They studied Civil Engineering at IIT Delhi but built a Rs 565 crore startup for dairy farmers. Here’s how two roommates transformed India’s cattle market
Most IIT graduates dream of building the next fintech, AI or SaaS unicorn.Neetu Yadav and Kirti Jangra chose a path few expected. Instead of solving problems for urban consumers, the two IIT Delhi roommates decided to tackle one of India’s oldest and most unorganised markets—buying and selling cattle.Today, their startup, Animall Technologies, is valued at around Rs 565 crore and is helping digitise India’s estimated $250 billion cattle economy, making it easier for dairy farmers across the country to buy and sell cows and buffaloes through a mobile app.
Two IIT Delhi roommates with an unusual startup idea
Neetu Yadav and Kirti Jangra graduated with a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Delhi in 2016.Like many IIT graduates, they began their careers in the corporate world. Neetu worked at Citi as a Technology Analyst before moving to storytelling platform Pratilipi as a Product Manager. Kirti built her career in consulting, working with Nomura Consulting and later Penguin Random House India.Despite promising careers, the two friends were drawn towards entrepreneurship.During conversations around challenges faced by India’s dairy farmers, they noticed a surprisingly large gap.While almost everything—from groceries to cars—could be bought online, cattle transactions still depended heavily on local middlemen, word of mouth and physical markets.That observation became the seed of Animall.
A weekend project that grew into a fast-growing startup
Animall began in 2019 as a weekend project.The idea sounded simple: create a digital marketplace where farmers could buy and sell cows and buffaloes safely and conveniently.The execution, however, was anything but easy.Winning the trust of farmers for online cattle transactions was a major challenge. The founders had to spend time understanding users, improving the platform and ensuring that it remained simple enough for first-time smartphone users.Gradually, confidence in the platform grew.Today, according to the company, more than 180,000 cattle are listed for sale, while over one million buyers and sellers have connected through the app.The startup has also attracted investor confidence, growing into a company valued at approximately Rs 565 crore.
Solving problems beyond technology
Animall’s journey demonstrates that meaningful innovation is not always about inventing new technology.Sometimes, it is about applying existing technology to industries that have remained largely untouched by digital transformation.India is the world’s largest milk producer, and millions of families depend on dairy farming for their livelihoods. Yet, livestock trading has historically remained fragmented and largely offline.By creating a trusted digital marketplace, the founders hope to make cattle trading more transparent, efficient and accessible for farmers across the country.
What students can learn from their journey
For engineering students, Neetu and Kirti’s story carries an important lesson.Neither of them studied agriculture, dairy science or animal husbandry.Their engineering education taught them how to identify problems, think analytically and build scalable solutions—skills that proved valuable far beyond their academic discipline.Their journey also reminds aspiring entrepreneurs that great startup ideas often emerge from real-life problems rather than trendy industries.Sometimes, the next big innovation is not hidden inside a laboratory or a software company. It may be waiting in a village, a farm or an industry that technology has largely overlooked.From sharing a hostel room at IIT Delhi to building one of India’s leading agritech startups, Neetu Yadav and Kirti Jangra have shown that entrepreneurship is ultimately about solving meaningful problems—and creating opportunities for millions along the way.Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information about Neetu Yadav, Kirti Jangra and Animall Technologies. Company valuation and user metrics are based on publicly reported figures and may change over time. This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only.
