While some employees were handed out pink slips as their roles became redundant due to AI, others were impacted as relocation to Gurugram was not feasible
Founded in 2022, Apna Mart runs a franchise-led quick commerce platform that delivers grocery and daily essentials products within 10 to 15 minutes. It has raised $40 Mn to date
This follows SaaS major Freshworks announcing that it was laying off around 500 employees amid an AI push. Last month, SuperOps and Acko also fired 60 employees each
Peak XV-backed quick commerce startup Apna Mart has reportedly laid off around 10% of its workforce as part of a restructuring exercise linked to AI adoption and relocation of its operating base to Gurugram.
Sources told Economic Times that the maiden layoffs at the startup impacted about 35 to 40 employees across functions. As per the report, some employees were handed out pink slips as their roles became redundant due to AI, while others were impacted as relocation to Gurugram was not feasible.
This comes as the company has reportedly moved its product and technology teams from Bengaluru to Gurugram. Its operations teams will continue to be based out of the cities where it currently operates.
Inc42 has reached out to Apna Mart for a comment on the development. This story will be updated upon receiving the response.
Founded in 2022 by Abhishek Singh and Chetan Garg, Apna Mart runs a franchise-led quick commerce platform focused on non-metro cities. It delivers a range of grocery and daily essentials products, including personal care, beverages, stationery and small appliances, via its network of franchise outlets within 10 to 15 minutes.
Its approach differs from the dark store-led model used by Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto, which dominate the quick commerce segment in metro markets.
Apna Mart claims to operate in 14 cities across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, targeting underpenetrated markets. It follows an omnichannel model similar to Reliance Retail’s JioMart.
The startup last raised about ₹214 Cr, in a mix of equity and debt, in a round led by Nandan Nilekani-backed Fundamentum Partnership Fund. Overall, Apna Mart has raised about $40 Mn to date and also counts the likes of Accel, Sparrow Capital and Alteria Capital as backers.
On the financial front, Apna Mart reported a net loss of ₹ 75.8 Cr in FY25 against a revenue of ₹190 Cr.
The development comes amid a wave of layoffs in the Indian startup ecosystem in recent months due to AI-led automation. Earlier yesterday, Nasdaq-listed SaaS major Freshworks announced that it was laying off 11% of its workforce, or 500 employees, amid AI-led automation push.
In April, enterprise tech startup SuperOps and IPO-bound insurtech unicorn Acko also fired 60 employees each, citing AI-led automation. A month prior in March, ecommerce major Flipkart also handed out pink slips to about 400-500 employees following its annual performance review process.
Comments are closed.