How this CA started his career at an early stage startup in 2012 and is now Financial Controller of a Unicorn Startup, ShareChat

• Hi! I am Avinash Jaiswal, a Chartered Accountant (CA), and Finance Controller at ShareChat, an Indian language focussed social media platform valued at $3.7B.
• Despite coming from a humble family background – instead of aiming for a job at a Big 4 accounting firm or a large corporation, I took the risk and started my career at an early-stage startup in 2012.
• I was constantly questioned about my choices. There were times when I used to ask myself – “Am I doing the right thing?” or “Should I pursue bigger opportunities?”
• When I look back, I can proudly say that the decision that I took as an inexperienced CA fresher certainly paid off.

Becoming a CA against all odds

Growing up, life was not easy. I was born in the holy city of Varanasi, India.

In 2003, when I was 13 years old and in search of a better livelihood, we moved to the city of dreams, Mumbai where our family of five lived in a small 200 square feet room.

Here my father was a hawker, working his fingers to the bone to make ends meet.