'My mind is at about 85%': Zerodha's Nithin Kamath opens up on life after stroke

Fourteen months after a health scare that shook even the startup world’s toughest, Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath has offered an honest update on his recovery journey. Known for his disciplined lifestyle and commitment to fitness, Kamath is still working his way back after a mild stroke in January 2024.

“My body is almost back to normal, and my mind is at about 85%. My writing hasn’t improved at all. Maybe because I don’t practice enough. My speech is, well… about 85%,” he shared in a recent post on X, laying bare the quiet, ongoing challenges behind his return to normalcy.

Kamath first disclosed the stroke in February 2024, six weeks after it happened. “Around 6 weeks ago, I had a mild stroke out of the blue. Dad passing away, poor sleep, exhaustion, dehydration, and overworking out — any of these could be possible reasons,” he wrote at the time.

The early symptoms were unmistakable—facial drooping, an inability to read or write, and moments of mental fog. Over time, those eased. “I've gone from having a big droop in the face and not being able to read or write to having a slight droop but being able to read and write more. From being absent-minded to more present-minded,” he said, adding that full recovery could take another few months.

Doctors attributed the stroke to a combination of risk factors: emotional stress from the death of his father, disrupted sleep patterns, excessive workouts, dehydration, and sheer physical exhaustion. Together, these created the conditions for an ischemic stroke—a blockage of blood flow to the brain.

Even Kamath, who has long championed fitness and discipline, admitted he was caught off guard. “I wondered why a person who's fit and takes care of himself could be affected. The doctor said you need to know when you need to shift the gears down a bit. Slightly broken, but still getting my treadmill count.”