Girish Mathrubootham, founder of Freshworks, who built the company from Freshdesk into a global SaaS business and led it to its Nasdaq listing in 2021.
Girish Mathrubootham founded Freshworks and took it from Chennai to Nasdaq. Explore his career, Freshdesk journey, IPO, leadership and legacy.
Written by TFN Research Desk | covering startups, technology, venture capital, and business strategy.
Table of Contents
- Who is Girish Mathrubootham?
- Early Life and Education
- Career Before Freshworks
- How Freshworks Started
- Funding History
- Revenue Growth and Recent Developments
- Public Recognition
- Freshworks vs Competitors
- Investor Perspective
- Founder Timeline
- Key Takeaways
- FAQs
- The Take Nobody In The Industry Wants To Say Out Loud
- Sources
- SEO Metadata Block
Who is Girish Mathrubootham?
Girish Mathrubootham is the founder of Freshworks, the Chennai-born SaaS company originally launched as Freshdesk in 2010. He led the company from its early startup years through its expansion into a global software business and its Nasdaq listing in 2021. Mathrubootham stepped down as CEO in May 2024 and became Executive Chairman before retiring from his official Freshworks roles in December 2025 to focus full-time on Together Fund.
Early Life and Education
Mathrubootham holds an engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and an MBA in Marketing. His professional career combined technology, product management and business leadership, which later influenced the way Freshworks approached software products.
Rather than building a product only for technically sophisticated users, he focused on making business software easier to adopt and use.
Career Before Freshworks
Before starting Freshworks, Mathrubootham spent nearly nine years at Zoho Corporation, then known as AdventNet when he joined in 2001. His final role was Vice President of Product Management at Zoho’s ManageEngine division.
His decision to leave Zoho came after he encountered a Hacker News discussion about Zendesk raising its prices. Mathrubootham saw an opportunity to build a simpler and more affordable customer-support product. That idea eventually became Freshdesk.
How Freshworks Started
Freshdesk officially began operations in October 2010 in Chennai. Mathrubootham co-founded the company with Shan Krishnasamy, who became its early technology leader.
The company found its first customer in Australia in June 2011 and reached 100 customers only 103 days later. Before securing institutional funding, Freshdesk also won $40,000 through Microsoft’s BizSpark startup competition.
The company later expanded beyond customer support into IT service management, CRM, marketing and other business software. Freshdesk eventually became Freshworks, reflecting the broader product portfolio.
Funding History
| Round | Year | Amount | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Funding | 2011 | Not publicly disclosed | Accel |
| Series Funding | 2014-2018 | Multiple rounds | Accel, Tiger Global, CapitalG, Sequoia Capital India |
| IPO | 2021 | Approximately $1.1 billion net proceeds | Public investors |
Freshworks was backed by major investors including Accel, Tiger Global Management, CapitalG and Sequoia Capital India. In September 2021, the company completed its Nasdaq IPO and received approximately $1.1 billion in net proceeds.
Revenue Growth and Recent Developments
| Fiscal Year | Revenue | Profit/Loss |
|---|---|---|
| FY24 | $720.4 million | $95.4 million net loss |
| FY25 | $838.8 million | $183.7 million net profit |
Freshworks reported revenue of $838.8 million in 2025, up 16% from $720.4 million in 2024. The company also reported GAAP net income of approximately $183.7 million in 2025, compared with a net loss of approximately $95.4 million in 2024.
The more important change, however, has been strategic. Freshworks is moving further upmarket while increasing its focus on AI. In May 2026, the company announced an approximately 11% global workforce reduction, or around 500 employees, as it realigned resources around its largest growth opportunities and the AI transition.
Mathrubootham retired from Freshworks effective December 1, 2025, ending his formal leadership role at the company he founded. He shifted his full-time attention toward Together Fund, the venture fund he co-founded.
Public Recognition
Mathrubootham’s strongest recognition came through Freshworks itself, particularly its Nasdaq listing in 2021. The company became the first India-born SaaS company to trade on a US exchange, a milestone that placed the founder among India’s most prominent software entrepreneurs.
He has also become increasingly active as an investor and mentor through Together Fund, backing early-stage product and technology companies.
Freshworks vs Competitors
| Company | Founded | Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Freshworks | 2010 | Customer and employee experience SaaS |
| Salesforce | 1999 | Enterprise CRM and business software |
| Zendesk | 2007 | Customer service software |
| HubSpot | 2006 | CRM, marketing and sales software |
Freshworks entered a market already occupied by global software companies, but its simpler products and relatively accessible pricing helped it build a broad customer base. Its challenge today is different. Moving upmarket means competing more directly with much larger enterprise software companies.
Investor Perspective
Mathrubootham’s strongest qualification was his product background. He understood the business software market before Freshworks existed and identified an opportunity by observing customer frustration with existing products.
Freshworks proved that a company founded in Chennai could sell SaaS products globally and eventually reach the Nasdaq. Its recent financial performance also shows that the company has moved toward stronger GAAP profitability.
The risk is the transition from founder-led growth to a more mature enterprise software model. Freshworks must balance AI investment, enterprise expansion and cost discipline while maintaining the product simplicity that helped it grow.
Founder Timeline
- 2001: Joins Zoho Corporation.
- 2001-2010: Builds experience in product management and ManageEngine.
- 2010: Founds Freshdesk with Shan Krishnasamy.
- 2011: Freshdesk gains its first customer and reaches 100 customers.
- 2017: Freshdesk becomes Freshworks.
- 2021: Freshworks completes its Nasdaq IPO.
- 2024: Steps down as CEO and becomes Executive Chairman.
- 2025: Retires from Freshworks and shifts focus to Together Fund.
- 2026: Freshworks continues its AI and enterprise-focused strategy.
Key Takeaways
- Girish Mathrubootham founded Freshworks in 2010.
- He previously spent nearly nine years at Zoho.
- Freshdesk was inspired partly by customer frustration with Zendesk pricing.
- Freshworks became the first India-born SaaS company to list on Nasdaq.
- Mathrubootham retired from Freshworks in December 2025 and now focuses on Together Fund.
FAQs
Who founded Freshworks?
Girish Mathrubootham founded Freshworks, originally launched as Freshdesk, in 2010.
What is Girish Mathrubootham’s current role at Freshworks?
He no longer holds an official role at Freshworks. He retired from the company in December 2025.
Who is the current CEO of Freshworks?
Dennis Woodside is the CEO and President of Freshworks.
When was Freshworks founded?
Freshworks was founded in October 2010 as Freshdesk.
What did Girish Mathrubootham do before Freshworks?
He spent nearly nine years at Zoho Corporation, where his final role was VP of Product Management at ManageEngine.
Why did he start Freshdesk?
He identified an opportunity after seeing customer frustration around Zendesk pricing and wanted to build a simpler alternative.
When did Freshworks go public?
Freshworks completed its Nasdaq IPO in September 2021.
Is Freshworks profitable?
Freshworks reported GAAP net income of approximately $183.7 million in 2025.
What is Girish Mathrubootham’s net worth?
His current personal net worth is not publicly disclosed.
What is Together Fund?
Together Fund is an early-stage venture fund co-founded by Mathrubootham that focuses on product and technology companies.
Sources
- Freshworks, CEO Transition Announcement
Freshworks CEO Transition - Founder Message on His Next Chapter
A Message From Our Founder - Freshworks, The Freshdesk Story
The Freshdesk Story - Freshworks 13th Birthday and Company Milestones
Freshworks Company Milestones - Freshdesk Becomes Freshworks
Freshdesk Is Now Freshworks - Freshworks, FY2025 Financial Results
Freshworks FY2025 Results - 2026 Workforce Realignment
Freshworks 2026 Workforce Update - SEC, Freshworks IPO Filing
Freshworks SEC IPO Filing
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