Ankiti Bose, the former CEO and cofounder of Zilingo, a Singapore-based fashion e-commerce startup, has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against high-profile angel investor and Seedfund cofounder Mahesh Murthy. The lawsuit was filed over an article authored by Murthy in the March 1st issue of Outlook Business magazine, which sources say is a continuation of a vendetta against Bose that has been ongoing for three years. Bose has filed a defamation suit in the Bombay High Court through law firm Singhania and Co LLP, alleging that Murthy’s piece is full of “lies, distortions, and venomous claims.” In the article, Murthy makes allegations about a female fashion portal CEO who took Sequoia’s money, and Bose claims that this was a direct reference to her. Bose has also criticized the sexist attitudes and gossipy innuendo that hold back more women founders from achieving their true potential. Inc42 has reached out to Murthy for comment on the matter.
Bose was suspended by Zilingo in April 2022 following a series of allegations about impropriety raised by anonymous whistleblowers in the company. Despite the suspension, reports indicate that Zilingo’s cofounders, Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor, were also at odds when it came to business decisions.
