The right partner is like the wings you never had. This is what happened with Aditi and Chetan, who found their goals and destinations aiming towards the same direction-Repos Energy. A startup story supported by our very own Ratan Tata, which gives a new direction to the fuel distribution system of India.
Pune-based Repos Energy founded in 2017 offers on-demand fuel delivery via the app. Repos Energy startup makes available all types of fuel at your doorstep with one click on the Repos app.
| Startup Name | Repos Energy |
| Founders | Aditi Bhosale Walunj and Chetan Walunj |
| Industry | Cleantech fuel delivery |
| Company Classification | Private Limited |
| Headquarters/based-in | Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Idea | To make fuel ordering and delivery easier and faster through a fuel ordering app. |
| Revenue | Rs 72 crore in FY23, expecting Rs 200 crore revenue in FY24-25 |
| Date of Commencement | 2017 |
| Investments | Rs 50 lakh |
Competitors: Fuel Buddy, Humsafar India, Jip-bp, and Pepfuels
The Problem: Why Does This Matter?
Both Aditi Bhosale and Chetan Walunj have been involved in the family business since their college days.
During 2015 heavy downpours in Pune affected the power supply in the city leading to a complete blackout. During this period, the couple was managing their petrol pump business on call constantly managing everything.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It was an Amazon delivery boy delivering the book Aditi ordered a few days back.
This was the moment of realization that the gap in the industry could be filled with an app which would work like the other e-commerce applications.
The Solution: Repos Energy
Understanding the concept, both created a model of how the idea of e-commerce would work for fuel. Then, they started communicating with the ministry for policies on whether or not fuel can be sold online to people.
Finally, in 2017, Repos Energy started. Providing an on-demand fuel delivery startup which makes all fuels available at your doorstep. All you need to do is to raise the request through the Repos app.
It has IoT-enabled mobile fuel stations and a DATUM tool which gives complete data of the users’ fuel consumption, mileage, and usage.
Repos provide fuel to construction sites, manufacturing plants, hospitals, infrastructure projects, housing societies, and heavy machinery. Presently, they deal with diesel but are planning to make CNG, LPG, electricity, etc available to customers.
Business Model: How Do They Make Money?
Started with an investment of around Rs 50 lakh, the couple began with a modest office (1000 square feet) with only a team of 2 (husband-wife).
Initially, Repos Energy raised undisclosed funding from their role model Ratan Tata along with HNIs (Rs 50 crore), and debt (Rs 15 crore).
Eventually, they expanded to a 10,000 square feet factory and at present they have 3 facilities spread across 2 lakh square feet.
Fast forward to today, operating across 300 cities in India, they have 2000 mobile petrol pumps and 700 fuel entrepreneurs/individual fuel partners. Moreover, Repos Energy is not a 2-member team now and has increased to 500 employees (350 in-office workforce & 150 factory workers).
Having a customer base of around 6000, they have delivered around 300 crore liters of fuels, specifically diesel.
Challenges/Struggles: What Roadblocks Are They Facing?
At the ages of 25 and 28, they were in need of a mentor to pursue this incredible idea of transforming the energy distribution system.
And they just knew who that person could be—Ratan Tata. He was their role model, and they used every possibility to meet him. Thus, they sent a letter to Ratan through his driver and waited around 12–13 hours outside his residence.
Finally, they get to meet Ratan Tata and get the chance to share their idea with him. Ratan Tata was impressed with their idea (which was one of the first of its kind) and readily became their mentor.
Future Vision: What’s Next?
Repos Energy has made significant progress in transforming fuel distribution. In 2019, they successfully implemented 32 pilot projects for doorstep diesel delivery across India, leading the government to create a policy for it. That same year, co-founder Aditi Bhosale Walunj spoke at a TED Talk about innovations in the diesel industry. Presently, they are looking for more funds to expand and grow.
Key Takeaways: Why Should Users Care?
From Aditi and Chetan Walunj, we can learn:
- To keep looking for the things which we want to do in our lives.
- We should be dedicated to achieving our goals no matter if we have to meet our role model.
- Look around, the inspiration can come from anywhere and in any form—Even in a form of a home delivery person.
