The cofounders of BharatX are still students, studying at the National Institute of Technology (Trichy), and are disrupting the uber competitive fintech market in India
Eeshan Sharma (left) and Mehul Nath Jindal are taking credit to those who need it most
Image: Selvaprakash Lakshanan for Forbes India
Stylists: Vaybhav Acharya And Geethanjali Manjunath; Hair & Make Up: Glossnglass; Wardrobe For Mehul And Eeshan: Shirt, Jacket, Sweater, Trouser & Shoes- Rare Rabbit; Production: Ovez Bakshi (Studio O Productions)
Mehul Nath Jindal, 21
Co-founder and CEO, BharatX
How do chances stack up for the success of a college student—Mehul Jindal, around 19 then—who along with three friends started a consumer credit venture BharatX in the competitive financial services environment, a few weeks before the Covid-19 outbreak in 2019. Not very high. The lack of business experience, capital and a networking reach might have stared back at them as real concerns for investors at that time.
A little over two years down the line—after a Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-induced moratorium and two pandemic waves—BharatX and Jindal are riding high. In December 2021, it announced the raising of $250,000 (₹1.87 crore) in a pre-seed round, led by Java Capital and backed by Y Combinator, and marquee angel investors such as Shaadi.com’s founder Anupam Mittal and HSBC’s former chief operating officer (COO) Ritesh Jain, alongside other industry veterans.
(This story appears in the 25 February, 2022 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)