Before Razorpay became the backbone of India’s digital finance ecosystem, its founders Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar had to knock on more than 100 bank doors. Each meeting ended the same way—with rejection.
For two engineers fresh out of IIT Roorkee, the odds couldn’t have looked worse. They had no finance background, no networks in banking, and no office to show for themselves. Yet what set them apart was persistence. They upgraded their pitch and kept showing up until one younger banker finally gave them an in-principle approval—on the condition of a ₹25 lakh deposit, which they scraped together with family help.
That moment marked the beginning of Razorpay’s journey from being underestimated to becoming the default payments layer powering startups, SMEs, and enterprises across India. As Karthik B. Reddy digs in during this episode of the Blume Podcast, the story is less about instant success and more about how relentless founders can bend the system that once shut them out.
Here is a sneak peek at what you can expect during episode 1.
Learn more about India’s first Y Combinator Fintech startup when 📺 Episode 1 drops tomorrow! No metrics. No IPO talk. This episode uncovers Razorpay’s raw beginnings—100 rejections, late nights, and two engineers taking on India’s financial system.
Brought to you in partnership with IDFC FIRST Bank and Ultrahuman.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/227rW4Ee4ob6wRT8U7pJ8s?si=c9a3bca90e394dd3&nd=1&dlsi=572e5457de624ad6
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/blume-podcast/id1651800944