How Vijay Shekhar Sharma Went from Auto Driver’s Son to Corporate Giant – Net Worth & Business Growth

Though born into a modest family in Aligarh with his father being a schoolteacher and his mother a stay-at-home mom, and having faced financial hardships, Vijay Shekhar Sharma emerged from these challenges as one of India’s most successful entrepreneurs, as the founder of Paytm. He was always an outstanding student and at 15 had already graduated from high school and entered Delhi College of Engineering, although when he entered college, he didn’t speak English well, which would later serve as a catalyst for many of his subsequent accomplishments.

Beginning Entrepreneurship

As a student at Delhi College of Engineering, he taught himself programming and developed a passion for technology; he built his first website, indiasite.net, and resold the website at a significant profit. This sale fueled his ambition to launch his own business; he began One97 Communications in 2000 as the parent of Paytm. The early years were extremely challenging for him because of low funding availability due to the Dot-Com Crash. However, despite many obstacles in starting his business, Vijay never lost hope.

The Launch of Paytm

With the introduction of Paytm in 2010 by Vijay as a platform for mobile recharging and bill payment, one of the most prominent platforms emerged. Following the demonetisation in 2016, when India experienced the digital payment transformation, Paytm emerged at the forefront as one of the most popular and trusted platforms for digital transactions, thereby providing users with Wallet’s, UPI, and Insurance Services, E-commerce, and Financial Services.

Net Worth and Growth of Paytm

As of 2025, with an estimated net worth of ₹130000 crores (approximately US$1.3 billion), Vijay has become one of the wealthiest leading startup founders in India due to the success of Paytm, which has risen to prominence through the rapid and ongoing growth of the Digital Economy. The actual estimated net worth of Vijay has varied since the first time Paytm was evaluated, but he continues to be a key player in both the Technology and Finance Sectors in India. In addition to being one of the key players in Digital Economy, Paytm is now rapidly expanding in Lending, Wealth Management, Merchant Services, and other types of service offerings. 

Vijay made the transition from boyhood to becoming a powerful Corporate Giant by working hard, being creative and innovative, and taking advantage of opportunities as they presented themselves. His success story provides inspiration for millions of other young Indians to pursue their own dreams and aspire for success.

The information in this article is based on publicly available sources and media reports. Figures such as net worth and business valuations may vary over time. The article is intended for general informational purposes only.