Explore Nikhil Kamath’s success story — from leaving school at 16 to co-founding Zerodha and becoming India’s youngest self-made billionaire.
Rashmeet Kaur Chawla
Ever sat in class thinking, “Why am I learning this?”
Some people follow systems. Others test them.
As a teenager, Nikhil Kamath belonged to the second kind. He didn’t set out to rebel or prove a point — he simply couldn’t follow rules that didn’t make sense. And in a world obsessed with degrees and credentials, that instinct to question everything would later define his entire career.
Raised in a middle-class Konkani family in Karnataka, Kamath grew up in a home that balanced logic and creativity. His father worked in banking, while his mother was a veena artist and event organizer, a combination that exposed him early to both discipline and imagination, as profiled by Forbes India.
But school? School never clicked.
At just 17, Kamath made the decision that would define his life — he dropped out after Class 10, a move documented later by Business Standard.
The fallout was immediate.
Family pressure.
Social judgment.
That quiet, gnawing doubt: What if they’re right? What if I’ve made a mistake?
There was no safety net.
Kamath took a job at a call centre, trading stocks on the side and teaching himself what textbooks never could. He even experimented with buying and selling second-hand mobile phones — a small venture shut down by his mother, but one that sparked a lifelong entrepreneurial instinct.
The world said: Without a degree, you’re nothing.
Kamath thought: What if the degree is the distraction?
“Education may open doors, but curiosity breaks down walls.”
“If you’ve hired someone, let them do the job,” Kamath often says — a belief rooted in trust and autonomy. That same philosophy shaped Zerodha, the fintech giant he co-founded with his brother Nithin Kamath.
At a time when Indian brokerage firms thrived on high fees, opacity, and jargon, the Kamath brothers flipped the model entirely. Zerodha introduced zero brokerage on investments, flat trading fees, and clean, intuitive technology — making stock market participation accessible to everyday Indians, as reported by The Economic Times.
His most unconventional decisions stood out even more:
The logic was simple.
Trust isn’t bought. It’s earned.
Today, Zerodha serves over 12 million active clients and commands more than 15% of India’s retail trading volume, according to data from the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE).
What began as a rebellion against legacy finance became a reformation — proof that independence, transparency, and fairness could outperform incumbents with decades of head starts.
Kamath didn’t stop with Zerodha.
His next venture, True Beacon, extended the same philosophy into asset management. The firm operates on a zero management fee model, earning only when its investors do — aligning performance directly with trust.
According to Mint, True Beacon delivered a ~22.3% CAGR in its early years, quietly challenging conventional wealth management norms.
Through Gruhas, Kamath expanded into real estate and startup investing, backing 50+ ventures and contributing to the creation of 2,500+ jobs by 2024, as covered by Forbes India.
And his influence extends far beyond finance.
Through his podcast WTF is with Nikhil Kamath, he dismantles elitist narratives with long-form, honest conversations — asking uncomfortable questions rather than offering curated answers.
As the youngest Indian signatory to The Giving Pledge, Kamath has committed 50% of his wealth to philanthropy, focusing on education, healthcare, and climate action.
His initiatives, including WTFund and Earth Fund, have already directed over ₹300 crore toward sustainability and social-impact projects.
The teenager once told he’d “amount to nothing” without a degree is now building systems that create opportunity for others who feel the same — uncertain, uncredentialed, but deeply curious.
That early doubt — Am I making a mistake? — never fully disappeared.
Kamath answered it the only way that mattered: by building something undeniable.
He didn’t wait for permission.
He didn’t chase validation.
He proved that practical intelligence and relentless curiosity can outperform credentials the world worships.
Today, he’s one of India’s youngest billionaires, as listed by Forbes India’s Billionaires 2024, co-founder of a financial empire, and a global philanthropist.
But his real challenge isn’t to institutions — it’s to the hierarchy of legitimacy itself.
“Genius is not measured by certificates, but by courage — and the willingness to learn, unlearn, and build responsibly.”
The world will always ask: Where did you study? Who do you know?
True challengers answer differently.
They don’t fit in.
They redefine what fitting in means.
Nikhil Kamath turned an outsider’s doubt into a strategist’s edge — rejecting the classroom, but never the pursuit of knowledge.
He built a billion-dollar ecosystem on inclusion, transparency, and trust — not because it was easy, but because it was right.
The question isn’t whether you have a degree.
The real question is: do you have the courage to build without one?
Who is Nikhil Kamath?
Nikhil Kamath is the co-founder of Zerodha, India's largest stock broker, and True Beacon, an asset management company. A school dropout turned billionaire, he is known for disrupting the Indian fintech space and is the youngest Indian signatory of "The Giving Pledge."
Did Nikhil Kamath drop out of school?
Yes, Nikhil Kamath dropped out of school after Class 10 at the age of 17. He felt the traditional education system did not suit him and chose to start working at a call center while teaching himself stock trading.
What is unique about Zerodha's business model?
Zerodha disrupted the Indian market by offering a "zero brokerage" model for equity delivery investments and a flat fee for intraday trading. It is also unique for being completely bootstrapped (no external investors) and relying on zero advertising, growing entirely through word-of-mouth and product quality.
What is the "Giving Pledge" that Nikhil Kamath signed?
The Giving Pledge is a global commitment by the world's wealthiest individuals to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. Nikhil Kamath is the youngest Indian to sign the pledge, committing 50% of his wealth to philanthropy, including climate change and education initiatives.
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