Technology has made it possible not only for people to commute but also to send parcels from one part of the world to another. As technology advances the need to get instant and fast delivery enhances too and catering to this need is Delhivery, India’s largest fully integrated logistics provider, founded in 2011 by four bright young minds — Sahil Barua, Mohit Tandon, Bhavesh Manglani, and Kapil Bharati. Sahil Barua is the present CEO and has played a major role in saving the company and helping it reach greater heights.
About Sahil Barua, the CEO
Barua did mechanical engineering at NIT in Karnataka and received an MBA from IIM Bangalore. He visited the University of Maryland in 2005 and worked there as a research intern at CALCE Labs for four months. He was employed by a Bengaluru-based business named Stayglad in 2007, according to Startup Talky. He worked at Bain and Company as an Associate Consultant before exiting and starting his own venture.
How Delhivery started from a tiny apartment
Delhivery started in an apartment in Delhi as a courier service for e-commerce firms. The company grew leaps and bounds as the demand for home deliveries shot up due to a change in buyer behaviour with the penetration of low-cost internet. Not many companies were delivering for e-commerce companies at that time. Barua and his friends saw an opportunity. Two years after its launch, the company entered the realms of fashion retailing and groceries. They soon collaborated with Amazon Prime and Flipkart and delivered their products in a span of one or two days which was way less time than their standard delivery.
According to StartUp Talky, with only four delivery workers, they opened their first corporate office in Gurgaon with a staff of 10. Following that, they began communicating with nearby restaurants and completing their customers’ orders within 30 minutes. The business took off right away and they expanded their business portfolio.
According to its official website data, Delhivery has completed over 2 billion orders across India since its establishment in 2011. With over 18,500 pin codes served, they have established a nationwide network with a presence in every state. With the help of 24 automated sorting facilities, 94 gateways, 2880 direct delivery facilities, and a staff of more than 57,000 employees, they are able to deliver around the clock, every day of the year.
As per official website data, with a $413 million investment from SoftBank in March 2019, Delhivery completed its largest round of funding and entered the unicorn club, and was awarded the Startup of the Year Award by the Economic Times. The company saw a 63% YoY increase in revenue to Rs 7,241 crore in FY22 from Rs 4,450 crore in FY21 as per Live Mint.
