Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, has become a household name in the Indian finance world. At just 38 years old, he has built one of the country’s largest stockbroking firms and carved out a niche for himself as a successful entrepreneur. However, Kamath’s journey to the top is anything but conventional, marked by rebellion, risk-taking, and relentless learning. Kamath’s entrepreneurial journey began long before Zerodha, during his teenage years. In a candid conversation with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky, Kamath revealed his disdain for traditional schooling. “I hated school. Always did,” he admitted, describing himself as a rebellious child who often went against the grain. By the age of 15 or 16, Kamath had stopped attending school altogether. His first brush with business came in the 9th grade when he stumbled upon an opportunity to buy and sell cell phones. He started small—selling a single phone for a profit and reinvesting the earnings to grow his side hustle. The venture thrived until his mother discovered his activities and brought it to an abrupt halt by flushing the phones down the toilet. While short-lived, this early experience revealed Kamath’s entrepreneurial streak—a passion that would eventually lead him to co-found Zerodha with his brother, Nithin Kamath, and rise to India’s youngest billionaires. Dropping out of school at a young age brought its own set of challenges. Kamath candidly shared his insecurities during this time, particularly as he watched his peers pursue college degrees. “I was a fairly insecure young boy because my classmates of the time were in college,” he said. To cope with this insecurity, Kamath immersed himself in self-education. “To overcompensate for that insecurity, I would read whatever I could get my hands on,” he explained. Kamath attributes much of his success to the lessons he learned through failure. “I’ve learned everything I have learned only through failure,” he told Roslansky, adding that success often leads to complacency. Reflecting on his path, Kamath highlighted the importance of setbacks in honing resilience and adaptability. For him, each failure was an opportunity to learn and grow, ultimately shaping the innovative mindset that drives Zerodha’s success today. As Kamath puts it: “Success doesn’t teach much outside of creating an ecosystem where it is easier for you to get complacent.” For this self-made billionaire, the journey of learning and growth never stops—a lesson that resonates far beyond the world of finance.
