"Zerodha’s Silent Money Machine:
How They Made ₹2,900 Crore Without Ads or Investors"
Hey friends! today i want to share an amazing business model which i stumble upon during the research of some of the profitable businesses currently . at first i thought i never heard about this company and never seen advertisements as much as i had seen so many of their competitor.so guys want to join me in what i found? and i am sure that you will be enjoying reading this .
What if I told you there’s a company that earns ₹2,900 crore in profit… without spending a single rupee on advertising?
No flashy YouTube ads. No influencer collabs. No billboards. Just pure value.
Meet Zerodha — the silent shark of Indian stock markets.
While most startups burn VC(Venture capital) money like it’s fuel in a rocket, Zerodha quietly built a ₹6,000 crore empire with zero investors, zero debt, and a cult following of 12 million+ users.
Let’s break down how they did it — and why their model might be the smartest thing you’ll read today.
What is Zerodha?
Think of the stock market like a giant bazaar, and Zerodha is that chill shopkeeper who doesn’t shout — but still sells the most.
Founded in 2010 by two brothers from Bangalore — Nithin and Nikhil Kamath — Zerodha was born out of frustration. Nithin had spent years trading in a world full of outdated systems and sneaky charges. One day, he just said:
“Fine. I’ll do it myself.
With no investors, no noise, and a simple name meaning “Zero Barriers,” they launched Zerodha — and never looked back.
So How Does Zerodha Make Money?
As for now what i understand Zerodha’s model is so clean, it almost feels illegal. But it works like magic:
🔹 Flat ₹20 Per Trade
Big or small — each trade costs ₹20.
Most brokers take a % cut, but Zerodha’s flat-fee approach made it a favorite among regular traders.
🔹 Account Opening Fee
A one-time ₹200–₹300 entry ticket. With over a crore users, this small fee becomes a big pool.
🔹 Tools Like Kite, Coin & Console
Their apps are smooth and powerful — and they don’t charge for them. But the better the tools, the more trades users place. And that means more ₹20s stacking up.
🔹 Interest on Idle Money
Money sitting in your account? Zerodha earns interest on it through their partner banks. Tiny margins. Huge scale.
🔹 Partner Platforms (Sensibull, Streak)
These are like paid plugins for pro traders. Zerodha either earns commissions or owns a piece of the action.
Zerodha vs Groww vs Upstox
while seeing this i was be like what the :
Zerodha:
“Started from ₹20 trades, now we here.” (No ads. Just profit.)
Groww:
“Lost ₹200 Cr this year, but hey — here’s a new Instagram ad.” (More reels than returns.)
Upstox:
“Let’s spend ₹100 Cr on ads and see what happens.” (Spoiler: Still in the red.)
Why Zerodha’s Model Works
Product >>>>> Promotion
Zerodha focused on building tools people actually enjoy using — Kite, Coin, Console — instead of burning money on ads.
When your product is solid, you don’t need to shout. Your users do it for you.
⚡ Lesson: If what you’re building is boring or broken, no amount of Instagram ads can save it.
Slow Growth = Strong Roots
While others raised funds, hired like crazy, and scaled too fast… Zerodha took the boring path:
- Built in silence
- Focused on profit
- Never spent more than they earned,
It’s not sexy — but now the table has turn.
what can we learn: Don’t chase quick wins. Chase systems that survive.
Being Quiet is the New Loud
No celebrity partnerships. No drama. No fake “disruption” buzzwords.
Just execution. Year after year. With the same team.
In a world of chaos, their calm became their superpower.
what we can learn: You don’t have to go viral to go big. You just have to go deep
final thoughts:
Zerodha didn’t just break the rules — they rewrote them.
They showed that in a noisy world, clarity wins. In a crowded market, trust scales. And in business, profit is the real mic drop.
So whatever you’re building — blog, brand, biz — remember this:
Being profitable is cooler than being popular.
And the silent ones? They often win the loudest.
Know someone chasing startup hype?
Send them this blog — it might save them ₹200 crore.
hey guys if you suggest me some other topics like this i will glade to write on those.
what do you think which topic i should write? comment below….