Why We Built WareIQ
Building the infrastructure layer for digital commerce in India
Before starting WareIQ in 2019, I was working in the U.S. with Pitney Bowes, focused on supply chain and logistics across the North American market. Around that time, Amazon Prime was setting a new industry benchmark. Next-day delivery was becoming the norm, not a luxury. This was reshaping consumer expectations permanently, and the entire ecosystem was racing to adapt.
It became clear that the backbone of fast delivery was distributed fulfillment, not centralized hubs. And wherever eCommerce was gaining share in total retail—be it the U.S., Europe, or China—new types of supply chain players were emerging. They were not traditional logistics providers but tech-first platforms built for speed, flexibility, and intelligent inventory placement.
These companies had three key characteristics:
- Distributed warehouse networks tuned to demand clusters
- A technology layer to orchestrate inventory and routing decisions
- Native integrations across D2C and marketplace channels
That shift was happening everywhere. I realized the same transformation would hit India—not just as a possibility but as a certainty. Two charts in particular stayed with me and clarified that this was a decade-long structural opportunity, not a passing trend.
Chart 1: Huge room for expansion in India eCommerce parcel penetration
One McKinsey (May 2019) study showed India's eCommerce parcel penetration at 1–2 parcels per capita, compared to 21 in the U.S. and over 70 in China. This alone signaled a 5–10X growth headroom. It wasn't a matter of "if" but "when."
Chart 2: JD.com : 90% of deliveries within 24 hours, with 57% arriving within 12 hours
I also looked at JD.com, one of the largest fulfillment networks in the world. 90% of its deliveries arrive within 24 hours, with 57% within 12 hours. That's only possible because JD invested in a massive, nationwide fulfillment network—over 550 warehouses and distribution points across China.
This reinforced our belief that India's scale and diversity would demand a similar infra backbone.
That conviction brought me back to India. I teamed up with Aayush Mattoo, who was then Director of Operations at Delhivery. We spent time speaking with dozens of D2C brands. One insight stood out: demand was pan-India, but supply was centralized—either at the brand's office or manufacturing base.
Everything was shipped nationally from one location, leading to poor delivery timelines, high returns, and customer drop-offs. Adding warehouses in new locations was tough. Most traditional warehousing companies operated with rigid contracts, high minimum commitments, and were built for B2B models. They lacked the tech stack needed for multi-channel digital commerce, making them inaccessible for fast-moving D2C brands.
We started with two fulfillment centers—Delhi and Bangalore—and built a lightweight tech platform to serve D2C brands. We got into Y Combinator's Summer 2020 batch (their first fully remote one, during COVID). Despite a tough macro backdrop, we kept building and got early backing from investors like FundersClub and Flexport, who shared our belief in the space.
Fast Forward to 2025
We've built a profitable, cash-flow positive company supporting over 400 brands. Our stack now includes commerce integrations with all the platforms where a modern consumer brand sells—D2C, marketplaces, quick commerce, and B2B. Pan-India fulfillment across 13+ cities, colocated with demand. AI-led inventory placement, detecting misplaced SKUs and excesses. Shipping orchestration with real-time routing and RTO reduction tools.
But We're Just Getting Started
At WareIQ, we've always focused on what won't change: Brands will always need to reach customers faster, at lower cost, and with higher reliability. Customers will always care about delivery speed, transparency, and consistency. Fulfillment will always be the most operationally complex and trust-critical part of any commerce journey.
That's where we come in.
We're building the infrastructure layer for digital commerce in India. A system that integrates natively across channels, adapts to changing demand, and helps brands operate with speed and precision—at scale. Whether you're a D2C brand, a seller on marketplaces, a quick commerce native, or managing B2B distribution, WareIQ is designed to be the engine behind your operations.
We're not here to just move parcels. We're here to help modern commerce move forward.
