Freshworks vs Zoho: Founders, CEOs and History
Freshworks was founded in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy and is led by Dennis Woodside. Zoho was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas and is led by Shailesh Kumar Davey.
Company facts
Freshworks
- Founded
- 2010
- Headquarters
- San Mateo, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Dennis Woodside
- Employees
- 4,000
Zoho
- Founded
- 1996
- Headquarters
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (US operations in Austin, Texas)
- Current CEO
- Shailesh Kumar Davey
- Employees
- 19,000
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.
Zoho
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.
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).
CEOs and their tenures
Freshworks
- Girish Mathrubootham2010–2024
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
As the charismatic Founder and long-time CEO, he built the company from a tiny startup into the first-ever Indian SaaS company to list on the Nasdaq, before stepping down to Executive Chairman in 2024.
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
Zoho
- Sridhar Vembu1996–2025
Co-founder; CEO 1996-2025, now Chief Scientist
Led the company from its founding as AdventNet until January 2025 and kept it free of outside capital; now focuses on research and AI.
Source - Tony Thomas1996–present
Co-founder and CEO, Zoho US
Co-founded AdventNet and leads Zoho's US business.
Source - Shailesh Kumar Davey2025–present
Co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder who previously led engineering at ManageEngine; became group CEO in January 2025.
Source - Rajesh Ganesan2025–present
CEO, ManageEngine
Leads the ManageEngine IT management division.
Source - Mani Vembu2025–present
CEO, Zoho.com
Leads the Zoho.com business applications division.
Source
Timeline: Freshworks and Zoho side by side
1996Zoho
AdventNet founded
Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas start a network management software company.
2005Zoho
First Zoho Products Released
AdventNet released Zoho Writer, its first online office application, in 2005, followed by Zoho CRM.
2009Zoho
Renamed Zoho Corporation
The company takes the name of its online applications brand.
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.
2016Freshworks
Freshsales Launched
Freshdesk launched the Freshsales CRM product in 2016.
2017Freshworks
Company Rebranded to Freshworks
Rebranded from Freshdesk to Freshworks to reflect its multi-product suite spanning customer support, IT service, and sales CRM.
2017Zoho
Zoho One Launched
Zoho launched Zoho One, a single subscription covering its business applications, in July 2017.
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.
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.
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.
2025Zoho
CEO transition
Shailesh Kumar Davey becomes group CEO in January; Sridhar Vembu becomes chief scientist.
2025Zoho
Semiconductor fab plan shelved
Zoho suspends its planned $700 million compound semiconductor fab in May.
2025Zoho
Rajesh Ganesan becomes CEO
Rajesh Ganesan became CEO of Zoho in 2025. Leads the ManageEngine IT management division.
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.
2026Zoho
UAE 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.
2026Zoho
FY25 results filed
RoC filings show FY25 revenue of ~$1.43 billion (₹12,313 crore) and net profit of ~$370 million (₹3,191 crore).
Acquisitions
Freshworks
- AnsweriQ2020Undisclosed
- Flint2020Undisclosed
- Zarget2017Undisclosed
Zoho
- ASIMOV Robotics2025Undisclosed
- Yali Aerospace (strategic deep-tech investment)2024$3.6M
- ePoise Systems2019Undisclosed
Questions about Freshworks vs Zoho
Who is the CEO of Freshworks Inc. and Zoho?
Freshworks Inc. is led by Dennis Woodside and Zoho is led by Shailesh Kumar Davey. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Freshworks Inc. founded vs Zoho?
Zoho was founded in 1996 — 14 years before Freshworks Inc., which was founded in 2010. Zoho'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 Zoho?
Freshworks Inc. employs approximately 4,000 people, while Zoho employs approximately 19,000. Zoho has the larger workforce at 19,000 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 Zoho headquartered?
Freshworks Inc. is headquartered in United States and Zoho is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Freshworks Inc. and Zoho?
Freshworks Inc. was founded by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy. Zoho was founded by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas.
Which company has a longer operating history — Freshworks Inc. or Zoho?
Zoho has been operating for approximately 30 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 Zoho overview