Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath becomes youngest philanthropist in Hurun India’s list, donations cross Rs 100 crore 

Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, has become the youngest philanthropist featured in the EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024. Kamath’s contributions through the Rainmatter Foundation amount to an impressive Rs 120 crore, placing him among the top young philanthropists in India. 

Nikhil Kamath along with his brother Nitin Kamath (45) ranked 15 on the list of Philanthropists, who donated more than Rs 100 crore – EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024, which features Shiv Nadar, Ambani and Adani. 

The EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024 has revealed a remarkable surge in charitable donations across the country with a collective donation of Rs 8,783 crore by 203 philanthropists, marking an impressive 55 percent increase in donations compared to two years ago.  

The EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024 saw significant milestones in India’s charitable landscape with 18 philanthropists donated over Rs 100 crore annually — a tenfold increase from 2019, while 30 philanthropists donated over Rs 50 crore (a 125 percent increase from 2019) and 61 philanthropists donated over Rs 20 crore marking a 128 percent jump from five years ago. 

Mumbai remained the city with the highest concentration of philanthropists in the list, accounting for 30 percent of the total philanthropists followed by New Delhi at 19 percent and Bengaluru at 9 percent.  

There is a notable increase in self-made philanthropists with 109 new self-made individuals featured this year — up by 43 from last year. 

Kamath, who is also known for his investment bets, now wants to invest in nuclear power startups and wants people in India doing anything interesting in the space to connect with him. 

“So, we invested in electric scooters, then EV buses, then trucks, hydrogen and solar rooftops. While a lot is changing in terms of adoption, the pace is slow, now smart money/hedge funds seem to be betting against the green economy? What are we missing? Also, anyone in India doing anything interesting in nuclear power, please connect…,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post on November 6.