Background verification

In 2016, a small fintech firm in Mumbai hired its first ten employees in a hurry after a funding round. Two months later, one of them left without notice — taking sensitive client data along. That incident became a turning point for the founder. Speed had helped the business grow, but it had also left…

Walk down any busy Indian street today and you’ll notice a change that wasn’t there even a decade ago. The vegetable vendor at the corner still sells fresh bhindi, but the delivery rider parked next to him is carrying groceries for an app-based order. A young man with a bright-orange bag rushes to hand over…

In most boardrooms, the discussion of fraud revolves around high-dollar risks—financial fraud, data theft, or cyber breaches. But under the radar is a quieter, insidious drain on corporate coffers: payroll fraud. Of its many varieties, the most subtle and pernicious is the fabrication of “ghost employees.” A ghost employee is not a spooky apparition haunting…

Trust in India has always been deeply personal. For decades, a kirana owner hired staff because a neighbour vouched for them. A family chose a domestic help based on word-of-mouth from the colony. Even large businesses leaned heavily on personal networks and references. Formal verification was rare, expensive, and considered necessary only in the highest…