Sehwag-backed Getepay bats for Bharat, targets 2.5 million merchants by 2027

From a small office in Jaipur, Pravin Sharma set out in 2016 to start Getepay to bring millions of small-town merchants into the digital economy. Today, Getepay boasts over a million merchants, with 70% from tier II, tier III, and rural India, offering not just payment solutions but a full-stack growth toolkit. In a conversation with ET Digital, Sharma talks about what the new RBI Payment Aggregator authorisation means for the company, getting marquee investors like former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag, the concept of “Bharat-first” fintech, and maintaining a profitable growth streak. Edited excerpts.


Economic Times (ET): What specific problem were you trying to address when you founded Getepay in 2016?
Pravin Sharma (PS): The idea to start Getepay was to provide an easy-to-use payment platform to merchants in different categories, especially the SMEs bundled with digital tools, to help them manage different aspects of their business. We founded Getepay with the clear intent to bridge this digital divide, to offer simple, affordable, and locally relevant technology that could empower small businesses not just to accept payments but to grow with them. We wanted to bring real financial inclusion to Bharat, not just in concept, but in everyday practice.



ET: Jaipur is not traditionally seen as a fintech hub. What inspired you to build from Rajasthan, and what were the initial challenges?
PS: Choosing to build Getepay out of Jaipur was an emotional step; being a Rajasthani, it’s a privilege to build something from here. Rajasthan gave us a front-row seat to the real challenges and opportunities in Bharat. While most start-ups gravitate toward metro ecosystems, we believed that to truly build for Bharat, we needed to be in Bharat. The early days were not easy. Finding the right tech talent, raising capital outside traditional hubs, and getting early adopters to trust digital payments were uphill tasks. But this grounding helped us build something deeply relevant and resilient. Today, our roots in Rajasthan are a core part of our identity and differentiation.

ET: How has your original vision for Getepay evolved over the years?
PS: Initially, our goal was to digitise payments for underserved merchants. But as we engaged deeper with our users, we realised their needs extended far beyond just payments. They needed tools to run their business more efficiently—from billing and invoicing to customer engagement, credit access, and marketing. That’s how Getepay evolved into a full-stack business platform. While our mission remains the same—empowering small businesses—the way we deliver on that mission has grown more comprehensive, intuitive, and impact-driven over the years.


ET: What does “Bharat-first” innovation mean in practical terms at Getepay?
PS: “Bharat-first” is not just a slogan; it drives how we build every feature. It means we design for low-end smartphones, low-bandwidth areas, multiple languages, and first-time users. Our UI is icon-driven and intuitive; our onboarding journeys are assisted; and our customer support is localised. We avoid assumptions around digital fluency and instead build for real-world use cases. In essence, ‘Bharat-first’ means we do not retrofit urban tech for rural India. We build from the ground up, with Bharat at the centre.


ET: How does Getepay’s full-stack offering differ from what other payment providers offer today?
PS: Our approach has been very simple. We focus on what we can offer to our merchants and how we can bring real value with our offering for them. Getepay takes a more holistic view of the merchant’s journey. We offer an integrated suite—payments, billing, rewards, customer engagement tools, and marketing campaigns—all in one seamless platform. This gives merchants not just digital utility but also a real growth toolkit. Our strength lies in solving multiple business problems through a unified, easy-to-use interface.


ET: Can you walk us through the journey of a typical merchant onboarding your platform—from store setup to running campaigns?
PS: A merchant typically starts with a QR code and payment setup. Our onboarding process is designed to be quick and assisted, often completed in just a few minutes. Once onboarded, they gain access to digital billing, automated payment reminders, and customer rewards. Over time, they unlock features like SMS campaigns, EMI billing, and business insights. The goal is to make digital adoption gradual, intuitive, and value-driven—so merchants not only start using the platform but grow with it.


ET: You have onboarded over 1 million merchants. How much of that traction comes from semi-urban or rural India?
PS: Over 70% of our merchant base is from tier II, tier III towns, and rural markets. These are the regions we’ve focused on from the beginning—and where we continue to see the highest adoption and impact. Our model, pricing, and outreach are all designed around the needs of these geographies.


ET: How does Getepay balance the tech needs of an enterprise client with that of a small kirana store owner?
PS: We’ve built the platform to be modular and scalable. For a kirana store owner, the focus is on simplicity, regional language support, and offline operability. For enterprise clients, we offer advanced dashboards, integration capabilities, and real-time analytics. The core platform remains the same, but the experience is tailored based on user context, ensuring relevance without over-complication.


ET: Do you see an increase in digital trust in rural markets following the Covid-19 pandemic, or is it still a work in its early stages?
PS: Covid-19 definitely accelerated digital adoption, but building trust is an ongoing journey. We have seen a big behavioural shift, with more people open to using digital tools, especially for payments. But the expectations are high: platforms must be reliable, easy to understand, and backed by real support. That’s why we continue to invest in regional outreach, in-person onboarding, and support infrastructure—to build long-term trust, not just quick adoption.


ET: You have raised over $4 million. What does your investor ecosystem bring beyond capital?
PS: Our investors bring far more than just capital—they bring belief in our mission. They’ve helped us build partnerships, structure our governance early, and think long term. Some of them have deep fintech or Bharat-market experience, and their insights have helped us make sharper strategic decisions. Mahavir Pratap Sharma, ITI Growth Fund, Hyderabad Angels, Virendra Sehwag, and Yogesh Choudhary are among our investors.


ET: Cricketer Virender Sehwag has invested and also voices your IVR. How did that association come about?
PS: Sehwag’s brand is synonymous with trust and relatability—especially in Bharat. When we approached him with our vision, he connected with it immediately. He saw value in what we were trying to build and came on board not just as an investor but as a brand voice. His involvement has added a layer of credibility and familiarity, especially in our rural outreach, where voice and personality go a long way in building user confidence.


ET: As a fintech from Rajasthan to receive final RBI Payment Aggregator authorisation, how do you view regulatory readiness in the sector?
PS: Securing RBI’s final PA licence was a proud moment for us. It validated the systems and processes we’ve built over the years. Regulation is becoming central to fintech, and rightly so. It brings stability, trust, and scalability. We believe that fintechs who embrace compliance early and embed it into their DNA will emerge as long-term leaders. We’ve made conscious efforts to be one of them.


ET: You have set a goal of reaching 2.5 million merchants by 2027. What are the biggest enablers and hurdles in achieving that?
PS: The enablers are clear strong digital momentum in Bharat, increasing smartphone penetration, and our product-market fit in this segment. The hurdles are equally real infrastructure gaps, merchant churn, and digital literacy. Our strategy focuses on assisted onboarding, vernacular content, and continuous engagement to overcome these barriers. We’re not just chasing scale; we are building depth.


ET: What were your revenues last year and your target for this financial year?
PS: Our revenue has been growing 2.5x every year for the past 3-4 years, and we have been profitable for FY25 as well. The growth will be driven by increasing merchant activation, transaction volumes, and adoption of value-added services like marketing tools, digital lending, and loyalty programmes. We are targeting 3.5x growth for FY26 this year in revenue.