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For years, Pune-based finfluencer Sathe has been known as much for his flamboyant style of teaching as for his trading lessons
Avadhut Sathe
At the Avadhut Sathe Training Academy (ASTA), convocation day feels more like a celebration than a ceremony. Over 50 students, dressed in caps and gowns, collect certificates for completing the three-month Gurukul Mentorship Program, as their families watch on a giant screen.
On stage, founder Avadhut Sathe delivers his trademark blend of philosophy and showmanship. “When a daughter is born, a mother is born too,” he tells the audience. “In the same way, when you joined this program, I was born as a Gurukul mentor.”
For years, Pune-based finfluencer Sathe has been known as much for his flamboyant style of teaching as for his trading lessons—breaking into dance mid-lecture, pointing at charts on giant screens, and urging students to join him on stage. But this week, he came under the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) scanner, after officials carried out a search-and-seizure operation at his Karjat academy on August 20. The action, led by a deputy general manager, was part of SEBI’s broader crackdown on unregistered financial influencers.
Sathe’s journey is a classic rags-to-riches tale. Raised in a Dadar chawl before moving to Mulund, he studied engineering, worked in the US, Singapore and Australia, and eventually returned to India. After finding success in trading, he quit his job in 2008 to teach full time. His website describes him as “a man with a compelling vision of achieving financial independence for every class of people in India.”
Testimonials from students are glowing: “His clarity and passion set him apart,” says one. His YouTube channel showcases stories of homemakers doubling their capital in months or crossing the Rs 1 crore mark within a few years of trading. In 2023, a video of Sathe dancing during a lecture went viral, turning him into a social media sensation.
But not everyone is convinced. Even before SEBI’s raid, fellow finfluencers and market participants accused Sathe of misleading students for personal gain. Critics say he recommended penny stocks through private WhatsApp groups while working with operators and promoters to pump up prices.
ASTA, founded in 2008, has since expanded to 17 branches across India and runs courses in multiple languages, from English and Hindi to Tamil, Marathi and Telugu. Its online presence is vast—nearly a million YouTube subscribers and over 2.3 lakh Instagram followers. Courses range from free webinars to intensive programs costing between Rs 21,000 and Rs 1.7 lakh, with some mentorship packages reportedly sold for as much as Rs 5 lakh. Students not only learn trading but are also exposed to psychology, yoga, “satsangs,” and Sathe’s philosophy of the “God Market.”
The business has been lucrative. According to estimates, ASTA’s revenues jumped from Rs 17 crore in 2021 to Rs 86 crore in 2023, with 2024 sales pegged at Rs 116 crore and projections for 2025 nearing Rs 200 crore.
Yet, concerns around his methods persist. Registered investment advisor Ritesh Gulrajani flagged Sathe’s practices to SEBI in 2023, pointing to videos of him bringing children on stage to flaunt trading gains. “Imagine young children getting into F&O!” he remarked.
Others in the industry say Sathe perfected the art of the sales funnel—drawing students with free courses, nudging them to sign up for Rs 70,000–80,000 sessions, and then upselling mentorship programs costing several lakhs. Many of his followers, according to analysts, felt betrayed after losing money but remained silent out of shame.
Sathe’s supporters still see him as a visionary mentor, while critics view him as a showman exploiting dreams of easy wealth. With SEBI now tightening its grip on unlicensed market coaches, the final verdict on Avadhut Sathe’s legacy may lie not in the auditoriums he fills, but in the regulator’s next move.
Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a…Read More
Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a… Read More
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