NITHIN KAMATH
Co-founded Zerodha — India's largest stockbroker — and built it to $1B+ revenue entirely bootstrapped with zero external funding
Nithin Kamath built India's Robinhood before Robinhood existed. Zerodha launched in 2010 with a simple proposition: zero-commission equity trades in a country where brokers were charging 0.5-1% per trade. The Indian brokerage establishment laughed. Fifteen years later, Zerodha has more than 7 million active clients and generates over $1 billion in annual revenue. The company has never raised external funding. The Kamath brothers own nearly all of it. Nithin did this while also building Rainmatter, a fintech incubator that has funded dozens of Indian startups. He is the quiet brother, the systems thinker, and the reason Zerodha actually works.
Net Worth
$4.7 billion
Verified Sep 2026
Nationality
Indian
Time Horizon
Long-Term
Risk Appetite
5 / 10
Net Worth Context
- · Still a billionaire — just the quiet kind at the end of the table.
CAREER & BACKGROUND
Co-founded Zerodha with brother Nikhil Kamath in 2010 in Bangalore. Named it Zerodha (Zero + Rodha, Sanskrit for barrier).
Pioneered discount broking in India — charging zero commissions on equity delivery trades. Built the trading platform Kite in-house — one of the most acclaimed trading interfaces in India.
Zerodha now serves more than 7 million active clients and processes a double-digit share of India's daily retail equity trading volume. Annual revenue exceeds $1 billion with profit margins above 50%.
Never raised external capital. Founded Rainmatter, a fintech accelerator and fund that has backed dozens of startups including Smallcase, Learnapp, and Ditto Insurance.
Advocates for financial literacy and passive investing through Zerodha Varsity. A tightening of futures and options rules by the regulator in November 2024 hit Zerodha's core customer base and its revenue growth.
COMPANIES & ROLES
Zerodha (co-founder/CEO), Rainmatter (founder), Zerodha Varsity (financial education platform)
INVESTING STYLE & PHILOSOPHY
Nithin is a value-oriented, long-term investor who built his company the old-fashioned way — through profits, not fundraising. He advocates for passive investing and index funds for retail investors, which is ironic given that Zerodha makes money from active traders.
He is transparent about this contradiction and has said his goal is to help Indians invest better, even if that means some of them trade less. Through Rainmatter, he invests in early-stage Indian fintech startups.
THE PLAYBOOK
Risk Approach
Low to moderate. Nithin is the conservative brother.
He built Zerodha without leverage, without external capital, and without burning cash on growth. His business decisions prioritize sustainability over speed.
His personal investing philosophy is index-fund-heavy, which is about as low-risk as investing gets.
Money Habits
Lives in Bangalore. Known for a very modest lifestyle — drives a regular car, lives simply, and does not flaunt wealth.
He blogs extensively about investing, trading, and entrepreneurship on the Zerodha blog. He is open about his health journey post-stroke and advocates for work-life balance.
BIGGEST WIN
Building Zerodha into India's largest brokerage entirely organically. No external funding means no dilution — the Kamath brothers own nearly all of a company that has never needed to sell a share to an outside investor.
Revenue crossed $1 billion with margins above 50%. Zerodha is one of the most profitable fintech companies in the world, bootstrapped from zero.
BIGGEST MISTAKE
Health scare. Nithin had a mild stroke in January 2024, which he disclosed publicly six weeks later.
He attributed it to a combination of over-exercising, exhaustion, poor sleep and the death of his father. He has since spoken about the health costs of intense work and the importance of taking physical health seriously as an entrepreneur.
This was not a business mistake but a personal wake-up call that changed how he approaches work.
FINANCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Nithin believes in financial literacy as the foundation of wealth creation. He advocates for index investing for most people and active trading only for those who truly understand the risks.
He is philosophically opposed to the "growth at all costs" startup model and believes profitable businesses are better than funded ones. His motto: "be profitable from day one."
FAMILY & PERSONAL LIFE
Married to Seema Patil. Based in Bangalore.
His brother Nikhil is his closest business partner.
EDUCATION
Graduated from Bangalore Institute of Technology with a degree in electronics and telecommunications engineering. Born 5 October 1979 in Shivamogga, Karnataka, to a Konkani family.
Unlike his brother Nikhil, who left school after class 10, Nithin finished formal education — though he has said the market taught him more than any classroom.
BOOKS & RESOURCES
Coffee Can Investing by Saurabh Mukherjea, and his own Zerodha Varsity (a free comprehensive investing education platform)
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