The Morning Brief Corner Office Conversation with Sridhar Vembu, CEO, of Zoho Corporation
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Oct 14, 2025 Sridhar Vembu, the founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, shares insights on building a global SaaS giant from rural India without outside funding. He discusses Zoho's early commitment to SaaS and the significance of developing talent in small towns like Tenkasi. Vembu emphasizes the need for India's self-reliance in tech, protecting against the risks of foreign dependency. He also introduces Aritai, Zoho's new messaging app, focused on user privacy and experience, while reflecting on the challenges and lessons from other homegrown tech ventures.
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Humble Silicon Valley Beginnings
- Sridhar Vembu and his brother Kumar started the company after returning from Qualcomm and Silicon Valley in 1995-97.
- Sridhar joined in 1997 to sell software after attending a Las Vegas trade show that found early customers.
Early Bet On SaaS Paid Off Slowly
- Zoho began investing in SaaS around 2004–05, long before it produced meaningful revenue.
- The SaaS division took six to seven years to scale and was funded by the company's legacy product divisions.
Revenue Mix Shifting Global South
- North America used to account for about 70% of Zoho's revenue but has fallen to roughly 46%.
- Fastest growth now comes from India, Middle East, and Latin America tied to young online populations.