‘For never complaining, always smiling’: Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath pens heartfelt note for Nithin as he wins EY award

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, in a post on X, showered praise on his brother, Nithin Kamath, after he won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2024. 

Hailing Nithin and his wife Seema Patil for their perseverance and dedication despite multiple hardships, Nikhil Kamath wrote, “One year after losing our father, surviving cancer and a brain stroke, for never complaining and always smiling, you deserve another kind of award altogether.”

Zerodha's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nithin Kamath, received the EOY award for his groundbreaking intervention in the brokerage industry with his bootstrapped firm.

“In a world filled with glass half empty folk we need more glass half full [sic],” Nikhil Kamath added in the post.

The Kamath brothers started the brokerage firm Zerodha by utilising all their resources. Over the years, the company stands with a billion-dollar valuation. Nithin Kamath also supports startups in fintech and climate space and advocates for social initiatives.

Nithin Kamath’s health struggle and wife’s cancer battle

Even as Nithin Kamath was taking Zerodha to new heights, he battled several personal crises and hardships, including a brain stroke and the loss of a loved one.

Nithin Kamath's wife, Seema Patil, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and was declared cancer-free after a year of treatment. In 2023, Nikhil Kamat lost his father. A year later, in 2024, he suffered a mild stroke out of the blue.

Sharing the news of the stroke on Instagram in February 2024, Nithin Kamath wrote, “Dad passing away, poor sleep, exhaustion, dehydration, and overworking out —any of these could be possible reasons.”

Explaining his situation after the mild stroke, Nithin Kamath said, “I’ve gone from having a big droop in the face and not being able to read or write to having a slight droop but being able to read and write more. From being absent-minded to more present-minded. So, 3 to 6 months for full recovery.”