# Mandali

> Mandali is a community platform for independent convenience store owners in the United States. At launch it includes a community feed and Spaces, a job board, direct messaging, a services directory, and industry news. Mandali is launching soon on iOS and is free at launch.

Mandali starts with the South Asian, largely Gujarati, families who own a large share of US independent convenience stores, and is open to every independent owner and employee. Founded by Miral Patel (Founder and CEO) and Aniket Bedwal (Co-founder and CTO).

## Company

- [About](https://themandali.com/about/): What Mandali is, who it is for, what it does at launch, and who is building it.
- [Founders](https://themandali.com/founders/): Mandali was founded by Miral Patel (Founder and CEO) and Aniket Bedwal (Co-founder and CTO). Their backgrounds and how they came to build Mandali together.
- [Our story](https://themandali.com/story/): Mandali started behind the counter of Rangoli Paan, a convenience store in Jersey City, and grew out of 300+ conversations with store owners.
- [Why now](https://themandali.com/why-now/): Staff turnover above 100%, a generation of owners handing over or selling their stores, and hiring and buying that still run on WhatsApp. Why Mandali is being built now.
- [Market](https://themandali.com/market/): The US convenience store market in numbers: 151,975 stores, 63% owned by operators with 10 or fewer stores, and $341.2 billion in in-store sales in 2025 (NACS).
- [Approach](https://themandali.com/approach/): Community first, software second. What Mandali launches with, what comes next, and how Mandali reaches store owners through word of mouth and community festivals.
- [AI](https://themandali.com/ai/): How Mandali plans to use AI for hiring, support, services and procurement, the rules it follows, and the things it will not do.
- [FAQ](https://themandali.com/faq/): Answers to common questions about Mandali: what it is, who founded it, who it is for, what it costs, and when it launches.

## Product at launch

- Job board: owners post jobs, applicants apply free, and applicants enter their own work history.
- Community feed and Spaces: members share posts, supplier recommendations, and updates with privacy controls.
- Industry news: news and regulatory updates for independent store owners.
- Services directory: local service providers searchable by zip code, with ratings and reviews from owners.
- Direct messaging: owners and employees talk inside the app.

## Planned after launch

- Employment profiles: portable work histories are planned after launch.
- Store marketplace: buying and selling stores within the community is planned after launch.
- Procurement: collective supplier buying is planned after launch.
- Fraud and dispute tools are planned after launch.

Status: launching soon on iOS. Free at launch. Employees always use Mandali free.

## Legal and support

- [Privacy Policy](https://themandali.com/privacy/): What the app and website collect, what other members can see, who processes it, how long it is kept, and how to delete your account.
- [Terms of Use](https://themandali.com/terms/): Community standards, the jobs disclaimer, services directory rules, liability, and the Apple App Store terms.
- [Support](https://themandali.com/support/): How to report abuse, sign-in help, jobs and services directory questions, and how to delete your account.

## Links

- [Website](https://themandali.com/)
- [Join the waitlist](https://themandali.com/#waitlist)
- [Full text for AI tools](https://themandali.com/llms-full.txt)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/themandalicom/)
- [X](https://x.com/themandalihq)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/themandalicom)
- Email: info@themandali.com