Zerodha, India's leading online stockbroker, has announced the launch of Varsity Live, an innovative program aimed at revolutionizing financial education. This initiative goes beyond traditional learning methods, offering an interactive "learn by doing" experience for aspiring traders and investors.
The announcement comes from Nithin Kamath, Zerodha's founder and CEO, who shared his vision on X. He credited the success of Zerodha Varsity, the company's existing free educational platform, to its high-quality content and open access.
Launched in 2014, Varsity has become a go-to resource for millions, boasting over 15 comprehensive modules, millions of website hits, and a thriving community with over 1 lakh comments and 400,000 YouTube subscribers. The mobile app has also seen significant traction with over 2 million downloads.
"We've solved the problem of providing high-quality and free content for everyone," says Kamath. However, he acknowledges a lingering gap – the lack of interactivity in traditional learning methods. This, he suggests, might be a contributing factor to the popularity of "scammy seminars" that promise financial knowledge.
Despite the massive success of Varsity, Kamath acknowledged a lingering gap: "While we've solved the problem of providing high-quality and free content for everyone, the one problem that remained was an interactive learning experience."
Varsity Live seeks to bridge this gap by offering an engaging and practical learning experience. Instead of passively listening to lectures, participants can actively apply their learnings alongside experts.
"Instead of just listening to experts, you can learn by doing with them. For example, you can apply indicators when learning about technical analysis or analyze a balance sheet when learning about fundamental analysis," he added.
For instance, while learning about technical analysis, users can practice applying indicators to real-world scenarios. Similarly, fundamental analysis sessions might involve analyzing a balance sheet with guidance from instructors.
While details regarding specific courses and instructors haven't been released, Kamath's announcement has generated significant buzz in the financial education space.