Zoho

Indian SaaS Enterprise SoftwareFounded 1996

Market Data Current As Of: September 12, 2026

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Zoho

Indian SaaS Enterprise SoftwareFounded 1996

Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya

Last reviewed: September 12, 2026

Market Data Current As Of: September 12, 2026

Founders

Who Founded Zoho?

Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas · Founded 1996 · Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India & Austin, Texas, United States

Quick Answer

Zoho was founded by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas in 1996 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India & Austin, Texas, United States. The company is currently led by Sridhar Vembu.

Founding Story

In 1996, Sridhar Vembu, a Princeton electrical engineering PhD who was working at Qualcomm in San Diego, realized that Silicon Valley's venture capital model forced tech startups into dangerous boom-and-bust cycles. Vembu partnered with software engineer Tony Thomas and his brothers in Chennai to create **AdventNet**, building network management software for telecom equipment makers like Cisco. When the Dot-Com crash of 2001 wiped out 90% of their telecom clients, Vembu refused to lay off his engineers. Instead, they pivoted into enterprise IT management with **ManageEngine**, and in 2005, launched **Zoho CRM** and cloud productivity tools. Rejecting multi-billion-dollar buyout offers from Salesforce and private equity firms, Sridhar proved that a patient, bootstrapped company built on Indian engineering talent could conquer global enterprise software.

Sridhar Vembu

Background

Sridhar Vembu earned a Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering from IIT Madras and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University, working at Qualcomm before founding AdventNet.

Role at Zoho

Sridhar Vembu is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zoho Corporation. In 1996, Vembu co-founded AdventNet, guiding its transformation into a global SaaS powerhouse. Vembu is famous for rejecting all venture capital, pioneering rural software offices in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, establishing the tuition-free Zoho Schools of Learning, and championing self-reliance.

Tony Thomas

Background

Tony Thomas is an Indian-American software engineer and former AT&T Bell Labs researcher who co-founded AdventNet.

Role at Zoho

Tony Thomas is the Co-Founder and founding Chairman of Zoho Corporation. Thomas architected the company's early network management software and guided core product architecture.

Zoho: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Radha Vembu

Product Manager & Major Shareholder (Zoho Workplace)

1997 – Present

Leads Zoho Workplace and Mail engineering, driving high-scale collaboration products and fostering long-term talent development.

Sridhar Vembu

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

1996 – Present

Visionary leader who founded AdventNet/Zoho, rejected all venture capital, created the rural tech model in Tenkasi, and built an empire with 100M+ users.

Shailesh Davey

Co-Founder & Senior Vice President

1996 – Present

Key technical co-founder overseeing ManageEngine architecture and global engineering operations.

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Who Founded Zoho? FAQ

Who founded Zoho and in what year was it established?

Zoho was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India & Austin, Texas, United States.

What was the original founding vision for Zoho?

The founders established Zoho with the objective of solving core inefficiencies in Enterprise Software, Cloud SaaS, CRM, IT Service Management (ITSM), Low-Code Platforms & Rural Tech Empowerment, laying the foundation for its current global scale.

How does Zoho preserve its founding principles today?