Village Boy to Billionaire Genius: A short, powerful journey of grit, humility, and vision.
Sridhar Vembu Success Story
Born in a small village in Tamil Nadu (1968) — early life shaped by simplicity and strong values.
Humble Roots
IIT Madras → Princeton (PhD) — top academic credentials met real-world curiosity.
Brilliant Student
Worked at Qualcomm and founded AdventNet (later Zoho) in 1996 — technical skill turned entrepreneurial ambition.
The Silicon Valley Start
Zoho grew without outside VC funding — profitable, private, and customer-focused
Bootstrapped Growth
Moved operations into rural India — Tenkasi and Mathalamparai — and created local jobs.
Return to Roots
Started Zoho Schools to train rural youth for software jobs — skills over credentials.
Zoho Schools & Practical Education
Lives simply (cycles, everyday clothes) despite global success — leads by example.
Humility & Lifestyle
Padma Shri awardee (2021) and global recognition for entrepreneurship and social impact.
Recognition & Impact
Zoho reached tens of millions of users and thousands of employees while staying private and ethical.
Scale & Numbers
1. Bootstrap when possible — control your mission.
2. Train people, don’t just hire them.
3. Stay humble and lead by example.
4. Serve communities — profit follows purpose.
Lessons for You
Man Who Single handedly Transformed 1360 acres land into a Forest