Karnataka govt welcomes fast-paced commerce startup Zepto to Bengaluru as it shifts base from Mumbai | Bengaluru

After fast-paced commerce startup Zepto announced its headquarters shift from Mumbai to Bengaluru, the Karnataka government has welcomed the unicorn to the tech capital. This is expected to be a big win for Bengaluru as it could generate more direct and indirect jobs in the city. Bengaluru is currently home to 45 unicorn startups, as per government data.

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Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge said Bengaluru is the most preferred destination for startups as they raise huge funds to scale their businesses. Kharge wrote, “Bengaluru offers an unmatched startup ecosystem, boasting of $70.1 billion raised by startups since 2010, of which $15.1 billion was raised this year. Leader in B2B funding with $34.9 billion and B2C funding with $4.9 billion. Home to 45 unicorns valued at $160.8 billion.”

Welcoming Zepto to Bengaluru, he also appealed to other startups to consider the city as their primary operations location. “Our city is also the most millennial-friendly city in India in terms of education and employment, ranking 18th in the Asia Pacific region. With over 3,600 funded tech startups and the highest number of employable women, Bengaluru is a place where innovation thrives. Welcome, @ZeptoNow! I invite more startups to join us and thrive in the best startup ecosystem in India,” the IT Minister added.

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Zepto reportedly employs around 1,700 to 1,800 people, and the new office in Sarjapur, Bengaluru, will likely force all of them to relocate to the city. However, a Money Control report states that the company will bear all the relocation costs for the employees and that they have been given ample time to relocate to the city.

Zepto’s rivals Swiggy and Dunzo are also headquartered in Bengaluru, while Blink is headquartered in Gurgaon.