Razorpay Triples Valuation to $3 Billion, Eyes Southeast Asia Expansion

Bangalore-based fintech company Razorpay achieved a valuation exceeding $1 billion late last year, marking a significant milestone as the first Indian startup supported by Y Combinator to attain unicorn status.

Rapid Growth and Funding

In just over half a year, the Indian firm has seen its valuation increase threefold and is now preparing for expansion into Southeast Asian markets.

On Monday, Razorpay announced a $160 million Series E funding round, resulting in a $3 billion valuation. This represents a substantial increase from the “little over” $1 billion valuation attained during its $100 million Series D round in October of the previous year.

Investment Details

The latest funding round was jointly led by existing investors, Sequoia Capital India and GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund.

Additional participation came from other current investors, including Ribbit Capital and Tiger Global, bringing Razorpay’s total funding to $366.5 million.

Core Business and Expansion of Services

Razorpay facilitates online money acceptance, processing, and disbursement for both small businesses and larger enterprises. Its services closely mirror those offered by Stripe in the U.S. and other developed economies.

However, Razorpay’s offerings extend beyond basic payment processing. The company has recently introduced a neobanking platform for issuing corporate credit cards and provides businesses with access to working capital.

Market Leadership and Future Plans

Currently absent from the Indian market, the global payments giant Stripe has allowed Razorpay to establish itself as the dominant player.

Harshil Mathur, co-founder and CEO of Razorpay, stated in an interview with TechCrunch that the company intends to replicate its domestic success in Southeast Asia. They aim to launch in one or two Southeast Asian markets before the end of the current fiscal year.

Mathur also indicated that the new funding round provides the financial flexibility to explore potential M&A opportunities to further accelerate growth.

Customer Base and Founding Story

Over 5 million businesses in India currently utilize Razorpay’s technology for payment processing. Notable clients include Facebook, Airtel, Ola, Swiggy, and CRED.

The founders, Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, first connected while attending IIT Roorkee. They identified a significant challenge faced by small businesses in accepting digital payments, and a gap in the market for payment solutions tailored to their needs.

In the early stages, the co-founders and approximately eleven team members shared a single apartment while working to secure partnerships with banks. Initial conversations proved difficult, and they frequently encountered roadblocks in explaining the problem to potential investors.

Positive Reputation and Customer Support

The narrative surrounding Razorpay has evolved considerably. Recent discussions in online forums, such as Clubhouse, have highlighted the startup’s responsive support and its ability to quickly onboard new businesses onto its platform.

Deepak Abbot, co-founder of Indiagold, shared an instance where a missed alert and a banking issue left his startup without funds to process customer payments. Razorpay swiftly intervened to resolve the situation.

Growth of New Offerings

Last year, Mathur emphasized the rapid growth of Razorpay’s core payment processing business and the company’s focus on developing its new offerings.

Razorpay X, the neobanking platform, now serves approximately 15,000 businesses, an increase from fewer than 5,000 in October. Razorpay Capital is currently disbursing around $80 million annually to clients, up from less than $40 million a year ago.

Loans offered by Razorpay typically range from three to six months in duration, with loan amounts between 0.8 million and 1 million Indian rupees ($10,730 to $13,400).

Future Outlook and Potential IPO

Mathur stated that the company’s primary focus for the next three years will be on expanding these new business lines. They will then consider the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO).

While the payments processing business alone could potentially support an IPO at this time, Razorpay’s ambitions extend to becoming a comprehensive ecosystem for businesses. The neobanking and lending divisions are still in their early stages of development.

Impressive Growth Metrics

Razorpay’s core offering has experienced 40%-50% month-over-month growth in the past six months. The company projects to process over $50 billion in total payment volume by the end of 2021.

Currently, Razorpay has over 600 open positions, including several roles based in Southeast Asian markets.

Broader Market Trends

This announcement coincides with a surge in funding for Indian startups, as investors increase their commitment to the world’s second-largest internet market.

Several other Indian startups, including Meesho, CRED, PharmEasy, Groww, Gupshup, and ShareChat, have recently achieved unicorn status. Reports indicate that SoftBank is in discussions to invest in Zeta and Swiggy.

Additional Services and Integrations

Razorpay provides a suite of value-added services, including automated vendor payments, real-time reconciliation and analytics, subscription management, GST invoicing, and website design tools.

The company has also developed an app-based alternative to traditional payment terminals (POS) and a pay-by-link feature for facilitating offline commerce. Its offerings are integrated into Amazon’s new Digital Suite for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).