Ninjacart, India’s leading agri-tech platform that connects growers to retailers has expanded its supply chain operations to Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. It has also hired 600 people in these places to handle sales, procurement, operations category management and logistics.
The start-up is making use of funds received from the recently closed Series B round of Rs.250 crore for growth and hiring.
Established in 2015, the Bengaluru-based start-up at present moves 350 tonnes of vegetables and fruits from a sourcing network of 4,500 growers to 9,500 retailers in Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad daily.
CEO and co-founder of Ninjacart, Thirukumaran Nagarajan said, “We are excited to expand our footprint outside South India. It is an opportunity for us to generate employment possibilities, introduce the supply chain, allow cultivators to build consistency in demand & facilitate doorstep delivery for retailers at better prices”.
Ninjacart, with the expansion into 3 big cities will cater to regions throughout Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The initial operations in Mumbai and Delhi have started with the onboarding of 300 growers and 600 retailers and with 180 farmers & 360 retailers in Pune, the number is likely to increase to more than 2,000 farmers and over 4,500 retailers across Mumbai and Delhi and more than 1,200 growers and 5,000 retailers in Pune in the next 6 months. Ninjacart also plans to begin operations in Lucknow, Kanpur and Ahmedabad after that.
Co-founder of Ninjacart, Kartheeswaran KK said, “We are operationally gainful in Bengaluru and will attain the same in Chennai & Hyderabad in the next 3 to 6 months. Our overall headcount will rise from 1,200 to 2,000+ by year end. We are boosting our platform’s capabilities to allow the moving of 1,000 tonnes of vegetables and fruits a day from 350 tonnes a day now”.
Backed by investors like Accel Partners, Trifecta Capital, Nandan Nilekani NRJN Trust and Qualcomm Ventures, the start-up aims to increase farmers’ incomes, decrease food wastage, bring in competitive prices for retailers and guarantee superior quality food for the consumers.
