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E-commerce

Dunzo’s funding crunch and failed quick-commerce ambitions

Pranav Balakrishnan

July 21, 2023 | 4 Min Read

July 21, 2023 | 4 Min Read

A severe funding crunch has seen concierge service-turned-quick commerce platform Dunzo unable to meet its salary obligations. With the likes of Reliance Retail and Google backing it, and having achieved that rare startup distinction of becoming a verb, how did things go so wrong?

Things appear to be going from bad to worse for Dunzo. On July 20, reports emerged that the Bengaluru-based startup had been served with legal notices by Facebook, Google, and software consultancy firm Nilenso for non-payment of dues running into crores of rupees. Google, incidentally, is also Dunzo’s second-largest backer.

The beleaguered Dunzo has also begun a fresh round of layoffs, trimming its workforce by 30-40%. This is the third round of layoffs at the company this year, with about 400 employees receiving pink slips in the previous two rounds.

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