In a move that feels more like a meeting of kindred spirits than just a business deal, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has invested in One Hand Clap Media — a new-age creative agency founded by former AIB minds, Aakash Shah and Naveed Manakkodan.
The financial details of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but the intent is loud and clear: this is a bet on brave storytelling in a digital-first world.
One Hand Clap Media isn’t your run-of-the-mill agency. It’s built by creators, not executives — by people who understand what makes culture tick. With an eye for satire and a flair for viral, the team has already worked on campaigns for marquee names like Swiggy, Netflix India, CRED, Bumble, EMotorad, Ather, and BGMI.
At its core, the agency is challenging the sluggish, over-layered models of traditional advertising. They’re lean, bold, and deeply fluent in digital DNA.
“Nikhil gets our DNA,” said Aakash Shah, co-founder of One Hand Clap Media. “We both never cared for the status quo; we have always aimed to disrupt it, defy the metrics and algorithms to tell stories — not just campaigns — for our clients.”
For Kamath, known for backing ideas that don’t play by the rulebook, this partnership seems to be more than just strategic — it’s ideological. A belief that the future belongs to those who aren’t afraid to tear up the script and write their own.
In an age where attention is currency, and storytelling is everything, One Hand Clap Media is out to prove that creative isn’t just a department — it’s a culture. And with this latest vote of confidence, they’re just getting started.
