• Backed by Peak XV Partners and Lightspeed as partners, Razorpay’s Venture Investment Program will invest in 10-15 early-stage startups every year 
  • Beyond the financial support through the program, Razorpay will also offer startups access to Razorpay APIs, customised integration with Razorpay tech stack, personalized mentorship from Razorpay leadership, and access to the Razorpay Rize community of 3,000+ founders & businesses

INDIA, Bengaluru – 13th November 2024 – Committed to nurturing entrepreneurial excellence, Razorpay, India’s Leading Omnichannel Payments and Banking Platform for Businesses, today announced the launch of the Razorpay Venture Investment Program to empower the next generation of B2B innovators. Instituted in collaboration with Peak XV Partners and Lightspeed, the program aims to identify and invest in over 50 visionary early-stage founders. With a strong focus on building transformative B2B payment and banking solutions spanning across industries over the years, Razorpay is committed to fueling innovation and driving growth in the B2B sector. The company will provide crucial funding, technology support, and leadership support to B2B startups across various stages of development. The program will invest up to $1Mn per startup, targeting early-stage ventures.

In the dynamic world of Indian entrepreneurship, Business-to-Business (B2B) startups are quickly gaining traction, delivering innovative solutions that cater to the specific needs of businesses. Whether through software that caters to specific needs of certain verticals like Travel, Healthcare, Education, or horizontal SaaS for certain SMBs across the value chain, B2B startups are enhancing efficiency and promoting growth across various industries. With growing interest in supporting startups within this space, India is projected to welcome an additional 10-15 unicorns in the B2B sector over the next five years.

With a mission to add meaningful value to the growth of India’s early-stage B2B startups, the Razorpay Venture Investment Program is purpose-built to support companies from pre-seed and Series A stages, across industries such as Fintech, E-commerce, Retail, Travel, Education, Healthcare, Logistics, Hospitality, Mobility, and Export. Razorpay aims to empower founders with the tools and resources needed to scale their ventures. Startups can apply directly through Razorpay’s website, marking a new chapter in the company’s commitment to fostering B2B innovation.

Commenting on the launch of the Razorpay Venture Investment Program, Harshil Mathur, Co-founder & CEO, Razorpay said, “Building a startup, particularly in the B2B space, is a daunting challenge. Having experienced it firsthand and witnessing founders across industries face this daily, we believe the support system must go beyond just capital. However, I believe the B2B space remains one of the leading areas with strong potential for growth. With the Razorpay Venture Investment Program, we aim to ease this journey by providing access to the right technology, mentorship, and partnerships to help founders innovate and scale faster. We’re excited to back the next wave of B2B pioneers and fuel the expansion of B2B startups in India.

The Razorpay Venture Investment Program offers all-encompassing support for early-stage B2B startups:

  • Comprehensive tech integration: Access to Razorpay’s API stack and sandbox environments to help startups seamlessly embed financial services within their products while remaining compliant with regulations
  • Capital investment: Funding up to $1Mn per startup
  • Market access: Introduction to Razorpay’s distribution network, product partnerships, and customer connections, helping startups scale rapidly and reach more customers
  • Personalized mentorship: One-on-one guidance from Razorpay’s leadership team including Founders, tailored to each startup’s unique needs across product development, marketing, sales, and more
  • Access to the Razorpay Rize Community: Auto-enrollment into a network of 3,000+ founders, providing peer support, networking, and curated perks, including Razorpay credits

The Razorpay Venture Investment Program will be spearheaded by Vishnu Acharya, the company’s Head of Strategy and Corporate Development. Acharya brings deep expertise in working closely with founders to help them scale. Under his leadership, the program aims to significantly impact India’s B2B ecosystem. 

Ishaan Mittal, Managing Director at Peak XV Partners said, “Razorpay’s journey has been inspirational for fintech startups in India. The decade-long journey has involved navigating complex challenges across tech, regulations, growth, and product, etc. Great to see them launch this program to support founders who will build the next generation of fintech startups. Peak XV Partners is excited to be a part of this.”

Dev Khare, Partner at Lightspeed said, “We are excited to continue our partnership with Razorpay through this new initiative to back technology companies  serving SMEs across India. Partnering with Razorpay helps technology vendors get distribution into the largest collection of SMEs in India, as well as take advantage of Razorpay’s market-leading payments infrastructure.”

Razorpay Venture Investment Program and its ongoing Razorpay Rize initiative underscore the company’s unwavering commitment to fostering innovation within India’s B2B ecosystem. The Razorpay Rize initiative, specifically designed to empower Indian startups, offers mentorship, networking opportunities, and access to Razorpay’s vast network of industry experts. Through these efforts and with a proven track record of supporting successful startups like Shiprocket, HostBooks, Inai, and GetVantage, Razorpay aims to contribute significantly to the growth and development of India’s vibrant startup landscape.

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