LoanTap Cofounder Vikas Kumar Passes Away

Marking another sad demise in the Indian startup ecosystem, LoanTap cofounder and CTO Vikas Kumar passed away on Wednesday (April 30) in an accident. 

“We remain guided by his (Kumar’s) enduring principles. Under the foundation he built, the organisation will continue to pursue its vision with the same dedication, integrity, and purpose that he exemplified,” LoanTap said in a statement.

Vikas, along with cofounder and CEO Satyam Kumar, set up the online lending platform in 2016. The startup offers personal loans, business loans, special purpose loans, among others. 

The Pune-based fintech startup has raised about $36 Mn till date from investors like 3one4 Capital, Kae Capital, India Quotient, Shunwei Capital and Tuscan Ventures. 

LoanTap was Vikas’ third entrepreneurial venture. The IIM-Lucknow alumnus earlier served as the cofounder and CTO of Brainvisa Technologies (2000-2010) and SME Networks (2010-2016). 

Besides his business ventures, Vikas was also an avid marathon runner. “My personal time is spent in running – co-founded a group called Pune Running​ which hosts 5000+ runners in its annual marathons. I also founded The Leap of faith​ program to help beginners in running get to the next level,” his LinkedIn bio reads.

In recent times, the Indian startup ecosystem has seen the loss of a number of entrepreneurs. Earlier this week, it was reported that HoloWorld’s cofounders Harshavardhana Kikkeri and Shwetha Panyam were found dead in their US home.

Besides, Table Space cofounder Amit Banerji and Epigamia cofounder Rohan Mirchandani also passed away earlier this year.