You may have watched Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast “WTF Is?”, where he has conversations with entrepreneurs, celebrities and other experts. And in October 2023, Nikhil Kamath unveiled an initiative called the “WTF Fund”.
This is a programme set to open doors for budding entrepreneurs under the age of 22, who have dreams of making it big in sectors like fashion, beauty and home brands. This is said to be not just about providing capital, but also about offering mentorship from some industry names. These names include Mensa Brands founder Ananth Narayanan, content creator Raj Shamani and Future Group founder Kishore Biyani.
The fund size for the “WTF Fund” is said to stand at a total of about 80 lakh rupees, with each of the 4 said to be contributing about 20 lakh rupees. This is said to aim to identify 10-15 companies. It is said that the selection process would culminate in a Zoom call between the four, where they would handpick the beneficiaries.
And what’s the inspiration behind the WTF Fund? It’s said to be the founders of Zepto, which is a quick service app that delivers groceries, fruit, personal care, electronics and more. The Zepto founders had appeared on the WTF Is podcast to talk about how they had secured a grant of about 40 lakh rupees from a fund when they were 18 years old. So, why fund entrepreneurs who, I don’t know about you, are feeling younger than 22? They may often be at a disadvantage when it comes to raising funding.
They’re typically in college, juggling side projects and are, somewhere, between zero and one in their entrepreneurial journey. At the age of 37, Nikhil Kamath is India’s youngest billionaire. His brother Nithin Kamath and he were said to be ranked 40th among India’s wealthiest people, with a combined net worth of about $5.5 billion.
