# Krishna Motukuri

> Krishna Motukuri is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zippin, a San Francisco-based AI startup powering checkout-free retail stores across four continents. After seven years at Amazon and stints building e-commerce businesses in India and South Africa under Naspers Group, he co-founded Zippin in 2018 after a personal frustration with grocery checkout lines sparked the idea. Zippin uses computer vision, sensor fusion, and machine learning to let shoppers grab items and walk out without stopping to pay — technology now deployed in sports stadiums, airport terminals, college campuses, and hospital cafeterias worldwide, including Super Bowl venues and the French Open.

- **Role:** CEO & Co-Founder at Zippin
- **Organizations:** Zippin, Vcognition Technologies, Naspers Group, Lulu.com, Ugenie, Amazon
- **Nationality:** American (Indian-origin)
- **Education:** Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech), Computer Science & Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Master of Science (M.S.), Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- **Known for:** Co-founded Zippin, which powers 50+ AI-driven checkout-free stores across four continents, Raised $46.7M+ in venture funding including a $30M Series B, Deployed Zippin technology at major global sporting events: Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, US Open, French Open

## Career timeline

- **~2000-2007** — Joined Amazon; spent 7 years leading teams across search, marketing, global expansion, and supply chain
- **2006-2008** — Co-founded Ugenie, a next-generation comparison shopping site; acquired in 2008
- **2008-2012** — SVP of Business Development at Lulu.com; forged partnerships with Apple, Google, McGraw Hill
- **2012-2017** — Portfolio company CEO at Naspers Group; built and scaled e-commerce businesses in India and South Africa
- **2018** — Co-founded Zippin with Motilal Agrawal; opened first checkout-free concept store in San Francisco SOMA
- **2018** — Raised $2M seed round from Core Ventures and other investors
- **2019** — Raised $12M Series A led by Evolv Ventures (Kraft Heinz fund); launched Zippin Cube concept
- **2020** — Announced Fujitsu as exclusive Japan distributor; expanded globally
- **2021** — Raised $30M Series B; expanded to sports stadiums including Super Bowl venues
- **2023** — Named IDC Innovator for Computer Vision for Automated and Self-Checkout
- **2024** — Zippin debuts at French Open; CEO and company shortlisted for 2024 SBJ Tech Awards

## Achievements

- Co-founded Zippin, which powers 50+ AI-driven checkout-free stores across four continents
- Raised $46.7M+ in venture funding including a $30M Series B
- Deployed Zippin technology at major global sporting events: Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, US Open, French Open
- Secured partnerships with Aramark and Compass Group, the world's two largest food service companies
- Won Fujitsu as exclusive Japan distribution partner, enabling rollout across Japan's Lawson convenience stores
- Named IDC Innovator for Computer Vision for Automated and Self-Checkout (2023)
- Finalist for SBJ 2024 Technology Executive of the Year
- Zippin stores demonstrate up to 80% revenue increase and 25% labor cost reduction
- Co-founded Ugenie, which was successfully acquired in 2008
- Built Zippin's platform across sports venues, airports, campuses, hospitals, and hotels on 4 continents

## Latest updates

- **2024-06** — Zippin checkout-free store debuts at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris
- **2024-01** — Krishna Motukuri and Zippin named finalists in SBJ 2024 Tech Awards (Technology Executive of the Year and Venues Operations Technology of the Year)
- **2023-06** — Zippin named IDC Innovator for Computer Vision for Automated and Self-Checkout
- **2021-09** — Zippin closes $30M Series B round to accelerate global checkout-free technology adoption

## Links

- Website: https://getzippin.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnamotukuri/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/motukuri
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mmotukuri
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/vcognitiontech

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/krishna-motukuri
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-25