Freshworks vs ZoomInfo: Founders, CEOs and History
Freshworks was founded in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy and is led by Dennis Woodside. ZoomInfo was founded in 2007 by Henry Schuck, Kirk Brown and is led by Henry Schuck.
Company facts
Freshworks
- Founded
- 2010
- Headquarters
- San Mateo, California, United States
- Current CEO
- Dennis Woodside
- Employees
- 4,000
ZoomInfo
- Founded
- 2007
- Headquarters
- Vancouver, Washington, United States
- Current CEO
- Henry Schuck
- Employees
- 3,508
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.
ZoomInfo
Henry Schuck
Schuck co-founded DiscoverOrg in 2007, bootstrapping the B2B data company by manually compiling IT organizational charts.
Kirk Brown
Brown co-founded DiscoverOrg alongside Henry Schuck in 2007. He helped build the initial data collection methodologies that differentiated the company's B2B intelligence platform before eventually stepping back from day-to-day operations. Education: Universit…
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
ZoomInfo
- Henry Schuck2007–present
Founder, Chairman & CEO
Has led the company from its 2007 founding through its IPO and later repositioning as an AI go-to-market platform.
Source - Graham O'Brien2025–present
Chief Financial Officer
He helped navigate the post-IPO growth phase and optimized go-to-market strategies amid increasing macroeconomic headwinds in software spending.
Source
Timeline: Freshworks and ZoomInfo side by side
2000ZoomInfo
Eliyon Technologies Founded
Yonatan Stern and Michel Decary founded Eliyon Technologies in 2000, the company later renamed Zoom Information.
2007ZoomInfo
Henry Schuck and Kirk Brown found DiscoverOrg.
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.
2017ZoomInfo
DiscoverOrg acquires RainKing.
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.
2019ZoomInfo
DiscoverOrg acquires Zoom Information, Inc. in February and rebrands as ZoomInfo.
2020ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo lists on Nasdaq under the ticker ZI on June 4.
2020ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo IPO
ZoomInfo listed on the Nasdaq on June 4, 2020 at $21 a share.
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.
2021ZoomInfo
Acquires Insent, Chorus.ai and RingLead.
2022ZoomInfo
Annual revenue passes $1 billion ($1,098.0 million).
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.
2025ZoomInfo
Changes Nasdaq ticker from ZI to GTM in May; names Graham O'Brien permanent CFO in August; reports FY2025 revenue of $1,249.5 million.
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.
2026ZoomInfo
Launches GTM.AI and records a $650.5 million goodwill impairment in Q2.
Acquisitions
Freshworks
- AnsweriQ2020Undisclosed
- Flint2020Undisclosed
- Zarget2017Undisclosed
ZoomInfo
- Chorus.ai2021$575M
- RingLead2021Undisclosed
- Zoom Information, Inc.2019$500M
- Datanyze2018Undisclosed
Questions about Freshworks vs ZoomInfo
Who is the CEO of Freshworks Inc. and ZoomInfo?
Freshworks Inc. is led by Dennis Woodside and ZoomInfo is led by Henry Schuck. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Freshworks Inc. founded vs ZoomInfo?
ZoomInfo was founded in 2007 — 3 years before Freshworks Inc., which was founded in 2010. ZoomInfo'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 ZoomInfo?
Freshworks Inc. employs approximately 4,000 people, while ZoomInfo employs approximately 3,508. Freshworks Inc. has the larger workforce at 4,000 employees, compared to ZoomInfo's 3,508. 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 ZoomInfo headquartered?
Both Freshworks Inc. and ZoomInfo are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Freshworks Inc. and ZoomInfo?
Freshworks Inc. was founded by Girish Mathrubootham, Shan Krishnasamy. ZoomInfo was founded by Henry Schuck, Kirk Brown.
Which company has a longer operating history — Freshworks Inc. or ZoomInfo?
ZoomInfo has been operating for approximately 19 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 ZoomInfo overview