My notes as a super early Swigster
Today is surreal. Seeing Swiggy on the NSE feels like a personal victory, not just for the founders or investors, but for each of us who joined back in the early days when Swiggy was just a scrappy idea.
I was lucky to be one of the first 60 to jump on board - drawn in by the vision and the almost impossible energy of the founding team. Back then, we were a tight-knit group, hustling in cramped rooms, working crazy hours to solve what seemed like simple problems but were anything but. I still remember late nights debating over how to shave 2 minutes off delivery times or how to keep our early partners happy. It was all about building trust - with customers, with riders, with restaurants and with each other.
Swiggy is a product of passion, perseverance, and a touch of madness. I was lucky to manage a significant P&L while I was there, a challenge and privilege that taught me more about business than any textbook ever could. It was a dream to work alongside a crew that genuinely believed we were building something that could change lives. And here we are - Swiggy is the best consumer product India has seen, a true blueprint for what’s possible.
Now, I’m pouring my heart into my own startup, and I find myself thinking back to those Swiggy days all the time. If I can build something even half as good, I’ll be proud.
To the team, the founders, and all those who believed in us from day one - thank you. Today’s listing is a reminder that sometimes, all it takes is a handful of crazy people with a vision and a lot of grit to build something legendary.
Also, before the comment section goes berserk on how much I made - officially a $$ millionaire now just purely on my Swiggy holdings. Thanks to Harsha for pushing me to take more ESOPs over cash early on - was really pissed at you folks back then but guess it paid off😂👏🏽
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No give the actual or round figure vakue how kuch u earned and for that how much years u give at swiggy and what is the cash to eaop conversion how much do u earn form it that will be very valuable
@Micheal_Scott : need a dislike button as well. It's really needed. Pls make it a priority over other items. Lot of us have been requesting it since ages now.
Haha🙂
Just how much taxes you'll be paying to exercise?
Around 2.5 cr ballpark to exercise - it’s insane, roughly 30ish%
Rest will be basis when I sell, sold around 1cr worth at listing. No intent to sell more for now, forever long.
Used any financial institution to service the exercise price? Heard Bajaj finserve is facilitating this?
@AwkwardRiver what are you gonna do with all that money? Curious to know.
No idea man, haven't thought that much - will definitely be buying a nice house, don't believe in this rent don't buy bs
Rest I'm in no hurry to retire, never want to - will continue building. This reserve will definitely help not have to worry about bills to pay and family etc.
You can utilise that amount to actually find your startup, and keep more equity for yourself(in case you were gonna go for VC funding later on).
Hey! First off, congrats! Mind sharing a bit about your early role? I'm a software developer right now, not that I hate it, but I just feel like I could contribute more as a product manager. I really want to make the switch since I'm super into understanding the 'why' behind every product decision. Do you think an MBA is a must for that?
Worked across a bunch of teams, not an engineer.
MBA is not a must but might help if you feel you’re stuck and not able to pivot without one - no one approach works for all, figure out what works for you and do that.
Would you mind referring me for supply chain roles at Swiggy? Im desperately looking for a switch in a company where i can stay for long time
Awesome.. congrats on the FU money! Can you share how much your ESOP value multiplied.. like was it 10x, 20x, 100x?
@AwkwardRiver please share?