Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute

Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP)

Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association

Government Law College, Mumbai

University of Mumbai

varunja.in

VERIFANY is a UK Open Banking tool that allows you to VERIFy ANYbody's income for FREE!

Verifany

Founder & CEO

Founding member leading product & strategy at Passvoy Credit Limited, a UK fintech startup solving banking & payments for voyagers in and out of India. Led the development of our cross-platform app to enable P2M (Peer-to-Merchant) payments by voyagers traveling to India on top of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) - India's marquee instant payment platform and led discussions with the IFSCA (our Principal Regulator) in Gift City, India to obtain Limited Use Authorization for their Innovation Sandbox as a Foreign Fintech to do FX on UPI. Unfortunately, on Jan 17 2024 we got a cryptic Disposal Letter from the Reserve Bank of India, our Associate Regulator as part of the Inter-operable Regulatory Sandbox (IoRS) and 2 days later National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced that they would be going ahead with FX on UPI with Google Wallet.

Passvoy

Co-Founder & CSPO

Responsible for the iOS product at Truecaller. Working with a full-stack team of over a dozen engineers; responsible for delivering the rebranded iOS app for Truecaller. Responsible for managing the Product Backlog, ideating on GTM, and working alongside our world-class, cross-functional, independent team, as part of the most recently formed Business Unit at Truecaller - iOS.

Truecaller

Product (iOS)

Near fatal car crash that left me in a coma for 3 weeks a 3D printed titanium plate in my skull. Grateful to still be alive & making the most of every moment in my second life: https://www.VarunJa.in/secondlife

Career Break

Health and well-being

One of India's first conversational commerce platforms, L'occul is an invite only marketplace for HNIs showcasing unique products and exclusive experiences. I joined L'occul as a consultant, was then made the Lead within 3 months and a Co-Founder within another 3. I established a pivot towards exclusive experiences and led a team of 12 for a year to build out the platform and the iOS & Android apps. Over different points in time I handled multiple functions including product, design, strategy, brand acquisition, customer acquisition and marketing.

L'occul

Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

Built the Meet app from the ground up to solve the problem of planning and co-ordinating meeting up; iterating the idea over 8 versions while speaking to 300 college kids in Bangalore, India as part of then 3 member, Limitless Venture Holdings, an Accel Partners funded messaging startup. Over the process, created a Product Discovery Phase as an precursor to the Build-Measure-Learn methodology as the ideal way of rapidly iterating and validating consumer products.

Limitless Venture Holdings, Inc.

Founding Member

Part of the three-member core team at Bollyverse - a Chicago based startup building the 'Netflix of Indian cinema' with over 3,000 regional titles. Bollyverse reverse merged with Reelbox in 2015. Developed a new product (bollyverseapp.strikingly.com) and technical architecture and negotiated amongst the best streaming deals with Akamai in India at the time.

Bollyverse, LLC

VP of Product & Marketing

Part of Grant Thornton International's (GTI) three member Strategic Development & Growth team, setup in early 2012 to achieve 'Ambition 2015: doubling the firm's global revenues to US$8bn by 2015'. Responsible for setting up the research function to assess global opportunities across the accounting and consulting industries. Assisted in automating the global M&A process and the new firm admission processes across GTI's 8 functions, as well as creating a firm wide, partner level Global Leadership Training program. Represented Grant Thornton at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and undertook business planning workshops for young entrepreneurs.

Grant Thornton International Ltd

Strategic Development & Growth

Setup a vertically integrated emerald mining and downsteam business with two industry veterans. Only full-time member since inception in addition to the Founders. Successfully raised US$33mn over two rounds from strategic and financial investors in Asia & Europe without the use of any direct intermediaries. Responsible for all fundraising, financial, legal, structuring and investment activities.

EmeraldWorld International

Finance & Strategy

US based value investing fund (started by a founding member of McKinsey's Private Equity practice in NY) focused on the Indian small cap space. Seed funded by multi-billion dollar funds including Holding Capital, Passport Capital, RDA Ventures & Value Partners. Part of an early stage 4 member team assisting in the screening and investment analysis of companies and in fundraising from a large cross section of US based institutional investors and family offices. Lead associate on Malabar’s Meadow Report, which gained wide spread acclaim amongst the largest US LPs.

Malabar Investment Advisors

Investments & Fundraising

Part of 30 member global team responsible for M&A, PPP, capital raising, advisory mandates for all public & private infrastructure funds (pension/SWF/PE) & operators. Worked on significant global transactions across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific regions in the road, rail, ports and airports sectors. Fast-tracked Investment Banking Analyst Program in 19 months. Team also responsible for covering the universe of Infrastructure funds.

Varun Jain