Meesho, BSE partner to drive IPO readiness for MSMEs, digital sellers

Ecommerce platform Meesho has partnered with the BSE to launch a new initiative to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and digital businesses transition into publicly listed companies.

The initiative, named 'Project Shikhar', was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and aims to facilitate the listing of high-performing independent e-commerce sellers on the BSE SME platform, addressing their need for growth capital.

BSE Managing Director and CEO Sundararaman Ramamurthy said the exchange pioneered the SME platform to give dynamic, job-creating businesses a direct route to capital markets.

"Over the years, the BSE SME platform has enabled hundreds of MSMEs to list, raise growth capital and strengthen governance standards. This partnership with Meesho extends that ecosystem to digital-first entrepreneurs, helping e-commerce sellers become public companies," Ramamurthy said.

A substantial segment of India's retail commerce operates in the informal or unorganised sectors, frequently facing barriers to accessing traditional expansion capital. Project Shikhar will bridge this gap by creating a clear, stage-by-stage roadmap to public listing, Meesho said in a statement.

Over the next year, the programme will screen and onboard eligible sellers, guiding them through entity conversion, compliance tracking, and regulatory positioning required for a public listing on the BSE SME platform.

Lopamudra Rao, Head of Corporate Affairs at Meesho, noted that a significant share of the platform's seller ecosystem comprises entrepreneurial businesses that have scaled rapidly, but transitioning into an investor-ready entity remains complex.

"Project Shikhar removes that friction. Through this partnership with BSE, we are not just helping sellers raise public capital; we are building a pipeline of compliant, transparent businesses that will fuel India's formal economy," Rao Added.