Sagar Agarwal, founder and managing partner, Beams Fintech Fund
For fintech startups, the era of chasing growth at any cost is giving way to one where profitability, governance and AI usage are becoming the defining metrics. While funding is more selective now, the opportunity itself has widened, says Sagar Agarwal, founder and managing partner, Beams Fintech Fund. He outlines how fintech is no longer a standalone sector but an invisible layer powering multiple industries, why wealth-tech and financial infrastructure excite him the most, and how the next generation of winners will be built on trust and disciplined execution as much as innovation.Edited excerpts:
Fintech has evolved rapidly in recent years. How has your investment thesis changed?
When we launched Beams, fintech innovation was largely about digitising access to financial products and expanding financial inclusion. Today, the industry is moving towards intelligence, infrastructure and distribution. Artificial intelligence is reshaping underwriting, fraud detection, collections, customer service and compliance, while embedded finance is integrating financial products directly into consumer and enterprise journeys. We now see fintech as a horizontal layer powering multiple industries, rather than a standalone sector. The next generation of leaders will combine AI-driven decision-making with scalable distribution models.
