‘If this is going to be new India...’: Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath finds lessons in young talent

Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, believes there is much to gain from engaging with the country’s brightest young minds rather than spending time in traditional meetings. “If this is going to be new India, India is going to be just fine,” Kamath said, after a day-long session with young entrepreneurs.

Reflecting on his experience, Kamath wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “The big takeaway from a full day with India's brightest under age 25 is that I feel like an idiot (need to stop running around doing random meetings and spend more time with these guys). This generation is soo much smarter than mine.” He concluded his post with a light-hearted note: “Happy Valentine’s Day everyone ❤️.”

Kamath’s interaction was part of the second cohort launch for his Nikhil Kamath-led WTFund, unveiled on February 13. The initiative features 22 promising founders under the age of 25, selected to receive up to ₹20 lakh in grants, along with mentorship and strategic guidance to help scale their early-stage startups. WTFund aims to support young innovators in turning their ideas into impactful ventures. 

His thoughts struck a chord with many online. Amit Misra, CEO of Dazeinfo, responded, “Absolutely! This generation is a powerhouse of ideas and ambition. India’s future looks incredibly bright!”

“The entrepreneurial energy in India is unbelievable. Every street has so many stories to tell,” commented one user, while another raised a pertinent question, “The bigger question is would India be able to provide them a platform to succeed and a decent ecosystem for them to thrive, or would they just go abroad?”

Not everyone stuck to business. One user remarked, “Wish we had smart ppl in politics. This country would transform in 5 years.”