on Building Meesho, India's Top Reselling Platform, with Adora Cheung

Meesho helps people start social stores on platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram without upfront working capital. By 2019, Aatrey said the company had nearly 500,000 monthly active store owners, many selling unbranded goods to customers who trust them through community ties.

Aatrey credits the timing of WhatsApp's popularity, Jio's cheaper mobile data, and UPI's adoption with bringing hundreds of millions of people online and making online transactions more familiar. Many new users lived in smaller cities and wanted affordable, often unbranded products, which suited Meesho's model.

The founders first built Fashnear, a hyperlocal fashion service, then noticed small shops selling through WhatsApp groups. Their initial merchant tool attracted women running informal boutiques, so they tested a separate supply marketplace; after it doubled monthly for six months, they shut down the other product and focused on Meesho.

Aatrey says the team had to learn directly from women and housewives whose lives differed from their own. He kept in touch with users on WhatsApp, had managers listen to support calls monthly, and sent users a monthly video update called “We Hear You” to gather feedback.

Meesho alternated periods of rapid growth with work to fix operational and product debt. Aatrey says rising support volume can signal product problems, and that founders should stay close to users, question familiar product assumptions, and adapt to local needs such as language or phone support.