CashKaro co-founder on managing kidney transplant during Rs 130 crore fundraise

Entrepreneur Swati Bhargava, co-founder of CashKaro and EarnKaro, has opened up about how she continued working and raising funds for her business even as she battled a serious health crisis.

In a video documenting different milestones of her life, Bhargava traced her journey from Ambala, a small town in Haryana, to working at Goldman Sachs and eventually becoming an entrepreneur. "I am from Ambala. It's a small town, but I always had big dreams," she said.

She received a scholarship to study in Singapore, where she completed Classes 11 and 12. She then secured another scholarship to study at the London School of Economics. After completing her education, she worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs for five years.

She subsequently ventured into entrepreneurship with her husband, Rohan. The couple started their business in the UK before expanding to India, where they built CashKaro and EarnKaro.

Speaking about her 20-year professional journey, Bhargava said she had made her share of mistakes and learnt several lessons along the way. She also spoke about the challenges of building CashKaro, including fundraising and pitching the business to industrialist Ratan Tata, from whom the company secured investment. CashKaro has raised Rs 250 crore so far, she revealed.

However, her entrepreneurial journey also coincided with a particularly difficult phase in her personal life. Bhargava revealed that she underwent a kidney transplant four years ago, while the company was raising funds for its Series C round.

At the time, she was raising Rs 130 crore for the business even as her kidney function had dropped to just 3-4 per cent and her haemoglobin levels stood at 5.5.

"On one hand, I was raising Rs 130 crore for my business and, on the other hand, my kidney was working at 3-4 per cent and my haemoglobin was 5.5, and I still used to work as normal," she said.

Through the video, Bhargava said she wanted to share the lessons, mistakes and experiences from her journey to help others navigate their own professional and entrepreneurial paths. One of her biggest learnings, she added, was to trust the universe and believe that it had her back.I've been making content for a while, but thought I'd properly introduce myself: From Ambala to @GoldmanSachs & eventually building @Cashkarocom & @Earn_Karo. I'm Swati Bhargava & my journey has taught me that life rarely goes as planned. Here to share my lessons with you all https://t.co/WFolLvVBVV— Swati Bhargava (@Swats26) November 4, 2026

Several social media users responded to her post by saying they were inspired by her journey and wishing her good luck as she shares more of her experiences.- Ends