Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath launches WTFund for young entrepreneurs

Zerodha cofounder Nikhil Kamath has launched a non-dilutive, grant-based fund for entrepreneurs aged 25 and under.

The sector agnostic fund called the ‘WTFund’ will offer a grant of Rs 20 lakh, enabling founders to retain full equity in their ventures. Alongside financial support, the fund will provide access to mentorship, assistance with go-to-market strategies, beta testing, internship programs for talent acquisition, and various other opportunities.

“Today, young founders tend to create the most impact within entrepreneurship. At WTF, our goal is to cultivate a culture that encourages young entrepreneurs to embrace risk by providing a comprehensive support system. We are excited to launch the fund and see where it goes,” Kamath said.


The development follows the trend of influential founders transitioning into investors, by supporting multiple domestic funds.

ET on April 15 reported that CaratLane founder Mithun Sacheti and Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal have become anchor limited partners (LPs) in Bengaluru-based Xeed Ventures, an early-stage fund managed by Sailesh Tulshan.

Several other entrepreneurs have also launched or backed funds, such as Udaan’s Sujeet Kumar, Flipkart group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy (LPs in Tanglin Venture Partners), Freshworks’ Girish Mathrubootham, Amrish Rau of Pine Labs, Jitendra Gupta of Jupiter (LPs in White Venture Capital), and Mukesh Bansal of Myntra and Curefit who operates Meraki Labs.

The WTFund will begin accepting applications from April 15 through its website, aiming to invest in 40 young founders. Selected candidates will undergo a screening process and receive support until they secure their first institutional funding.

This initiative is part of Kamath's broader 'WTF is' podcast series, which features discussions with industry experts and business leaders on investment and business-related topics.