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Hailing from Odisha with roots in Andhra Pradesh, Bhargavi Meenavalli’s journey through tech has been as multidimensional as her background. A student of NIT Bhopal, Bhargavi’s passion for problem-solving is evident in everything she does—from being an ardent tech-documenter in her free time to her work at Cashfree Payments, where as an SDE-2 she innovates and impacts key fintech infrastructure. Her story from being an intern at the company to becoming an accomplished software developer is marked by growth, mentorship, and seizing the ownership to make a mark in tech. In our first edition of Career Compass, where we track growth journeys in Cashfree Payments’ tech teams, we introduce Bhargavi’s story of finding the right environment to realise her tech aspirations.
Early beginnings
Reflecting on her early days at Cashfree Payments, where she was placed from campus, Bhargavi says the opportunity to work on full-fledged projects from the get-go left an impression on her. “This exposure helped me understand how industrial-level coding works and how features go into production,” she recalls.
Equipped with this experience, her time post-internship saw her rise swiftly to an SDE 2, where she works with the settlements team, managing high-scale operations and contributing to various cross-team projects. “I worked on features like wallets for refunds, invoices, and offline settlements. The mentorship from senior developers was invaluable in this journey,” she shares.
A culture of enablement
Similar to the experience of software developers on an ambitious growth path, mentorship played a crucial role in Bhargavi’s development. She fondly remembers her first significant project: “It was a feature to put settlements on hold for bulk merchants. My senior guided me through each step, ensuring I understood how front-end and back-end interactions work.” Bhargavi credits this structured approach for enabling her to grasp complex concepts, which developed her skills effectively. Critical ingredients for early-stage professionals.
Augmenting this mentorship is Cashfree Payments’ strong culture. “We work closely as a team to solve issues, and it’s never about individual tasks but collective problem-solving,” she explains. Bhargavi stresses that this supportive environment extends beyond work, with team lunches and outings fostering a family-like atmosphere.
Work that makes an impact
Nurtured by a collaborative team, Bhargavi’s contributions to Cashfree Payments have been significant. One notable project was the development of instant settlements, a feature that allows merchants to receive quick settlements, enhancing their cash flow. “We track the entire product life cycle from design to post-launch monitoring and evaluation. The instant settlements project generated revenue surpassing 10,000 crores. This gave me immense confidence and validated my capabilities as an engineer,” she says.
Her drive and passion further find the right fit with the plethora of platforms that Cashfree Payments provides to help engineers innovate. Our in-house hackathon is a flagship example. In 2023, Bhargavi and her team placed second in the event with their project, “PAISA” (Pre-approved Instant Settlements). But winning the hackathon was just the start of the journey. Bhargavi and her team’s project would go on to create real-time impact by being pushed to production as well. “The management instantly picked up the intention of our project, and it’s now partially implemented, with plans for further development,” she notes proudly. Bhargavi believes this culture of openness to innovation sets the teams at Cashfree Payments apart. “Initiatives like Ideas Innovation Week where the CTO interacts with the whole team makes us creative. It doesn’t matter where the idea comes from; as long as it is good, it gets implemented.
Nurturing future growth
Looking ahead, Bhargavi aspires to grow into a leadership role, guiding and mentoring other engineers similar to the support she received. “I see myself in an SDM or SDL position as I grow. I want to be an expert in back-end development and lead product development teams that leverage emerging tech,” she shares. Her journey is driven by a relentless pursuit of solving complex problems and making scalable, impactful solutions.
Bhargavi’s advice to aspiring engineers is also rooted in her own experience. “When I joined as an intern, I had no prior experience and was nervous. But the learning journey at Cashfree Payments has been amazing. The team here doesn’t judge you based on your experience. Instead, they trust you and give you the opportunity to work on features from day one. If you want to grow and learn end-to-end product development, this is the place,” she says.
From an intern to a full-time software developer handling critical projects, Bhargavi’s journey proves that when passion meets an empowering environment, the sky is the limit for where your career trajectory can take you.
If you are interested in joining our agile tech teams, explore our open roles here https://www.cashfree.com/careers/
