Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, has become India's youngest pledger for "The Giving Pledge", an initiative started by famous investors Warren Buffet and Bill Gates
Nikhil Kamath is also the fourth Indian after Azim Premji, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Rohini and Nandan Nilekani to take the pledge. Members of this charitable foundation contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes
Kamath, who is worth $3.45 billion as per Forbes, intends to support causes like climate change, energy, education, and health
"Despite my age, I am committed to positively impacting the world and believe that The Giving Pledge's mission of creating a more equitable society aligns with my values and aspirations," said Nikhil Kamath in his letter of commitment
The 35-year-old's own foundation Young Indian Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP) collaborates with leaders from the startup ecosystem to give away at least 25 per cent of their net worth to philanthropic causes
According to ‘IIFL Wealth Hurun India 40 & Under Self-Made Rich List 2022’, with a wealth of Rs 17,500 crore, Nikhil Kamath topped the self-made rich list of individuals under 40 years
In March, Nikhil Kamath and his brother Nithin met Bill Gates for breakfast during his India trip. On his Twitter account, Nikhil posted a photo of the Kamath brothers standing with the co-founder of Microsoft and said, “Breakfast with the man who knows everything about everything.”
In FY22, the Kamath brothers increased their donation by 300 per cent to Rs 100 crore making them the ninth-largest individual givers in India, the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2022 revealed
In an interview in December, Kamath said he is taking a conservative approach while managing his personal portfolio with only 40 per cent of the total portfolio invested in equity
In addition to 'The Giving Pledge' and YIPP, Nikhil Kamath is actively involved with various other organisations and foundations, including Rainmatter, Giving Pi, Bridgespan, British Asian Trust, YUVA