Smartsheet vs Zoho: Founders, CEOs and History
Smartsheet was founded in 2005 by Brent Frei, Mark Mader, Eric Browne and is led by Rajeev Singh. Zoho was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas and is led by Shailesh Kumar Davey.
Company facts
Smartsheet
- Founded
- 2005
- Headquarters
- Bellevue, Washington, USA
- Current CEO
- Rajeev Singh
- Employees
- 3,300
Zoho
- Founded
- 1996
- Headquarters
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (US operations in Austin, Texas)
- Current CEO
- Shailesh Kumar Davey
- Employees
- 19,000
Founders
Smartsheet
Brent Frei
Brent Frei co-founded Smartsheet in 2005 in Bellevue, Washington, after founding Onyx Software, a CRM vendor he took public. He led Smartsheet in its first year before Mark Mader became CEO in 2006, and later served on the board. Brent Frei was born in 1966.
Mark Mader
Mark Mader joined Smartsheet as CEO in 2006, a year after its founding, and is counted among its founding team.
Eric Browne
Eric Browne co-founded Smartsheet in 2005. Providing absolutely critical early technical leadership, he helped design the platform's initial architecture, heavily focusing on ensuring the cloud-based application could instantly sync massive spreadsheets across…
John Creason
John Creason co-founded Smartsheet in 2005. Working closely with the technical founding team, he played a massive role in building the early prototype.
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
Smartsheet
- Brent Frei2005–2006
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
As the visionary Co-Founder (who previously founded Onyx Software), he provided the massive initial capital and strategic direction to launch the company.
Source - Mark Mader2006–2025
Chief Executive Officer & President
As Co-Founder and CEO, he navigated the company through its difficult early years, guided its highly successful IPO, and established it as a dominant player against aggressive rivals.
Source - Rajeev Singh2025–present
Chief Executive Officer
As a highly experienced tech executive and board member, he provides absolutely critical guidance on scaling enterprise SaaS operations.
Source - Sunny Gupta2025–2025
Executive Chair and Acting CEO
As an influential board member and enterprise CEO, he advises on highly complex enterprise sales strategies.
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: Smartsheet and Zoho side by side
1996Zoho
AdventNet founded
Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas start a network management software company.
2005Smartsheet
Smartsheet founded in Bellevue, Washington: Brent Frei and a small founding team start Smartsheet to make spreadsheets collaborative.
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.
2014Smartsheet
Series E Funding
Smartsheet raised $35 million in a Series E round led by Sutter Hill Ventures in May 2014.
2017Smartsheet
Series F Funding
Smartsheet raised $52 million in a round led by Insight Venture Partners in 2017.
2017Zoho
Zoho One Launched
Zoho launched Zoho One, a single subscription covering its business applications, in July 2017.
2018Smartsheet
NYSE IPO (SMAR): Smartsheet lists on the NYSE at $15 per share, raising about $150 million.
2018Smartsheet
Acquired Converse.AI
Smartsheet acquired Converse.AI. Smartsheet acquired chatbot and automation startup Converse.AI in 2018; terms were not disclosed.
2019Smartsheet
10,000ft and Slope Acquired
Smartsheet bought the resource-management company 10,000ft and the collaboration company Slope in 2019.
2020Smartsheet
Brandfolder acquired for about $155 million: Adds digital asset management to Smartsheet workflows.
2024Smartsheet
Passes $1 billion in ARR: Smartsheet crosses $1 billion in annualized recurring revenue in fiscal 2024.
2025Smartsheet
Blackstone and Vista complete $8.4 billion buyout: The take-private closes on January 22, 2025, and SMAR is delisted.
2025Smartsheet
Rajeev Singh named CEO: Singh succeeds acting CEO Sunny Gupta after Mark Mader's retirement.
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.
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
Smartsheet
- Brandfolder Inc.2020$155M
- 10,000ft (Resource Planning)2019Undisclosed
- Converse.AI2018Undisclosed
Zoho
- ASIMOV Robotics2025Undisclosed
- Yali Aerospace (strategic deep-tech investment)2024$3.6M
- ePoise Systems2019Undisclosed
Questions about Smartsheet vs Zoho
Who is the CEO of Smartsheet and Zoho?
Smartsheet is led by Rajeev Singh 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 Smartsheet founded vs Zoho?
Zoho was founded in 1996 — 9 years before Smartsheet, which was founded in 2005. Zoho's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Smartsheet.
How many employees does Smartsheet have compared to Zoho?
Smartsheet employs approximately 3,300 people, while Zoho employs approximately 19,000. Zoho has the larger workforce at 19,000 employees, compared to Smartsheet's 3,300. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Smartsheet and Zoho headquartered?
Smartsheet 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 Smartsheet and Zoho?
Smartsheet was founded by Brent Frei, Mark Mader, Eric Browne, John Creason. Zoho was founded by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas.
Which company has a longer operating history — Smartsheet or Zoho?
Zoho has been operating for approximately 30 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Smartsheet has been in operation for around 21 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 Smartsheet vs Zoho overview