In a world where trading felt like a rich man’s game, trapped by high fees, complex paperwork, and broker middlemen, Zerodha flipped the script as India’s first zero-brokerage platform, putting stock market power straight into everyday hands.
Founded in 2010 by self-taught trading brothers Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath from Bengaluru, this fintech disruptor made investing as simple as a few clicks with discount broking, sleek apps, and zero commissions on equity delivery.
In this blog, we’ll dive into the inspiring story of Zerodha and its founders.
About Zerodha
Zerodha kicked off back in 2010, started by two brothers from Bengaluru, Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, who were fed up with the old-school brokers charging ridiculous fees for every little trade.
They dreamed of making stock investing simple and cheap for regular folks like you and me, no fancy degrees or big bucks needed. With smart tech and a bootstrap mindset, they grew it into India’s top stockbroker.
The name Zerodha is a clever mash-up of “zero” and “rodha” from Sanskrit, meaning barrier which is spot on for their mission to smash down every obstacle standing between everyday Indians and the stock market.
Meet the Founders
Zerodha’s journey wouldn’t be what it is today without the vision of its founders. Let’s take a quick gander at the brains behind the brand!
- Nithin Kamath
Born into a middle-class family in Karnataka, with his dad grinding away at Canara Bank, Nithin grew up learning the value of discipline and got hooked on finance early on.
As a teen at Bangalore Institute of Technology, he dove headfirst into stock trading at just 17, but life threw him a curveball with the 2001-2002 market crash that wiped out around INR 5 lakhs of his capital. Undeterred, Nithin worked night shifts at a call center to keep funding his day trades.
By 2006, he’d gained real-world knowledge as a sub-broker at Reliance Money, spotting all the inefficiencies in the brokerage game firsthand.
He leveled up by managing portfolios for high-net-worth folks through his own outfit, Kamath & Associates, before teaming up with his brother Nikhil in 2010 to launch Zerodha.
- Nikhil Kamath
Nikhil Kamath was born on September 5, 1986, in Bangalore to a middle-class family. He dropped out after 10th grade, figuring traditional classrooms weren’t sparking that fire inside.
At just 17, he jumped into a call center gig pulling in about INR 8,000 a month, but on the side, he was already dipping toes into stock trading. By 2006, he’d teamed up with brother Nithin to kick off Kamath & Associates as sub-brokers.
That momentum carried them straight into co-founding Zerodha in 2010, offerings discount brokerage services.
Nikhil didn’t stop there, he co-founded True Beacon for asset management and Gruhas for venture capital, all while hosting his hit “WTF is” podcast, chatting about everything from business to big ideas.
He is also one of India’s youngest billionaire with a USD 2.6 Bn net worth. He also stepped up big in 2023 as one of India’s youngest to sign the Giving Pledge, vowing 50% his wealth to charity.
All You Can Do With Zerodha
Zerodha offers an online brokerage platform where anyone can build and track a solid investment mix without the usual headaches. Through their go-to apps Kite for trading and Console for oversight, consumers can dive into stocks, mutual funds, derivatives, bonds, ETFs, IPOs, and even NPS.
Their lineup further includes free equity delivery on over 5,000 NSE and BSE stocks, zero-commission direct mutual funds via Coin (over 2,000 options), futures and options trading, plus bonds, G-Secs, Sovereign Gold Bonds, and ETFs including their own fund house picks.
One can also indulge in IPOs seamlessly with UPI and for retirement, NPS is right there too.
Console and Kite pack portfolio analytics include showing your spread across assets, sectors, and caps (large, mid, small), a performance curve to stack against Nifty 50, easy tax reports, family views for up to 10 accounts, stock gifting, and tie-ins like Mprofit for XIRR or Sensibull for options strategies.
Zerodha’s Funding Journey
Zerodha has not raised any funding rounds yet.
Breaking Down Zerodha’s IPO
Zerodha stays firmly private with no IPO on the horizon, putting customer happiness first instead of chasing investor pressures. That said, they make it super easy for you to jump into other companies’ IPOs right through UPI on their Kite platform.
Afterword
Zerodha, driven by the Kamath brothers’ grit, has overcome the giants and empowered everyday traders. From Bengaluru roots to India’s No. 1 broker, it’s pure inspiration to break barriers and trade smarter!