Vijay Shekhar Sharma: Visionary Driving Paytm and Indian Tech Revolution

Born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, on June 7, 1978, Vijay Shekhar Sharma is a revered Indian technological entrepreneur and commercial leader. Renowned for starting One97 Communications and Paytm, a consumer brand, Sharma has achieved major advancements in the tech sector with national and international awards.

Early Years and Training

Sharma started his trip in the little town of Harduaganj, close to Aligarh. Born third of four children to housewife Asha Sharma and school teacher Sulom Prakash Sharma, he was Sharma, a gifted student, started college at the age of 15 and by 19 he had graduated from Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University) with a B.Tech degree.

Early Years and Ventures

Sharma showed his entrepreneurial energy in 1997 by starting indiasite.net while still a college student. Early on, this business was profitable; two years later, he sold the website for US$1 million. Sharma’s subsequent activities were set path by this first triumph. He started One97 Communications in 2000 and provides mobile content services like news, cricket scores, ringtones, jokes, and exam results.

Paytm’s Rising Popularity

When Sharma started Paytm under the cover of One97 Communications in 2010, that was the actual turning point in his career. Particularly following the demonetization action of the government in 2016, Paytm, a digital payments and financial services platform, transformed the way transactions were done in India. The platform’s success came to show in November 2021 with its first public offering (IPO), which garnered $2.5 billion at a valuation of $19 billion, therefore ranking it as India’s biggest IPO at the time.

Honours and Valuation

One can clearly appreciate Sharma’s efforts. Named Time Magazine’s 100 most influential person in 2017, he has won many honours including the NDTV Indian of the Year in 2016, ET Entrepreneur of the Year by The Economic Times in 2016, and AIMA’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018. In 2016 he also earned the Yash Bharati, the highest state civilian award given by Uttar Pradesh’s government.

Current Developments

The ICANN-sponsored Universal Acceptance Steering Group named Sharma as the UA Ambassador in India in January 2022. Following Reserve Bank of India regulatory issues, he had resigned as his part-time non-executive chairman and board member of Paytm Payments Bank by 2024.

Personal Life

Married to Mridula Parashar Sharma, Vijay Shekhar Sharma is the parent of one child. Inspired by international business leaders like Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Softbank’s Masayoshi Son, he Sharma has stayed focused on his professional activities despite personal difficulties including a temporary incarceration in February 2022 owing to a car accident.

Advocacy and Gifts

Apart from his commercial activities, Sharma advocates environmental issues. By means of the worldwide Breathe Life campaign, he acts as the UN Environment’s “Patron for Clean Air,” therefore fostering environmental awareness and action.