Ankiti Bose, a young entrepreneur from India, co-founded Zilingo, an e-commerce start-up that revolutionized the fashion markets in Southeast Asia. At the age of 23, she left her job as an investment analyst at Sequoia Capital to launch Zilingo, which later gained a market value of $970 million and over seven million active users.
Bose recognized the gap in the market for independent merchants lacking an online presence and the need for proper financing, scaling-up, website design, and procurement training. She developed software and supply chain solutions that were essential to the growth of Zilingo, which later expanded to the United States.
However, in March 2022, Bose was suspended as CEO of Zilingo after allegations of financial misrepresentation and mismanagement. Her S$50,000 per month salary and management style of using intimidation to extract compliance were called into question. On May 20, 2022, she was fired from Zilingo.
Despite the controversy surrounding her exit from Zilingo, Bose has received numerous awards and honors, including being named in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list in 2018, Fortune's 40 Under 40, and The Bloomberg 50 in 2019. She was also recognized as Business Worldwide Magazine's Most Innovative CEO of the Year in Singapore and featured in the Singapore 100 Women in Tech List in 2020. Bose's story is a testament to the power of entrepreneurship and the risks that come with it. While she may have experienced a setback in her career, her contributions to the e-commerce industry and the empowerment of women in Indonesia through her coaching program are undeniable
