27th March’25: In a rare and inspiring gesture of employee appreciation, Deepak Ravindran, founder of ONDC integrated AI-Powered commerce startup KiranaPro, celebrated his birthday by announcing the distribution of 1% equity to each of his employees.
The announcement was made in the early hours of the morning via an internal Slack channel, where Ravindran wrote:
“Distribute 1 percent each to all our employees as a gift from my end.”
The message was directed to senior team members and tagged the wider company group, comprising 42 employees. The distribution, as per the founder’s message, was intended as a personal birthday gift—making each member in the channel a shareholder in the company.
The announcement was accompanied by a reference to the number 42, famously known as “the answer to life, the universe, and everything” from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a nod that didn’t go unnoticed by the team.
This act of generosity underscores a growing trend in the Indian startup ecosystem, where founders are increasingly looking at inclusive ownership models to retain talent, boost morale, and cultivate long-term commitment.
KiranaPro, which operates in the competitive quick-commerce space, has been gaining attention for its unique approach of empowering local kirana stores to compete with large-scale delivery platforms. This move by the founder further highlights the company’s culture of collaboration and shared success.
At a time when startup layoffs and funding concerns dominate headlines, Ravindran’s gesture sets a new benchmark for founder-employee relationships and is being widely appreciated across startup circles.
