Ankiti Bose, a young Indian entrepreneur, played a big part in the success of Zilingo, a multinational tech and commerce startup. The company soared to great heights under her leadership, hitting a valuation of Rs 7000 crore in 2019, showing her business skills.
But things took a turn in 2022. Bose faced accusations that led to her suspension as CEO. Claims ranged from messing up finances to mismanaging things, painting a bad picture of her leadership.
One serious accusation was that she increased her salary ten times without the board’s OK, raising eyebrows and causing more scrutiny. Also, reports said she made unexplained payments of 10 million dollars to different suppliers, making people doubt the company’s money management.
Bose is now in a big legal fight, suing investor Mahesh Murthy for 100 million dollars. This legal mess adds more drama to what’s going on with Zilingo and its co-founder.
Ankiti Bose started her journey in Dehradun and later studied at Mumbai’s Cambridge School and St. Xavier’s College. She worked with big companies like McKinsey & Company and Sequoia Capital before having her ‘aha’ moment at a market in Bangkok, which led her to start Zilingo.
Bose got lots of awards for her work, like being on Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 list in 2018 and getting noticed in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 and Bloomberg 50 in 2019. These awards show how much she impacted the online shopping scene in Asia, hitting big milestones in her career.
This whole thing with Ankiti Bose and Zilingo is a lesson in the startup world. The accusations against her raise issues about how companies are run, how money is handled, and the tough parts of growing a business. Whatever happens next will leave a big mark on Bose’s story and what’s next for Zilingo.
