Success Stories of Vijay Shekhar Sharma: The Small-Town Boy Who Built Paytm

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 Vijay Shekhar Sharma: The Small-Town Boy Who Built Paytm



> "They laughed at my broken English. Today, they use my app to pay for their coffee."

– Vijay Shekhar Sharma


Humble Beginnings

Vijay Shekhar Sharma was born in a small town near Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, into a modest middle-class family. His father was a schoolteacher and his mother a homemaker. There wasn’t much money, but there were dreams—big dreams.


By the age of 12, Vijay had already cleared Class 10, showing signs of brilliance early on. But things changed when he entered Delhi College of Engineering.


The Struggles: When English Became a Wall


College lectures were in English—something Vijay wasn’t fluent in. He came from a Hindi-medium background. Professors mocked him. Fellow students ignored him.


But instead of giving up, he turned pain into purpose. He started reading English newspapers, listening to English music, and even learning vocabulary from lyrics.


The same boy who couldn’t speak English would one day deliver speeches at Harvard and MIT.


The Entrepreneur is Born


While still in college, Vijay launched his first company – XS Communications, which helped students build websites. It was just the beginning.


Later, he started One97 Communications, the parent company of Paytm. But success didn’t come easily.


Investors rejected him. He couldn’t get a bank loan. At one point, he sold his own company shares just to pay employee salaries. That’s how committed he was.


The Turning Point: 2016 Demonetisation


In 2016, when India suddenly moved away from cash due to demonetisation, people were forced to switch to digital payments. Paytm became the go-to app overnight.


Vijay seized the moment. From a few million users to over 300 million, Paytm exploded in popularity.


Where He Is Today


Founder & CEO of Paytm


Featured in Forbes’ list of India’s richest entrepreneurs


Net worth: ₹10,000+ crore

An inspiration to every small-town dreamer

Life Lessons from Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Language is not a barrier – willpower is.

Start small, but think big.

When no 

one believes in you, believe in yourself.



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