From Coke bottles to Lay’s packets: The unlikely growth hack that powered Paytm’s journey

Deedy Das, who posted a photograph with Vijay Shekhar Sharma alongside these accounts, called him a 'legendary' and 'OG Indian internet entrepreneur'.

Paytm’s founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has often spoken about the company’s unorthodox journey, but a recent retelling by venture capitalist Deedy Das has reignited interest in the fintech’s early stories. In a social media post, Das shared anecdotes from his meeting with Sharma, painting a vivid picture of how India’s largest digital payments platform was built on grit, risk and unexpected hacks.

One of the most striking revelations was that in the midst of a financial crunch, Sharma sold 40 per cent of Paytm for just $17,000 to settle a loan. That stake, Das noted, would later be worth over $100 million.

I met the billionaire founder of PayTM and he shared some of the best startup stories I've ever heard:

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— When times were tough, he sold 40% of the business for $17K to pay a loan which ended up being valued at $100M+
— PayTM accidentally launched the biggest payments engine in… pic.twitter.com/95LxwZQIsW

— Deedy (@deedydas) September 24, 2025

Sharma also spoke about Paytm’s inadvertent role in creating PayPay in Japan, which went on to become one of that country’s biggest payments systems. While the experiment highlighted Paytm’s technical edge, the company itself was compelled to concentrate on the Indian market rather than expand overseas.

Another story described what Sharma considered a powerful growth hack: embedding Paytm QR codes on Coca-Cola bottles and Lay’s packets, which consumers could scan to redeem Rs 15. The tactic, tied to everyday consumer brands, turned out to be a low-cost, high-impact way of onboarding millions of users.

Das, who posted a photograph with Sharma alongside these accounts, called him a “legendary” and “OG Indian internet entrepreneur”.

"I met the billionaire founder of PayTM and he shared some of the best startup stories I've ever heard. This is the legendary Vijay Shekhar Sharma. The OG Indian internet entrepreneur," Das wrote on X.

Born in Aligarh in 1978, Sharma went on to establish One97 Communications in 2000 and launch Paytm in 2010, steering it into a household name and a key player in India’s digital finance ecosystem.

Deedy Das, meanwhile, joined Menlo Ventures after roles at Google, Facebook and Glean, and was promoted to partner within 18 months, according to Business Insider.