Abstract

The case first touches upon co-founders Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor (Kapoor) and how Bose hit upon the idea of starting a platform business for fashion sellers considered too small by large ecommerce firms. Next, the case describes the early decisions taken by Bose. Due to the backing of Sequoia Capital India’s Managing Director Shailendra Singh (Singh), Bose convinced various venture capital investors that Zilingo was a new model for the emerging world and raised funding on a regular basis. The case focuses on the various decisions taken by Bose and other actions that led to high cash burn without focus on profitability leading to instances of difference of opinions between Singh, Kapoor, and Bose. By 2019, Singh had lost faith in the managerial abilities of Bose and even suggested her to consider stepping down from her position as CEO. The case then mentions the reasons that led to Bose’s exit from Zilingo on account of various allegations of financial irregularities and poor decision making and inability to take the management along. Amidst all these allegations, questions arose as to who was accountable for the lack of direction of the company, the cash burn, the company’s financial problems, and the absence of profitability?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the duties and responsibilities of a co-founder
• Examine the need for communication and collaboration between the co-founders and the resulting problems in its absence
• Recognize the responsibilities of a venture capitalist in a company’s business operations
• Understand how leadership impacts organizational performance and excellence
• Describe the need for rational decision-making in the quest for growth and unicorn status

Keywords

Organizational Crisis; Leadership; Leadership Style; Role of the Board & Directors; Women Entrepreneurship; Business Ethics & Corporate Governance; Leadership and Power