Zoho
Company History
Zoho History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1996 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
When was Zoho founded?
Zoho was founded in 1996 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas, making it 30 years old.
- Founded
- 1996
- Founding place
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Founders
- Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas
- Headquarters today
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (US operations in Austin, Texas)
- Milestones documented
- 9 (1996–2026)
- Current CEO
- Shailesh Kumar Davey
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1996 | AdventNet founded |
| 2005 | First Zoho Products Released |
| 2009 | Renamed Zoho Corporation |
| 2017 | Zoho One Launched |
| 2025 | CEO transition |
| 2025 | Semiconductor fab plan shelved |
| 2025 | Rajesh Ganesan becomes CEO |
| 2026 | UAE data centres open |
| 2026 | FY25 results filed |
- Where was Zoho founded?
- Zoho was founded in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India in 1996.
- Who founded Zoho?
- Zoho was founded by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas.
- When did Zoho start?
- Zoho was founded in 1996.
- How old is Zoho?
- Zoho is 30 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Sridhar Vembu, who holds a PhD from Princeton and worked at Qualcomm in San Diego, started AdventNet in 1996 with Tony Thomas and members of the Vembu family. The early business wrote network management software sold to telecom equipment vendors. When that market shrank after 2001, the team built ManageEngine to sell IT management tools to enterprises, and in 2005 began launching online applications under the Zoho name, starting with Zoho Writer and Zoho CRM.
Founders
Sridhar Vembu
Sridhar Vembu co-founded AdventNet in 1996 and led the company, renamed Zoho Corporation in 2009, as CEO until January 2025. He kept the company free of venture capital and promoted hiring and training in smaller towns, working from rural Tamil Nadu. He now serves as chief scientist, focusing on research and AI. Sridhar Vembu was born in 1968 in Thanjavur. Education: Indian Institute of Technology Madras. Vembu was born in 1968. He received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2021.
Tony Thomas
Tony Thomas co-founded AdventNet in 1996 and has remained with the company since. He leads Zoho's US business as CEO of Zoho US. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
AdventNet founded
Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas start a network management software company.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFirst Zoho Products Released
AdventNet released Zoho Writer, its first online office application, in 2005, followed by Zoho CRM.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRenamed Zoho Corporation
The company takes the name of its online applications brand.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgZoho One Launched
Zoho launched Zoho One, a single subscription covering its business applications, in July 2017.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCEO transition
Shailesh Kumar Davey becomes group CEO in January; Sridhar Vembu becomes chief scientist.
Source: business-standard.comSemiconductor fab plan shelved
Zoho suspends its planned $700 million compound semiconductor fab in May.
Source: cnbctv18.comRajesh Ganesan becomes CEO
Rajesh Ganesan became CEO of Zoho in 2025. Leads the ManageEngine IT management division.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgUAE data centres open
Zoho opens data centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January as part of an ~$27.2 million (AED 100 million) UAE investment.
Source: zoho.comFY25 results filed
RoC filings show FY25 revenue of ~$1.43 billion (₹12,313 crore) and net profit of ~$370 million (₹3,191 crore).
Source: entrackr.comMajor Acquisitions
ASIMOV Robotics
2025Acquired robotic simulation and hardware engineering startup ASIMOV Robotics to advance factory automation and industrial robotics.
ePoise Systems
2019Acquired video interview screening and automated assessment platform ePoise.
Yali Aerospace (strategic deep-tech investment)
2024Invested ₹30 crore (~$3.6 million) in drone manufacturing and autonomous vertical takeoff aerospace startup Yali Aerospace.
Keep researching Zoho
Zoho Company History FAQ
When, where, and how was Zoho originally founded?
Zoho was founded in 1996 in Chennai, India, and Pleasanton, California, by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas, and Kumar Vembu as AdventNet, initially selling telecom network software.
How did AdventNet survive the 2001 dot-com crash?
When the dot-com bust wiped out its telecom equipment customers, AdventNet survived because it was bootstrapped without venture debt, quickly pivoting to enterprise IT management software (ManageEngine).
When did the company launch the 'Zoho' cloud suite?
In 2005, the company entered the cloud office software market with online word processor Zoho Writer, followed closely by Zoho CRM, which became its breakout enterprise product.
When did AdventNet officially rebrand as Zoho Corporation?
In May 2009, the parent company officially rebranded from AdventNet Inc. to Zoho Corporation, reflecting the global success of its integrated cloud business software suite.
What is Zoho Schools of Learning and when did it start?
Founded in 2004 as Zoho University, it provides free software training and monthly stipends to high school graduates from non-affluent backgrounds, with alumni making up over 15% of Zoho engineers.
Why did Sridhar Vembu establish rural development campuses in Tenkasi?
Beginning in 2011, Vembu established rural engineering offices in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, proving high-tech software could be built in rural villages, reversing urban brain drain.
When did Zoho launch its landmark 'Zoho One' operating system?
In July 2017, Zoho launched Zoho One—an all-in-one suite providing full access to over 40 (now 55+) integrated applications for a single disruptive subscription price of roughly $30-$45/user/month.
How many users and businesses rely on Zoho software globally today?
Zoho serves over 100 million users across more than 700,000 businesses in over 150 countries, spanning small startups to global multinational enterprises.
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