“It’s no longer just roti, kapda, aur makaan - it’s roti, kapda, makaan, aur SIP,” remarks Manish, co-founder of ZFunds, highlighting how deeply mutual funds have become embedded in Indians’ financial planning. He’s seen candidates switch jobs based on their ability to continue their SIPs, and customers plan major life decisions around their mutual fund investments.

Yet, Indian investors often chase returns by flocking to the highest-performing funds of the moment on DIY platforms, which can lead to poor investment outcomes in the long run. This return-chasing behavior led to ZFunds’ contrarian bet - that sustainable wealth creation needs human guidance through market cycles, not just cheaper alternatives.

Founded by Manish and Vidhi in 2019, ZFunds is addressing critical gaps in India’s mutual fund industry by empowering distributors with technology to provide personalized advisory at scale while maintaining the essential human touch. Today, ZFunds serves 60,000 customers through 10,000 micro-entrepreneurs and has scaled to ₹1,000 crores in AUM.

In this conversation with Kshitij Jayakrishnan (Vice President, Elevation), Manish and Vidhi discuss their journey of building one of India’s most capital-efficient wealthtech platforms and making wealth creation accessible beyond metro cities.

In this episode you will gain insights on:

1. Scale of opportunity in the mutual fund distribution business
2. Fundraising journey and choosing the right partners
3. Content strategy as a capital-efficient acquisition channel
4. Emerging profiles of mutual fund distributors
5. Co-founder roles and conflict resolution
6. …and more

Chapters:

00:00 Coming up
01:25 Introduction
02:37 Why ZFunds was started
04:35 Nature of End Customer
06:40 How their background shaped ZFunds
09:10 Product Strategy of ZFunds
09:56 Mutual Fund Distribution
11:45 Community and content at ZFunds
13:39 Earning potential in this space
17:42 Scale of Opportunity
20:36 Traditional MFD v/s ZFunds
21:45 Why did we invest in ZFunds
24:44 Team Building
26:18 Hiring Principal
27:35 Mindset shift in Startup execution
28:36 Roles and Responsibilities
30:49 How to raise funds
34:05 Vision for ZFunds
35:52 Key Learning and Closing Thoughts