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Nikhil Kamath
Indian businessman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nikhil Kamath (born 5 September 1986)[1] is an Indian entrepreneur and investor.[2] He is the co-founder of Zerodha, a retail stockbroker, and True Beacon, an asset management company.[3][4][5] As of March 2025, Kamath is worth $2.6 billion, according to Forbes.[6] He, along with his brother Nithin, is also part of Forbes' list of India’s 100 Richest for 2024.[7]
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Early life and education
Kamath was born on September 5, 1986, in Shimoga and was raised in a locality called Udyavara in Udupi, Karnataka. He was born into a culturally rich Konkani Speaking Gaud Saraswat Brahmin household.[8] Kamath's father, Raghuram Kamath, was an executive at Canara Bank, while his mother, Revathi Kamath, had her own event management company that managed major events for HP and Bosch at venues like Leela Palace and Windsor Manor.[9] Her landscaping work flourished as she completed projects for the Chinnaswamy Stadium and corporate clients like Intel, CBRE, and Citadel.[10] She also worked on high-end resorts and hospitals, executing projects worth crores.[11] Revathi was a skilled veena player apart from her professional life.[12] Kamath dropped out of school after 10th grade and he has no formal degree.[3][13][14][15]
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Career
Summarize
Perspective
Kamath started his career with a job at a call centre while also engaging in equity trading on the side.[16][17][18] In 2006, Kamath became a sub-broker and started his brokerage firm with his brother Nithin Kamath titled Kamath & Associates to manage high-net-worth individual portfolios in the public markets.[3]
In 2010, Kamath co-founded Zerodha along with his brother Nithin Kamath.[19][20] Zerodha provides brokerage services for dealing in stocks, currencies, and commodities.[21][22] Kamath introduced a discount brokerage model with Zerodha which reduces the commission charged for transactions.[23][24]
Kamath also co-founded True Beacon in 2020, an asset management company that manages investments for ultra-high-net-worth individuals in Indian markets through privately pooled investment vehicles.[25][5][26][27]
Gruhas is an investment firm co-founded in 2021 by Nikhil Kamath and Abhijeet Pai. The firm invests in early and growth-stage startups across sectors such as climate tech, consumer brands, senior care, sustainability, and PropTech. Gruhas has supported over 50 companies, including well-known names like IPEC, PMI Electro Mobility, and Ossus Bio Renewables.[28][29]
Gruhas operates two main funds—Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund (GCCF), which focuses on consumer brands, and the Earth Fund, launched in partnership with Brigade Group, which invests in sustainability and PropTech startups. The firm is also investing in emerging technologies such as hydrogen energy and brain-computer interface devices, with a focus on long-term innovation and impact.[30][31][32]
In March 2024, Kamath started hosting a podcast entitled "WTF is". As of Jan 2025, Kamath has hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bill Gates, Ted Sarandos, Neal Mohan, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Suniel Shetty, Ritesh Agarwal, Ronnie Screwvala, Bryan Johnson, Tanmay Bhat, and other public figures and entrepreneurs throughout the year.[33][34]
In June 2023, he committed to donating 50% of his wealth to charitable causes like climate change, education, and health care by signing The Giving Pledge.[35]
Nikhil Kamath, along with Ankit Nagori and Prashanth Prakash, owns the Bengaluru franchise for Season 2 of the Global E-Cricket Premier League (GEPL).[36]
Kamath has investments in consumer and sustainability-focused startups, including Licious[37], Nourish You[38], Pee Safe[39] Subko & Ather.[40] Kamath also has investments in InCred Holdings[41], RDC Concrete[42], GreenLine Mobility[43], Nazara Technology[44]. He recently bought 5% stake in D'yavol Spirits, founded by Shah Rukh and his son Aryan Khan.[45]
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Controversies
Buying a house after preaching renting
In October 2024, Kamath purchased his first residential property, which led to backlash on social media due to his prior public advocacy for renting over owning, emphasizing liquidity advantages.[46] People accused him of hypocrisy,[47] describing the move as a “U-turn”.[48]
Chess.com
In June 2021, Kamath participated in an online charity chess match against five-time world chess champion, Viswanathan Anand to raise funds in an event organised by Akshaya Patra and All India Chess Federation.[49][50][51] During the event, Nikhil Kamath was found guilty of using fraudulent means to defeat Viswanathan Anand.[52] Following the match, Chess.com, the virtual platform that was used to play the charity game, decided to ban his account.[53] Kamath later apologized, calling his behavior 'quite silly'.[54][55][56] However, his account was restored within 24 hours. The decision followed public comments by Viswanathan Anand, who stated that he had "moved on" from the incident.[57]
References
External links
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