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<ul><li><keyword id="2167965" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="girish-mathrubootham" source="Orion">Girish Mathrubootham</keyword> is the star of the Indian startup scene, transforming the lives of hundreds of his Freshworks employees who are now crorepatis.</li><li>Mathrubootham says he did not start Freshworks to buy a BMW, but so that his employees could.</li><li>He also has an immense interest in sports and started FC Madras, a football training academy, and hosted the Trichy Premier League in his hometown, Tiruchirappalli.</li></ul>It’s the age of unicorns in India, but seldom does a decacorn emerge that wows the world. Enter Girish Mathrubootham’s Freshworks, which had a blockbuster listing on Nasdaq, going from a valuation of $3.5 billion to $13 billion. In the process, Mathrubootham <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms">helped 500 of his employees turn crorepatis</a>, with 70 of them aged under 30 years. In startup parlance, a unicorn is a private company valued at or more than $1 billion and a decacorn is one worth more than $10 billion. "I feel like an Indian athlete who has won a gold medal at the Olympics. We are showing the world what a global product company from India can achieve,” he added, in an <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/freshworks-ipo-creates-more-than-500-crorepatis-in-india-with-70-of-them-aged-below-30-7496681.html">interaction </a>with Moneycontrol. <div type="image" title="Girish 1" msid="86453791" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Girish Mathrubootham with his family during the Freshworks IPO&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Shares of Freshworks were up by over 33%, trading near $48 with a market capitalisation of nearly $13.4 billion. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="‘I’m starting this company so everybody can buy a BMW’" comment="subhead" text="‘I’m starting this company so everybody can buy a BMW’">‘I’m starting this company so everybody can buy a BMW’</cmsannotation> Mathrubootham is the son of a retired bank officer. He founded Freshworks in 2010 along with Shan Krishnasamy. “I’m not starting a company for me to buy a BMW, I’m starting this so that everybody (employees) can do that,” he told his wife at the time of starting the company, as he reveals in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J7zcp0-rOA">freewheeling chat</a> with Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The birth of Freshworks – customer complaints on social media!" comment="subhead" text="The birth of Freshworks – customer complaints on social media!">The birth of Freshworks – customer complaints on social media!</cmsannotation> The idea to start Freshworks was simple, says Mathrubootham. In the past, before the explosion of social media, customers used to simply call the customer care centre to raise an issue or inquire about something. However, the arrival of social media has changed all that, with customers raising issues and posting queries on Twitter and Facebook – this is something that most of us have done at some point. This requires companies to address customer complaints across different channels, and so, having their information like account details, plans/services subscribed to, or payment information, in a quickly accessible manner becomes important. This is where the idea for Freshdesk, the company’s flagship product, was born. Then known as Freshdesk, the company rebranded itself as Freshworks in 2017. It now has tools for sales, marketing, information technology (IT) service management and human resources (HR). It claims to have over 52,000 customers and counts Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital and Accel amongst its investors. That is an amazing feat for someone born in the temple town of Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, going on to launch a billion-dollar IPO in the US. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Looking beyond business and addressing the sporting needs of youngsters" comment="subhead" text="Looking beyond business and addressing the sporting needs of youngsters">Looking beyond business and addressing the sporting needs of youngsters</cmsannotation> India is a country of over 1.4 billion people and this leads to a scarcity of many things – including good schools and colleges, and subsequently, jobs. This forces parents to force their kids to study well and land a good job. In the process, the other aspects of a child’s development get ignored. <div type="image" title="FC Madras edited" msid="86454099" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;FC Madras, Freshworks&amp;#39; own football team and academy&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> In Mathrubootham’s case, he tried to address the sporting needs of youngsters by organising events like the Trichy Premier League, a minor cricket league played with tennis balls. “We’ve been an opportunity-scarce country for a long time, but not anymore. So, with that mindset, we made education an enemy of sport,” he said, explaining that we appreciate students who get 100 in math, but not if they are good at football or cricket. “A champion should be celebrated, be it a scientist or a sportsman,” he added. To that end, Mathrubootham’s Freshworks has also started FC Madras with an intention to promote grassroots football in the country. FC Madras has a residential academy and offers free scholarships to talented young players. “The whole idea is to create respect for sports people and celebrate our champions, these children who pursue the sport should be able to succeed as well-rounded human beings even if they don’t become champion footballers,” he said in an interview with <a href="https://yourstory.com/weekender/freshworks-girish-mathrubootham-kicks-off-football-fever-in-chennai-as-fc-madras-comes-alive/amp">YourStory</a>. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/freshworks-ceo-girish-mathrubootham-shares-someone-said-i-will-be-nothing-but-a-rickshaw-puller/articleshow/86507840.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">WATCH: "Someone said I am good enough to be a rickshaw puller," shares Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham in a candid chat</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/videos/a-candid-conversation-with-freshworks-founder-and-ceo-girish-mathubootham/videoshow/86606660.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">A candid conversation with Freshworks founder and CEO, Girish Mathubootham</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/airtel-rights-issue-details-record-date-issue-price-and-more/articleshow/86446419.cms">Airtel rights issue worth ₹21,000 crore opens next month – record date, price, ratio and everything else you need to know</a>

Girish Mathrubootham, the son of a retired bank officer who built a $13 billion company in just 10 years

An unplugged conversation with Freshworks founder and CEO, Girish Mathrubootham

A candid conversation with Freshworks founder and CEO, Girish Mathubootham

Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) company <keyword id="4621694" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="freshworks" source="Orion">Freshworks</keyword> has laid off nearly 90 employees, or 2 per cent of its total workforce, citing rough global conditions behind the move. The company's Founder and CEO Girish Mathrubootham told employees in an email that this is not a company-wide layoff but "a structural change". "In all the changes we undertook we have deployed and retained the majority of our teammates, however a few around 2 per cent of 5,200 people or approximately 90 employees for whom we do not have a readily available open position," Mathrubootham wrote in the email. The CEO said that Freshworks will help impacted employees by providing them healthcare coverage and outplacement services. "While we have reported a strong quarter, we are not immune to this slower economy. While new businesses picked up, expansion slowed down even as we reduced our growth forecasts and headcount needs," he wrote. Freshworks joins a growing list of tech companies that have laid off employees amid global macro-economic conditions. The Nasdaq-listed firm was valued at $12.2 billion after it opened 21 per cent above the initial offering price of $36 apiece in September last year. Mathrubootham, in interviews with media outlets, highlighted that the IPO created a lot of wealth for its employees as more than 500 of its employees turned crorepatis (millionaires). He further added that about 70, of these 500 employees, are under the age of 30. The company was valued at $3.5 billion when it raised $150 million funding from investors like <keyword id="122716" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sequoia-capital" source="Orion">Sequoia Capital</keyword>, CapitalG and Accel in November 2019. Founded by Mathrubootham and <keyword id="2167964" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shan-krishnasamy" source="Orion">Shan Krishnasamy</keyword> as Freshdesk in Chennai in 2010, the company started its journey as a helpdesk software for customer support. It decided to rebrand itself to Freshworks in June 2017 to incorporate the company's growing software suite. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/honda-to-hike-vehicle-prices-by-up-to-30000-from-jan/articleshow/96271533.cms">Honda to hike vehicle prices by up to ₹30,000 from Jan</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/be-prepared-for-export-tariff-walls-by-nations-undergoing-green-transition-fm-nirmala-sitharaman/articleshow/96270382.cms">Be prepared for export tariff walls by nations undergoing green transition: FM Nirmala Sitharaman</a>

Indian SaaS firm Freshworks lays off 90 employees

<ul><li><keyword id="2167965" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="girish-mathrubootham" source="Orion">Girish Mathrubootham</keyword> is the co-founder and CEO of <keyword id="4621694" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks" source="Orion">Freshworks</keyword>, which is worth nearly $13 billion.</li><li>“The point is you don't have to fight at that point of time, you don't have to react or respond, but to use it to fire to do something creative,” he says. </li><li>The 46-year old Mathrubootham shared stories from his life’s journey, from his parents’ divorce to scornful relatives, and how he dealt with the down moments in his life, in an interview with Business Insider.</li></ul>“I have had relatives who have told me that I am only good enough to be a rickshaw puller,” says Girish Mathrubootham, the man who went on to build Freshworks, one of the biggest software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies in India. With a valuation of $13 billion, Freshworks has become the first decacorn (a startup valued at over $10 billion) in this space and the first Indian SaaS company to<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/freshworks-ipo-the-success-story-of-indias-first-saas-company-to-be-listed-in-us-stock-exchange/articleshow/86453444.cms"> list on Nasdaq</a>. In a candid conversation with Business Insider, the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) opened up about his early life and the challenges he overcame. The 46-year old Mathrubootham remembered the scornful remarks from 1992, when he couldn't score high enough in his class 12 and entrance exams for engineering ⁠— not from his parents but his relatives ⁠— while speaking about how he dealt with the down moments in his life. “The point is you don't have to fight (the naysayers) at that point of time, you don't have to react or respond, but to use it to fire to do something creative,” Mathrubootham says. <div type="Video" msid="86606660" hostid="261" title="A candid conversation with Freshworks founder and CEO, Girish Mathubootham" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=86606660"></div> “The other thing to do is truly follow your heart, you will be happy,” he adds, while citing multiple examples from the Indian film industry including Rajkumar Hirani’s blockbuster 3 idiots. “Madhavan [R Madhavan, who plays Farhan in 3 Idiots] says, ‘It’s okay I will not have enough money but so what, I will be happy as a wildlife photographer’,” Mathrubootham recites the dialogue. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> ‘Success is not always about money’ He had moved back to India from the US after the dotcom bubble had burst at the turn of the millennium. From earning $85,000 a year in 2001, he was back in India at a job that only paid him ₹40,000 a month in 2005-06. His father, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/meet-girish-mathrubootham-founder-and-ceo-of-freshworks/articleshow/86453777.cms#:~:text=Girish%20Mathrubootham%20is%20the%20star,so%20that%20his%20employees%20could.">a retired bank officer today</a>, was concerned because in his eyes all of Girish’s friends were successful with well paying jobs and had bought their own house. Girish, on the other hand, only had the in-hand salary and a two-bedroom apartment on a loan. “People’s definition of success is different. I was looking at being happy. So I was going after what made me happy, not chasing money. I was enjoying my career, building products and having fun, my friends knew that but I think that was okay,” he adds. ‘Differentiating the well wishers and well informed’ Mathrubootham doesn’t take advice from everyone. “If you are Sachin Tendulkar, who do you take advice from — Gary Kirsten or the other man who is there in every Tendulkar match with the Indian flag painted on his body,” he says. He was referring to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudhir_Kumar_Chaudhary">Sudhir Gautam</a>, a die-hard fan of Tendulkar and one who would famously be seen in every match that Team India played at home. “The said man (Sudhir Gautam) is a well wisher but Kirsten has more knowledge about this field,” Mathrubootham adds. <div type="image" title="Someone said I am good enough to be a rickshaw puller,&amp;quot; shares Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham in a candid chat" msid="86508163" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sudhir Gautam&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “I don’t give the key to my happiness to anyone and recommend my wife to do the same,” Mathrubootham says. An early jolt that made him independent Mathrubootham was young when his parents got divorced. "I would just say that experience also made me who I am and so in a very simple sense that I had to kind of fend for myself, take my own decisions and be accountable for those decisions," he says, adding he doesn’t like taking decisions on other peoples’ part including that of his own children. If you take all the decisions for your children until they’re 25, how do you expect them to go out into the world, he adds. “Decision making also needs experience,” he believes. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/meet-girish-mathrubootham-founder-and-ceo-of-freshworks/articleshow/86453777.cms">Girish Mathrubootham, the son of a retired bank officer who built a $13 billion company in just 10 years </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-lists-on-us-exchange-gives-tribute-to-rajinikanth-during-the-listing-ceremony/articleshow/86452943.cms">Landmark moment for this Rajinikanth fan’s SaaS startup on listing at US exchange </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/we-asked-three-spacetech-entrepreneurs-what-it-takes-to-enter-the-field-and-they-listed-out-the-opportunities/articleshow/86484417.cms">We asked three spacetech entrepreneurs what it takes to enter the field and they listed out the opportunities</a>

WATCH: "Someone said I am good enough to be a rickshaw puller," shares Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham in a candid chat

<ul><li><keyword id="4621694" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks" source="Orion">Freshworks</keyword> made its debut in the US-based Nasdaq on September 22 and it is the first Indian SaaS company to do so.</li><li>Freshworks was the first Indian SaaS company to achieve a billion dollar valuation, in 2019.</li><li>The company has now crossed a $10 billion valuation, thanks to its public listing.</li></ul>The Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry had already been growing exponentially since last year, but Freshworks’ public listing at Nasdaq has taken it all to another level. The company, which makes customer engagement software for businesses, was valued at a whopping<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms"> $12.2 billion </a>after it opened 21% above the initial offering price of $36 apiece. Freshworks sold 28.5 million common shares, hitting an intraday high of $48.75 on September 22. Freshworks was founded over a decade ago by <keyword id="2167965" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="girish-mathrubootham" source="Orion">Girish Mathrubootham</keyword> and <keyword id="2167964" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shan-krishnasamy" source="Orion">Shan Krishnasamy</keyword>. Both the co-founders were former employees of Zoho Corp, which too is one of the biggest SaaS companies in India. Both Zoho Corp and Freshworks are rivals and the biggest players in this industry. Here is a glimpse of Freshworks’ journey so far: <table class="redcator-table-advance" style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6em; box-shadow: none; width: 910.922px; font-family: Merriweather; padding-bottom: 10px !important; background-image: inherit !important; background-position: inherit !important; background-size: inherit !important; background-repeat: inherit !important; background-attachment: inherit !important; background-origin: inherit !important; background-clip: inherit !important;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Year </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Development </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Early 2010 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Girish Mathrubootham decided to start his entrepreneurial journey. Shan Krishnasamy too decided to join this venture as a co-founder. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">October 2010 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Mathrubootham and Krishnasamy resigned from Zoho Corp. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">December 2010 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks, then known as Freshdesk, incorporated in the USA due to lack of recurring payment solutions in India. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">March 2011 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Created a team of six people — three developers, one UI/UX designer, one customer acquisition/support engineer and Mathrubootham himself as product manager and CEO. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">December 2011 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Raised $1 million in a funding* round led by Accel. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">August 2015 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Acquired co-browsing and live video chat provider 1CLICK.io. This was Freshdesk’s first acquisition. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">August 2015 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The company crossed 50,000 customers. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">June 2017 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshdesk rebranded to Freshworks. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">June 2017 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">The platform was used by 100,000 companies in 145 countries. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">December 2018 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks turned unicorn, after raising $100 million at a valuation of more than a billion dollars. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">November 2019 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks valued at $3.5 billion, after raising $150 million. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">November 2019 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">It crossed 150,000 customers. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">March 2020 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Zoho Corp filed a lawsuit alleging that Freshworks stole confidential information and built a business out of it. </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">August 2021 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks filed for $100 million IPO in USA </td></tr><tr><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">September 2021 </td><td style="padding: 5pt; border-width: 1pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; vertical-align: top; overflow: hidden; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Freshworks made its debut on Nasdaq and its valuation touched $12 billion. </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table>*Freshworks has raised one funding round every year since 2011. There was a year-long break in 2017, when the SaaS firm did not raise any capital. Freshworks and Zoho’s rivalry took a serious turn in 2020, when Zoho filed a lawsuit <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/zoho-says-freshworks-intentionally-accessed-database-in-new-us-lawsuit/articleshow/79413070.cms">alleging</a> that Freshworks stole confidential information and built a business out of it. Vembu-led company has also accused Freshworks of poaching its employees and customers. The battle is still ongoing. According to a report by investment firm Chiratae Ventures and consulting firm Zinnov last month, the Indian SaaS segment has the potential to clock a total turnover of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/india-software-service-sector-needs-more-than-200000-employees-by-2025/articleshow/84632003.cms">$75 billion</a> by 2025. Companies like Zoho, Freshworks, and others are expected to be at the forefront of it. Freshworks was the first Indian SaaS company to achieve a billion dollar valuation, in 2019. A year later, the company closed another round at a valuation of $3.5 billion. It is backed by some of the prominent investors across the globe — Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, Accel, Steadview, CapitalG and more. The company raised another billion dollars through its public issue. It’s valuation also increased over three times to $12.2 billion. The SaaS giant has acquired 13 companies to date including AnswerI1Q, Flint, CanvasFlip, Natero, and Zarget, among others. "I feel like an Indian athlete who has won a gold medal at the Olympics. We are showing the world what a global product company from India can achieve,” Mathrubootham said, in an <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/freshworks-ipo-creates-more-than-500-crorepatis-in-india-with-70-of-them-aged-below-30-7496681.html">interaction </a>with Moneycontrol. He further claimed that the <keyword id="11167545" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks-ipo" source="Orion">Freshworks IPO</keyword> has made 500 crorepatis in India, 70 of which are under 30. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-and-airtel-need-tariff-hikes-agr-moratorium-might-not-be-enough-say-analysts/articleshow/86285450.cms">Vodafone Idea and Airtel need tariff hikes, AGR moratorium might not be enough, say analysts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-vodafone-idea-and-jio-welcome-telecom-relief-package-but-analysts-are-divided-on-whether-it-is-enough/articleshow/86252002.cms">Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio welcome telecom relief package, but analysts are divided on whether it is enough</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/airtel-challenges-telecom-departments-demand-of-1400-crore/articleshow/86260516.cms">Airtel challenges telecom department's demand of ₹1,400 crore</a>

The success story of India’s first SaaS company to be listed in Nasdaq

<ul><li>Freshworks became the first Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm to get listed on a US exchange by raising $13 billion on its debut day.</li><li>The IPO created 500 crorepatis in India, 70 of them are under the age of 30.</li><li>There are many more reasons why the startup industry is cheering for the <keyword id="11167545" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="freshworks-ipo" source="Orion">Freshworks IPO</keyword>.</li></ul>Apparently, the startup world can’t keep calm because not everyday does an Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm get listed on a US exchange by raising $13 billion dollars on its debut day. Icing on the cake is that the Freshworks IPO has also created a whole lot of wealth for its employees. 500 crorepatis (millionaires) in India, 70 of them are under the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms">age of 30</a>. Interestingly, Girish Mathrubootham, co-founder and chief executive officer of Freshworks, who is a big fan of Rajinikanth, names the opening ceremony event on Nasdaq as ‘Project Superstar’ in tribute to the famous Indian actor. There are many more reasons why the startup industry is cheering for the Freshworks IPO launch. Here are a few reactions from the India Inc: Freshworks IPO is a ‘snowball moment’ for India’s SaaS industry "An IPO is one more feather in Freshwork and Girish's hat! I strong believe they would build a long standing institution. The most gratifying part is to see the wealth created for their team, and energy they have helped propel in the India SAAS ecosystem - installing confidence in founders /to-be founders that great companies can be built from scratch. This is a snowball moment for India SAAS, and I am excited that we at Speciale are live and investing in this vibrant and growing startup ecosystem,” — Vishesh Rajaram, founder and managing partner of Speciale Invest This startup accelerator feels this is a Neeraj Chopra moment for the industry "Salesforce was the first SaaS IPO in the world in 2004. It served as a big inflection point for the entire SaaS Industry and which today, after 15 years, has an enterprise value of $2 trillion dollars. Freshworks - as the first Indian SaaS company to go IPO - acts as a similar inspiration to a growing number of SaaS startups from India. Every Indian SaaS founder is cherishing this moment just like the nation celebrated Neeraj Chopra winning Gold at the Olympics,” — Prasanna Krishnamoorthy, partner at Upekkha Value SaaS Accelerator Now the important question is who will achieve this feat next? "Successful listing of Freshworks on NASDAQ is a “Eureka” moment for the B2B SaaS sector in India which will inspire many upcoming start-ups to spread Indian product software across the globe. This feat by Freshworks showcases the potential for Indian SaaS start-ups to build globally disruptive technology product companies. It also showcases an immense amount of talent and the passion for entrepreneurship &amp; execution the Freshworks team embodies, and we (as in the Indian startup ecosystem) are eager to find out who will achieve this feat next,” — Ankur Bansal, cofounder and director at BlackSoil “Every SaaS founder in India would have a story or two about how they got inspired by Girish and the Freshworks story. Freshworks IPO makes the story they believed and got inspired by all the more real and their aspirations all the more possible. To the next 10 Indian SaaS IPOs!,” — Mayank Agarwal, cofounder at SendX “Freshworks has paved the path for future SaaS Companies that are building from India and selling globally. This is just a start of what we can see in the upcoming decade where a ton of Indian SaaS Companies will be going public. As Girish had mentioned yesterday that he feels like winning an Olympic medal, it is equivalent or more and motivates the next generation of SaaS Founders to build and go public,” — Harshit Agarwal, chief executive officer at Appknox SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/freshworks-ipo-500-crorepatis-12-billion-market-cap-and-more-that-emerged-from-indias-first-saas-listing-at-nasdaq/articleshow/86445614.cms">Freshworks IPO — 500 crorepatis, $12 billion market cap and more that emerged from India’s first SaaS listing at Nasdaq</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/voltas-havells-india-and-blue-star-stocks-have-gained-10-24-on-hopes-of-strong-demand-this-festive-season/articleshow/86448471.cms">Air conditioner brands Voltas, Blue Star, Havells rally ahead of festive season</a>

Landmark moment for this Rajinikanth fan’s SaaS startup on listing at US exchange

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shares of Indian software firm <keyword id="12153608" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="freshworks" source="Orion">Freshworks</keyword> jumped as much as 36% in their trading debut on Wednesday. </li><li>The firm priced its initial public offering at $36 per share Tuesday evening.</li><li>Freshworks aims to compete with <keyword id="11892769" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="salesforce" source="Orion">Salesforce</keyword> as it tries to disrupt the <keyword id="12153610" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="customer-relationship-management" source="Orion">customer relationship management</keyword> market.</li></ul>Shares of <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/frsh-stock">Freshworks</a> jumped as much as 36% on Wednesday during its Nasdaq debut.The stock hit an intraday high of $48.75 Wednesday. Freshworks on Nasdaq trades under the ticker "FRSH." The firm priced its initial public offering at $36 per share Tuesday evening. Freshworks sold <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/freshworks-announces-pricing-of-initial-public-offering-301382238.html?tc=eml_cleartime">28.5 million common shares</a>, raising $1 billion in proceeds and garnering a valuation of over $10 billion valuation. Founded in India, Freshworks, now a San Mateo, California-based software company, builds customer management platforms that have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-atlassian-exec-jose-morales-freshworks-2020-10">gained the attention of clients</a> including Honda, Cisco, and American Express.Its business <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-new-cmo-stacey-epstein-growth-2021-3">boomed during the pandemic</a> as companies rushed to digitize most of their customer operations to cater to the growing demand of clients whose employees were mostly stuck at home as large swathes of the world shutdown, founder CEO and Girish Mathrubootham <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-ceo-huge-opportunity-to-disrupt-customer-service-market-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">previously told Insider.</a>Freshworks aims to compete with software behemoth Salesforce as it tries to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-new-cmo-stacey-epstein-growth-2021-3">disrupt the customer relationship management </a>market, Mathrubootham <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-ceo-huge-opportunity-to-disrupt-customer-service-market-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">added.</a> Though Freshworks is based in the US, the majority of its employees are based in Chennai, India. It has other offices in 10 other locations, including London, Berlin, and Sydney.The idea of Freshworks was borne out of Mathrubootham's frustration with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freshworks-ceo-huge-opportunity-to-disrupt-customer-service-market-2019-11">lack of response from a moving company</a>, which damaged his television during the process in 2010. More than a decade later, he has grown his firm from just focusing on customer support to one that provides software for every customer interaction."We started in a 700 square foot warehouse in Chennai in 2010," Mathrubootham said in the <a href="https://sec.report/Document/0001628280-21-018866/0001628280-21-018866.txt">regulatory filing</a>. "We didn't plan nor expect to change the world. Our dreams came in increments, each building on the next and expanding our vision over time."Today, the company, among India's first unicorns - startups worth more than $1 billion - and is one of the country's best-known software-as-a-service firms.Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, and Bank of America Securities acted as lead book-runners for the offering.

Freshworks jumps 36% in trading debut after pricing IPO at $36 per share

<ul><li><keyword id="12512340" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jaswantiben-Jamnadas-Popat" source="Orion">Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat</keyword> was conferred the Padma Shri award on Tuesday.</li><li>She is one of the founders of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad.</li><li>Jaswantiben began her journey with an investment of ₹80 along with six of her friends.</li></ul>On March 15, 1959, Jaswantiben along with six of her friends met on a terrace in Girgaum, Maharashtra and started making papads, using a sum of ₹80, which were <a href="http://www.lijjat.com/Organisation/TheBeginning.aspx">borrowed</a> from Chhaganlal Karamshi Parekh, a social worker. Today, the brand is called Lijjat Papad, and it has grown to be a ₹1,600 crore business with 81 branches and employs over 45,000 women across the country, all of whom are considered co-owners in the enterprise. Recognising her journey, the Indian government gave the Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award in the country, to the 91-year old entrepreneur. While most people may not recognise her by name, it is unlikely that you are unfamiliar with her product. If you are someone who watched television during the 90s, you will probably remember the popular Lijjat Papad jingle with a hand puppet bunny chomping on crispy papad. <div type="Youtube" id="lSYMX6PmT34" title="Lijjat Papad Commercial - Doordarshan Ad/ Commercial from the 80's &amp; 90's - pOphOrn" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lSYMX6PmT34/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A humble beginning" comment="subhead" text="A humble beginning">A humble beginning</cmsannotation> Jaswantiben, who hails from Mumbai’s now affluent Girgaum area, began her journey as an entrepreneur to contribute towards her family’s income. While she did not have any knowledge about running a business, her hard work and courage allowed her to start this venture. She started making papads with Parvatiben Ramdas Thodani, Ujamben Narandas Kundalia, Banuben. N. Tanna, Laguben Amritlal Gokani, Jayaben V. Vithalani, and Chutadben Amish Gawadem. “Making papads does not require education, which is why we started Lijjat,” Jasnatiben says in an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSz27aGjqog">interview</a>. “Everyone here is a partner and does not work for any other person, which was one of the factors that enabled women to join at the beginning,” she adds. <div type="image" title="Lijjat Papad" msid="87648084" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Lijjat Papad&amp;#39;s logo.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “We do not require anyone to pay money, we do not check their caste or religion or do any background checks while adding a partner, where else will you find such a partnership business,” asks Jaswantiben. The group first made a batch of four packets of papads, which were sold to a businessman. Soon after that, the group increased from seven members to twenty-five and later the group registered as Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad and in 1962, it was renamed to Lijjat Papad. The papads are sold across the country and even exported to countries like the United States, Singapore, United Kingdom, Thailand and Netherlands among others. Not just papads, now Lijjat also sells masalas, atta, chapati and even detergent. The organisation has also had its share of failures, such as cottage leather, match sticks and incense sticks, which had to be shut down. “The credit of Lijjat Papad goes to every woman working here. This recognition is the fruit of their hard work,” Jaswantiben said while speaking to <a href="https://www.shethepeople.tv/top-stories/inspiration/jaswantiben-jamnadas-popat-lijjat-papad/">SheThePeople</a> after being awarded the Padma Shri. Jaswantiben-led Lijjat Papad believes in the principle of self-reliance and does not accept any donations or contributions. To ensure that the members do not lose out on employment, the company does not use machines and till date rolls the papads using hands despite making over 4.5 billion papads each year. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Equal profits" comment="subhead" text="Equal profits">Equal profits</cmsannotation> Every woman that joins Lijjat is called a Lijjat Ben (Sister) and is given equal share in the profits. Jyoti Naik, the former president of Lijjat Papad during an <a href="https://www.rediff.com/money/2005/apr/15spec.htm">interview</a> had revealed that Lijjat’s committee consisting of 21 members decides how profits are to be distributed. “Even a ben who has recently joined gets the same share as others who have been with us longer,” she said. The profits are usually distributed by purchasing gold coins -- either 5 grams or 10 grams, depending on the profit. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/sanjiv-goenka-makes-a-billion-dollar-comeback-to-the-worlds-biggest-t20-stage/articleshow/87277384.cms">Sanjiv Goenka makes a billion dollar comeback to the world's biggest T20 stage</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/nethra-kumanan-the-first-woman-sailor-from-india-to-qualify-for-the-olympics/articleshow/81984720.cms">Meet Nethra Kumanan — the first woman sailor from India to qualify for the Olympics with a love for Bharatnatyam</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/freshworks-ceo-girish-mathrubootham-shares-someone-said-i-will-be-nothing-but-a-rickshaw-puller/articleshow/86507840.cms">WATCH: "Someone said I am good enough to be a rickshaw puller," shares Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham in a candid chat</a>

The 91-year old woman behind India’s most famous papad brand gets the fourth highest civilian honour ⁠— she started with ₹80

<ul><li>SpotDraft recently raised $1.5 million in a pre-series A from Binny Bansal’s 021 Capital, Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham, among others. </li><li>The legal tech startup offers contract creation, management and analysis. </li><li>Indian unicorn entrepreneurs are turning into investors with a purpose – to help startups scale. </li></ul>A small Indian legal tech startup has been able to do what many early-stage entrepreneurs only dream of. SpotDraft has recently raised $1.5 million in a pre-series A round from Binny Bansal’s 021 Capital and several marquee investors like Girish Mathrubootham (Freshworks), Peeyush Ranjan (VP Engineering, Google Inc – former CTO Flipkart) and Indus Khaitan (Chief of Growth, Chargebee) among others. SpotDraft, which started off as an online platform to help people create contracts and automate their invoices, has evolved to offer contract creation, contract management and contract analysis. For example, it claims it helps businesses create a solid legally-binding contract, which they can negotiate and explore online. Its Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence-enabled services allow them to share with entrepreneurs the good, bad and ugly aspects about the contract. It can quickly help identify compliant and non-compliant clauses of a contract. Shashank Bijapur, CEO and co-founder, SpotDraft spoke to Business Insider to spill the secrets on how they convinced the marquee investors to place their bets on a startup which is just about two years old. According to Bijapur, what worked for them was the value proposition of the business. “At a high level, the problem statement and solution were very clear. Legal as a problem is ripe for disruption making way for complete automation of legal processes that a business has to undergo,” he said. Legal paperwork is one of the many hurdles that businesses and entrepreneurs face, especially in a market like India where these tend to be time-consuming. Compliance is also increasingly becoming an important exercise, as regulations become more complex. It also helped that Bijapur, a Harvard law grad and Wall Street lawyer and his co-founder Madhav Bhagat, a Carnegie Mellon graduate and Google, New York employee, had their background to vouch for them as well. With the funds raised from this round, it is looking to focus on growth in terms of team, sales and development. In the near future, it plans to expand geographies to Europe, US and Middle East, while also looking to grow revenue 10X over the next 12-14 months. The investment is also the latest example of Indian unicorn founders turning into evangelists for startups in the country, through mentoring and investments. Many aren’t just looking at being moneybags but also contribute to the success of other startups. “As founders, the access to capital may not have been as difficult as finding the right people for your business – people who can take us from 0 to 1. The value that these investors brought on board is immense and even before we were given the term sheet, we were introduced to half a dozen clients,” said Bijapur. Currently, the startup has over a dozen multi-national corporations as well as 1,000 SMEs as customers. Among its customers include Wipro, Goodtimes and The Circle, according to the company’s web site. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-two-startup-icons-switch-to-the-other-side-as-venture-capitalists/articleshow/67420444.cms">India’s two startup icons switch to the other side — as venture capitalists</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/angel-tax-startup-definition-changed-exemption-up-to-25-crore/articleshow/68063050.cms">Indian government finally comes to a decision on Angel Tax, changes definition of startups</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/for-indian-startups-2018-has-been-a-year-of-bouncing-back-as-venture-capital-funding-doubles/articleshow/67286540.cms">For Indian startups, 2018 has been a year of bouncing back as venture capital funding doubles</a>

Why India’s Unicorn founders backed this barely two-year-old legal tech startup

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The CEO of the software firm Freshworks says his workers are using OpenAI's ChatGPT to write code.</li><li>Girish Mathrubootham told Fortune some tasks that usually took 8 to 10 weeks were completed in a few days.</li></ul>The CEO of the software company Freshworks says his employees are using OpenAI's ChatGPT to write code — and it's saving them a ton of time."We use ChatGPT to write code," Girish Mathrubootham <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/05/23/generative-ai-chatgpt-uses-ceos-business-book-travel-write-code/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fortune</a>. Software development that "used to take anywhere from eight to 10 weeks… now can be done in less than a week," he said.Generative AI's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-ai-technology-end-of-coding-software-developers-jobs-2023-4">impressive coding skills</a> are making it easier for people to develop software across the board. Some VCs and startup founders told <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/generative-ai-threat-to-saas-companies-software-as-a-service-2023-5">Insider's Stephanie Palazzolo</a> that this could disrupt the way software was created, distributed, and used.A representative for Freshworks did not immediately respond to a request for comment made outside normal business hours.Freshworks isn't the only example of companies using this new technology to increase productivity.The CEO of Octopus Energy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-work-automation-octopus-energy-greg-jackson-2023-5">said artificial intelligence was doing the work of hundreds</a> of people at the company. Greg Jackson wrote for <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ai-is-like-going-from-muskets-to-missiles-everywhere-all-at-once-3kx5v0kn9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Times of London</a> that the company had been using AI for months and that emails written by these tools delivered better customer satisfaction than those from trained workers.Workers are also taking it upon themselves to leverage AI to increase their productivity and output behind their bosses' backs. One worker — speaking under the pseudonym Ben — <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7begx/overemployed-hustlers-exploit-chatgpt-to-take-on-even-more-full-time-jobs" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">told Vice</a> that ChatGPT did around 80% of their job.The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-ai-chaos-openia-google-creatives-academics-2023-1">recent popularity</a> of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT is stoking employee fears about the automation of jobs, especially amid a wave of layoffs affecting <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=layoffs+business+insider&amp;oq=layoffs+business+insider&amp;aqs=chrome.0.0i512j0i22i30l4j69i61j69i60l2.5443j0j4&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several industries</a>. A March report from Goldman Sachs said that generative AI tools like ChatGPT could lead to "significant disruption" in the labor market and affect around <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/generative-ai-chatpgt-300-million-full-time-jobs-goldman-sachs-2023-3" rel="">300 million full-time jobs globally</a>.

Software company CEO says using ChatGPT cuts the time it takes to complete coding tasks from around 9 weeks to just a few days

<ul><li> <keyword id="733500" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="accel" source="Orion">Accel</keyword>’s accelerator programme has pivoted to focus on two themes for early stage startups as it believes the opportunities are large in India and outside.</li><li> So far, <keyword id="6355999" type="General" weightage="60" keywordseo="ai" source="Orion">AI</keyword> has been used to analyse and predict consumer behaviour, but Accel expects new startups that will help redefine the entire customer journey using AI.</li><li>If the economy has to double in the next ten years, then manufacturing will play a big role. </li></ul> As the third largest startup ecosystem in the world, India is home to more than 90,000 startups at the start of 2023. But the one question on top of everyone’s mind is: Where will the next Flipkart or Swiggy come from? With the era of easy money gone, the entire ecosystem – entrepreneurs, angel investors along with venture/private equity funds – are more interested in business models and path to profitability than they were ever before. Accel India, a leading venture capital firm that works with founders from seed to scale stages, has identified two key themes – AI and Industry 5.0 – as their next big bets. Accel should know this because the firm has invested very early on in startups like Flipkart, Swiggy, Freshworks and Zetwerk. The global venture firm is taking a structured approach to pursue opportunities that it believes will be very big in the next seven to ten years. Accel’s accelerator programme, Atoms 3.0, which it launched in 2021 has also pivoted from a horizontal programme to a thematic one. Says Barath Shankar Subramanian, partner at Accel, “Both these are here and now opportunities. Atoms gives us that early window into identifying some of those opportunities that will be relevant 7-10 years down the line because it is an early stage programme.” Accel launched its Atoms 3.0 in 2020 and so far two of its cohorts have raised $160 mn across 24 startups. In its third edition, the programe has been tweaked to focus on AI and Industry 5.0. This has been done after taking feedback from the entire ecosystem such that the programme could meet the needs of founders. Both these themes are here and now opportunities and the Atoms 3.0 gives the venture firm an early window into these opportunities that would become big 7-10 years down the line. Accel is not wrong in its choice of themes as both have immense potential. Since November 2022, generative AI (artificial intelligence) has touched the lives of students, elderly and consumers in many different ways. While students can get answers to their questions late into the night, stock market traders are asking AI powered astrology apps on what the stars foretell. Beyond the fun aspects, AI will transform B2C platforms and their interfaces. So far, AI has been used to analyse and predict consumer behaviour, but Accel expects new startups that will help redefine the entire customer journey using AI. In its blog, Seed to Scale, Accel says that it anticipates the birth of transformative consumer startups redefining how businesses can cater to both consumer needs &amp; desires. Manufacturing – the other theme that Accel is betting on – is already the talk of town. Accel has already made investments in ten companies in the Industry 5.0 space, with Zetwerk and Detect Technologies being its most successful bets. Explains Subramanian, “If the economy has to double in the next ten years, then manufacturing will play a big role. There are a lot of tailwinds to why manufacturing will take off in India. These opportunities will be both brownfield and greenfield. Because of what has happened in India on the digital side over the last ten years, we are seeing that there is a market and the proxy for that is looking at digital transformation spending. The new age greenfield manufacturing facilities that will have to focus on digital from day one. These tailwinds are at play.” The VC firm is certain that manufacturing in India is a long-term trend and both existing manufacturing companies and new age ones will have to digitise their operations. What the Atoms Programme does is to help the new startups attain scale much faster as it has thanks to the learnings they have from the earlier investments. Accel now does not need to reinvent the wheel as its Atoms 3.0 is customised for founders in India. Adds Subramanian, “A lot of thought goes into a new vertical since we are still looking for the next large company coming out of India. The next Flipkart and Swiggy will come from AI or Industry 5.0.” “While many in the industry see Industry 5.0 as the SaaS for manufacturing, Subramanian says that while it may look like that but it is not. The next wave of companies in this space will be more enterprise-led and solutions will be co-created with large companies. Large enterprises in manufacturing spaces outside India have been slower to move as they are dealing with legacy systems. There is an opportunity in India here and now, which can later be taken outside India as well over time”, Subramanian adds. Accel has categorised the opportunity into three baskets – people, processes and machines – and any opportunity that interjects one of these or a combination of these is 5.0 for Accel. One of its portfolio companies is a good example of what startups can do in the space without actually setting up factories. Detect Technologies partners with the companies to reduce safety violations on a consistent basis. In the past, there would be cameras and people would monitor it manually, but this process can be machine-led and companies are willing to pay for it. Going forward, Accel is of the view that real businesses that make money will come from these verticals. Accel has five focused verticals – consumer, B2B, SaaS, fintech and digital health. Largely, everything the VC firm has done fits into these categories. It’s philosophy too has not changed, which is to catch startups young and to stay with them for the next ten years or so. Accel’s past record shows that it has managed to identify the right themes ahead of others. Its Fund II was largely focused on horizontal marketplaces, while Fund III (2012) was about SaaS companies. Its Fund IV took bets on consumer services startups like Swiggy and Urban Company, while Find V was B2B marketplaces. Now Fund VI is doubling down on B2B marketplaces and horizontal SaaS opportunities. “At the simplest level, we work on global themes and then we double down on it if we see India is ahead of that trend,” adds Subramanian.

You Searched For "founder of freshworks" and got 12 results

Girish Mathrubootham, the son of a retired bank officer who built a $13 billion company in just 10 years

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An unplugged conversation with Freshworks founder and CEO, Girish Mathrubootham

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A candid conversation with Freshworks founder and CEO, Girish Mathubootham

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Indian SaaS firm Freshworks lays off 90 employees

IANS

WATCH: "Someone said I am good enough to be a rickshaw puller," shares Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham in a candid chat

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The success story of India’s first SaaS company to be listed in Nasdaq

Kritti Bhalla

Landmark moment for this Rajinikanth fan’s SaaS startup on listing at US exchange

Bhakti Makwana

Freshworks jumps 36% in trading debut after pricing IPO at $36 per share

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Software company CEO says using ChatGPT cuts the time it takes to complete coding tasks from around 9 weeks to just a few days

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The next Flipkart or Swiggy will come from AI or Industry 5.0, says Accel’s Barath Subramanian

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