CRED vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
CRED was founded in 2018 by Kunal Shah and is led by Miten Sampat (interim CEO). Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Founders
CRED
Kunal Shah
Kunal Shah founded CRED in 2018 with a highly contrarian premise: instead of building financial products for the unbanked masses, he focused exclusively on the top 1% of India's most creditworthy individuals.
Zerodha
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.…
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…
CEOs and their tenures
CRED
- Kunal Shah2018–2026
Founder & CEO
Philosophy graduate of Wilson College and co-founder of FreeCharge; left CRED in June 2026 to become global head of WhatsApp at Meta.
Source - Miten Sampat2026–present
Interim Chief Executive Officer
As a key executive and former Times Internet executive, he drives the incredibly complex monetization strategy of the platform, attempting to justify its massive multi-billion dollar valuation.
Source
Zerodha
- Nithin Kamath2010–present
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Zerodha since founding and publishes regular updates on its finances and risks.
Source - Nikhil Kamath2010–present
Co-Founder
As Co-Founder, he acts as the absolute financial mastermind, managing the incredibly profitable proprietary trading and investment arms of the massive, bootstrapped unicorn.
Source - Kailash Nadh2013–present
Chief Technology Officer
As the legendary CTO, he built an absolutely world-class, ultra-lean engineering team capable of processing millions of concurrent trades with virtually zero downtime, severely crippling legacy banking rivals.
Source
Timeline: CRED and Zerodha side by side
2010Zerodha
Zerodha founded in Bengaluru
Nithin and Nikhil Kamath started operations on 15 August 2010.
2015Zerodha
Free equity delivery and Kite
Zerodha dropped brokerage on delivery trades and moved clients to its own Kite platform.
2018CRED
Kunal Shah starts Dreamplug Technologies in Bengaluru and launches CRED, raising a reported $30 million seed round.
2019CRED
Raises a $120 million Series B led by Ribbit Capital.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
2020CRED
Becomes an official IPL partner and launches CRED Cash personal credit lines.
2021CRED
Becomes a unicorn with a $215 million Series D at $2.2 billion, then a $251 million Series E at $4.01 billion; acquires HipBar and Happay.
2022CRED
Raises $140 million Series F led by GIC at a $6.4 billion valuation; acquires CreditVidya and takes a minority stake in LiquiLoans.
2023Zerodha
Zerodha 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.
2024CRED
Acquires wealth platform Kuvera in February; FY24 revenue rises 66% to ~$287 million (₹2,473 crore).
2024Zerodha
Margin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
2025CRED
Raises $72 million led by GIC in May at about $3.5 billion, a down round from its 2022 peak.
2026CRED
Reports FY25 revenue of ~$317 million (₹2,735 crore); in June, Meta leads a $900 million Series H at about $4.5 billion, Kunal Shah joins Meta to lead WhatsApp and Miten Sampat becomes interim CEO.
2026Zerodha
FY26 profit of ~$497 million (₹4,283 crore)
Profit rose about 1.2% while revenue stayed roughly flat.
2026Zerodha
Merchant banking registration
Zerodha Corporate Advisors received a Category-I merchant banking registration from SEBI.
Acquisitions
CRED
- Kuvera (BaralMusk Technology)2024Undisclosed
- CreditVidya2022Undisclosed
- Happay2021$180M
- HipBar2021Undisclosed
Questions about CRED vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of CRED and Zerodha?
CRED is led by Miten Sampat (interim CEO) and Zerodha is led by Nithin Kamath. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was CRED founded vs Zerodha?
Zerodha was founded in 2010 — 8 years before CRED, which was founded in 2018. Zerodha's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger CRED.
How many employees does CRED have compared to Zerodha?
CRED employs approximately 1,200 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. CRED has the larger workforce at 1,200 employees, compared to Zerodha's 1,100. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are CRED and Zerodha headquartered?
Both CRED and Zerodha are headquartered in India. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded CRED and Zerodha?
CRED was founded by Kunal Shah. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — CRED or Zerodha?
Zerodha has been operating for approximately 16 years, making it the more established of the two companies. CRED has been in operation for around 8 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the CRED vs Zerodha overview