.

    If the transfer is successful, Aggarwal will have more freedom to use the brand in all of his endeavours while maintaining control from his family office. In order to promote and grow his AI business, Krutrim Aggarwal promised in December to use 1.1% of the company’s equity share capital, or around INR  452 crore, to facilitate funding through debentures.

    As it considers the launch of an initial public offering (IPO) of the ride-hailing company, ANI Technologies, the parent company of Ola Cabs, has started preliminary talks with investment banks.

    Ola Already in Lot of Trouble

    Ola Electric is under more pressure than ever after the Transport Ministry requested trade certificates from the Bengaluru-based EV manufacturer. According to a media outlet, the company received a show-cause notification .

    The notice stated that Ola Electric must respond to the aforementioned questions within seven days of receiving this letter in order to prevent any negative consequences.

    On 24 April, Ola received a new show-cause notice that requested information on the number of sales and service centres the business now operates. The notice further asked about the number of trade certificates it has obtained in the last three years and the date of issuance of each certificate.

     Additionally, Ola Electric must clarify if its facilities are used to store unregistered automobiles. In addition to the aforementioned, the EV manufacturer must disclose the model and variant-by-variant information for the 7,820 EV scooters it sold in February.

    Ola Electric stores operating without a trade certificate have been asked to close by the Maharashtra transport department, according to a media source. In a show-cause email to RTOs, Maharashtra’s joint transport commissioner stated that action should be taken to close the centre and rescind the original trade certificate.

  • No Pay, No Drive: BluSmart Drivers Rally Over Pending Payments

    Weeks after the EV ride-hailing company abruptly suspended operations, hundreds of BluSmart driver partners have started protesting throughout Delhi-NCR, calling for compensation and alternative employment.

    The drivers, many of whom call BluSmart the best platform they’ve ever used, claimed they were left in the dark about unpaid invoices and received no official word from the company. It is predicted that more than 10,000 drivers in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR will be impacted.

    The protests follow the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (Sebi) decision to bar Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi, cofounders of BluSmart, from holding board positions and accessing the securities markets due to accusations of document forgery and fund syphoning in their solar EPC company, Gensol Engineering, which is closely associated with BluSmart.

    Struggle Continues for Driver Partners

    According to driver partners, they were previously paid on a weekly basis under a scheme that offered them extra incentives based on customer reviews in addition to INR 8,000 if their weekly profits were above INR 20,000.

    Incentives have apparently decreased recently, though, as numerous drivers claim the founders embezzled the funds for their own personal use. A number of drivers informed a media company that they had either not gotten their most recent payments or they had received them late.

     Delhi driver Tarisha Kumar, 21, informed a news outlet that the drivers received a notification stating that the vehicles were being detained at hubs for an audit. Nothing since. She also shared her experience of how difficult it is for other platforms to onboard female drivers.

     In the capital, BluSmart employed more than 300 female drivers, many of whom are currently having difficulty finding new employment. Male drivers find it simpler, but women, particularly single mothers, are left behind, Kumar continued.

    Abandoned Drivers Without Compensation

    Nitesh Kumar Das, the organising secretary of the Gig Workers Association, said that the company had left drivers unpaid.

    “This is unfair. With their labour, these individuals established the business. A law is necessary to stop this kind of exploitation. There is a lot of financial strain on many driver partners right now, particularly on the ones who were the only earners,” Kumar opined.

    One driver from Gurgaon claimed that he is having trouble paying his daughter’s tuition because he does not have a job and is unsure of his future. Since stopping operations, BluSmart has not released an official comment.

    BluSmart had more than 10,000 driver partners using the platform prior to its shutdown. Drivers now claim that they are unable to get back in after being logged out of the app. Since April 3rd, drivers have been unable to log in.

     The OTP fails to arrive. “They seem to have completely abandoned us,” another driver-partner remarked.

  • Genie Goes Off Duty: Swiggy Suspends Its Popular Service

    Swiggy Genie, its citywide delivery service, has been suspended. In the majority of places, the Swiggy app does not display the service, which was operational in about 70 Indian towns. A notice stating that the Swiggy Genie service is “temporarily unavailable” appears at a few spots where it is accessible through the app.

     At the moment, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR do not have access to the service. However, media reports were unable to determine whether it had been suspended in every city where it operated. Swiggy stated that Genie is taking a little hiatus from fulfilling wishes in response to a post on X regarding the withdrawal of Swiggy Genie from the app.

     Although there isn’t a specific timeframe for Genie’s return yet, Swiggy stated that their staff is diligently working behind the scenes to get it back as soon as possible. We’ll be sure to update you as soon as it resumes operations!

    Not the 1st Time for Genie

    In April 2020, Swiggy Genie, a hyperlocal delivery service, was introduced in 30 cities. Since then, the business has extended its immediate pickup and drop-off service to nearly 70 cities nationwide. It’s noteworthy that Swiggy has stopped Swiggy Genie before.

    The foodtech giant suspended operations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai in 2022. It stated at the time that the company had to give priority to its food marketplace and rapid commerce vertical, Instamart, due to the spike in demand for these services. The most recent development occurs one day after Swiggy declared that more than 500 cities nationwide now offer its 10-minute delivery service, Bolt.

    Intriguingly, Zomato’s fiercest rival Eternal declared earlier this week that it is discontinuing Quick, a 15-minute meal delivery service, at its Q4 results announcement because it failed to generate any more demand during its pilot period.

    Additionally, Zomato said that it will discontinue Zomato Everyday, its home-meal service. On Friday, May 9, Swiggy is scheduled to release its Q4 financial results. Brokers predict that the company’s net loss will soar to INR 927 Cr and that its EBITDA margin will report a 16% sequential fall during the quarter.

    According to JM Financial, Swiggy Instamart’s “aggressive dark store expansion and impact of a high competitive landscape” are to blame for the increase in losses.

    Recent Financial Dynamics of Swiggy

    In Q3 FY25, Swiggy saw a consolidated net loss of INR 799 Cr, up 39% from INR 574 Cr in the same quarter last year. During the quarter, operating revenue soared 31% year over year to INR 3,993 Cr. Strong demand in its primary meal delivery operation and an increase in quick commerce income were the main drivers of this rise.

  • Women Drivers Left Stranded BluSmart Shuts Down

    BluSmart wasn’t just a job to many women; it was a pathway to financial freedom. For Amardeep Kaur, a 35-year-old homemaker, driving for the electric taxi-hailing platform was a way to achieve a household’s first kind of meaningful financial freedom. Lasting only six months, it was the kind of job where short, flexible hours allowed her to juggle the kind of domestic responsibilities one might associate with a stay-at-home mom and a hard-earned source of income, with a kind of dignity you might not associate with driving a taxi.

    In contrast to the conventional platforms that insist on extended shifts of 12 hours or more, BluSmart presented something quite rare: well-structured training, reasonable hours, and punctual weekly payments. Not only was it a job, but it was a job that allowed women like Kaur and 22-year-old Priya Thakur, who holds it together after her father passed, to find some semblance of independence and the freedom to navigate life, not just briskly in her electric vehicle, but with the luxury of time, the kind of time that is essentially a moment on life’s stage. For Thakur, that stage is an electric vehicle.

    Abrupt Closure Sparks Protest

    BluSmart’s independence was abruptly curtailed on April 16 when, without warning, it ceased operations, leaving in its wake hundreds of newly minted unemployed who had worked for the all-electric cab company. Just a day prior, Gensol Engineering Limited, a related-party company, had been pulled up by the SEBI for diverting funds and for falsifying documents. The complaint against Gensol alleges that the company’s promoters, who also are the promoters of BluSmart, misappropriated a whopping ₹262 crore that was meant for procuring the electric vehicles that were to be used by the all-electric cab company.

    The reactions were quick and strong. On Sunday, close to 50 former drivers from BluSmart assembled at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, crying out for compensation and government intervention. Most of these people had never done this kind of work before, driving for an app, and most of them, now, were out of work, having had their gigs terminate suddenly.

    Women Drivers Left Without Options

    Women drivers have taken a particularly bad hit from the closure. Many had learned to drive through BluSmart’s free training programs and were dependent on the company’s vehicles. Competing rideshare platforms like Ola and Uber expect their drivers to own the vehicles they drive, to work long hours, and to do so in a largely unregulated environment, conditions that are not safe for many women.

    BluSmart is where Shruti Rajput worked for over a year. In detailing her experience, she explained how fast and effective the company’s responses to harassment and vehicle breakdowns were. She praised it for having a level of accountability that, in her view, other vehicle operators didn’t have. She said that without access to anything near as effective, the vulnerability many drivers now feel is real.

    One of the protest organizers, Kamil Hussain, who represents Parivahan Morcha, laid out the drivers’ key demands. They seek severance pay equal to three months’ earnings, approximately INR 30,000 per month, and laws that would protect gig workers from being abruptly terminated. The protesters also urged the government to take the electric taxis that haven’t been used and place them into a state-run cooperative model.

  • Samsung Takes on INR 4,300 Crore Tax Demand in India, Cites Reliance Precedent

    Samsung Electronics has started a legal process against a tax demand of INR 4,300 crore (approximately $520 million) from Indian tax authorities. The dispute centers on a particular piece of telecommunication equipment, the Remote Radio Head, a key component for 4G networks, that Samsung imported from South Korea and Vietnam between 2018 and 2021. According to the tax authorities, this component was not classified properly and was therefore brought into the country without paying the requisite import duties, which should have been at least 10% and might have been as much as 20%. 

    One of India’s biggest consumer electronics spaces is still manned by a South Korean firm that has long seemed to be on the right side of the customs authorities. For the longest time, in fact, Samsung seemed to be doing everything its competitors weren’t, in terms, at least, of avoiding a confrontation with the customs authorities. For the past several years, since 2017, Samsung’s customs practices have been under a microscope. Starting in January 2021, the customs authorities have been taking a very critical view of those practices, with Samsung ordered to pay a total penalty of $1.5 billion (Rs 11,000 crore) since then.

    Reliance’s Role in the Argument

    Strengthening its case, Samsung has invoked the import history of Reliance Jio itself. Filings with the Customs, Excise, and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) in Mumbai show that Reliance had used a nearly identical method of classification for the very same type of equipment before 2017. Yet, according to reports, customs officials took no action against Reliance.

    During its investigations, Samsung found out that Reliance had been warned as far back as 2017 by the authorities about the classification issue. But this red flag was never communicated to Samsung. The company now contends that the years of inaction by regulators effectively endorsed its classification method. So, Samsung believes, the current penalty lacks legal and procedural fairness.

    Global Firms Push Back

    Samsung’s case follows closely behind another high-profile tax dispute. The German car manufacturer Volkswagen recently contested a record-setting INR 11,600 crore ($1.4 billion) claim made by Indian tax authorities. At issue in both disputes are similar allegations of misclassified imports. These two prominent challenges by multinational corporations may signal bad publicity. They could be seen as indications of rising discontent among foreign investors over the certainty and consistency of India’s tax and regulatory regime.

    Samsung’s 281-page appeal defends the legality of its classification and criticizes the process followed by the authorities. The company contends that the January 2025 tax order was issued hastily and without adequate opportunity to respond, despite the financial and operational stakes involved.

    Apart from the INR 4,300 crore tax demand, Indian authorities have also slapped an INR 670 crore ($81 million) penalty on seven Samsung employees. This means the total liability is now at INR 5,000 crore ($601 million). As of now, there is no public indication that the individuals penalized intend to mount a challenge to the ruling on their own. The India arm of Samsung clocked a net profit of around INR 7,800 crore ($955 million) in the last fiscal. Therefore, the demand for current taxes represents a big financial risk, one that could color the company’s investment plans and its operational strategies in one of its most crucial markets.

  • Warren Buffett Warns Against Tariffs, Calls Trump’s Trade Strategy a Risk to U.S. Interests

    Warren Buffett did not pull punches when dealing with the subject that took center stage at his company’s annual shareholder meeting: the U.S. trade policy under President Donald Trump. Speaking to a full house in Omaha, the 94-year-old investor expressed disapproval so strong it could be described as nearly the opposite of buffett-ing. He is no fan of using tariffs as a device of political persuasion. Our trade policies, he said, in effect using taxes and costs to try to force other nations to change their behavior, are a big mistake.

    He cautioned that agitating international friends and partners through combative trade actions is a grave blunder. In his view, the U.S. shouldn’t take a combative position with the world market, particularly when so many countries are peering closely at American behavior. Buffett worries that weaponizing economic nationalism does more to estrange than it does to bind.

    Global Trade: A Path to Shared Prosperity

    Buffett reiterated his dedication to economic teamwork. He expressed this in the context of the global trading system: the U.S. and world economy would be better off if the U.S. were to participate fully in international trade and commerce rather than attempt to wall itself off from would-be trading partners. His basic point: let the U.S. do what it does best, let others do what they do best, and then allow all of us, citizens of the globe, to participate in a peaceful prosperity.

    Contrasting with the recent trend of populist economic policy that advocates for less global economic engagement, Warren Buffett has called for more openness, as he believes that this contributes to global prosperity. He thinks that global prosperity makes for a far more secure world and that this has ample, well-understood economic rationale.

    Cash Reserves and Caution in the Market

    Even while critiquing policy, Buffett painted an optimistic picture of America’s future. He said he would choose to be born in the U.S. again, underlining a long-held faith in the country’s resilience. However, he acknowledged a lack of compelling investment opportunities present, that’s why Berkshire Hathaway is holding a record 29 lakh crore rupees (USD 347.7 billion) in cash.

    Even with the stockpile, Buffett expressed confidence that better investment opportunities will someday appear. He characterized the cash reserve not as sign of hesitation, but as a preparation for future prospects that better match Berkshire’s disciplined investment approach. Strategic patience, it seems, remains at the heart of Buffett’s investment philosophy.

    The annual meetings of Buffett have long been known for their insights and for their wit, and this year was no exception. Speculation, some of it quite fanciful, has developed lately about what might happen after he is no longer here. Buffett’s presence was a comfort to the tens of thousands who came to hear him, some from halfway across the world.

  • Warren Buffett to Step Down as Berkshire CEO, Greg Abel Named Successor

    At the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting, came a surprise revelation: Warren Buffett will retire as chief executive at the end of this year. The investing icon, 94 and known around the world as the Oracle of Omaha, announced his future retirement before an audience of almost 40,000 people in Omaha, Nebraska. His successor, Vice Chairman Greg Abel, sat beside him on stage and apparently learned in real time about the announcement’s timing.

    Buffett plainly stated that the time had come for Abel to take the lead. This transition has been expected since Buffett named Abel as his successor in 2021, but the announcement still felt momentous, marking something in American business that almost never happens, an era coming to a close. Buffett and Abel were met with applause that felt more like a standing ovation.

    Legacy of a Relentless Visionary

    Berkshire Hathaway went from being an unprofitable textile mill to an immensely profitable international conglomerate with a value well over $1 trillion. Buffett insisted that he was not a genius but merely a master of sorts of the old art of value investing, over which he had long labored.

    Famed for his patient, principles-based investing, Warren Buffett has influenced generations of investors and business leaders. His life story, making money at six, buying stocks at eleven, and filing taxes at thirteen, reflects a commitment to business that spans almost nine decades. Over that time, Buffett has amassed a fortune of USD 154 billion (INR 12.8 lakh crore) yet lives in a modest house in Omaha, having occupied the same space for more than 65 years.

    Transition in Capable Hands

    The handover may happen at the end of the year, but Buffett was clear that the strategy and culture of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will remain unchanged. If and when he sells, he insists he hasn’t sold a single share of BH, and he never plans to. He will give Berkshire away rather than liquidate and impoverish the company, which might happen if and when he sells.

    Greg Abel, who governs all the non-insurance businesses at Berkshire, enjoys a good deal of praise for his operational know-how and good sense, which closely align with Buffett’s principles. He has some strong supporters in the business world, Apple CEO Tim Cook is one of them.

    Final Thoughts on Trade and the World Stage

    Buffett didn’t hold back on expressing his bigger-picture worries, even when they were at odds with milestones in his personal life. He used a number of occasions in the past year to talk up U.S. trade policy. On that front, he sees cause for concern. In his view, celebrating a strategy of using tariffs as a geopolitical tool is just plain wrong. He says it’s better by far to engage with the other half of the world that hasn’t been persuaded to see things our way and to trade with them.

    Buffett might not be in charge much longer, but his message is still coming through loud and clear: Trust, ethics, and patience are what make a business truly great and keep it going over the long term.

  • Shell Considers BP Takeover in What Could Be a Historic Oil Sector Merger

    Shell is looking into the feasibility of buying BP, which has sparked speculation about what could be one of the biggest mergers in the oil and gas industry. Bloomberg says discussions have been started by Shell with advisers who are looking into the strategic and financial upsides that such a deal might merit. While no offer has been made and the talks are said to be at an early stage, the prospect of the UK’s two largest energy companies joining forces has gotten people talking.

    Shell is thinking about taking over BP, which is suffering from an internal crisis of investor confidence. Shareholder allegations regarding BP’s weak management performance have prompted an independent UK consulting firm to audit BP’s business. The results of that audit appear to have shaken the confidence of BP’s board of directors, with the firm’s evaluations of BP’s serious operational problems and its forecasts of BP’s recovery prospects being quite bleak.

    Diverging Fortunes and Strategic Dilemmas

    There is a striking contrast in the performance of the two companies. With a market value of around GBP 145.6 billion (almost INR 15.3 lakh crore), Shell is more than twice the size of BP, which stands at GBP 55.9 billion (approximately 5.9 lakh crore). Shell posted adjusted profits of USD 5.6 billion for the first quarter, a 28% year-on-year decline but still ahead of analyst expectations. BP, meanwhile, saw its quarterly profits fall nearly 50% to USD 1.4 billion.

    The leadership at Shell has been prudent. CEO Wael Sawan has signaled that the company’s own share repurchases may currently be a better return opportunity than a high-risk merger. But the idea of a high-risk merger still remains on the table. Evaluating such opportunities against the alternative uses of capital is obviously a very high-order judgment call in the current environment. And it seems to be one that Sawan and his team are keeping in mind.

    BP’s Strategic Struggles Open the Door

    BP’s latest underperformance has rendered it exposed and less resilient. Inevitably, this has put its new chief executive, Bernard Auchincloss, under intense scrutiny. Elected in January 2023, he has not yet proven his strategic decisions are effective ones. Indeed, he has taken the situation and BP’s decrepit stock price and dividends under his wing and initiated a somewhat unpredictable narrative. 

    The unexpected exit of previous CEO Bernard Looney in late 2023 left the company in the lurch, transitioning into new leadership while trying to find its footing and an overall strategic direction.

  • Meet the Minds Making India’s CCTV Smarter — The Enalytix Vision

    New Delhi [India], May 3: What started as a mission to make video data more intelligent has grown into one of India’s most promising AI startups in the surveillance and video analytics space. Enalytix, founded by Rajul Tandon (CEO) and Neerja Kumar (COO), is redefining how businesses use traditional CCTV systems—transforming passive video feeds into powerful engines of real-time, actionable intelligence.

    From Static Feeds to Smart Surveillance

    At its core, Enalytix solves a growing problem faced by thousands of enterprises: outdated CCTV systems that offer little value beyond passive recording. Most surveillance setups still rely on manual monitoring or rudimentary motion detection, which are inefficient, expensive, and often ineffective. Enalytix’s AI-powered video analytics platform changes that completely.

    “Our platform doesn’t just monitor—it understands, processes, and alerts in real-time,” says Neerja Kumar, Co-Founder and COO. “We leverage existing infrastructure to deliver high-accuracy insights without the need for costly upgrades. Our thin-edge architecture, tailored for the Indian operating environment, eliminates the need for expensive GPUs or constant internet streaming, drastically reducing CAPEX while maintaining reliability and speed.”

    Unlike many analytics solutions that are expensive to deploy or complex to manage, Enalytix is hardware-agnostic and seamlessly integrates with legacy systems. Its standout features include real-time AI-powered tracking, visual evidence-based reporting, automated camera health checks, and plug-and-play scalability, making it easier for both public and private sector enterprises to trust and act on their video data.

    A Journey of Tech Evolution and Relentless Innovation

    Enalytix began with a singular goal: to make video data meaningful. What followed was a journey marked by continuous innovation. The early focus was on building AI systems that could work with existing CCTV networks, minimizing friction for clients. But as adoption grew, so did Enalytix’s capabilities.

    The team moved from pre-trained models to custom-built ones, addressing use cases like pilferage detection, real-time occupancy, individual dwell time, and even field-force productivity tracking. Soon, Enalytix was powering over 3,000 sites across 120 cities, with minimal latency and unmatched reliability.

    “Our tech stack evolved with our clients,” says Rajul Tandon, Founder and CEO. “From local deployments to thin-edge streaming architectures, we’ve scaled without sacrificing accuracy or speed. What keeps us ahead is our obsession with solving business problems—not just showcasing AI.”

    Today, Enalytix’s systems manage thousands of video streams daily and help organizations turn passive surveillance into smart decision-making.

    Scaling with Purpose: Customer-First, Tech-Led

    For Enalytix, growth has always followed impact. The company’s scaling strategy combines a deep focus on customer needs with future-forward tech capabilities. Every product iteration is rooted in solving real-world problems—whether it’s reducing theft in warehouses, improving patient flow in hospitals, or helping retailers understand shopper behavior.

    “Our customers are our roadmap,” Neerja notes. “We don’t build in a vacuum. By listening, learning, and staying agile, we’ve made our systems more intuitive, more scalable, and more aligned with real operational challenges.”

    This tight feedback loop has been bolstered by cutting-edge R&D—an area where Enalytix continues to invest heavily. Its edge computing models ensure smooth operations even in bandwidth-constrained environments, while its dashboards and alert systems bring data visualization and decision-making to the fingertips of business users.

    What’s Next: New Markets, New Products, Global Vision

    As Enalytix enters its next phase of growth, the roadmap includes expansion into the UAE, Middle East, and the UK, alongside deepening its footprint across India. A new generation of AI tools is also in the works, including advanced field-force analytics and industry-specific video intelligence for healthcare, retail, and logistics.

    Strategic partnerships are another key growth lever. “We’re looking at alliances that help us scale globally while maintaining the quality and agility that define us,” Rajul says. “The future is collaborative—especially in AI.”

    But growth isn’t just about numbers for Enalytix. The startup is committed to supporting India’s vision of becoming a $7 trillion economy by 2030 through job creation, digital infrastructure, and AI-led product innovation.

    A Future Powered by Ethical, Responsible AI

    The video analytics industry is on the cusp of transformation. Over the next five years, the role of AI will move beyond security into areas like predictive intelligence, compliance automation, and conversational analytics. Technologies like Edge AI, Multimodal AI, and Responsible AI will define how businesses use video data.

    Enalytix is preparing for this future. The team is working on next-gen features that offer deeper personalization, cross-platform interoperability, and seamless integrations into larger enterprise systems.

    “We’re building for a world where decisions will be driven by real-time, trusted insights—not just data,” says Rajul. “From India to the world, Enalytix is ready to lead the next chapter in AI-powered intelligence.”

    The Importance of Security Surveillance for Small Businesses
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  • Swiggy Now Offers 10-Minute Food Delivery Service Bolt to More than 500 Cities

    Within seven months of its start, foodtech giant Swiggy has now brought its 10-minute meal delivery service, Bolt, to more than 500 Indian cities. The service, which was previously available in six top-tier cities, has now spread to tier II and III cities.

     “Powered by a network of over 45,000 restaurant brands, Bolt has exploded across metro areas as well as tier II and III towns since its October 2024 launch,” Swiggy said in a statement. Bolt receives more than one order out of every ten food delivery orders placed on Swiggy’s platform.

    Within a 2-kilometre delivery radius, the platform has featured high-demand, quick-serve items with little preparation time on Bolt. Burgers, hot and cold drinks, breakfast foods, and biryani are among the dishes that take the least amount of preparation time.

     Additionally, it offers ready-to-pack snacks, chocolates, and ice cream. Bolt offers a variety of Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brands, including KFC, McDonald’s, Subway, Faasos, Burger King, and Curefoods.

    According to Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Swiggy Food Marketplace, it has been amazing to watch the company grow to more than 500 cities in a few months. And this is only the start.

    Bolt’s Popularity Forced Swiggy to Expand Business

    The company stated in its statement that Bolt serves as a consumer acquisition mechanism for Swiggy, as the monthly retention of new users acquired through it is 4-6% higher than the average on the platform. When Swiggy Bolt was introduced in 2024, it was available in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, and Pune.

    In addition to Bolt, the foodtech behemoth launched SNACC, a stand-alone app, in January to provide meals, drinks, and small nibbles in 15 minutes. SNACC, which was first offered in Bengaluru at specific pin codes, is now also delivered in Noida and Gurugram.

    Swiggy says it can deliver a variety of food and drink items through the SNACC app, such as fruit bowls, tea, coffee, breakfast specials, snacks, and cold beverages. Last month, Swiggy launched its professional service marketplace, Pyng, for customers as part of its most recent service growth.

    Pyng is an AI-powered platform that links users with vetted service providers, such as financial advisors, astrologers, travel and education specialists, and health and wellness specialists.

    From Quick Commerce to Quick Food Delivery

    The development occurs at a time when rapid delivery has emerged as a viable segment for both new and emerging foodtech and e-commerce firms. Zepto Cafe, Blinkit’s Bistro, Bengaluru-based firm Swish, Gurugram-based platform Zing, and Rebel Foods’ most recent “QuickiES app” are all located in the rapid meal delivery sector.

    Even while rapid commerce platforms release new services every three months, the user interface of the apps still needs work.

    According to reports, Swiggy and Zepto, two major players in fast commerce, received notices from the Delhi High Court last month regarding their apps’ unpleasant user interfaces for those with visual impairments. By 2030, the fast commerce market in India is expected to have grown to a size of $40 billion.