Co-founder & CEO

Location: Gurugram
Commitment: Full-time
Stage: Early-stage / Prototype
Compensation: Founder equity; no salary at the current stage
About SambalPay
SambalPay is an early-stage fintech start-up helping users make better financial decisions by understanding their financial profile, needs and eligibility before choosing financial products.
We are currently at the prototype stage with a team of around 10 members, including a Co-founder, CTO, Product Manager and interns.
So far, we have validated the problem through conversations with:
150+ potential customers
35+ industry experts and business leaders
We are now looking for a Co-founder & CEO who can take ownership of the business side and help build SambalPay from an early-stage product into a scalable fintech company.
What We Are Solving
For Customers:
Help users identify suitable financial products based on their needs, profile and eligibility instead of applying blindly.
For DSAs:
Provide better customer insights, eligibility guidance and product-routing support.
For College Students:
Provide simple financial learning modules to improve financial awareness and help students make better financial decisions.
For Lenders:
Help lenders receive more relevant and better-qualified leads through smarter customer-product matching and routing.
Your Role
As Co-founder & CEO, you will work closely with the founding team and take ownership of business strategy, fundraising, hiring, partnerships and overall company execution.
This is a hands-on founder role, not a traditional management position.
Key Responsibilities Strategy & Execution
Define company priorities and execution plans
Build the business model and go-to-market strategy
Track key business, product and fundraising milestones
Take ownership of important company decisions
Fundraising & Investors
Build and manage the investor pipeline
Initiate conversations with angels, VCs and strategic investors
Lead investor meetings and follow-ups
Build long-term investor relationships
Drive fundraising strategy and execution
Pitch Deck
Own and continuously improve the investor pitch deck
Build a clear story around the problem, solution, market, traction, business model and vision
Prepare financial projections and fundraising materials
Hiring & Team Setup
Identify critical hiring requirements
Interview and hire strong early team members
Define clear roles, ownership and accountability
Build a high-ownership startup culture
Establish regular team reviews and execution rhythms
Product
Work closely with the CTO and Product Manager
Stay involved in product strategy and prioritisation
Speak regularly with customers and partners
Help validate product-market fit and monetisation opportunities
Partnerships & Business Development
Build relationships with banks, NBFCs, fintechs, DSAs, colleges and strategic partners
Identify opportunities that support distribution, revenue and product growth
Day-to-Day Work
Your day may include:
Speaking with investors
Improving the pitch deck
Reviewing product progress
Meeting customers, DSAs and lenders
Interviewing candidates
Building partnerships
Reviewing company priorities and metrics
Solving execution blockers
Planning fundraising and growth
Working directly with the founding team
At this stage, responsibilities will evolve quickly. You should be comfortable doing whatever is required to move the company forward.
Who We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who:
Thinks and acts like a founder
Is strong in communication and relationship building
Can sell the company vision to investors, partners and talent
Is comfortable with uncertainty and early-stage execution
Can build and lead teams
Understands business, fundraising and go-to-market
Has a strong interest in fintech and financial services
Can work closely with product and technology teams
Takes ownership without waiting for instructions
Wants to build for the long term
Experience in startups, fintech, lending, business development, product, consulting, VC or financial services is useful, but founder mindset and execution ability matter more than titles.
Founder Commitment
This is a full-time co-founder role.
At the current stage, there is no fixed salary. Compensation will primarily be through founder equity, with the final structure mutually agreed based on experience, responsibility, commitment and long-term contribution.
We also expect the selected co-founder to have meaningful skin in the game and be willing to invest a minimum of ₹30 lakh as founder capital, with the ability to invest up to ₹50 lakh based on mutually agreed business requirements.
The investment will be made into SambalPay under proper legal documentation and is not a fee for joining the company.
What Success Looks Like
In the initial stage, you will help SambalPay:
Move from prototype to MVP
Build a clear business and go-to-market strategy
Acquire early users and partners
Build a strong core team
Develop lender and DSA relationships
Build an investor pipeline
Prepare SambalPay for fundraising
Raise initial external capital
Find early signs of product-market fit
Why SambalPay?
This is an opportunity to build a company from the ground up.
The product, business model, partnerships, team, fundraising strategy and go-to-market are still being shaped.
You will not be joining to execute someone else's roadmap.
You will help build the roadmap and the company.
If you are looking for a fixed salary and a highly structured role, this may not be the right opportunity.
If you want to take ownership, build from zero and help create a meaningful fintech company for India, we would like to speak with you.
To Apply
Please share:
Why you want to join SambalPay as Co-founder & CEO
What you would focus on in your first 90 days
Your relevant experience, network or strengths
Whether you are comfortable joining full-time without salary initially
Whether you are comfortable investing at least ₹30 lakh as founder capital
We care more about ownership, execution, clarity of thinking and long-term commitment than a perfect resume.

Work arrangement
No