Ankiti Bose is 27, is on course to become India’s first woman to co-found a $1 billion start-up.
She is the CEO to Zilingo, a Southeast Asian e-commerce platform with more than 7 million active users.
Zilingo’s latest funding round puts the company on course for a likely $1 billion valuation in the coming months. Over the last year alone, its revenues have grown by four times. Zilingo would not disclose its exact figures.
Zilingo has approximately 27,000 merchants in 15 regions and has more than 500 employees across eight locations including the U.S., Australia and Hong Kong. It has so far received $308 million in funding from investors including Singapore’s Economic Development Board Investments (EDBI) and sovereign fund Temasek.
Zilingo’s headquarters are in Singapore. Zilingo helps independent fashion and lifestyle retailers sell directly to consumers.
Zilingo works by allowing merchants to sign up and self-list their products. However, Zilingo vets each seller for authenticity, pricing as well as a series of other metrics. If approved, they will be admitted onto the site and given access to services like tech support, financing and insurance.
Zilingo charges merchants a commission of between 10% and 30% for each sale.
The success of Ankiti Bose illuminates how women can transform industries as leaders and innovators.
