From OneNumber to Blinkit: The Grofers Story of Survival and Reinvention

In December 2013, two IIT graduates met while working at Cambridge Systematics and decided Indian grocery shopping was broken. They started OneNumber—a simple pickup-and-drop service for local stores. Eight years later, after near-bankruptcy, a complete rebrand, and countless pivots, Zomato acquired their company for $568 million. This is the story of Grofers-turned-Blinkit: how it survived the grocery delivery wars, pioneered 10-minute deliveries, and became India's quick commerce giant.

The Founders: When Logistics Experts Met Opportunity (Late 2000s)

Albinder Dhindsa graduated from IIT Delhi with a B.Tech and initially worked as a Transportation Analyst at URS Company in the United States (2005), then as Senior Associate at Cambridge Systematics (2007). There he met Saurabh Kumar, an IIT Bombay graduate with a B.Tech in Civil Engineering and MS in Transportation Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

The duo bonded over shared interests in logistics and transportation, but initially had no plans to start a business together. Albinder left to pursue an MBA from Columbia Business School and later joined Zomato as an executive, gaining firsthand experience in India's food supply chain. Meanwhile, Saurabh entered the startup world, joining Rasilant in 2011 as COO.

While working at Zomato, Albinder noticed inefficiencies in how local merchants interacted with consumers—transactions were largely unorganized, and infrastructure for timely, reliable delivery was lacking. This realization became the seed for their eventual venture.

The Beginning: OneNumber and Local Deliveries (2013)

In December 2013, Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar founded their first company, OneNumber, while Albinder was still working at Zomato part-time. Their initial concept was simple: an on-demand pickup and drop service for local stores, including pharmacies, grocery shops, and restaurants.

They personally conducted 50-60 deliveries themselves within a 4km radius to understand hindrances in the unorganized delivery system. OneNumber operated as a B2B platform connecting local merchants with customers, with a small team of delivery personnel working like Uber drivers, handling everything from groceries to cosmetics to accessories.

Although OneNumber saw initial success, Dhindsa realized the flaws in India's hyperlocal market weren't fully exploited. He had his eye on the bigger picture. Despite having a wide range of businesses sign up, the majority of orders came from groceries and pharmacies.

The Pivot: OneNumber Becomes Grofers (December 2013)

Recognizing where demand concentrated, they pivoted exclusively to groceries and pharmacy deliveries, rebranding the company as Grofers—a portmanteau of "Grocery" and "Gophers" (a person who runs errands). The company was officially founded as Grofers in December 2013 in Gurgaon.

After seeing the opportunity in the hyperlocal space, Albinder decided to join full-time in 2014 as co-founder, leaving Zomato. "Saurabh and I had started working on this idea in December 2013 with the objective that I will eventually join full time. I wasn't looking at moving out of Zomato, but the opportunity in the hyperlocal space was very intriguing," Albinder shared. The entire Zomato team was supportive and helped make the transition smooth.

Grofers started as a B2B model but quickly shifted to B2C, focusing on grocery delivery through a mobile-first interface. The tagline was "We get it." The vision was to simplify grocery shopping for urban consumers, allowing them to order essentials with just a few taps. They facilitated delivery of almost 20,000 different products spread across categories like grocery, bakery items, cosmetics, fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, flowers, toys, accessories, and personal and baby care.

The Growth Phase: Funding and Expansion (2013-2020)

Grofers piloted in Delhi NCR before expanding to other cities across India. The platform adopted an asset-light marketplace model, connecting consumers with local kirana stores through a user-friendly app rather than owning inventory. This enabled quick scaling with lower initial capital expenditure.

The venture capital floodgates opened. Grofers raised significant funding from heavyweight investors: SoftBank, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, and Apoletto Asia, among others. By the end of 2021, the company had raised approximately $630 million (some sources cite up to $1 billion total). In August 2021, after raising about $120 million from Zomato and Tiger Global, Grofers achieved unicorn status with a valuation exceeding $1 billion (specifically $1.01 billion).

By 2019-2020, revenue grew impressively—from Rs 1,282.3 crore in FY 2019 to Rs 2,289.2 crore in FY 2020, a 78.52% increase. However, expenses rose even faster, from Rs 1,984.6 crore to Rs 3,150.8 crore (79.4% increase), indicating the company was burning cash despite growth.

The COVID Catalyst: When Everything Changed (2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated e-commerce adoption. Lockdowns and safety concerns fast-tracked demand for online delivery services. However, the pandemic also exposed a critical flaw: scheduled grocery delivery wasn't fast enough for urgent needs.

Consumers had grown accustomed to instant gratification. Dhindsa and his team realized the big opportunity wasn't just online grocery—it was quick commerce, delivering essentials in minutes rather than hours. This realization required a complete operational overhaul.

The Bold Pivot: Express Delivery Experiments (2021)

In 2021, after seven years as an online grocery delivery service, Grofers introduced express grocery delivery in India by building dark stores (micro-warehouses) across cities. In July 2021, Grofers reported delivering over 7,000 groceries in 15 minutes in Gurgaon.

In August 2021, Grofers introduced 10-minute delivery in the top 12 cities, after completing over 20,000 under-15-minute deliveries per day across 10 cities. The strategy involved setting up networks of hyperlocal warehouses stocked with high-demand products, ensuring every order could be fulfilled within a 2-kilometer radius.

In June 2021, Grofers announced its major upgrade, pledging to achieve 10-minute delivery within 45 days in operating cities. The promise drew significant criticism nationwide, with accusations of potentially overworking employees to meet tight deadlines.

Albinder Dhindsa responded: "It breaks my heart that instead of celebrating innovation coming from India, some of us stay cynical of people who are trying to break the status quo." He explained that partnering with stores within 2 kilometers of customers was a significant advantage enabling the speed.

The Rushed Rebrand: Grofers Becomes Blinkit (December 13, 2021)

On December 13, 2021, Grofers changed its brand name to Blinkit in line with its vision to embrace quick-commerce. The name conveyed instant delivery—"in the blink of an eye." The tagline became "Let's Blink it" or #letsblinkit. The new mission statement read: "instant commerce indistinguishable from magic."

"We were doing it out of the mind that we either out-innovate ourselves, or we will become redundant," Albinder told Business Insider. The company rushed the rebranding—taking it live within a week of deciding the name.

By November 2021, the company was delivering 125,000 orders every day across 30+ cities. However, the transition wasn't without challenges. Critics questioned the feasibility of 10-minute deliveries with Blinkit's ambitious SKU count of 4,000-7,000 products, compared to competitors like Dunzo and Zepto offering 1,000-3,000 SKUs. Industry insiders calculated that delivering in 10 minutes in Bangalore would require 80-90 stores, while Delhi would need 300-400.

"Customers expect us to have more things, not less. And they want faster delivery, not slower. So we don't have a business model, we are just obsessed with the customers," Dhindsa defended.

The Cash Crunch: Layoffs and Survival (March 2022)

Despite the unicorn valuation, Blinkit faced severe cash constraints. In March 2022, the cash-strapped company fired 1,600 employees and ground staff—nearly 5% of its total workforce. Losses were mounting: In January 2022, Blinkit witnessed losses of about Rs 204 crore, though this was reduced to Rs 92.9 crore by July 2022.

The quick commerce pivot required massive capital for dark stores, inventory, and delivery infrastructure. The economics were challenging—low-margin groceries with ultra-fast delivery required scale to achieve profitability.

The Lifeline: Zomato's Investment and Acquisition (March-August 2022)

In March 2022, Zomato granted Blinkit a $150 million loan and entered acquisition talks. On March 11, 2022, Zomato invested $100 million in Blinkit as the first tranche of a planned $400 million funding round.

On June 24, 2022, Zomato announced it would acquire Blinkit for $568 million (Rs 4,447 crore) in an all-stock deal. The acquisition was completed on August 10, 2022. This marked a significant turning point in India's quick commerce sector, bringing together two powerhouses in food and grocery delivery.

Initially, Zomato's share prices dropped 20% following the acquisition announcement due to investor skepticism. However, the Blinkit acquisition has since vindicated itself spectacularly.

Leadership Evolution: The Team Behind Blinkit

Jacob Singh served as CTO of Grofers, contributing significantly to the design, launch, and scaling of Grofers' paid loyalty program. He stepped down in July 2020 and now serves as CTO in residence at Sequoia Capital.

Rishi Arora was elevated to Co-founder position two months before the Zomato acquisition in June 2022, after serving 8+ years and working as Senior Vice President of Operations.

Sajal Gupta, a Zomato executive with 5+ years at the company, was appointed CTO of Blinkit in January 2022, bridging both organizations.

Saurabh Kumar, the original co-founder, stepped down from operational roles and now serves only as a shareholder and board member.

The Vindication: Blinkit's Spectacular Growth Under Zomato (2022-2025)

Under Zomato ownership (now Eternal Limited after February 2025 rebranding), Blinkit has flourished beyond expectations. By early 2025, Goldman Sachs valued Blinkit at approximately $13 billion—a six-fold increase from March 2023, making Blinkit more valuable than Zomato's core food delivery business.

In Q3 FY25 (ending December 2024), Blinkit's revenue grew 117.23% YoY to Rs 1,399 crore. The company fulfills over 400,000 orders daily as of 2024. Blinkit operates in 153 cities as of March 2025 (expanded from 30+ cities in 2021), with rapid expansion of its dark store network targeting 1,000 stores by end of FY25 and 2,000 micro-warehouses by 2026.

The Controversies and Challenges

The 10-minute delivery model faced criticism in August 2021 regarding delivery partner safety. CEO Albinder Dhindsa defended the mechanism, claiming zero accidents, though concerns persisted.

In April 2023, hundreds of Blinkit delivery partners in Delhi NCR went on strike after a payout structure revision resulted in lower earnings, leading to temporary closure of many dark stores where about half of Blinkit's operations were located.

Blinkit is also involved in a legal dispute over the name change trademark application filed on December 24, 2021.

What Made Grofers/Blinkit Survive and Thrive

Identifying Real Pain Points: Solved genuine consumer frustration with traditional grocery shopping—time-consuming store visits and inconsistent availability.

Founder Perseverance: Albinder's willingness to quit Zomato, pivot multiple times, and endure near-bankruptcy demonstrated authentic commitment.

Strategic Pivots: From B2B to B2C, from scheduled delivery to instant commerce—adapting quickly to market demands.

Customer Obsession: "We don't have a business model, we are just obsessed with customers"—prioritizing experience over textbook unit economics.

Dark Store Innovation: Micro-warehouses within 2km of customers enabled 10-minute promise.

Right Partnership: Zomato acquisition provided capital, infrastructure, and strategic alignment for scaling.

Timing: Caught the COVID e-commerce wave and quick commerce trend at the perfect moment.

The Current Status and Future

As of 2025, Blinkit (owned by Eternal Limited, formerly Zomato) operates in 153 cities, delivers 400,000+ orders daily, and is valued at $13 billion. Albinder Dhindsa continues as CEO, recently married to Zomato co-founder Akriti Chopra (January 2025), and led a Rs 419 crore Eternal ESOP exercise in August 2025.

"Blinkit won't cede quick commerce market leadership under any circumstance," Dhindsa declared in July 2025. The ambition remains as fierce as when OneNumber started in 2013.

The Legacy: From Skepticism to Standard

What started as two logistics experts noticing grocery shopping inefficiencies became India's quick commerce revolution. Grofers proved that even amid fierce competition, near-bankruptcy, and widespread skepticism, obsessive focus on customer needs combined with willingness to reinvent completely can create category-defining businesses.

The journey from OneNumber to Grofers to Blinkit embodies the Indian startup spirit: pivot fast, fail forward, survive at all costs, and when you finally figure it out, scale like there's no tomorrow.

Today, when millions of Indians receive groceries in 10 minutes, they're experiencing the culmination of Albinder and Saurabh's 2013 insight: grocery shopping shouldn't be a chore—it should be magic.

Because in the blink of an eye, everything changed.