In an attempt to push India's entrepreneurs wave, Zerodha Co-Founder Nikhil Kamath on Monday announced WTFund. Announcing WTFund, Nikhil Kamath clarified that it has been launched for young, promising entrepreneurs aged 25 and under. Notably, Zerodha Co-founders Nikhil Kamath and Nithin Kamath made it to the Forbes’ billionaires list this year. At Shark Tank, it has been seen that entrepreneurs appear at the show and seek investment in their businesses. However, Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath's WTFund is different & better but limited. Now, the question arises what is Zerodha's WTFund and how will it help young entrepreneurs in India? Below is everything you need to know-
What is Zerodha's WTFund?
Zerodha's WTFund has been launched for young & promising entrepreneurs whose business idea has the potential to disrupt the industry. Nikhil Kamath in a statement said, "Today, young founders tend to create the most impact within entrepreneurship. At WTFund, our goal is to cultivate a culture that encourages young entrepreneurs to embrace risk by providing a comprehensive support system."
WTFund to be precise is a non-dilutive sector-agnostic grant fund. Under this, entrepreneurs will get a complete package, including a non-dilutive grant of Rs 20 lakh, allowing founders to maintain full equity in their ventures. Additionally, it offers access to operator-first mentorship pods and a thriving community within the WTFund ecosystem.
In the Shark Tank show, sharks i.e. investors either give debt on certain interest or get equity on a certain amount of investment in the company. This is why WTFund is totally different from the Shark Tank concept. WTFund will select 40 entrepreneurs for funding and mentorship over one year following a screening process. The support will be offered until entrepreneurs are able to secure their first institutional funding.
Now, the question arises how to apply for WTFund. As per reports, WTFund is open to applications from its website. As per Financial Times, it is an offshoot of the podcast series WTF by Kamath where he hosts experts from various sectors over casual yet intellectually stimulating conversations across topics in EVs, gaming, energy, social media, technology, finance, and more.