Zerodha built its reputation by disrupting stockbroking, but its most meaningful contribution may be unfolding far beyond finance. While most companies simply consume open-source software, Zerodha is actively funding the global ecosystem that keeps the internet running. Recently, CTO Kailash Nadh marked the first anniversary of FLOSS fund, a one million dollar per year initiative that supports important open-source projects across the world. The latest tranche of six hundred seventy five thousand dollars completes its annual commitment, backing tools used daily by developers, companies, governments, and researchers worldwide.
Breakdown:
1. A million dollars for the world’s invisible infrastructure
Open-source software powers nearly every digital system today, yet these projects often rely on donations and volunteer work. FLOSS fund exists to support this global infrastructure. Zerodha has funded projects such as Blender, FFmpeg, KDE, OpenStreetMap, and F-Droid. “One million dollars per year is not even a drop in the ocean,” Nadh said, “but the fact that trillion-dollar corporations do not do this is mind-boggling.”
2. India consumes open source but rarely contributes
India’s government, academic institutions, and companies use enormous amounts of open-source software, yet contributions remain low. Nadh blames strict regulations that make direct funding difficult and a general lack of awareness about how essential open-source sustainability is. He believes momentum is building through grassroots communities connected with the FOSS United Foundation.
3. A non-thematic fund that backs what others overlook
FLOSS fund does not limit itself to any specific category. It evaluates each project on its own merit, whether well-established or experimental. To improve transparency, the fund is moving toward community-driven evaluations through the FOSS United Foundation.
4. India’s tech companies are joining the movement
Zerodha’s example is encouraging other Indian tech firms to contribute. Meesho open-sourced BharatMLStack, a production-grade machine learning system. Zomato released Espresso, a high-performance PDF generation tool, and continues to use Trino and Druid extensively. Krutrim AI has open-sourced Indic-language models and benchmarks. Flipkart, PhonePe, and CRED have also contributed widely used tools such as RecyclerListView, Mantis, and NeoPOP.
5. A national push toward open infrastructure
The Indian government is reinforcing this shift through the IndiaAI Mission, which funds open AI models and datasets for the country. Nadh noted that much of India’s digital infrastructure already operates on open-source technologies. A strong foundation in open-source is essential for national-scale AI efforts.
Why this matters:
Open-source software is the foundation of the modern digital economy. Without reliable funding, many vital tools risk stagnation. Zerodha’s FLOSS fund sets an important example for Indian companies by showing how the ecosystem can sustain what it depends on. If more firms follow this approach, India could emerge as a global leader in strengthening open-source ecosystems.
The Big Picture:
Every major technology company, startup, AI model, and digital service relies on open-source foundations. Yet many of these foundations receive little financial support. By creating a structured funding program, Zerodha is demonstrating that Indian companies can play a strategic role in maintaining the world’s shared digital infrastructure.
The Crunch:
India’s tech ecosystem runs on open-source software. Zerodha is asking an important question. If we depend so heavily on it, why not help build it?