1 day Ago
Harshil Mathur is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Razorpay, one of India’s leading fintech companies. After graduating from IIT Roorkee in 2013, he began his career at Schlumberger but quickly decided to tackle the challenges facing India’s online payment system. In 2014, he co-founded Razorpay alongside Shashank Kumar.
Since then, the company has expanded into neobanking and lending through RazorpayX and Razorpay Capital. A passionate coder since his school days, Harshil has been recognized by Forbes, Fortune, LinkedIn, and Entrepreneur for his significant contributions to India’s startup ecosystem. Early Life and Education Harshil was born into a middle-class family in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in 1991.
He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee. After graduation, he worked at Schlumberger but soon recognized the inefficiencies in India's digital payment system. Driven by a desire for change, he co-founded Razorpay in 2014 with Shashank Kumar.
His technical skills and passion for solving practical problems laid the foundation for Razorpay's success. Today, he is widely regarded as one of India's key contributors to the emerging fintech landscape. Professional Career Harshil began his professional career as a Wireline Field Engineer at Schlumberger, where he worked from June 2013 to February 2014.
After gaining valuable industry experience, he co-founded Razorpay in December 2014 and currently serves as its CEO. In this role, he has been instrumental in shaping the company's strategy, developing products, and scaling the business in the marketplace. Since 2015, Harshil has also participated in visits to Y Combinator, an accelerator program that has helped stimulate early-stage growth for Razorpay.
As an engineer, technical expert, and entrepreneur, Harshil has established himself as a leader in one of India's top fintech startups, driving significant advancements in digital payment solutions. Business Intervention in AI: AI and machine learning (ML) have played a pivotal role in Razorpay’s growth, enabling the company to optimize processes, enhance customer experience, and improve business outcomes by automating tasks, providing insights, and driving data-driven decisions. AI Payments Router: Razorpay Optimizer, India’s first AI-powered payments router, empowers businesses to manage multiple gateways with intelligent routing, real-time prioritization, and simplified integration.
It enhances payment success rates, reduces downtime, and streamlines reconciliation, redefining how businesses handle digital transactions efficiently and reliably. AI in Reconciliation : Razorpay POS launched Razorpay Recon, an AI-powered reconciliation tool, automating financial data matching across systems. Designed to reduce errors, fraud risks, and manual effort, it boosts reconciliation efficiency by 80%, transforming how businesses manage high-volume financial operations.
CoPilot AI and Razorpay : The integration of CoPilot AI with Razorpay, facilitated by Albato, leverages AI-driven automation to streamline lead-to-payment workflows. By syncing qualified leads with instant payment actions, businesses can enhance efficiency, eliminate manual tasks, and deliver seamless customer experiences —all without requiring coding. Agentic Intelligence : Razorpay’s RAY Agentic-AI represents a breakthrough in autonomous financial technology, enabling AI agents not only to assist but also to act, executing real-time transactions, onboarding, and analytics autonomously.
It transforms payments into seamless, proactive experiences, redefining the future of business finance. AI-based Products : Razorpay has expanded its offerings with AI-powered products, including corporate credit cards for start-up founders, a buyer protection program, and an AI-driven payments suite. These innovations aim to enhance financial management, improve security, and streamline business processes for merchants.
AI Assistant : R.A.Y.
(Razorpay Assistant for You) is a cutting-edge AI assistant designed to enhance business efficiency. By offering proactive insights, personalized recommendations, and task automation across payments and payroll, R.A.
Y. empowers businesses to optimize operations and drive growth effortlessly. Financial and Business Achievement: Harshil , the genius behind Razorpay, has converted code into crores, to be precise, with a value of ₹3,000 - ₹ 3,500 crores.
With Razorpay valued at $7.5 billion, his ₹2,800 crore holding is at the forefront, supported by ₹200 crore of smart investments and ₹50 crore of prime real estate. Shepherding a platform that processes over $100 billion a year for over 10 million businesses, Mathur is not just building a fintech empire; he is rewriting India's digital payments story, one transaction at a time.
Harshil's mentorship has turned Razorpay into one of India's top fintech platforms , valued at $7.5 billion. From being a payment gateway startup in 2014, the company has evolved into a full-stack financial services provider.
Razorpay now offers neo-banking (RazorpayX), lending solutions, and payroll management, serving over 8 million businesses. The company processes over $100 billion in transactions annually. Razorpay has attracted notable investors, including Sequoia, Tiger Global, and Y Combinator.
Harshil's vision has been at the forefront of this rapid growth, making him one of India's top business influencers. Controversies: Harshil has faced several controversies, including disputes over data sharing , payment breaches, and challenges to partnerships. Despite criticism, he maintains that legal compliance and brand integrity are central to Razorpay’s operations and leadership decisions.
Payment Dispute : Fact-checking website Alt News and payment gateway Razorpay engaged in a public dispute. Alt News alleged that Razorpay deactivated their accounts and shared donor information with the police, sparking controversy following the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair. Partnership Challenges : At Davos 2025, Razorpay’s Harshil discussed the company's willingness to sever partnerships, including with Juspay, if they harm the brand.
He emphasized that collaborations must drive growth; otherwise, they would reevaluate their relationships for the benefit of their customers. Payment Breach : Razorpay reported a significant financial loss of ₹7.38 crore due to hackers and fraudulent customers exploiting vulnerabilities in their payment authorization process.
The company filed a police complaint regarding 831 manipulated transactions that resulted in failed transactions. Data Compliance: Razorpay faced criticism after suspending Alt News' payment links and sharing donor data with authorities. Harshil defended the move, stating the company must comply with legal obligations as a regulated financial organization under Indian law.
App Monopoly : Indian startup founders, including Razorpay’s Harshil Mathur, voiced support for a native app store after Google enforced a 30% commission on in-app purchases. Concerns over high fees and the temporary removal of Paytm intensified calls for digital independence. Crypto Allegations : Razorpay has denied claims that it is under scrutiny by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over its alleged involvement in a major cryptocurrency scam.
The company refuted reports, stating that it has not received any notices or communications from the ED on the matter..
