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Sahil Kini
Co-Founder & CEO at Setu
Sahil Kini is the Co-Founder and CEO of Setu, a fintech company based in India that aims to make finance intuitive and accessible. He has held this position since August 2018. Under his leadership, Setu has focused on expanding access to financial services for individuals across India, leveraging technology to simplify complex financial processes.12
Background and Experience
Sahil Kini has a diverse professional background:
- iSPIRT Foundation: He serves as an India Stack Evangelist since January 2016, promoting the use of technology in public services.
- HT MINT: He was a columnist from August 2017 to June 2018, where he likely shared insights on finance and technology.
- Magnet Works: Sahil founded this company, which operated from July 2013 to September 2014.
- Titan Industries: He worked in new product development from August 2012 to August 2013.
- Ezetap: As a Product Manager from July 2011 to April 2012, he contributed to mobile payment solutions.
- Unique Identification Authority of India: He took a sabbatical here from July 2010 to July 2011.
- McKinsey & Company: His career began as a Business Analyst from August 2008 to July 2010, providing strategic consulting services.1
Education
Sahil Kini is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, indicating a strong technical background that supports his endeavors in the fintech sector.
Language Proficiency
He is proficient in several languages, including:
- English (native)
- Hindi (professional working proficiency)
- Kannada (professional working proficiency)
- Konkani (native or bilingual proficiency)
- Other languages like Bengali, Tulu, and Tamil at varying levels of proficiency.1
Sahil Kini's work at Setu and his previous roles reflect his commitment to enhancing financial accessibility and innovation in India.
Highlights
When Setu was born nearly six years ago in 2018, our goal was to dramatically expand access to finance for every Indian.
We pursued that goal by building connecting infrastructure for fintechs and banks alike. Our dream to reach every Indian took a massive leap forward in June 2022 when we were acquired by Pine Labs.
As a part of the Pine group of companies, Setu has grown and matured into an institution that will serve as one of the foundational companies of the future of fintech in India.
And so, it is with deep gratitude and a sense of contentment, after nearly six years at the helm of Setu, that I decided to step back from the CEO mantle.
I'm fortunate to be able to hand the reins over to Anand Raisinghani who's wisdom, experience, and discipline, are exactly what Setu needs to drive the next phase of growth.
To my old crew Nikhil Kumar, Vinay Kesari, Irfan Shah, Manu Bansal, Ruby Jane Antony, Puranjay Mahapatra 马普杰 Meena Nayak Krishna Kolli Sujan Sundareswaran Akshay Joshi Vikram Bhat Atreya Arun Rajatha B M Pete Jaison and every single Setuzen (past and present), thank you for the ride of a lifetime and for continuing to serve the cause with that unique Setu combination of curiosity and determination. It was an honour and a privilege to serve as your captain.
The next question I'm sure I'll be asked is "What next, Sahil?". To which, I'll just say I'm going to listen to what Billy Joel once said
𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰, 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦, 𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶?
We don't do it for the awards, but it's always nice to be recognised for our work!
Setu won the "Best Early Stage Startup" Award at the LiveMint VCCircle Startup ICON awards held last week.
We're always looking for missionaries to join our team. If you're a PM or an Engineer please DM me and I'll personally ensure that you get fast tracked through the interview process!
