Nikhil Kamath unveils WTF Fund with Ananth Narayanan, Raj Shamani, Kishore Biyani
WTF Fund will back two businesses run by entrepreneurs under the age of 22 with funding of Rs 40 lakh each, which will be contributed by the four speakers of the podcast.
Nikhil Kamath, Co-founder of , in his recent podcast WTF unveiled WTF Fund for young entrepreneurs under 22 years of age.
Kamath said that he would be launching a fund that will provide vital support to these entrepreneurs with a focus on fashion, beauty, or home brands. Two winners will receive Rs 40 lakh each in funding contributed by Kamath, along with Ananth Narayanan, Founder of Mensa Brands; Raj Shamani, Founder of House of X; and Kishore Biyani, CEO of The Future Group.
He made the announcement in the latest episode featuring the four entrepreneurs, where Narayanan decoded ecommerce and marketplaces and Shamani talked about taking the route of "digital-first" for his business expansion. They also talked about a wide range of topics including scaling a fashion, beauty, or home brand from zero to the first Rs 20 crore, and then to Rs 100 crore and beyond.
"We will pick an entrepreneur in either fashion, beauty, or home brand who would otherwise not have got funding. And we will fund by virtue of this podcast to some young entrepreneurs under the age of 22 for this particular episode," stated Kamath.
The format is likely to be akin to Shark Tank India—a show where entrepreneurs present their pitches in front of "sharks" or judges in a bid to secure funding.
"I'm saying specifically 22 because these guys find it much harder to raise funding. Typically, they are not at zero, but they're in the journey of zero to one essentially," he added.
The deadline for applying for WTF Fund cohort is October 16. To participate, founders must be under 22 years of age,
the business idea should align with the theme of the episode and must have demonstrated a minimum level of traction and performance that signifies its growth and impact.
Edited by Akanksha Sarma
