Abstract

The case captures the various episodes in the story of funding of India-based e-commerce company Flipkart, which stood as the highest valued venture-capital-backed company in the country. The case briefly narrates the beginning of the Indian e-tail giant, and focuses exclusively on its funding episodes. The case broadly captures the initial years and the growth years of Flipkart and elaborates on the types of the funding sources Flipkart chose through its expansion. The case discusses Flipkart’s tactics of dealing with competition and its expansion into fashion retail zone. The case also brings into light the challenges Flipkart faced for being reportedly over-valued.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the changing scenario of Indian online retail segment
• Understand closely the funding story of a online start-up
• Appreciate the entrepreneurial dynamics in the funding rounds of a start-up firm.
• Understand the various options for funding like Angel investors, Private Equity, Venture Capitalists, etc.

Keywords

Flipkart, Funding Round, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Angel Investor, entrepreneurship, funding a business, start-up financing, funding strategy