Paresh Rajde – Profile

Paresh is the Founder of Suvidhaa Infoserve, India’s largest & fastest growing S-Commerce® company engaged in digital distribution of customer-centric services.  Paresh founded Suvidhaa in 2007 and raised an angel investment from Mr Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry, Chairperson of one of India’s largest construction conglomerate. Paresh led from the front in successfully securing 3 Series of funding for Suvidhaa from globally acclaimed investors viz., Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), Reliance Capital (ADA Group), International Finance Corporation (IFC, the World Bank Group) and Mitsui & Co., Ltd.  Suvidhaa today has a footprint of over 60,000 small retail touch points across 2800+ towns in India and services over 13mn unique customers. Suvidhaa was ranked by Red Herring Inc., amongst Asia’s Top 100 Start-ups in 2009 & nominated for Global 200 Start-ups in 2010.

Prior to starting Suvidhaa, Paresh founded Forbes Infotainment Limited and as CEO of Forbes Infotainment, Paresh launched “DhanDhanaDhan” Online lottery, a brand that achieved Rs.3000 mn turnover in its inaugural years. He successfully exited from the business and sold the venture to Shapoorji Pallonji Group.

A qualified Chartered Accountant, Paresh began with his own Firm in 1991 & later became an Advisor to several State Govts., for online lotteries.  Paresh then joined the Board of Turbo Technologies & as an exclusive IT Consultant to Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industries promoted IT Projects in France & other European Countries.

Paresh has received several Indian & International Awards & accolades.  The “Best Business Achiever (SME) Award 2009” by Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Girnar Award (2007), the SKOCH Awards for Digital Inclusion in 2010 & Financial Inclusion in 2011, to name a few. Acknowledging Paresh’s vision of an inclusive growth & livelihood promotion of rural & urban poor, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) honoured Paresh with its “Inclusive Business Leader” Award in 2011 and in October 2012 featured him as “Inclusive Business Pioneer” in its Report “Being the Change: Inspiring the Next Generation of Inclusive Business Entrepreneurs impacting the Base of the Pyramid”.

Paresh is a member of several Committees of various Industry Bodies & Institutions like FICCI, IAMAI & ICAI; has addressed several prestigious Government & Industry Forums worldwide and the IFC’s Inclusive Business Leaders Forum at Washington, USA (2011) & Tokyo (2012), the GSMA NFC Mobile Money Summit at Milan (2012) are but to name a few.