Entrepreneur shares how Zerodha founder Nithin Kamath’s quick reply to a cold email motivated him to build his $200K startup

Imagine launching your first startup, with high stakes, heart pounding to the throat, feelings on edge, and firing off a cold email to one of India's biggest business leaders. Most times, it vanishes into the void and one would not even expect a reply. But what if a simple, quick reply changes everything?


In a sea of busy founders who rarely check their inboxes, Nikhil Kamath, Zerodha’s founder, stands as an exception with his habit of responding quickly, showing a rare openness. It's not just a polite gesture; it motivates dreamers.

An entrepreneur posted, appreciating Kamath and sharing how a single hour's reply in 2020 kept him going through failures and pivots, leading to real success today.

From cold email to startup spark

Back in 2020, Manoj Ahirwar, a hopeful entrepreneur from India now based in Singapore, took a bold step. He launched his startup MoneyFit and emailed Nithin Kamath directly. To his shock, the Zerodha CEO replied in just one hour. Ahirwar shared the full story on X, posting a screenshot of the exchange dated August 30, 2020. The subject line read, “I'm Manoj from India. Launched my Startup MoneyFit.io.” Ahirwar sent it at 9:03 pm, and Kamath responded at 10:12 pm, tagging his team to review it.



This quick reply didn't lead to investment, but it lit a fire. “While I didn't end up getting investment from Zerodha, it was incredible to see how accessible he was. You could just reach out directly to the founder,” Ahirwar wrote on X. Instead of feeling rejected, he gained momentum to keep building.

The Entrepreneur's journey has been through too

Ahirwar's path wasn't smooth. A B.Tech graduate from the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, he tried two startups before they shut down. He then worked jobs in Bengaluru for a few years. MoneyFit launched in 2020 but closed in 2022. Undeterred, he started his current company in 2023, which now generates over $200,000 in revenue.



Reflecting on the email, Ahirwar noted, “When I look back, I realise that my startup MoneyFit wasn't ready for investment, but I'm glad I tried anyway,” as per his X post. He credited that 2020 moment for his persistence: “I reached out to Nithin Kamath back in 2020 when I launched my startup MoneyFit. I didn't expect a reply, but he responded within an hour”.

Such responses from founders are a true motivation!

Kamath's style sets Zerodha apart. As founder of a firm handling billions in trades, his openness inspires first-timers. Ahirwar's success, five years after that email to $200K+ revenue, shows how one reply can sustain grit amid failures.