Select Short Stories

Build. Break. Adapt. Persevere.

Sometime in early 2014, Albinder Singh Dhindsa set out to build a better way to deliver groceries across India-driven by urgency and belief, and with no fallback plan. What followed was a crash course in navigating a complex social and economic landscape, rife with unreliable infrastructure and supply chains, the instability of a rapidly evolving gig economy, capital that arrived with its own risks, and pigeon poop problems in his warehouses.

With no playbook to rely on, Albinder wrote his own in real time: pivoting fast, making high-stakes bets and building systems where none existed. In doing so, he reshaped how Indians get what they need every day, at speeds that have redefined consumer expectations. Today, Blinkit processes over three million orders in over 200 Indian cities daily and has expanded far beyond groceries--delivering everything from everyday essentials to iPhones and ambulances in under 10 minutes.

Buildit cuts through start-up mythology to offer a rare look inside a founder's mind--at how decisions are made under pressure, how trade-offs are weighed and how companies are built when certainty is a luxury. Sharp, deeply grounded and informed by Albinder's hard-won view of India's business landscape, this is both a candid founder's story and an essential read for anyone trying to build and scale in an unpredictable market.

Albinder is the founder of Blinkit, a pioneer in India’s quick commerce retailing. Born in Punjab, India, into a farming family, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering before turning to entrepreneurship. As someone who has benefited from India’s economic growth, he is passionate about giving back to the ecosystem, both with learnings and support, to create greater positive economic impact for more people. Albinder lives in Gurgaon with his wife, Akriti, and their parents, and loves to spend time in different cultures in India and around the world. Akriti and Albinder also run the ACAD Foundation which supports causes focused on primary education, healthcare and enhancing local infrastructure by working with municipal governments across India.