Who Is Sridhar Vembu?
Sridhar Vembu is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the co-founder of Zoho Corporation, one of the world’s most successful SaaS (Software as a Service) companies.
He is known for:
Building a global tech giant without external funding (zero VC money)
Creating thousands of jobs in Indian rural villages
His simple lifestyle despite immense wealth
Being one of India’s most respected tech visionaries
He is often called “India’s Rural Tech Revolutionary.”
Sridhar Vembu Biography Overview
Full Name: Sridhar Vembu
Born: 1968
Age: 56 (as of 2025)
Birthplace: Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality: Indian
Profession: Entrepreneur, CEO of Zoho Corporation
Net Worth: ~$4–5 Billion (varies yearly)
Known For: Bootstrapped success, rural economic development
Residence: India (Tamil Nadu) & USA (frequent travel)
Early Life & Family Background
Sridhar Vembu comes from a humble middle-class Tamil family.
Family Facts:
Father worked as a stenographer
Mother focused on raising the children
Grew up with values of simplicity, education, discipline
No business background
Lived in rural and semi-rural areas during childhood
His upbringing deeply influenced his passion for education, rural upliftment, and self-reliance.
Education
✔ Schooling: Chennai (Madras)
✔ Undergraduate:
IIT Madras – B.Tech in Electrical Engineering
✔ Postgraduate:
Princeton University, USA – PhD in Electrical Engineering
His academic excellence set the foundation for his technology career.
Early Career
After completing his Ph.D., Sridhar worked at Qualcomm, California as a wireless engineer.
But he felt a strong desire to build his own company and contribute to India, rather than staying in the corporate world.
Zoho – The Startup (1996)
Founding Story
In 1996, Sridhar Vembu, along with Tony Thomas, founded a small company called AdventNet in California.
Began with:
3 employees
Zero outside investment
Focus on network management software
A small rented apartment as their office
Transformation into Zoho (2009)
AdventNet evolved into Zoho Corporation, focusing on cloud-based business software:
CRM, HR tools, accounting, automation, email, and more.
Today, Zoho provides:
55+ business apps
100+ countries
15,000+ employees
100M+ users worldwide
Zoho is one of the world’s largest privately-owned SaaS companies.
Why Sridhar Vembu Is Unique
1. Never Took Investor Money
Zoho is 100% bootstrapped.
No venture capital, no external shareholders.
2. Focus on Rural India
Sridhar set up Zoho schools and offices in:
Tenkasi (Tamil Nadu)
Renigunta
Several villages in South India
Goal:
Bring high-quality tech jobs to small towns.
3. Starts Zoho Schools of Learning
Instead of hiring only IIT/IIM graduates, Sridhar created his own system.
12th pass students trained for 1–2 years
Then hired as full-time software engineers
No college degree required
Thousands of students uplifted
4. Lives Simply
Despite being a billionaire:
Travels by cycle
Lives in a village
Avoids luxury
Focuses on education & rural empowerment
Important Zoho Milestones
✔ 1996 – AdventNet founded
✔ 2005 – First major global clients
✔ 2009 – Rebranded as Zoho
✔ 2017 – Crosses 25 million users
✔ 2020 – Rural expansion in India
✔ 2022 – Crosses $1 Billion revenue mark
✔ 2023 – One of the world’s top SaaS companies
Business Philosophy
✔ Build in India
✔ Serve the world
✔ Keep products affordable
✔ Focus on long-term sustainability
✔ Empower rural areas
✔ Avoid investor pressure
Awards & Recognition
Padma Shri (2021) – India’s fourth-highest civilian award
Featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, and global business media
Icon of Indian SaaS industry
Inspiration for millions of young entrepreneurs
Net Worth (2025)
Approx: $4–5 Billion (₹35,000+ crore)
Fluctuates based on Zoho’s valuation.
Income Sources:
Ownership stake in Zoho
Investments in rural projects
Educational ventures
Personal Life
Married (wife named Pramila)
One son
Enjoys farming, nature, cycling
Prefers silence, meditation, and rural life over cities
Maintains a low media profile
Latest Updates (2024–2025)
Expanding Zoho’s rural offices in Tamil Nadu
Working on AI-based business tools
Increasing presence in Middle East & Europe
Growing Zoho Schools across India
Continuously promoting Indian talent globally
Conclusion
Sridhar Vembu is more than a billionaire entrepreneur—
He is a visionary who proved that global technology can be built from Indian villages, without external funding, and with strong human values.
His journey inspires entrepreneurs, students, and professionals worldwide.
Disclaimer
This biography is for informational purposes only and based on publicly available data.
