Nishant Upadhyay

Senior Category Manager | Ex - Blinkit | xFounder’s Office @ Leap | xProduct @ Hyperface | Industrial Engineer | RVCE | Ex Research Intern @ IISc | PM Fellow at NextLeap · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Driven by a strong ambition and determination, I am committed to achieving mastery in category management, thriving on the autonomy to meticulously analyze and optimize complex systems. My approach is highly pragmatic and logical, ensuring accountability in every decision as I leverage data and analytical insights to drive effective product lifecycle strategies. I embrace a flexible yet focused mindset, consistently delivering impactful results through rigorous business analysis and a keen attention to detail.

Experience

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Senior Executive | Category Management

Blinkit · Jun 2025 – Dec 2025

Not yet confirmed

• Eternal-Blinkit Category Management | HQ
• 1.
• Managed end-to-end category operations across Blinkit's General Merchandise vertical — Home & Office, Fashion (ethnic/casual/innerwear), Sports Apparel & Equipment, Stationery, and Gifting — a strategic non-grocery growth bet driving higher AOV and margin uplift for the platform; owned ₹50+ Cr in monthly GMV across 500–2,000 active SKUs.
• 2.
• Served as the single point of contact for 30–40 brand partners, owning day-to-day operational coordination across listings, catalog updates, supply planning, promotional execution, and issue resolution within India's #1 quick-commerce platform (>50% market share).
• 3.
• Led assortment expansion by onboarding new brands and SKUs through detailed listing workflows, activating high-potential products, and rationalizing non-performing inventory; contributed to broader category strategy reviews shaping Blinkit's GM portfolio.
• 4.
• Drove pricing hygiene through competitive benchmarking against quick-commerce peers (Zepto, Instamart) and Amazon — resolving price discrepancies, executing margin updates, and protecting category economics in a hyper-competitive pricing environment.
• 5.Partnered with supply chain and inventory teams on demand forecasting using sales trends and seasonality signals — improving fill rates, reducing OOS instances, and minimizing dead stock across the GM assortment, especially critical during Blinkit's transition to a 1P inventory-led model.
• 6.
• Built and maintained business-tracking dashboards in Google Sheets using SQL queries and Excel modeling, enabling sharper, faster decision-making across assortment, pricing, inventory health, and brand performance.
• 7.
• Conceptualized and shipped an automation solution for the New Product Introduction (NPI) listing process — eliminating manual rework, cutting turnaround time from days to hours, scaling listing volume, and significantly reducing specification discrepancies; recognized by senior leadership for cross-functional impact.

Founder's Office - Program Management

Leap · Sep 2024 – Dec 2024

Not yet confirmed

• Leap is South Asia's largest end-to-end study abroad platform with products and services in overseas education.
• I'm working in Program Management - New Initiatives
• - Worked on Designing and Executing the Campus Ambassador Program, driving student referrals and engagement among Indian international students in Canada.

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Associate Product Manager

Hyperface · Jan 2024 – Jun 2024

Not yet confirmed

• At Hyperface, I contributed to the development and enhancement of innovative fintech products, focusing on credit card and payment solutions.
• My key responsibilities and achievements included:
• -> Conducted a UI/UX audit and enhancement of the Progressive Web App (PWA) for multiple credit card programs, notably AU-Ixigo, ensuring a seamless user experience across versions.
• -> Created an API mind map to visualize flows from front-end to back-end to bank services, enhancing understanding of system architecture.
• -> Assisted in developing the product roadmap and creating Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) for PWA migration from v2 to v2.1, emphasizing user-centric design.
• -> Developed comprehensive API documentation for the Onboarding PWA Design CSS API, streamlining integration and development processes.
• -> Created playbooks and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for key features like the Spend Analyzer and AU Wrapper Program, facilitating internal processes and knowledge transfer.
• -> Conducted configurability checks for onboarding PWAs, including product demos for Flipkart-HDFC and Shoppers Stop-HDFC, ensuring scalability and customization.
• -> Utilized tools like Figma for iterative UI design and Postman for API configuration and testing.
• -> Collaborated with QA, Design, and Customer Success Management teams to support a holistic product development approach.
• -> Engaged in brainstorming sessions and scrum standups, contributing to innovative product strategies and maintaining project alignment.

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Marketing

TEDxRVCE · May 2021 – Jan 2024

Not yet confirmed

PM Fellow

NextLeap · Jul 2023 – Dec 2023

Not yet confirmed

• Learning and applying the principles of product management

Research Intern

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) · Dec 2022 – Jun 2023

Not yet confirmed

• Strategy Intern in eVTOL UAM Project, NMCAD Lab IISc

S

Research Internship

Secure Meters Limited · Nov 2022 – Dec 2022

Not yet confirmed

N

Organizer

National Service Scheme, RVCE · Oct 2021 – Sep 2022

Not yet confirmed

• Member of NSS RVCE team, responsible for conducting events for social causes

What drives their work

The Inventor

You see a problem, then build a new system to solve it.

Nishant's superpower

You excel at conceptualizing and implementing innovative, efficient solutions to complex operational challenges.

How Nishant works

You excel in dynamic environments where you can take ownership of complex problems and drive innovative solutions.