As Told To Vishwaveer Singh

Why he matters: The startup maven has come a long way, today rubbing shoulders with the likes of President Biden and Prime Minister Modi, while managing one of the country’s largest stock trading operations. His close friend and business partner, Richard Pattle, shares his thoughts on what makes Nikhil Kamath tick and turn everything he touches to gold.

My life runs primarily on serendipity, and that’s how I met Nikhil Kamath socially in Bengaluru four years ago. It was immediately clear that he was no ordinary entrepreneur, and we quickly became friends. Nikhil asked me to co-found True Beacon, an asset management firm, with him and his brother, Nithin, and we’ve forged an equally fun and rewarding professional journey thereon.

For me, Nikhil has three stand-out qualities: trust and loyalty, community building and giving back, and empowering those around him. As an intellectual and analytical person, Nikhil often speaks less and listens more! But to family, friends and colleagues, he’s fiercely loyal, in addition to being a first-class sounding board. He always gives practical and well-thought-out advice and has an innate ability to predict trends and seize business and philanthropic opportunities.

Nikhil and Nithin are hugely modest, but they’re clearly two of India’s most respected young entrepreneurs. They recognise that they have been immensely fortunate and have a true passion for making a real difference. Besides starting a nonprofit foundation in support of climate action, Rainmatter, Nikhil is also a founding member of the Young India Philanthropic Pledge and recently committed to give away at least half his wealth under the Giving Pledge. This dedication towards making an impact and improving the lives of people uses the same entrepreneurial spirit that founded Zerodha.

Finally, Nikhil’s ethos of empowering people is at the heart of everything he does and commands immense respect and loyalty from his team.

Nikhil has also given me the chance to be an entrepreneur in India, and we’ve both massively enjoyed building a huge community of clients and friends. It’s been inspiring to learn from him. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for Nikhil!

Cover Photo credit: Ashish Chawla

To see who else is on the list, grab the copy of HELLO! India’s August 2023 issue right here!