Bengaluru: After announcing his
decision to go on a voluntary leave of absence until the end of March, BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover said in a statement on Wednesday that he would use the time off to think about the next phase of product development for BharatPe and the fintech’s path to profitability, apart from ‘investing’ in himself personally.

Grover has been in the midst of a controversy after an audio clip of his purported phone conversation with a

employee was leaked earlier this month. He did not address the controversy or the allegations around him in the statement.

“I’ve been relentlessly at work building up BharatPe for almost four years. After much deliberation and introspection, I plan to take a temporary leave of absence from BharatPe till March-end. I will return on or before April 1, 2022,” Grover said.

Also Read:
BharatPe’s Grover had a run-in with Sequoia’s managing director Sethi too

“I’ll be utilising this period to rejuvenate and refresh myself for our next sprint of value creation. I expect to spend the time thinking more deeply about the next phase of product development and BharatPe’s path to profitability and IPO. I will also double down on investing in myself personally. I am a builder and I know my energy is best spent in creating value for millions of Indians we serve each day,” he added.

BharatPe had earlier issued a statement that read, “For now, the board has accepted Ashneer’s decision, which we agree is in the best interests of the company, our employees and investors, and the millions of merchants we support each day. It said the company would continue to be led by chief executive Suhail Sameer, who was appointed to the post in August.

Stay on top of technology and startup news that matters. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest and must-read tech news, delivered straight to your inbox.