Forget IIT, IIM degrees. The inspiring story of CRED founder Kunal Shah who once worked as a data entry operator

Kunal Shah, an angel investor, entrepreneur and founder of fintech company CRED and Freecharge, had to resort to working odd jobs like delivery agent and data entry operator due to his family's bankruptcy. This was revealed by Sanjeev Bikhchandani on social media platform X after meeting Kunal Shah at a coffee shop in Delhi. Bikhchandani recounted meeting Shah at a Delhi coffee shop and learning about his unconventional background. Shah, a philosophy graduate from Wilson College in Mumbai, explained that he chose philosophy because its classes fit his work schedule, not out of personal interest or academic constraints.

Bikhchandani's tweet garnered over 5 lakh views, with users praising Shah's journey as a story of resilience and determination in the face of adversity, serving as a testament to his journey from humble beginnings to success in the tech industry. Sanjeev Bikhchandani, a graduate of IIM Ahmedabad, is founder and executive vice-chairman of Info Edge, which owns well-known portals like Naukri.com and has significant investments in Zomato and Policybazaar. Bikhchandani also highlighted Kunal Shah's unconventional background in the world of tech startup ecosystem.

"In a world of IIT IIM Founders he stands out as a philosophy graduate from Wilson College in Mumbai," Bikhchandani said in a post.



Commenting on Bikhchandani's post, Natasha Malpani Oswal, an investor and writer, said: "Great question- we underestimate the importance of understanding the choices others make early on. I bet most of us have made assumptions about why he chose his degree, but very few of us have explicitly asked him."

Another user said: "His story also debunks the trope of caste privilege, nepotism, automatic access to opportunities, old boys network..."

CRED is an exclusive membership platform that incentivizes individuals for their punctual credit card bill payments with special perks and access to premium events. This service not only facilitates the management of multiple credit cards but also offers insights into users' credit scores. Members boasting high scores can unlock exclusive rewards upon settling their credit card bills through the app.

Fintech platform Cred’s total income for fiscal 2023 ended March 31 rose three-and-a-half times to Rs 1,484 crore from Rs 422 crore the previous year. The Peak XV and Ribbit Capital-backed startup claims that one-third of total credit card bill payments by value now happen on the Cred platform.

In April 2015, Kunal Shah had sold FreeCharge to Snapdeal for an estimated amount of $450 million. Axis Bank later bought the wallet platform from Snapdeal.