Nikhil Kamath is an Indian entrepreneur and YouTuber, notable for his role as the co-founder of Zerodha and True Beacon. He was born on September 5, 1986, in Shimoga, Karnataka, Kamath’s journey to success is marked by a series of entrepreneurial ventures and a commitment to philanthropy.
Nikhil Kamath was born into a Brahmin Hindu family. His father, Raghuram Kamath, has retired from Canara Bank, and his mother, Revathi Kamath, is an environmentalist as well as a skilled Veena player.
Nikhil Kamath’s formal education ended after 10th grade, and he began his career working in a call center while trading equities on the side. In 2006, he and his brother Nithin Kamath launched Kamath & Associates, a brokerage firm focusing on high-net-worth individuals.
In 2010, Nikhil Nikhil and Nithin Kamath co-founded Zerodha, a retail stockbroker that introduced a discount brokerage model, reducing transaction commissions and making investing more accessible. Zerodha’s innovative approach quickly gained traction, establishing it as a leading brokerage firm in India. Zerodha, a Bangalore-based discount brokerage firm, has disrupted the Indian brokerage market and boasts 10 million clients.
On April 18, 2019, he married Amanda Puravankara in a beautiful ceremony in Florence, Italy. However, their marriage didn’t last long, and the couple divorced within a year.
In 2020, Nikhil Kamath co-founded True Beacon, an asset management company aimed at helping ultra-high-net-worth individuals invest in Indian markets through private pooled investment vehicles. The company’s focus is on providing tailored investment strategies for its clients.
Nikhil Kamath also co-founded Gruhas in 2021, a real estate investments and prop tech company, which invests in incubators, startups, and special situations via its proptech-focused fund.
In March 2023, Nikhil Kamath launched the ‘WTF is’ podcast, where he interviews prominent public figures and entrepreneurs. His guests have included Tanmay Bhat, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Suniel Shetty, Ritesh Agarwal, and Ronnie Screwvala.
Nikhil Kamath made headlines in June 2023 when he pledged to donate 50% of his wealth to charitable causes such as climate change, education, and healthcare, by signing The Giving Pledge.
He also participated in an online charity chess match against Viswanathan Anand in June 2021, which was marred by controversy due to cheating allegations. Nikhil Kamath later apologized for his actions, and his Chess.com account was briefly banned before being restored.
As of 2023, Nikhil Kamath is listed among Forbes billionaires and continues to influence the financial and philanthropic sectors through his various ventures and initiatives. He is India’s youngest billionaire. As of August 17, 2024, his net worth stands at $3.1 billion.