Viva Money is a recently launched lending platform that began providing credit lines in India in December 2023. Within a year, Viva Money has issued loans totaling over ₹150 Crore and has served more than 35,000 customers.
Viva Money is supported by a team of professionals. The company now employs 40 people, including International professionals, each contributing to the sustainable growth of the business day to day. We spoke to the team of Viva Money to understand what goes on behind the scenes and what benefits they get from working in an international team.
Companies are about people. The story of Viva Money management started with a small but capable HR department. Akshay Gupta was one of the initial members joining the company as an HR manager. Akshay chaffs that his job description featured ‘just-do-everything’. He participated in setting up the company from the beginning - from finding an office in Bangalore to recruiting talent for the team Viva Money. The opportunity to build processes from scratch drew Akshay to Viva Money and became a key aspect of his role. With experience in large IT companies and an offer from a Fortune 500 company, Akshay preferred Viva as he saw an opportunity to contribute to building a growing company and to be part of the fintech sector's development in India. Akshay is responsible for recruiting qualified staff, and also for developing retention strategies, and implementing various benefits such as insurance, financial planning, and so on.
“Working in an international team has immense advantages, including diverse perspectives, cross-cultural learning, unique insights, varied problem-solving approaches, and great opportunities for creativity. The best practices are shared through common experiences, exchanging knowledge of global markets, and exposure to authentic working styles and technologies. More insights about the local markets and consumers are generated during virtual conference calls and international meetups. Such efforts boost both personal and professional development as well as increase the company’s growth potential in the global economy”.
Money makes the world go round. The finance department is one of the key elements in any company; Viva Money is no exception. It's operations help ensures vendors payments are processed on time, audits are carried out correctly, and auditing authorities are not asking any questions. Svetlana Minusova, the head of the financial department, joined the team Viva Money Management in July 2023. She says that working in a Fintech startup in India is always a big challenge, yet it ensures exponential personal and professional development. In her opinion, the Indian market has high potential in the financial sector. With her experience working in large companies and banks, she wants to contribute to the development and promotion of Viva's business, share her experience, and implement global best practices.
“Our dedication lies in ensuring the financial success, growth, and brand awareness of the company. We are aiming to rank Viva Money among the TOP 5 companies in India in the fintech sector. It is well known that a strong team is essential for achieving success. Together with my colleagues, we are committed to maximizing our efforts to enhance business value on a daily basis. We will contribute individually to the development of our product, share our expertise, and implement the best global practices that we possess and will acquire. Each day and month, we analyze customer behavior to provide them with optimal solutions. I believe this approach will not only benefit our customers but will also lead to increased profits and value for Viva Money. We strive to remain current with industry trends.”
As a Bangalore-based startup, Viva Money requires careful document management, notes Svetlana's colleague, Supriya Kumari. There were three audits last year, and thanks to the timely sending of payments to vendors, the company's operation remained smooth. Supriya affirms there is complete understanding with her colleagues from other countries, noting that task or deadline was missed and all decisions made were appropriate. Supriya emphasises that regular meetings, workshops, and informal discussions allow colleagues to share insights from their regions with each other.
“ I joined Viva to have first-hand experience in fintech and startup. It will deepen my expertise and diversify my industry-specific knowledge. I am blessed and thankful for the experiences I have enjoyed in different industries. Now is the time to apply myself to Viva Money, a pioneer and trailblazer in Indian fintech. I have worked in a banking company that ran on good old technologies based on paper processing. This time, I have joined the company that is taking banking to the next level, bridging the digital and the traditional.”
Funding is an integral part of running finances. Viva Money has a Strategic Partnerships and Funding Department. Shruti Rani, the manager of the department, says that her key responsibilities include debt funding, building and nurturing partnerships, driving co-lending, and FLDG integration discussions. Shruti has experience working in fintech startups and was involved on developing global partnerships at Zolve. At Viva Money, Shruti is responsible for securing interest from potential partners and lenders. She has contributed to developing scalable fundraising frameworks, implementing co-lending and FLDG models, and ensuring gradual integration with partners through P2P lending mechanisms.
“Viva Money presented a golden opportunity at the perfect time of my career. The company’s dynamic environment coupled with its openness to exploring diverse partnerships and funding options aligned well with my experience and vision. Joining Viva Money allowed me to contribute meaningfully to its journey toward becoming a globally recognized name. Collaborating with an international team fosters a culture of excellence and innovation, ensuring that our work meets global standards.”
Innovation is at Viva Money’s core. The latest personal loan app enables users to access a credit line of up to ₹2,00,000 from home, with a grace period of up to 51 days, which is relatively uncommon in the Indian market. There is a big team behind this development. Product owner Nikita Vishnevskii says that creating a product from ground zero inspired him a lot - initially, there was nothing but a vague idea. “It was a huge professional challenge for me, especially considering that at the beginning I didn't know anything about the Indian lending market, competitors, and Indian laws. That was something I had to start learning from scratch, it boosted my interest and motivation. I consider the experience and particularly the results we have achieved is highly successful, and I am pleased that such an interesting product has emerged in the Indian market”, he says. Since the launch of the app, Nikita's team has been improving the product and introducing new features. For example, new products such as personal loans, insurance, scan-and-pay features, co-lending, and others are currently in development.
“ I was among the first employees at Viva Money, at a time when we lacked both an office and even a company name. The experience was akin to being part of a startup, presenting me with a unique and exciting opportunity. Looking back on my journey, I am genuinely pleased with my decision to join this great team. Today, Viva Money has evolved significantly from its startup origins and has transformed into a large, successful organization, supported by a dynamic and ambitious team that has accomplished remarkable achievements since my arrival. It is an honor for me to witness and contribute to the growth and development of Viva Money.”
But for the powerful muscle of the IT Department, it would have been impossible to launch the app and ensure the overall smooth running of the company. Somvir Yogi, the IT manager, says he was involved in App Development Support, IT security, and IT infrastructure. The IT department has very broad functions, including developing the entire IT infrastructure to keep the company viable, running the cloud storage, and ensuring great cyber security. Somvir has 13 years of experience in the IT industry, which he now applies to the international team at Viva Money. “An international team brings together diverse views on problem-solving hence leading to more creative and effective solutions,” he notes. Somvir's department collaborates with all departments of the company, responding to their technical needs and reacting quickly to incoming requests and emerging contingencies.
“What draws me most to Viva Money is its mission of empowering underserved segments through accessible financing solutions. This commitment resonates deeply with my personal values and career aspirations. I believe in the importance of providing equitable financial opportunities and I am excited about the prospect of contributing to such meaningful work within this organization. Moreover, the dynamic work environment at Viva Money coupled with its emphasis on leveraging technology to develop customer-centric solutions, presents an exciting opportunity for professional growth.”
The legal framework is the foundation for any business. Customer contract forms, terms and conditions, vendor contracts, privacy policies, and internal regulations, the department maintains close oversight of all legal matters. The Legal Department is run by Sakshi Gaur who has background as a litigator in the Supreme Court of India. Sakshi follows the contracts from start to finish, ensuring the error-free lifecycle of the company. She worked very closely with the product team to develop the flagship product, Credit Line. Her leadership brought to life the Loan Agreement, Sanction Letter, and Key Fact Statement (KFS).
“ I chose to work at Viva Money since I am passionate about fintech and startups. I love working in a charged, fast-paced environment that challenges me every day and helps in growth. From the early days, Viva Money promised to provide an environment that aligns with my vision. The team, product, vision of the management, and space to learn and grow while managing the team attracted me to work and continue my journey here. The international outlook enables us to build adaptable solutions and enhances our ability to enter new markets with an informed and compliant strategy.”
Mayank Sahnioversees risk management at Viva Money. He assembled the division's team and implemented a methodology for recognising fraud which helped the company to successfully isolate fraudulent applications at an early stage. Mayank has worked earlier in financial companies including Home Credit India and contributes to implementing the compliance practices in Viva Money's operations..
“I believe Viva Money is the ideal place to build something from the ground up, which will significantly contribute to my career growth. What particularly attracted me was the team. The top leadership is highly experienced, and I see a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow by working alongside them.”
Even a well-structured and innovative business may face challenges in growth without effective promotion. Vishal Jain, Head of Marketing at Viva Money, identifies effective strategies to support value creation. With over 6 years of experience in marketing and startups, Vishal oversees overall marketing strategies, ensuring brand building, driving sales, promoting the brand, managing PR, and developing communication strategies to enhance customer engagement. He plays a key role in launching and promoting credit products, updating them according to the target audience. During his time at Viva, He worked to reduce the customer acquisition cost (CAC), bringing it below that of the company’s competitors without losing the quality of customers. This has contributed to improved operational efficiency and growth. One of Vishal's goals is to strengthen Viva Money’s position in the Indian lending app market.
“Being one of the earliest members of Viva Money, I witnessed its journey from just a vision to a thriving fintech venture. This is a great opportunity to work with a forward-thinking team in a fast-evolving industry. What drew me most was Viva Money’s mission to empower people with financial freedom. The company's flexible and digital-first approach aligns perfectly with my professional values, and I am excited to contribute to this dynamic mission while helping shape the future of the fintech space. Working in an international team brings a diverse range of perspectives, which is invaluable when crafting strategies that can resonate globally. Although our product is currently available only in states of India, connecting with team members from other countries offers a unique opportunity to understand how India stands in terms of technology. It allows us to explore new ideas and identify innovations that we can adopt to stay at the forefront of the fintech race.”
Tanmay Dwivedi, Head of Operations, oversees customer experience. How interested are potential clients in the Viva Money product? Do they receive sufficient support from the company's staff, for example, when filling in applications? These and other tasks, such as tracking the number of successful applications, and resolving issues related to customer verification, fall under the competence of Tanmay, who has 6 years of experience in the fintech industry and in particular at Money Tap, the leading fintech market leaders.
Tanmay leads a trained team with a understanding of the product. By refining telesales scripts and integrating feedback, the team increased conversion rates from 7% to 17% in a year. The average call duration decreased from 8 minutes to 4 minutes. Tanmay’s team also introduced a chatbot for faster communication with customers.
“I chose Viva Money for the tremendous growth opportunities it offers in a domain I am passionate about. Viva Money’s dynamic and growth-oriented environment offered me a perfect platform to apply my expertise in operations, while also learning and evolving with the company. The opportunity to contribute to building robust processes in key areas like Telesales, KYC, and Customer Success was particularly exciting, as these align closely with my professional strengths and interests. Additionally, Viva Money's culture of innovation, collaboration, and focus on excellence resonates perfectly with my personal values. I see the company as a place where I can leverage my experience to add value as well as grow both professionally and personally.”
“Viva Money is a perfect nurturing milieu where talents develop to their best potential given the freedom to act and implement their bold ideas. There are no random people here, each hire is well-weighed, each person sees their future career within Viva Money. We promote international standards of corporate culture and are always happy to take on board people who are result-driven and aim to succeed.”
Conclusion: The coordinated efforts of Viva Money's employees have yielded results. As a startup based in Bangalore, the company has made progress in just over a year. In 2025, it is expected to have 1,60,000 active users, with the total credit lines disbursed exceeding ₹15,500 million. Viva Money achieved the break-even point, and it has also shown a profit for nine months of the financial year 2024-2025—a notable achievement for a young fintech company.
At the core of this progress is a team, driven by innovation, collaboration, and a pursuit of excellence. As the latest personal loan app, Viva Money is providing financial solutions and contributing to the digital lending landscape in India. With a foundation and clear vision, its journey is only getting started!