'Proud moment for India': Kunal Shah's appointment as Global head of WhatsApp has Indians celebrating online
In news that has happily surprised the nation CRED founder Kunal Shah has taken over as the global head of WhatsApp . In an announcement, Will Cathcart, who led the messaging platform for the past 7 years, announced that he would be stepping away from his role.
At the same time, Shah would also be stepping away from his current role at CRED, handing over the reins to Mitem Sampat as the interim CEO. Taking to LinkedIn, Shah reflected on his journey at CRED and announced his next phase. “Today, CRED is ready for its next phase. I am stepping back and Miten Sampat steps in as interim CEO, partnered with an incredibly talented team,” he wrote, adding, “As for me, I’ll be joining Meta to lead WhatsApp globally.”
Who is Kunal Shah?
Kunal Shah is one of India's most prominent entrepreneurs and startup investors. As per his LinkedIn profile, he graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Mumbai's Wilson College and later dropped out of SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS).
He began numerous ventures before launching the digital payments platform FreeCharge in 2010. The company was acquired by Snapdeal in 2015 in a deal valued at around $450 million. He served as founder, CEO and chairman of FreeCharge until 2016.
Following the exit, Shah spent time investing and advising startups. His LinkedIn profile shows he worked as a part-time partner at Y Combinator in 2016, served as chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) from 2016 to 2017 and was an advisor to Sequoia Capital in 2017. He founded CRED in April 2018 with an initial investment of $1 million of his own capital. The fintech platform rewards users for paying credit card bills on time and has since expanded into payments, lending, insurance, commerce, wealth management and credit cards.
India celebrates Kunal Shah
Shah's move is being celebrated on social media by tech founders and others. At a time when Indians are actively being targeted in US, their merit forgotten in the light of their origin, Shah's hiring as arrived as a hope for many.
"Meta’s hiring of @kunalb11 to run WhatsApp is almost unprecedented in bringing a leader from outside Silicon Valley to run a global product. And this wasn’t a straightforward hire either. Meta is paying $1b for the privilege of hiring him. The only comparable I can think of among tech companies is Apple hiring Angela Ahrendts (CEO of Burberry) to run Retail. Other than that hire, every product/business leadership role at the best tech companies has been filled from people in the Valley, if not the US," wrote Indian-origin founder Gokul Rajaram.
At the same time, Shah would also be stepping away from his current role at CRED, handing over the reins to Mitem Sampat as the interim CEO. Taking to LinkedIn, Shah reflected on his journey at CRED and announced his next phase. “Today, CRED is ready for its next phase. I am stepping back and Miten Sampat steps in as interim CEO, partnered with an incredibly talented team,” he wrote, adding, “As for me, I’ll be joining Meta to lead WhatsApp globally.”
Who is Kunal Shah?
Kunal Shah is one of India's most prominent entrepreneurs and startup investors. As per his LinkedIn profile, he graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Mumbai's Wilson College and later dropped out of SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS).
He began numerous ventures before launching the digital payments platform FreeCharge in 2010. The company was acquired by Snapdeal in 2015 in a deal valued at around $450 million. He served as founder, CEO and chairman of FreeCharge until 2016.
Following the exit, Shah spent time investing and advising startups. His LinkedIn profile shows he worked as a part-time partner at Y Combinator in 2016, served as chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) from 2016 to 2017 and was an advisor to Sequoia Capital in 2017. He founded CRED in April 2018 with an initial investment of $1 million of his own capital. The fintech platform rewards users for paying credit card bills on time and has since expanded into payments, lending, insurance, commerce, wealth management and credit cards.
India celebrates Kunal Shah
Shah's move is being celebrated on social media by tech founders and others. At a time when Indians are actively being targeted in US, their merit forgotten in the light of their origin, Shah's hiring as arrived as a hope for many.
"Meta’s hiring of @kunalb11 to run WhatsApp is almost unprecedented in bringing a leader from outside Silicon Valley to run a global product. And this wasn’t a straightforward hire either. Meta is paying $1b for the privilege of hiring him. The only comparable I can think of among tech companies is Apple hiring Angela Ahrendts (CEO of Burberry) to run Retail. Other than that hire, every product/business leadership role at the best tech companies has been filled from people in the Valley, if not the US," wrote Indian-origin founder Gokul Rajaram.
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