ORDER ARTICLE PERMISSIONS/REPRINTS/OFFPRINTS/TEACHING NOTE
To order permissions to include this article in textbooks, edited volumes, course booklets, online/digital course packs, etc., and/or to order multiple individual hard copies for classroom use, please contact the copyright owners, NeilsonJournals' Publishing Editor, Peter Neilson at pneilson@neilsonjournals.com
Navigating a Client Dilemma at Swiftt Drop: An Incubated Start-Up at the Udhmodya Foundation
Geeta Mishra and Rajesh Kumar
DCEE, University of Delhi
Abhishek Tandon and Tarunika Jain Agrawal
Udhmodya Foundation, University of Delhi
Volume 18: 2025, pp. 153-162; ABSTRACT
The case examines a multi-dimensional dilemma faced by Swiftt Drop, an incubated
start-up by the Udhmodya Foundation, University of Delhi, India. Post the termination of an
employee for financial irregularities, the employee then joined a key client and divulged sensitive
commercial information which enabled the client to attempt to renegotiate the terms and undermine
the competitiveness of Swiftt drop. In the absence of formal confidentiality agreements the founder
of Swiftt Drop had to decide within a week how to confront the client. He had to consider how to
tackle the ethical implications of them hiring a former employee and then taking advantage of
sensitive internal information, and also avoiding the potential risk of losing the key account. Or
should he focus on ensuring the long-term client relationship and address the legal and contractual
internal HR issues? The case brings to light the intersection of unethical hiring practices,
inappropriate client conduct, breach of confidentiality, and internal regulations within a start-up.
Keywords: non-disclosure agreements, people management, client-relationship, confidentiality
breach.
