n May 2016, two young entrepreneurs, Deepak Modak and Abhishek Periwal, cofounders of online lending marketplace KountMoney, arrived at the offices of their larger rival Lendingkart in Bengaluru. Over the past year or so, the duo had built a promising venture, but in a market where funding was scarce and competition fierce, KountMoney needed help. Lendingkart had raised millions in funding (it would announce a $32 million tranche weeks after this meeting), and had ambitious growth plans.