Ravish Naresh

Ravish Naresh
Born	c. 1990s India
Nationality	Indian
Education	Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Known for	Founder & CEO of Khatabook

Ravish Naresh is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Khatabook, a fintech startup that has revolutionized digital record-keeping for India’s small business sector. By simplifying bookkeeping for millions of MSMEs, Naresh has empowered kirana stores and micro-enterprises to manage their finances digitally, driving financial inclusion and digital adoption in the grassroots economy.

Early Life and Education

Ravish Naresh completed his engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. During his academic years, he developed a strong interest in technology, problem-solving, and building consumer-centric products. His early exposure to India’s fragmented business systems inspired his later ventures.

Entrepreneurial Journey

Ravish began his entrepreneurial career as a co-founder of Housing.com, a digital real estate platform, where he gained experience in scaling product-based ventures. Building on this, he identified the pain point of manual bookkeeping in India's MSME segment, leading to the creation of Khatabook in 2018.

Founding of Khatabook

Khatabook started as a digital solution for small businesses to replace traditional paper ledgers with mobile-based bookkeeping. It allowed users to:

• Record credit and debit transactions
• Send automatic payment reminders via SMS or WhatsApp
• Monitor customer balances and manage books digitally

Its user-friendly interface, multilingual support, and offline capabilities made it popular among kirana store owners and small traders, driving adoption in over 10 million businesses across India.

Growth and Innovations

Under Naresh’s leadership, Khatabook achieved rapid growth, marked by:

• Integration with UPI for seamless digital payments
• Introduction of credit management and lending tools
• Acquisition of startups like Biz Analyst to expand offerings
• Backing from top investors like Sequoia Capital, Tencent, and B Capital

Khatabook also introduced AI-based analytics and financial insights to help businesses track growth and manage cash flows better.

Challenges and Solutions

Khatabook’s journey faced initial resistance due to low financial literacy, trust issues in digital platforms, and infrastructural gaps. Naresh tackled these challenges by focusing on:

• Data security and user trust
• Educational campaigns for digital onboarding
• Personalized support and regional language features

Vision and Future

Ravish Naresh envisions Khatabook becoming a comprehensive financial platform for small businesses, including:

• Digital lending and credit underwriting
• Insurance and banking services
• Smart financial analytics and reporting

His focus remains on empowering MSMEs with tech-driven financial tools and integrating more small businesses into India’s formal digital economy.

Conclusion

Ravish Naresh is at the forefront of India’s fintech revolution. His vision to digitize small businesses through Khatabook has not only brought efficiency to bookkeeping but also contributed to financial empowerment in rural and urban India. As he continues to innovate, Naresh’s impact on grassroots digital transformation makes him one of the most influential entrepreneurs in India’s startup ecosystem.