India’s Youngest Billionaires of 2025: Razorpay Founders’ Incredible ₹8,643 Crore Success Story
Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur, co-founders of Razorpay, have been named India’s youngest billionaires in 2025, with a net worth of ₹8,643 crore each, according to the Hurun Global Rich List. The duo, both 34, met at IIT Roorkee and launched Razorpay in 2014 after recognizing the need for better online payment solutions in India. Before starting the company, Kumar worked at Microsoft as a software engineer, while Mathur was a wireline field engineer at Schlumberger. Razorpay quickly gained momentum, securing $375 million in Series-F funding by 2021, pushing its valuation to $7.5 billion.
It is backed by major investors like GIC, Sequoia, Ribbit Capital, and Y Combinator. Mathur shared on LinkedIn that their inspiration stemmed from the inefficiencies in India’s digital payment system. Meanwhile, China’s youngest billionaire, 29-year-old Wang Zelong, holds the same net worth through his stake in CNNC Hua Yuan Titanium Dioxide Co. India’s billionaire count has also surged to 284 in 2025, marking a strong economic rebound and wealth growth.
India’s Youngest Billionaires of 2025: Razorpay Founders’ Incredible ₹8,643 Crore Success Story
In a remarkable testament to innovation and perseverance, Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur, co-founders of fintech giant Razorpay, have emerged as India’s youngest billionaires in 2025. At just 34 years old, both entrepreneurs have secured a net worth of ₹8,643 crore each, as reported by the prestigious Hurun Global Rich List. Their journey from ambitious engineers to industry leaders highlights the transformative power of technology and vision in India’s booming startup ecosystem.
From Corporate Jobs to Disrupting Fintech
Before revolutionizing digital payments in India, Kumar and Mathur followed conventional career paths. Kumar worked as a software engineer at Microsoft, honing his technical expertise, while Mathur gained hands-on experience in the energy sector as a wireline field engineer at Schlumberger. The two met during their student days at IIT Roorkee, bonding over a shared fascination with solving real-world problems through technology.
In 2014, they took a leap of faith and launched Razorpay in Bangalore. Their inspiration stemmed from personal frustration with India’s fragmented and inefficient online payment infrastructure. At the time, businesses struggled with slow transaction processing, limited payment gateways, and cumbersome compliance procedures. Kumar and Mathur envisioned a platform that could simplify this chaos, offering seamless integration for businesses to accept, process, and disburse payments.
Razorpay’s Meteoric Rise
What began as a startup in a modest Bangalore office has since evolved into a fintech powerhouse. By late 2021, Razorpay had already raised $375 million in a Series-F funding round, pushing its valuation to $7.5 billion. The company’s investor roster reads like a who’s who of global finance, including Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, venture capital giants Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global, and Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator.
Razorpay’s success lies in its ability to adapt to India’s rapidly digitizing economy. Beyond payment gateways, the company expanded into banking services, lending, and payroll management, becoming a one-stop solution for businesses. In a LinkedIn post, Mathur reflected on their humble beginnings, emphasizing that Razorpay’s mission was never just about profit: “We wanted to democratize financial services for millions of small businesses that were left behind in the digital revolution.”
Global Context: Self-Made vs. Inherited Wealth
The Hurun List also offers an intriguing global comparison. China’s youngest billionaire, 29-year-old Wang Zelong, shares the same net worth as Kumar and Mathur (₹8,643 crore). However, Zelong’s wealth comes from his inherited stake in CNNC Hua Yuan Titanium Dioxide Co. This contrast highlights a key difference in wealth creation—between self-made innovators and heirs—especially in Asia’s evolving economic landscape.
India’s Billionaire Boom: A Sign of Economic Resilience
India’s billionaire count has fluctuated in recent years, mirroring global economic trends. The post-pandemic surge in 2022 saw a record 249 billionaires, driven by booming stock markets and tech-sector growth. However, 2023 brought a sharp decline to 187 due to inflation, geopolitical tensions, and market corrections. The numbers rebounded in 2024, with 271 billionaires, and rose further to 284 in 2025, reflecting India’s resilient economy, supported by strong domestic consumption, policy reforms, and a thriving startup culture.
Anas Rahman Junaid, founder of Hurun India, notes that the collective wealth of Indian billionaires has now crossed the trillion-dollar mark—a historic milestone. “This isn’t just about a few individuals getting richer,” he explains. “Sixty-two percent of these billionaires saw their wealth grow in the past year, signaling broad-based economic growth across sectors like renewable energy, electric vehicles, and fintech.”
The Road Ahead
Kumar and Mathur’s story is more than a rags-to-riches tale—it’s a blueprint for India’s future. As the country positions itself as a global tech hub, young entrepreneurs are leveraging digital innovation to solve local challenges. Razorpay’s dominance in fintech exemplifies how homegrown solutions can achieve scale and profitability while driving financial inclusion.
For India, the rise of self-made billionaires like Kumar and Mathur signifies a shift from traditional industries to knowledge-driven economies. As Hurun’s data shows, this trend is accelerating, ushering in a new era of wealth creation rooted in innovation, grit, and transformative vision.
In a world where economic uncertainties loom large, India’s billionaire boom—and the stories behind it—offer a compelling narrative of hope and ambition.