Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath recently graced the graduation ceremony of Dhirubhai Ambani International School as the chief guest. Addressing students and parents, the 38-year-old billionaire shared personal anecdotes about his first business ventures, early job experiences, and how he entered the world of stock markets. The 38-year-old billionaire businessman brought up Mukesh Ambani while talking about the stock market, and Nita Ambani couldn’t hold back her reaction.
Nikhil Kamath’s first business
Kamath, who dropped out of school at 15 and started his first business then, said that he used to sell mobile phones. “It was a good business. I had enough inventory. By the time it all ended, I think I had about 10 or 20 phones, and I had a lot of fun doing it,” he recalled.
His first job at 17
Kamath then shared that his first job was at a call centre in Bengaluru, which not only solved the money problem but also introduced him to the stock market.
“For a 17-year-old boy working the 5 pm to 2 am shift, selling accidental health insurance to unsuspecting British folks to the place many of you will go to college for was a lot of fun. It didn’t pay a lot. I think my first salary was around Rs 8,000,” he shared.
He said that since he worked a full-time night shift, he had the entire day to himself, and that’s when he started investing in stocks.
Nita Ambani reacts to Nikhil Kamath’s mention of Mukesh Ambani
“There [while working at the call centre], I got introduced to the stock market. Back then, markets used to open at 10 am; now they open at 9 am. I don’t know how much Mukesh Ambani is into stock markets…,” he said as everybody in the room laughed. The camera then panned towards Nita Ambani, who gives a reaction.
Nita Ambani smiled and shook her head as Kamath quipped, “…but if anyone here knows what will happen tomorrow, it’s probably him.”
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“For the last 21 years, I’ve largely had one job, that of a trader, a investor, and everything else is second to that – be it broking, lending or asset management,” he further said, before adding, “Being stable, not reacting or being objective in chaos, I’ve figured out is probably one of the biggest skillsets to succeed, both in the stock market and in real life.