Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story

The definitive account of Indias biggest startup that redefined e-commerce, entrepreneurship and the way we shop and live. IIT graduates Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal founded out of a Bangalore apartment what would become Indias biggest e-commerce startup. Established in October 2007, Flipkart began as an online bookstore and soon came to be known for its customer obsession. As the startups reputation grew, so did its value, with venture capitalists in India and abroad lining up to invest heavily in the company that stood for bold ambition, unabashed consumerism and the virtues of technology. Investigative journalist Mihir Dalal recounts the astounding story of how the Bansals built Flipkart into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse in the span of a few years and made internet entrepreneurship a desirable occupation. But it is also a story of big money, power and hubris, as both business and interpersonal complexities weakened the founders control over their creation and forced them to sell out to a retailer whose dominance they had once dreamt of emulating. Flipkarts auction involved some of the corporate worlds biggest names, from Jeff Bezos, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai to Masayoshi Son and Doug McMillon, an ironic testimony to the strength of what the Bansals had forged. Based on extraordinary research, extensive interviews and deep access to key characters in the Flipkart story, Big Billion Startup is the riveting and revealing account of how Sachin and Binny Bansal built and sold Indias largest internet company.