The Challenge

At the start of 2024, the hiring market was moving slower than expected. Amid this uncertainty, we partnered with Zepto, one of India’s fastest-growing consumer tech companies, on a high-impact design hiring mandate.

Zepto needed to rapidly scale their design team to support aggressive product growth - and they needed designers who could thrive in a fast-paced, high-ownership environment, working on a product used by millions every day. The challenge wasn’t just speed; it was ensuring quality, alignment, and consistency across multiple hires, all within a tight timeline.

Our Approach

As a small, two-person team, we knew this engagement required full focus. We paused other work and dedicated 3–4 months exclusively to Zepto, working closely with Akhil Joy and Anusha Mallanna to understand not just the roles, but the expectations, pace, and design culture they were building.

Alongside this, we also had strong, hands-on support from Akhil Joy and the wider design team, whose openness, clarity, and active involvement made it easier to assess alignment early and move decisively through each stage of hiring.

Strong collaboration with Zepto’s HR team - Vanisree D, Ankita Singh, and Lishita Dua - played a crucial role in keeping the process smooth and candidate-friendly. Clear communication, quick feedback, and alignment across stakeholders allowed us to move fast without compromising on candidate experience.

Our approach focused on identifying designers who could:

• design for scale and real-world usage,

• collaborate closely with cross-functional teams,

• and take ownership in a high-growth product environment.

Outcome & What Made It Work

In just three months, the partnership resulted in the successful hiring of seven designers, each bringing strong craft, product thinking, and execution capability to Zepto’s design team.

The designers hired during this engagement were:

• Akash Mazumdar

• Devyani Bhati

• Atin Bose

• Twinkle Das

• Anu Sankar

• Riya Das

• Rajat Patel
  
  

For us, this engagement stood out because of how closely we worked with the Zepto team. The trust, clarity, and day-to-day collaboration made it possible to move quickly while staying thoughtful about the kind of designers joining the team.