Freshworks vs HubSpot: Founders, CEOs and History
Freshworks was founded in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy and is led by Dennis Woodside. HubSpot was founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan, Dharmesh Shah and is led by Yamini Rangan.
Company facts
Freshworks
- Founded
- 2010
- Headquarters
- San Mateo, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Dennis Woodside
- Employees
- 4,000
HubSpot
- Founded
- 2006
- Headquarters
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Current CEO
- Yamini Rangan
- Employees
- 8,882
Founders
Freshworks
Girish Mathrubootham
Girish Mathrubootham co-founded Freshdesk (later Freshworks) in Chennai in 2010 and served as CEO until May 2024, leading the company through its September 2021 NASDAQ IPO.
Shan Krishnasamy
Shan Krishnasamy co-founded Freshdesk in 2010 and served as its chief technology officer, building the original product and the Chennai engineering team that underpinned Freshworks' growth. He later stepped back from the company.
HubSpot
Brian Halligan
Brian Halligan co-founded HubSpot in 2006 with Dharmesh Shah after the two met at MIT Sloan.
Dharmesh Shah
Dharmesh Shah is HubSpot's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, a role he has held since 2006.
CEOs and their tenures
Freshworks
- Girish Mathrubootham2010–2024
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Founded the company in Chennai in 2010, led it through the 2021 IPO, became Executive Chairman in May 2024 and left the board on December 1, 2025.
Source - Dennis Woodside2024–present
Chief Executive Officer
Took revenue from $720.4M (2024) to $838.8M (2025) while moving from a GAAP operating loss to a profit.
Source
HubSpot
- Brian Halligan2006–2021
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Co-founded HubSpot in 2006 and led it until Yamini Rangan took over in 2021.
Source - Dharmesh Shah2006–present
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Co-founded HubSpot and shapes its technology, culture, and AI agent strategy.
Source - Kathryn Bueker2019–present
Chief Financial Officer
Leads finance and investor relations, presenting HubSpot's quarterly results and guidance.
Source - Yamini Rangan2021–present
Chief Executive Officer
Under Rangan HubSpot grew revenue from $1.30 billion in 2021 to $3.13 billion in 2025 and reached full-year GAAP profitability in 2024, though growth slowed and the stock fell sharply in 2026.
Source
Timeline: Freshworks and HubSpot side by side
2006HubSpot
HubSpot Founded: Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah founded HubSpot around the idea that companies could attract customers with useful content rather than interruption-heavy marketing.
2010Freshworks
Freshdesk Founded in Chennai
Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy founded Freshdesk in an 800 sq ft office in Chennai, building an affordable cloud customer ticketing system.
2011Freshworks
First Customer Won & Accel Seed Funding
Launched Freshdesk commercially and raised a $1 million Series A led by Accel India.
2014Freshworks
Launch of Freshservice ITSM
Introduced Freshservice to provide internal IT helpdesk and service management, which rapidly expanded into its largest enterprise revenue engine.
2014HubSpot
NYSE IPO: HubSpot went public on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker HUBS, giving the inbound-marketing software company capital and visibility.
2014HubSpot
Free CRM Launch: The free CRM became a product-led entry point that let HubSpot move from marketing automation toward a wider customer platform.
2017Freshworks
Company Rebranded to Freshworks
Rebranded from Freshdesk to Freshworks to reflect its multi-product suite spanning customer support, IT service, and sales CRM.
2018Freshworks
San Mateo Headquarters and Unicorn Status
Raised a $100 million round led by Accel and Sequoia Capital at a valuation reported above $1.5 billion, and set up headquarters in San Mateo, California.
2021Freshworks
Historic NASDAQ IPO Raising $1.03 Billion
Listed on NASDAQ under ticker FRSH on September 22, 2021, raising about $1.03 billion; shares closed the first day with a market value above $12 billion.
2021HubSpot
Yamini Rangan Becomes CEO: Yamini Rangan succeeded co-founder Brian Halligan as CEO, bringing customer, sales, and enterprise software experience to HubSpot's next phase.
2023Freshworks
Launch of Freddy AI Generative Suite
Unveiled Freddy AI, embedding generative AI across Freshservice and Freshdesk to automate ticket summaries, responses, and routine IT tasks.
2023HubSpot
Clearbit Acquisition: HubSpot acquired Clearbit to add B2B data enrichment and strengthen the Smart CRM's customer intelligence layer.
2024Freshworks
Dennis Woodside Appointed CEO
President Dennis Woodside became CEO in May 2024, with founder Girish Mathrubootham moving to Executive Chairman. Freshworks also agreed to acquire IT asset discovery company Device42.
2025Freshworks
First GAAP Operating Profit; Founder Exits
Revenue reached $838.8 million with GAAP operating income of $13.2 million. Girish Mathrubootham left the board on December 1, 2025 and Roxanne Austin became Chair.
2025HubSpot
$3.1B FY2025 Revenue: HubSpot reported $3.131B in FY2025 revenue, $45.9M in net income, 8,882 full-time employees, and 288,706 customers.
2026Freshworks
Record Q2 and Raised Outlook
Q2 2026 revenue rose 16% to $237.4 million and full-year guidance was raised to $963.5M-$966.5M, after a May 2026 restructuring that cut about 500 jobs.
2026HubSpot
Warmly acquisition and Q2 2026 results
HubSpot agreed to buy Warmly on June 30, 2026, then reported Q2 revenue of $911.7 million (up 20%) and 306,446 customers.
Acquisitions
Freshworks
- AnsweriQ2020Undisclosed
- Flint2020Undisclosed
- Zarget2017Undisclosed
HubSpot
- Starter Story2026Undisclosed
- Warmly2026Undisclosed
- XFunnel2025Undisclosed
- Frame AI2024Undisclosed
- Clearbit2023Undisclosed
- The Hustle2021$27M
Questions about Freshworks vs HubSpot
Who is the CEO of Freshworks Inc. and HubSpot, Inc.?
Freshworks Inc. is led by Dennis Woodside and HubSpot, Inc. is led by Yamini Rangan. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Freshworks Inc. founded vs HubSpot, Inc.?
HubSpot, Inc. was founded in 2006 — 4 years before Freshworks Inc., which was founded in 2010. HubSpot, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Freshworks Inc..
How many employees does Freshworks Inc. have compared to HubSpot, Inc.?
Freshworks Inc. employs approximately 4,000 people, while HubSpot, Inc. employs approximately 8,882. HubSpot, Inc. has the larger workforce at 8,882 employees, compared to Freshworks Inc.'s 4,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Freshworks Inc. and HubSpot, Inc. headquartered?
Both Freshworks Inc. and HubSpot, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Freshworks Inc. and HubSpot, Inc.?
Freshworks Inc. was founded by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy. HubSpot, Inc. was founded by Brian Halligan, Dharmesh Shah.
Which company has a longer operating history — Freshworks Inc. or HubSpot, Inc.?
HubSpot, Inc. has been operating for approximately 20 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Freshworks Inc. has been in operation for around 16 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Freshworks vs HubSpot overview