Deel vs Zerodha: Founders, CEOs and History
Deel was founded in 2019 by Alex Bouaziz, Shuo Wang and is led by Alex Bouaziz. Zerodha was founded in 2010 by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and is led by Nithin Kamath.
Company facts
Founders
Deel
Alex Bouaziz
Alex Bouaziz is Deel's co-founder and CEO. He started Deel in 2019 with Shuo Wang after experiencing first-hand how hard it was to hire and pay people across borders, took it through Y Combinator, and has led it from contractor payments to a full global HR and…
Shuo Wang
Shuo Wang is Deel's co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer. She leads Deel's go-to-market organization and has overseen its sales growth from early contractor-payment customers to more than 40,000 businesses worldwide. Shuo Wang was born in 1989.
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
Deel
- Alex Bouaziz2019–present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
As co-founder and CEO, he capitalized heavily on the pandemic-driven remote work boom, driving the company to $500 million in ARR faster than almost any SaaS startup in history.
Source - Shuo Wang2019–present
Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer
As co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer, she oversees the aggressive global sales operations that allowed Deel to consistently double its revenue year-over-year.
Source - Philippe Bouaziz2019–present
Executive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer
As CFO during Deel's hyper-growth phase, he managed the massive venture capital influx, including the $425 million Series D that valued the company at $12 billion.
Source - Joe Kauffman2025–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he manages the massive cross-border payment flows and foreign exchange risk inherent in processing billions of dollars in global contractor payroll.
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: Deel 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.
2019Deel
Deel founded; joins Y Combinator W19
Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang launch Deel for compliant international contractor payments.
2019Zerodha
Largest Broker by Active Clients
Zerodha became the largest retail stockbroker in India by active clients in 2019.
2020Deel
Series A and B
$14M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz (May) and $30M Series B led by Spark Capital (September) as remote hiring took off.
2021Deel
$1.25B Series C, then $5.5B Series D
$156M Series C in April; $425M Series D led by Coatue in October.
2021Deel
Acquired Zeitgold
Deel acquired Zeitgold.
2022Deel
$12B valuation; Legalpad acquired; $295M ARR
Series D extension in May; ARR reached $295M by year-end.
2023Deel
PayGroup completed; free Deel HR
Closed the PayGroup acquisition and launched a free global HRIS.
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.
2024Deel
Hofy and Zavvy; $800M ARR
Launched Deel IT after buying Hofy; reached $800M run rate in December.
2024Zerodha
Margin trading facility launched
Zerodha began offering margin trading funding in December 2024.
2025Deel
Rippling lawsuit; $1B ARR; $17.3B Series E
Rippling sued in March; Safeguard Global payroll deal in March; $1B ARR in June; $300M Series E in October; Joe Kauffman named CFO in November.
2026Deel
DOJ probe reported; $1.5B ARR; Clarity acquired
WSJ reported a DOJ criminal probe in January; Deel passed $1.5B ARR in H1 and bought Clarity in August.
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
Deel
- Clarity2026Undisclosed
- Safeguard Global (enterprise payroll division)2025Undisclosed
- Hofy2024Undisclosed
- PayGroup2023Undisclosed
- Legalpad2022Undisclosed
- Zeitgold2021Undisclosed
Questions about Deel vs Zerodha
Who is the CEO of Deel, Inc. and Zerodha?
Deel, Inc. is led by Alex Bouaziz 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 Deel, Inc. founded vs Zerodha?
Zerodha was founded in 2010 — 9 years before Deel, Inc., which was founded in 2019. Zerodha's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Deel, Inc..
How many employees does Deel, Inc. have compared to Zerodha?
Deel, Inc. employs approximately 9,600 people, while Zerodha employs approximately 1,100. Deel, Inc. has the larger workforce at 9,600 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 Deel, Inc. and Zerodha headquartered?
Deel, Inc. is headquartered in United States and Zerodha is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Deel, Inc. and Zerodha?
Deel, Inc. was founded by Alex Bouaziz, Shuo Wang. Zerodha was founded by Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath.
Which company has a longer operating history — Deel, Inc. or Zerodha?
Zerodha has been operating for approximately 16 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Deel, Inc. has been in operation for around 7 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 Deel vs Zerodha overview