ADVERTISEMENT
Quick Info→
Hometown: Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu
Age: 57 Years
Religion: Hinduism
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Bill Gates of India |
| Profession | Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zoho Corporation Pvt Ltd |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5' 8" (173 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Salt and pepper |
| Career | |
| Awards, Honours | • 2024: Appointed as a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) • 2022: CNN-News18 Indian of the Year (IOTY) in the startup category • 2021: Padma Shri (India's fourth-highest civilian award) in the field of Trade and Industry  • 2021: Appointed in the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) by the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval • 2019: EY Entrepreneur of The Year (earlier known as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year) Award • 2019: Economic Times (ET) Entrepreneur of the Year, Tamil Nadu  |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | Year, 1968 |
| Age (as of 2025) | 57 Years |
| Birthplace | Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu |
| College/University | • Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai (1989) • Princeton University, New Jersey |
| Educational Qualification | • B. Tech (Electrical Engineering) • M. S (Electrical Engineering) • Ph.D (Electrical Engineering) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Tamil Brahmin |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian |
| Controversies | • Sridhar Vembu's wife, Pramila Srinivasan's accusation of asset transfer without her consent In the divorce case between Sridhar Vembu and his wife of 29 years Pramila Srinivasan in the California court, she accused him of transferring his assets to his siblings without her knowledge, which is against the community property law of the State of California. Sridhar Vembu replied to this allegation publicly through his social media account that it is a misunderstanding and his estranged family is financially provided for. check sources Forbes |
| Social Media | |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Separated |
| Marriage Date | Year, 1993 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Dr. Pramila Srinivasan (entrepreneur)  |
| Children | Son- 1 Siddharth |
| Parents | Father- Sambamurthy Vembu (retired head of the private assistants section in the Madras High Court) Mother- Janaki (homemaker)  |
| Siblings | Brother(s)- 3 • Kumar Vembu (entrepreneur)  • Sekar Vembu (entrepreneur)  • Manikandan Vembu (entrepreneur)  Sister(s)- 2 • Radha Vembu (entrepreneur)  • Dr Amudha Hari (obstetrician-gyenacologist) |
| Favourites | |
| Breakfast | Fermented rice |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collection | • Montra Super Auto EV  • Tata Nexon EV  |
| Money Factor | |
| Net Worth (approx.) | $5.8 Billion (with his siblings) check sources Forbes |
Sridhar Vembu was a bright student who obtained 27th rank in the national-level Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and secured admission at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM).
A young Sridhar Vembu with his parents during his college days
His original career goal was to become a research scientist or professor after completing his PhD. In an interview, he mentioned that promoting the research material for the doctorate triggered his thoughts of entrepreneurship.
After completing his postgraduate and doctorate studies at Princeton University in New Jersey, he joined Qualcomm (a semiconductor company) in San Diego, California, in 1994 as a wireless systems engineer.
In 1996, he, his brothers and friends bootstrapped (a business funding method where personal savings are used instead of external funding sources) a company AdventNet Inc. in New Jersey. At the time, the company mainly focused on network management.
He served as the Vice President (VP) of Marketing and Business Development until 2001 and became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since then.
During the dot-com crash in the early 2000s, the company faced a financial crisis but survived with the cash reserves made from earlier profits. Sridhar Vembu reportedly gave up his salary during this time.
Under his leadership, the company introduced the products ManageEngine (an IT management tool) in 2003 and Zoho Virtual Office (a cloud division) in 2004, which were successful strategic moves.
In 2005, Zoho CRM Solution and Zoho Writer were launched. The name Zoho (originally an acronym for Small Office Home Office (SOHO), but the nonavailability of a domain led to the change in spelling) became popular for its various business applications.
In 2005, he initiated a Zoho University program to teach high school pass students software and communication skills. This program has developed into Zoho Schhols of learning including Zoho School of Design, Zoho School of Technology, and Marupadi. As of 2024, 15% of Zoho’s workforce graduated from this program.
Sridhar Vembu with the staff and students of Zoho School
In 2009, the company changed its name to Zoho Corporation Private Limited headquartered in Chennai. The multinational company focuses on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) support and Customer Relations Management (CRM) services.
In 2020, he returned to India to focus on providing quality education in remote villages and contributing to rural development.
In 2020, his decision to attend an event Resurgent Bharath by the Hindu nationalist paramilitary organisation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a chief guest gained negative publicity online. He replied to the online community through his social media account that deciding which event to attend was his discretion.
He filed for a divorce in 2021 in the California courts to end his marriage of 29 years.
In 2023, during the divorce legal proceedings, his wife alleged that Sridhar Vembu abandoned her and their son with special needs when he returned to India in 2020. He replied to this accusation through his social media account that he discussed the relocation with the family but his wife and son disagreed.
In 2024, his tweet on the social media platform X about learning the language Kannada for long-staying residents of the Karnataka state sparked an online debate.
He advocates for decentralized corporate operations by opening offices in rural areas, reducing the stress of commuting, and reducing the mental stress the workforce faces when adjusting to a new urban place. As part of these initiatives, Sridhar Vembu and Zoho invested in a school (Kalaivani Kalvi Maiyam or KKM) and farm in the Govindaperi village in Tenkasi.
Sridhar Vembu with the students of KKM School
He likes traditional architecture, especially verandahs or sit-outs (known as thinnai in Tamil).
Sridhar Vembu sitting on the verandah of Zoho’s security office
He likes to wear a veshti (Tamil traditional attire), with a simple cotton kurta or shirt.
!
Azim Premji Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
!
Ratan Tata Age, Death, Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
!
Sundar Pichai Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
!
Satya Nadella Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
!
N. R. Narayana Murthy Age, Wife, Children, Biography & More
!
Shiv Nadar Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More
!
Jensen Huang Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
!
Mark Zuckerberg Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography
Yes — the program evolved into Zoho Schools of Learning, and by 2024 about 15% of Zoho’s workforce were graduates of this initiative.
Yes — he redirected his focus to rural development by funding the KKM school and a farm in Govindaperi, Tenkasi.
Yes — that nickname is listed among his bio details.
Yes — AdventNet started in New Jersey in 1996; he rose to CEO and previously led Marketing and Business Development.
Yes — he reportedly forfeited his salary during the crisis to keep the company afloat.