Meet man who left college at 18, earned Rs 1200 crore at 20, is CEO now, has net worth of Rs...

Aadit Palicha, born in 2001, is one of the youngest CEOs leading a billion-dollar Indian company. Originally from Mumbai, Aadit had been set to pursue computer science at Stanford University in the U.S. after high school. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic shifted classes online, he decided to leave the course. Just two years later, Aadit became CEO of a fast-growing business that competes with major players like Tata’s BigBasket, Mukesh Ambani’s Dunzo, and Jeff Bezos’ Amazon.

As the founder and CEO of Zepto, an online grocery delivery platform, Aadit’s company reached a valuation of Rs 7,400 crore (about $900 million) within its first year. Today, Zepto is valued at over Rs 41,000 crore ($5 billion). This impressive growth led to Aadit being listed on the 2022 Hurun rich list with a net worth of Rs 4,300 crore, while his co-founder and friend, Kaivalya Vohra, also a Stanford dropout, holds a net worth of Rs 3,600 crore.

Aadit’s entrepreneurial journey began at age 17 with his first venture, GoPool, which ultimately didn’t succeed. After planning to study in the U.S., the pandemic disrupted his plans, and with Stanford's courses moving online, he realized the experience wouldn’t offer the same benefits. Instead, he partnered with Kaivalya to launch KiranaKart, an attempt to transform local grocery delivery, but it lasted only 10 months due to challenges in finding the right product-market fit.

In 2021, amid the pandemic, the duo co-founded Zepto. Their new venture quickly gained traction, attracting millions in investment and scaling rapidly. Within months, Zepto’s valuation climbed from $500 million in five months to $900 million within a year, reaching $1.4 billion in two years. By the time he would have graduated with a Computer Science degree, Aadit was instead leading a billion-dollar enterprise, with Zepto valued at over Rs 11,600 crore.