Sakshi Singh
Vishnu Acharya Razorpay has become a key name in India’s fintech space. At 29, Vishnu Acharya leads corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions at Razorpay. Over the past few years, Vishnu Acharya has worked on more than 12 acquisitions worth close to $200 million. These deals have helped Razorpay enter new markets, add new products, and prepare for its next phase of growth.
As Razorpay moves closer to a possible IPO in the next two to three years, Vishnu Acharya’s role has taken on more weight. Senior leaders at the company say his team will be central to how Razorpay structures growth, manages acquisitions, and presents itself to public market investors.
Early career and first business
Vishnu Acharya began his career in finance before moving into startups. After graduating, he joined BNP Paribas, where he learned how large financial systems work. The role gave him exposure to risk, compliance, and structured decision-making.
In 2017, Vishnu Acharya stepped away from the corporate track to start a foodtech company called OHHDaily. The startup focused on providing daily meals to office workers. At its peak, the company served around 1.4 million meals each year. He raised money from angel investors and ran the business at scale. The venture lasted about a year, but it gave him direct experience with hiring, operations, and cash flow.
After exiting the startup, he joined the Indian School of Business in 2018. At ISB, he focused on strategy, capital allocation, and long-term business planning. This mix of founder experience and formal training later shaped how he approached deals and investments.
Joining Razorpay and building strategy
Vishnu Acharya joined Razorpay in 2019. At that time, Razorpay was known mainly for online payments. Its leadership wanted to expand into offline payments, lending, and global markets.
Acharya worked with the founders to build the corporate strategy team from the ground up. In late 2020, he began shaping Razorpay’s approach to inorganic growth. The plan was clear. Acquire or invest in companies that could speed up product expansion and reduce time to market.
Over the next two to three years, he hired a dedicated M&A team. The team tracked potential targets, built relationships with founders, and ran due diligence. This structure allowed Razorpay to move faster on deals.
Key acquisitions and investments
Under Vishnu Acharya’s leadership, Razorpay completed several major acquisitions. The acquisition of Ezetap helped Razorpay enter offline payments. This allowed the company to serve merchants with physical stores, not just online businesses.
The acquisition of Curlec expanded Razorpay’s presence in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia. This move marked a shift toward building a stronger international footprint.
Razorpay has also invested in companies such as Shiprocket and NextPay. These investments helped strengthen Razorpay’s ecosystem across logistics and payments. According to Vishnu Acharya, each deal aligned with Razorpay’s long-term strategy rather than short-term returns.
Today, he oversees the integration of acquired companies that together employ more than 1,200 people. He also works closely with founders of acquired and invested companies, often sitting on boards and supporting them on growth plans.
MarsShot angel fund
Three years ago, Vishnu Acharya and Razorpay’s core leadership launched an angel fund called MarsShot. The fund focuses on early-stage startups across SaaS, consumer tech, and B2B sectors.
Since its launch, Vishnu Acharya has spoken with more than 400 founders. Through MarsShot, he has invested in over 35 startups. These companies now have a combined valuation of more than $500 million. Many have raised follow-on funding from firms such as Sequoia, Accel, and Matrix.
Beyond capital, Vishnu Acharya advises founders on strategy, hiring, and fundraising. His guidance reflects his own experience as a founder and operator, not just as an investor.
Standing in the fintech ecosystem
Board members and investors credit Vishnu Acharya for building a strong network across India’s fintech sector. Ishaan Mittal, Managing Director at Peak XV and a board member at Razorpay, has said Acharya plays a full end-to-end role in M&A. This includes tracking potential acquisition targets, building trust with founders, and managing deals through completion.
This approach has helped Razorpay close deals in competitive situations. It has also reduced friction during post-merger integration.
Role in Razorpay’s IPO plans
Razorpay has said it is preparing for a public listing in the next two to three years. Harshil Mathur, co-founder and CEO of Razorpay, has stated that Vishnu Acharya’s team will play an important role during this phase.
For a fintech firm nearing an IPO, clean structure and clear growth paths matter. Vishnu Acharya’s work focuses on both. His team looks at new product categories, new markets, and selective acquisitions that strengthen Razorpay’s core platform.
Focus for the coming years
Looking ahead, Vishnu Acharya plans to continue working on Razorpay’s long-term strategy. This includes deeper expansion into financial services and further growth outside India. At the same time, he wants to keep supporting early-stage founders through MarsShot.
He has said that his goal is to help build durable companies rather than chase quick outcomes. His approach stays grounded in execution and long-term value.
Why Vishnu Acharya’s role matters
At 29, Vishnu Acharya combines three roles that rarely come together early in a career. He has been a founder, an investor, and an operator. In India’s fintech sector, where scale and regulation often collide, this mix carries weight.
As Razorpay moves closer to a public listing, Vishnu Acharya’s decisions will shape how the company grows and how investors view it. His work over the next few years will likely influence not just Razorpay’s path, but also how Indian fintech firms use mergers and investments to scale.
FAQs
Q1. Who is Vishnu Acharya?
Vishnu Acharya is an Indian fintech executive who heads corporate strategy and M&A at Razorpay.
Q2. What is Vishnu Acharya’s age?
He is 29 years old.
Q3. Which company does Vishnu Acharya work for?
He works at Razorpay as Head of Strategy and M&A / Investments.
Q4. What is Vishnu Acharya known for at Razorpay?
He is known for leading acquisitions worth about $200 million, launching the MarsShot angel fund, and shaping Razorpay’s growth strategy ahead of its IPO.
