Early Life
Vijay Shekhar Sharma was born on June 7, 1978, in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. He grew up in a middle-class family. Sharma showed a passion for technology from a young age and excelled in his studies. He completed his schooling in Harduaganj, a small town near Aligarh, and graduated with a B.Tech degree from Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University) at the remarkable age of 19.
Rise to Success
Sharma's entrepreneurial journey began in 1997 when he founded indiasite.net while still in college, selling it for US$1 million two years later. In 2000, he established One97 Communications, offering mobile content. In 2010, he launched Paytm, a digital payments and financial services company. Paytm's success propelled Sharma to prominence in the fintech industry. In November 2021, Paytm went public, raising $2.5 billion.
Key Business Strategies
Key business strategies for Paytm included leveraging the smartphone and internet boom to expand its user base. It also created Paytm Mall, an e-commerce business, and Paytm Payments Bank. Furthermore, Paytm expanded its services to include various financial offerings, such as microcredit and buy-now-pay-later options.
Philanthropy
While specific philanthropy amounts are not readily available, Sharma is involved in environmental advocacy as the UN Environment's 'Patron for Clean Air'.
