Ankit Aggarwal

Founder & CEO, (Formerly Dare2compete)

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Two years ago, people were writing off Paytm. RBI action on Paytm Payments Bank. The regulatory spiral. Stock in freefall. It was seen as a company in terminal decline.

But but and but, FY26 results tell a different story now. A story that all Founders should notice.

Profit of ₹552 Cr vs ₹663 Cr loss last year. EBITDA swung ₹2,008 Cr in a single year. Revenue at ₹8,437 Cr, up 22%

That's not a recovery. That's a rebuild.

Merchant payments momentum accelerated. Financial services revenue scaled 52% year on year. AI-led cost discipline kicked in. Consumer UPI grew at 2.2x the industry rate.

The fundamentals were always there, they just needed the noise to clear. I've always believed that the companies which survive brutal public scrutiny and still execute are the ones worth paying attention to.

It's easy to build when the wind is at your back. The real test is what you do when the narrative is against you.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma and the Paytm team earned this one. The market will catch up.

[Vijay Shekhar Sharma @vijayshekhar]

First full-year profit.
₹2,008 Cr EBITDA swing, in twelve months.
#PaytmKaro

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Two moments stay with me when I think about giving and receiving awards and recognition.

The first one is from years ago, I got recognized for something. An award, a shoutout, a moment where someone said this one is truly yours. My closest colleague didn't. He worked just as hard. Probably harder on some days. We both knew it. Neither of us said it out loud, but it sat between us for a while.

The second was in the last two months, sitting on the other side of that same kind of decision at Unstop. Two people, both genuinely good, and I had to pick one.
I thought about him.

Here's what I've figured out after being on both sides: the threshold is almost never as clear as it looks from the outside. You try to be fair. You use every signal you have. And then you live with the fact that someone who deserved it didn't get it this time.

What makes it harder is that you can't always explain it in a way that feels complete. Not because the reasoning isn't there, but because full context rarely fits in a conversation. And the person on the other side isn't wrong to feel what they feel.

I've stopped trying to make recognition feel perfectly fair to everyone. I don't think it can be. What I try to do instead is make sure the people who didn't get it this time know they were seen. That the decision was hard because they made it hard.

My old colleague went on to do really well. I hope he knows I always thought he deserved that moment too.

If you're a leader making these calls, don't pretend the line is cleaner than it is. And if you're the one who didn't get it, that feeling is valid. It doesn't mean you were wrong about your own work.

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Woke up to see IMT, Ghaziabad, featuring its alumni, including me, in the Times of India. Surreal!

But the best part?
Showing the paper to my parents. Seeing the pride in their eyes made every late-night study session and every professional hurdle worth it.

We often strive for success for ourselves, but achieving something that makes your parents, spouse, kids, and your college proud hits differently.

Honored to be featured alongside such incredible achievers who are shaping the future.

Once an IMTian, always an IMTian! ❤️

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Stolen Oil or Sovereign Right? Trump's Venezuela Move

If someone controls your money, your trade,
and then says it’s for your own good
Is that help, or control?

Answer is not that simple.
That’s Venezuela right now.

https://t.co/RONKFsPXxd via @LinkedIn

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Happy New Year Everyone!
Enjoy 2026 and #BeUnstoppable

May this year be defined by
- limitless growth,
- relentless drive, and
- non-stop success.

It’s time to break boundaries and make every moment count.

Let's make it legendary and Unstoppable.

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Check out my latest article: India’s Growth is Running on Borrowed Money https://t.co/NjE5ejbaeI via @LinkedIn

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Check out my latest article: The Era of
The era of #AdministrativeAI is here: 5 global case studies!
https://t.co/fbPIkmcuVI via @LinkedIn

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

@Ester_Matters @PeopleMatters2 A democratic approach to hiring based on skills is becoming the new norm. Assess candidates based on the skills required for the role rather than their background.
#TechHR

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

@PeopleMatters2 Integrated solutions are the only answer to act fast and ensure a streamlined candidate and HR experience.
#TechHR #InspirationToAction

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

@PeopleMatters2 Businesses can only thrive on data analysis and strategic accurate decisions. Hence, data driven decision making with AI will continue to yield great results. #TechHR #InspirationToAction

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

I have lost more battles than I have won but, each battle made me better than before.

I had 50+ rejections in engineering campus placements but converted the 1st company on Day 0 at MBA - Deloitte Consulting.

Story of life for most of us.

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

@IIM_I @Unstop_World @askhimanshurai @EduMinOfIndia Congratulations to the winners! They deserve it.

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

I think this is a perfect example from Bharatendu Verma of how we need to break down our problems and find ways to solve them. Do read the 2nd page on how to go about asking the right questions.

The important thing to note is that this kind of reading b…https://t.co/tHfaF9MXvk

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

I buy US Polo Jeans only. Why? Because the waist size of the US Polo jeans is 32 whereas, in other brands, it's 34 inches. There’s a feel-good factor while purchasing it and honestly, this matters a lot.

Chotti chotti khushiya (small wins) make you smile…https://t.co/wTKJ1hCMoF

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

I need YOU to be my Marketing Manager for 5 mins. Don't worry MBA is not required :) Help me to communicate and #brand Unstop to our stakeholders. We are trying this for the first time and haven't seen too many brands do this exercise.

For the past coupl…https://t.co/Kv6pqSAhXY

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Shahrukh Khan (#SRK) didn't want to do #DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) because he wanted to be an action hero and not a romantic hero, especially after Darr, Anjaam, and Baazigar in which he was praised for being an action villain.

Aditya Chopra (Di…https://t.co/rDNEWBFd6m

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

https://t.co/wMuRpXGr7y

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

The largest-ever trial of the 4-day work week showed that most UK companies participating are not keen to return to the five-day work week.

- None of the 2900 employees as a part of the study said that they would want to ditch the idea of a 4-day work w…https://t.co/pXp8d2Km0P

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

Unstop's employee, Ananyaa Mehra, recently got her first #book published and all of us in the office immediately bought a copy.

Yesterday, the first set of books were delivered and I proudly went to her to get it signed. It feels so so good to see how p…https://t.co/1sgmEbzNR8

[Ankit Aggarwal @ankitagg]

#Funding crunch is healthy for #startups as it pushes them to be prudent and move towards #profitability, said Deborah Quazzo, the managing partner at US-based ed-tech-focused investment fund GSV Ventures.

I think it is a blessing in disguise. Founders,…https://t.co/D026BVrVBy