Early Life
Vijay Shekhar Sharma was born on June 7, 1978, in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. He grew up in a middle-class family. His father was a school teacher and his mother was a homemaker. From a young age, Sharma displayed a strong interest in technology and excelled in his studies. He completed his schooling in a Hindi-medium school, and later earned a B.Tech degree from Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University) at the age of 19.
Rise to Success
Sharma's entrepreneurial journey began in 1997 when he founded indiasite.net, a website he later sold for $1 million. In 2000, he established One97 Communications, which offered mobile content services. In 2010, Sharma launched Paytm, a digital payments and financial services company, which quickly gained popularity. Paytm's growth was significantly boosted by the demonetization in 2016, which increased the adoption of digital payments. In November 2021, Paytm went public, raising $2.5 billion.
Key Business Strategies
Sharma's key strategies involved capitalizing on the increasing smartphone usage and the need for financial inclusion in India. Paytm focused on providing solutions tailored to emerging market conditions, building a massive user base, and leveraging QR code-based merchant networks. He expanded Paytm's services to include e-commerce, banking, and wealth management.
Philanthropy
Sharma is involved in philanthropic activities, focusing on youth empowerment, education, and fostering entrepreneurship.