Akash Gehani

Akash Gehani
Born	India
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	Engineering Graduate (Institution not publicly disclosed)
Occupation	Entrepreneur, Fintech Innovator
Known for	Co-founder of Instamojo

Akash Gehani is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Instamojo, a pioneering digital payments and business enablement platform that empowers India's micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). With a focus on accessibility, innovation, and growth, Gehani has helped simplify digital transactions for millions of entrepreneurs and freelancers, contributing to India's evolving digital economy.

Early Life and Education

Akash Gehani pursued his education in engineering and developed a strong foundation in technology, systems, and digital operations. Before venturing into entrepreneurship, he gained professional experience in strategic and operational roles, where he observed key inefficiencies in digital payment accessibility for small businesses—insights that laid the groundwork for his future venture.

Founding Instamojo

In 2012, Akash Gehani, along with Sampad Swain and Aditya Sengupta, co-founded Instamojo with the mission of democratizing digital payments for India’s small business ecosystem. At a time when accepting online payments required complex setups, Instamojo introduced simple, link-based payment systems that enabled even non-technical users to transact online.

This innovation allowed small vendors, independent creators, and early-stage startups to bypass traditional banking hurdles, accelerating their entry into the digital marketplace.

Growth and Milestones

Under Akash Gehani’s strategic leadership, Instamojo achieved several significant milestones:

• Empowered over 1 million MSMEs with digital payment solutions.
• Introduced payment links, online stores, lending, credit, and insurance services.
• Expanded into digital banking, offering tools for financial planning and merchant growth.
• Raised funding from investors such as Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures, and AnyPay Japan.
• Enabled merchants to conduct secure, fast, and scalable transactions across India’s tier II and tier III cities.

Challenges and Innovations

The Indian fintech space is intensely competitive and constantly evolving. Akash Gehani led Instamojo through challenges including regulatory compliance, customer trust, and security by focusing on:

• User-First Design: A platform tailored for non-tech-savvy entrepreneurs and microbusinesses.
• Security Infrastructure: End-to-end encryption and proactive fraud detection.
• Ecosystem Expansion: Launch of business support tools like marketing integrations, logistics support, and analytics dashboards.

Vision for the Future

Akash Gehani envisions Instamojo as a full-stack business platform, going beyond payments to offer a comprehensive suite of tools that enable business growth. The roadmap includes AI-driven analytics, business credit engines, and community-based commerce support for entrepreneurs.

His commitment lies in fostering financial inclusion by building tools that enable even the smallest sellers to compete in the digital marketplace.

Conclusion

Akash Gehani’s entrepreneurial journey is marked by his dedication to enabling and empowering India’s small businesses through technology. His work at Instamojo has made digital payments more inclusive and accessible, transforming the way small businesses operate in the digital economy. As Instamojo scales further, Gehani continues to champion innovation, trust, and grassroots entrepreneurship.