# Sridhar Vembu

> Sridhar Vembu is the co-founder and chief scientist of Zoho Corporation. An IIT Madras and Princeton-trained electrical engineer, he helped build the privately held software business before moving to rural Tamil Nadu in 2019. His work connects product research, alternative vocational education and software employment outside major cities.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Zoho Corporation
- **Organizations:** Zoho Corporation, Zoho Schools of Learning, Qualcomm (former employer)
- **Nationality:** Indian
- **Education:** B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
- **Known for:** Co-founded the privately held, bootstrapped software business now known as Zoho Corporation., Received the Padma Shri in 2021., Received IIT Madras’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016.

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Graduated in electrical engineering from IIT Madras.
- **1994** — Completed his Princeton Ph.D.; subsequently worked at Qualcomm on wireless communications.
- **1996** — AdventNet, later renamed Zoho, took shape through collaborating teams in India and the US.
- **1997** — Began selling the early software with Tony Thomas, including at Networld + Interop in Las Vegas.
- **2000** — Took the CEO role after persuasion from Tony Thomas, according to his retrospective account.
- **2005** — Zoho Schools began as an alternative to college-based recruitment.
- **2009** — AdventNet became Zoho Corporation.
- **2011** — Zoho established its Tenkasi technology hub.
- **2019** — Moved to Mathalamparai near Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu.
- **2020** — Taught local children and developed a rural education initiative.
- **2021** — Awarded the Padma Shri.
- **2025-01-27** — Became chief scientist; Shailesh Kumar Davey succeeded him as group CEO.

## Achievements

- Co-founded the privately held, bootstrapped software business now known as Zoho Corporation.
- Received the Padma Shri in 2021.
- Received IIT Madras’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016.
- Helped develop a model of rural software employment anchored in Tenkasi.
- Zoho Schools reported over 2,000 graduates at its twentieth anniversary in April 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — In an October 12 X post reported on October 13, Vembu said Zoho had skipped usual annual pay rises and cut marketing spending amid rising AI and server costs. He said the company would work to avoid mass layoffs.
- **2026-09** — Zoho announced Zia Chat and seven industry-specific applications on September 23.
- **2026-02** — Zoho reported over 150 million users and one million paying organisations, alongside 20% revenue growth in 2025.
- **2026-01** — Zoho launched its ERP platform from Kumbakonam, where part of the development team operates.
- **2025-01** — Transitioned from group CEO to chief scientist on January 27.

## Links

- Website: https://www.zoho.com/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/svembu

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sridhar-vembu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15