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In the early days of building Nook, we faced a critical decision: should we focus on India or Singapore? India’s complex payments ecosystem seemed daunting, while Singapore appeared friendlier for a proof-of-concept.
“But without Saksham and the connections he helped us forge, we may have taken the wrong path—or worse, never picked one at all.”
His advice led us to prioritize Singapore, a decision that allowed us to quickly test our idea and reach the truth faster than we ever could have in India. Our journey began when we were searching for a card and payments stack provider in both India and Singapore. That’s when we discovered Decentro, where Saksham stood out as a promising partner. My first meeting with him was over coffee, and what started as a quick chat turned into hours of deep conversation about the fintech landscape in both regions. We instantly clicked. During that conversation, I casually mentioned that I was struggling to get in touch with someone at a particular bank. A few days later, I had forgotten about it—but Saksham hadn’t. Out of the blue, I received a message from him: he had created a WhatsApp group with the contact I needed. This
wasn’t an isolated incident. It’s one of the countless times he has stepped in to lend a helping hand, and it’s why I consider him one of the most dependable and must-know people in fintech across Singapore.
Thanks to his introductions and guidance, we were able to launch our prepaid couple’s card in Singapore within just a few months. We served thousands of customers early on, but unfortunately, as a prepaid product, our unit economics wouldn’t support long-term sustainability, and we eventually had to shut down operations. Despite that, the journey was far from a failure. It was during this process that
I connected with the founders of my current company, HeyMax. In fact, it was Saksham who recommended we apply to the Tenity accelerator, which is where I first met Joe and the rest of the HeyMax team. His influence has been a constant presence throughout my entrepreneurial path.
The last time I caught up with Saksham was at a rooftop bar in Bangkok during Money 20/20, while I was there with HeyMax. We both had a bit of a Spider-Man meme moment—recognizing how our paths have intertwined so many times over the years.
“Saksham isn’t just a partner or a connection; he’s a man of his word and one of the most reliable people I’ve had the pleasure of working with in the fintech space.”