Episode 68: Rise, Fall, and Reinvention of LenDenClub | Bhavin Patel | #DamaniTalks

What happens when your startup loses 97% of its revenue overnight—and you still don’t shut down?Bhavin Patel, Co-founder & CEO of LendenClub, returns to #DamaniTalks. But this time, it's not a victory lap. It’s a story of near-collapse and the bold reinvention that followed.After scaling to ₹1,000+ Cr in monthly disbursements, LendenClub ran headfirst into regulatory reforms that wiped out most of its business. What followed? A ₹16 Cr quarterly loss, a brutal product reset, and a team that refused to give up.Bhavin breaks down how they:Navigated RBI’s toughest lending reformsRebuilt a high-trust, tech-first lending engineManaged team morale in the middle of crisisTurned every new product line into a breakeven playbookBuilt one of India’s most disciplined fintech machinesThis is the story of staying in the game without shortcuts, vanity metrics, or VC crutches. It’s about building real value when the world isn’t watching.If you’re a fintech founder, investor, or someone riding the cycles of startup highs and lows; this episode is for you.Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction  03:21 - Growing up, sports, and early influences   05:16 – First venture in lending business   09:09 - Starting LenDenClub: The origin story   11:00 - Challenges in early fintech days   15:11- Regulations impact on P2P business 18:35 - Breaking through: profitability & scale   25:17 - Building a strong team & shared vision   28:01 - Shutting down the partnership model  32:54- Break-even & crisis mangement 101  35:07- Dancing your way to work- LenDen Club’s culture 38:06 - The ₹16 Crore loss & recovery strategy    47:02- How LenDen Club stayed ahead of it’s game 52:59- Hardik Pandya as brand ambassador 55:11 - Using AI to revolutionize lending   01:01:06- Bhavin's request to RBI 01:06:25 - Rapid fire  01:13:48 - Final reflections & vision for 2030    About Our Guest:Bhavin Patel, Co-founder & CEO – LendenClubLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhavinpatel2022/X: https://x.com/ptl_bhavin?lang=enFollow Us for More Stories:Website: www.showmedamani.comInstagram: @showmedamaniLinkedIn: ShowMeDamaniX: @showmedamaniWhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029ValxvDNChq6Rd5AbUQ3H Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xtO07c4PfYHX6RhJ1IkA2

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