One of India’s biggest B2B medical supply startups, Medikabazaar, just made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The company has officially ousted its co-founder and former CEO, Vivek Tiwari, after serious allegations of financial fraud and misconduct surfaced.
This isn’t just a shake-up at the top — it’s a full-blown corporate scandal, and it’s sending shockwaves across India’s startup ecosystem.
Medikabazaar removed Vivek Tiwari from the board of directors following an internal investigation that uncovered disturbing evidence. A resolution passed by the company’s shareholders confirmed the decision, citing “malicious and fraudulent activities” on Tiwari’s part.
According to regulatory filings reviewed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Tiwari was accused of:
The filing stated clearly that these actions caused “irreparable harm and damage” to the company and put its financial health and reputation at risk.
Three heavyweights were brought in to investigate the matter:
These independent investigations all concluded the same thing — that Vivek Tiwari had committed serious governance violations and could no longer remain in a leadership role.
To make matters worse, PwC, one of the world’s top auditing firms, also flagged multiple governance issues and inconsistencies in revenue recognition, adding more weight to the case against Tiwari.
Medikabazaar isn’t a small fish in the pond. It’s one of India’s leading online platforms that supplies medical equipment and products to hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic centers across the country.
Since its founding, Medikabazaar has:
And here’s the kicker: despite being ousted, Vivek Tiwari still owns 12.36% of the company, just a fraction more than co-founder Ketan Malkan, who holds 12.35%.
Removing a co-founder is a major move for any startup — especially one valued in the hundreds of millions and heavily backed by VCs.
This incident also opens up broader questions around corporate governance in Indian startups, especially those growing at high speed with big capital injections.
Vivek Tiwari’s fall from grace is not just about one executive being removed. It reflects a growing trend of high-profile founders being held accountable as startups mature into large-scale businesses.
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen similar scandals unfold in India’s startup space — and investors aren’t turning a blind eye anymore.
The focus is shifting from just “growth at all costs” to accountability, transparency, and long-term value.
Vivek Tiwari was once the face of a fast-growing healthcare disruptor. Now, he’s at the center of a major corporate scandal. As more details come to light, the startup world will be watching how Medikabazaar bounces back from this — and whether it can rebuild trust with its partners and investors.
If anything, this saga reminds us all of one thing: no founder is above the rules.
