Gowri Narayanan

Gowri Shankar Narayanan (born October 1980) is an Indian-American business executive and investor known for his influential roles in the global payment and fintech industries. He currently serves as the Operating Partner and Head of FinTech and Payment at SoftBank Investment Advisers, where he manages and supports fintech and payment companies worldwide.
Throughout his 20-year career, Narayanan’s strategic foresight and leadership acumen have created enormous value for stakeholders in the rapidly evolving fintech sector. Notably, he played a pivotal role in the Apple Pay team, spearheading the launch of multiple products in the US and driving global expansion. He also held key positions overseeing digital payment products at both MasterCard North America and Visa Europe. Additionally, as a founding member of the National Payment Corporation of India, Narayanan contributed to developing the RuPay payment network in India. His contributions include establishing various strategic initiatives and payment standardization in India under NPCI, including the secure card present and ecommerce transactions in the country.
Narayanan is an active seed investor in healthcare, fintech, transportation, and enterprise software sectors. His personal portfolio includes companies like Nitra, Dukkantek, Treez, GarageWorks, Newton.co, Alitheon, Micruity, Atropos Health, and Trellis Technologies.
==Early life and education==
Narayanan was born and raised in Chennai, India. He developed a passion for computer programming during his formative years at SCIMA School in Chennai. Self-taught in C programming, Narayanan began creating simple games during his elementary school summer breaks. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics from the University of Madras, Chennai, and obtained an MS in Telecommunication Electronics from Oxford Brookes University. He furthered his education with a Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Reading Henley Business School.
==Career==
In October 2019, Narayanan joined SoftBank Vision Fund as an operating partner and the head of fintech & payments at SoftBank Investment Advisers. In this role, he supports and co-invests in financial and payment technology companies globally. Narayanan portfolio and board includes several notable companies, Zeta, Digits, DriveWealth, TabaPay, bKash Bangladesh, PayTM India, JusPay India, and PayPay Japan. Leveraging his expertise as a subject matter expert in FinTech and Payments, he collaborates closely with management teams, contributing to product development, mergers and acquisitions, and expansion strategies following investments.
Before joining SoftBank Vision Fund, Narayanan gained valuable experience at prominent companies such as Apple, Mastercard, RuPay, Visa Europe, and Discover Financial Services.
In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Narayanan is an active seed investor in sectors like healthcare, fintech, transportation, and enterprise software. His portfolio includes companies such as Nitra, Dukkantek, Treez, GarageWorks, Newton.co, Alitheon, Micruity, Atropos Health, and Trellis Technologies.
==References==
==External links==
* SoftBank Vision Fund
* 
Category:1980 births
Category:Alumni of Oxford Brookes University
Category:Indian American
Category:Business executives
Category:Entrepreneurs