Interactions with Founders – Gaurav Rana and Shivangee Sharma, Yatrikart

I had a chance to spend some time with my founder friends, Gaurav Rana and Shivangee Sharma of Yatrikart on a recent visit to Indore. On a cloudy day, Gaurav and Shivangee warmly came to my hotel. Their enthusiasm was palpable as they took me on a tour of their warehouse, office, and transit store. Along the way, we visited some local temples and they shared their entrepreneurial journey.

Yatrikart is revolutionizing retail in Indore by establishing kiosks at transit locations aiming to formalize retail and foster entrepreneurship. Currently they are present with 600 stores around two formats , partnered with 580 existing retailers/kirana stores and operate 20 tech enabled transit stores with an ambitious target of reaching 100 stores by the year end. The next phase of their journey involves securing strategic investments for exponential scale up.

I am sharing key takeaways from my interaction with the both of them.

Key Takeaways:

Resilience and Reinvention : This is their second venture. Their first, a salon business with 35 stores, was thriving but had to shut down during COVID-19 , this would have become amongst the largest chain in central India. Reflecting on their next steps during the pandemic, they decided to build something larger, leading to the creation of Yatrikart.
Pivot to Succeed : After several pivots, they finally settled on their current model, leveraging their market understanding and technology to formalize retail.
Complementary Roles : Gaurav is the external face of the company, while Shivangee handles culture building and backend operations, making for a well-rounded leadership team
Conducive Environment : They foster a culture where questioning and challenging the status quo is encouraged, believing that those who don’t question won’t stay long at Yatrikart
Embracing Technology : I was pleasantly surprised to learn that almost 80% of their team uses ChatGPT, indicating their openness to leveraging new technologies. Their tech stack is core to their business as it helps in getting insights for action across the value chain
Positive Energy and Values : Their positive energy was infectious, and it was clear that they are driven by strong values, love for nature, and animal welfare
Spiritual Guidance: In times of challenge, they visit the Hanuman temple, where they find solace and answers. They took me there and encouraged me to make a wish, promising it would come true. We also visited a cow shed and fed the cows. The next temple was of Ganesh ji ,where Gaurav used his network to organise quick darshan despite a huge crowd
Future Aspirations : Their dream is to build a 100-acre animal sanctuary. They visit the site regularly to stay connected and develop their vision further.

The time that I spent with Gaurav and Shivangee in Indore was truly enriching. Their hospitality, warmth, and affection made me feel blessed , enjoying my journey with Yatrikart. I wholeheartedly wish for their dream of creating a shelter for animals to come true.