ETSA 2026: Indian founders eyeing early IPOs instead of private capital: Meesho CEO Vidit Aatrey

Early-stage founders in India increasingly believe they can go public sooner, and some are weighing whether to skip private fundraising altogether, Meesho CEO Vidit Aatrey said at the ET Startup Awards 2026 in Bengaluru.

Speaking at a panel alongside Groww CEO Lalit Keshre and ETtech editor Samidha Sharma, Aatrey contrasted India’s market with that of the United States. “In the US, small IPOs are rare, while in India both small and large listings are taking place." That, he suggested, is changing how founders think about funding. “Founders are now thinking: can I short-circuit and go public instead of raising private capital?”.

Drawing on Meesho’s own experience, which went public in December last year, Aatrey stressed that transparency was the main principle for a public offering. "Meesho listed while it was still building out its supply chain and made a point of communicating well with investors, and priced the stock according to all the relevant information in hand," he said.


He also cautioned that an IPO is not a one-day event. The process, he noted, typically runs for at least six months and can stretch to nine, during which investors continue to buy and sell the stock.

Keshre concurred, saying that raising "false expectations" was a big no for companies looking to go public.