Kunal Bahl

a16z Podcast | E-commerce, Payments, & More in India's Evolving Retail Landscape

Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal, Anu Hariharan, Sonal

Snapdeal, co-founded by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, operates as India's largest women's fashion marketplace by transforming the country's fragmented $600 billion retail sector into an organized B2C ecosystem. The company circumvents traditional inventory models by building a full-stack supply chain that connects local manufacturers to consumers through logistics optimization and a strategic acquisition of FreeCharge to streamline payments. Driven by mobile commerce and regulatory frameworks favoring pure marketplaces, Snapdeal serves a young, gender-balanced demographic while challenging global competitors through seller-funded discounts and verified authentication.