Zerodha
Company History
Zerodha History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2010 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
When was Zerodha founded?
Zerodha was founded in 2010 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India by Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath, making it 16 years old.
- Founded
- 2010
- Founding place
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Founders
- Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath
- Headquarters today
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Milestones documented
- 7 (2010–2026)
- Current CEO
- Nithin Kamath
- Acquisitions
- 1
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Zerodha founded in Bengaluru |
| 2015 | Free equity delivery and Kite |
| 2019 | Largest Broker by Active Clients |
| 2023 | Zerodha Fund House launches its first funds |
| 2024 | Margin trading facility launched |
| 2026 | FY26 profit of ~$497 million (₹4,283 crore) |
| 2026 | Merchant banking registration |
- Where was Zerodha founded?
- Zerodha was founded in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India in 2010.
- Who founded Zerodha?
- Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath.
- When did Zerodha start?
- Zerodha was founded in 2010.
- How old is Zerodha?
- Zerodha is 16 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Nithin Kamath began trading in his teens and spent years combining a call-centre job with trading and later sub-broking in Bengaluru. He and his younger brother Nikhil saw that traditional brokers charged a percentage of trade value even though execution cost the same regardless of order size. They started Zerodha on 15 August 2010, naming it after 'zero' and 'rodha', the Sanskrit word for barrier. The firm charged a flat fee per trade, built its own trading software, and in 2015 made equity delivery trades free. It grew through referrals rather than advertising and has funded itself from profits ever since.
Founders
Nithin Kamath
Nithin Kamath co-founded Zerodha in 2010. Having started day trading at age 17 and suffering massive losses during the 2001 dot-com crash and 2008 financial crisis, he was deeply furious at the astronomically high brokerage fees charged by legacy Indian banks. He bootstrapped Zerodha with zero venture capital to build India's first true discount brokerage. Nithin Kamath was born in 1979. Kamath was born on October 5, 1979.
Nikhil Kamath
Nikhil Kamath co-founded Zerodha in 2010. A highly skilled, aggressive day trader who dropped out of school at age 14, he provided the absolute critical trading expertise to ensure the platform catered perfectly to high-volume derivative traders, who generate the vast majority of the firm's massive profits. Kamath was born on September 5, 1986. He also co-founded the asset management company True Beacon. Nikhil Kamath was born in 1986.
Key Milestones
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFree equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLargest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgZerodha Fund House launches its first funds
After announcing a mutual fund joint venture with smallcase in April 2023, Zerodha Fund House opened its first two passive index funds, with the offer period running to November 3, 2023.
Source: businesstoday.inMargin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
Source: entrackr.comFY26 profit of ~$497 million (₹4,283 crore)
Profit rose about 1.2% while revenue stayed roughly flat.
Source: entrackr.comMerchant banking registration
Zerodha Corporate Advisors received a Category-I merchant banking registration from SEBI.
Source: businessworld.inMajor Acquisitions
PensionBox
2026Majority stake (51%) by Rainmatter in digital pension platform.
Keep researching Zerodha
Zerodha Company History FAQ
When, where, and how was Zerodha originally founded?
Zerodha was founded on August 15, 2010, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, by brothers Nithin and Nikhil Kamath to eliminate high percentage commissions in retail stockbroking.
What does the name 'Zerodha' mean?
The name is a fusion of the English word 'Zero' and the Sanskrit word 'Rodha' (meaning barrier or obstacle), symbolizing the founders' mission to remove barriers to financial trading.
How did Zerodha disrupt the Indian stockbroking industry in 2010?
Zerodha introduced India's first discount broking model, replacing traditional percentage-based fees (0.5% per trade) with a flat fee of ₹20 per trade regardless of transaction size.
When did Zerodha launch its flagship Kite trading platform?
Zerodha launched Kite in 2015, a lightweight, minimalist HTML5 and mobile trading platform engineered in-house that delivered ultra-fast execution and real-time market data streaming.
When did Zerodha introduce zero-brokerage equity investing?
In December 2015, Zerodha made long-term equity delivery investments completely free (₹0 brokerage), sparking exponential adoption among millennial and first-time retail investors.
How did Zerodha become India's largest stockbroker without raising venture capital?
Zerodha never raised external venture capital or spent on television advertisements, relying entirely on word-of-mouth referrals, organic community trust, and free educational portals.
What is Varsity and how did it drive Zerodha's growth?
Launched by Karthik Rangappa, Zerodha Varsity is an extensive, free financial education platform with modules covering stock markets, technical analysis, and options, acting as an organic acquisition funnel.
When did Zerodha launch its own mutual fund asset management business?
In 2023, Zerodha partnered with fintech firm Smallcase to launch Zerodha Fund House, an asset management company (AMC) offering low-cost, passive index funds and ETFs.
Related Companies
Compare Zerodha History With Competitors
Related Strategic History
Compare founding milestones and corporate evolution
Explore Zerodha
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.