Success Editor Team
From Call Centre Floors to Billionaire Status
In a recent conversation with a fellow entrepreneur, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Nikhil Kamath opened up about his early career. When Kamath mentioned his call centre job, Sharma was visibly surprised, responding, “You started in the call center world? Fascinating!” The moment highlighted the contrast between where Kamath started and where he stands today — as one of India’s youngest billionaires and a thought leader in the fintech space.
While the exact amount of his early salary wasn’t specified in the viral snippet, previous interviews have revealed that Kamath earned around ₹8,000 per month during his time at the call centre. This role, he says, played a pivotal role in shaping his understanding of communication, people, and customer behavior — soft skills that would later prove invaluable in his entrepreneurial journey.
The Road to Zerodha: Breaking the Brokerage Mold
Born in 1987, Kamath dropped out of school after Class 10. After working at the call centre, he moved into proprietary trading and eventually co-founded Zerodha in 2010 with his brother, Nithin Kamath. The mission was simple but powerful: make investing accessible, transparent, and affordable for the everyday Indian.
Over the years, Zerodha revolutionized the Indian stock broking industry with zero brokerage for equity investments and a flat-fee model for trading, eliminating the traditional commission-heavy structure. Today, Zerodha handles millions of client accounts, processes billions in daily trading volumes, and has become one of the most profitable fintech firms in the country — all without external funding.
Humility in Success
What sets Nikhil Kamath apart is not just his business acumen, but his humble and reflective approach to success. He often speaks about privilege, the importance of staying grounded, and learning from failure. His transparency about his background — including working at a call centre — resonates with many aspiring entrepreneurs who may not come from elite educational or financial backgrounds.
Kamath’s rise proves that formal degrees aren’t the only pathway to success. Real-world experience, street smarts, and the ability to adapt and grow can open doors to unimaginable opportunities.
Final Thoughts
Nikhil Kamath’s journey from a low-paying job in a Bengaluru call centre to co-founding Zerodha, a billion-dollar fintech company, is a story of resilience, vision, and execution. His recent conversation with Vijay Shekhar Sharma serves as a reminder that every big dream can have small beginnings — and that no job is ever too small when it comes to building a meaningful future.
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