MyMandi is a hyperlocal delivery service poised to disrupt the disruption brought by today’s quick commerce landscape. The brainchild of Mahanaaryaman Scindia (28) and Suryansh Rana (26), MyMandi aims to ensure that the underserved markets of tiers 2 to 4 in India can enjoy the convenience and accessibility offered by quick-commerce giants in tier 1 cities—without eliminating the local retailers from the supply chain.
“Quick commerce has grown rapidly in India, but this expansion has come at a significant cost: approximately 200,000 Kirana stores have closed in the past year” says Mahanaaryaman.
“At MyMandi, we believe in enabling, not disrupting, the local Kirana network. Our platform empowers these stores by bringing them online, enhancing their efficiency, and connecting them with more customers. Unlike others who rely on creating dark stores, MyMandi allows Kiranas to service customers directly using their own stock, offering self-pickup and delivery options.”
With the highest density of Kirana stores located in Tier 2–4 cities, we see an incredible opportunity to form a symbiotic relationship rather than force change. While partnering with Kiranas may take longer, it fosters a natural, cost-free flow of loyal customers. In smaller cities, there is immense stickiness to transacting with local Kiranas, making them the ideal partners for creating a sustainable and community-driven commerce ecosystem.
Backed by the late Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and investors like Shiprocket, Tribe Capital, and Let’s Venture, among others, MyMandi, a grocery & D2C delivery startup, is rooted in the ethos of inclusivity as the startup’s mission is to optimize supply chains for daily essentials, fresh produce, and D2C brands in smaller cities via the traditional local Kirana ecosystem.
How It All Works:
“At MyMandi, we believe in democratizing technology. With this philosophy at our core, we aim to bring cutting-edge solutions—such as AI, IoT, and ERP systems—to the backbone of Indian retail: the Kirana stores” explains Suryansh
“Our AI-driven tools will provide personalized marketing solutions and advanced recommendation systems to enhance customer engagement through our B2B app, integrated seamlessly with WhatsApp” he says “IoT and ERP technologies will empower the Kiranas to efficiently manage their vast and diverse inventory, ensuring faster delivery cycles and improved customer satisfaction.”
“By offering the MyMandi platform as an open-source solution, we allow retailers to adopt and customize the tech stack at their own pace, enabling them to compete effectively with quick-commerce companies. Additionally, our unique QR code system helps kiranas onboard customers to their digital stores effortlessly, without any upfront acquisition costs”
Overall, the MyMandi OS will tech-enable the local Kiranas in tier 2 / 3 cities to build a digital Bharat.
As the retail landscape evolves, MyMandi is setting an example of how tech-driven innovations can enhance existing systems – i.e. merging traditional models with quick-commerce approaches – where socio-economic growth across levels becomes a product of a thriving symbiotic relationship between retailers and customers. How the simple QR-led initiative will shape the future of the local Kirana-walas is a story yet to unfold.