Zoho has achieved something by becoming a highly successful SaaS company without relying on external funding. They have managed to attract, over 100 million users from around the world. Have become a trusted provider for more than 700,000 businesses, across 150 countries. One of the things that sets them apart is their range of applications catering to their needs. Additionally, they have recently introduced a web browser called ‘Ulaa’ which focuses on ensuring user privacy.
Zoho, a Chennai-based SaaS unicorn, has achieved a significant milestone by surpassing 100 million users across its diverse suite of business applications. This achievement marks a remarkable feat as Zoho is the first self-funded SaaS company to reach this monumental user count.
Presently, Zoho caters to over 700,000 businesses spanning 150 countries. Over the years, the SaaS unicorn’s user base has grown exponentially, surging from a mere 1 million in 2008 to an impressive 100 million by 2023. To add to its accolades, the company crossed the $1 billion annual revenue threshold just last year.
Zoho is renowned for its extensive range of online office suite applications, offering essential tools for diverse functions such as customer relationship management (CRM), project management, social media management, and more.
Among its illustrious clientele are startups like BYJU’S, MakeMyTrip, BigBasket, Paper Boat, and Zomato, and established brands such as PUMA, Axis Finance, Samsonite, Tata Play Fiber, Star Health & Allied Insurance, Mercedes-Benz India, SpiceJet, IIFL Finance, Meril Life Sciences, Blue Star, Bosch, Saint-Gobain, Deloitte, and McDonald’s.
In addition to its core services, Zoho has recently introduced ‘Ulaa,’ a privacy-centric web browser designed to safeguard user data by blocking trackers and website surveillance.
Founded back in 1996 by Vembu and Tony Thomas, Zoho has expanded its global workforce to over 12,000 employees. Impressively, despite encountering a business slowdown, this bootstrapped unicorn managed to post a net profit of INR 2,749 crore in FY22, marking a substantial 43% increase from INR 1,917 crore in FY21.
In the competitive landscape of SaaS, Zoho faces formidable rivals including Freshworks, Hubspot, Salesforce, Microsoft, and numerous other Indian and international tech giants. Salesforce, in particular, stands out as the largest CRM provider in the world, serving over 150,000 companies, including industry giants like Walmart, Amazon, AWS, and Spotify. Notably, Salesforce has also secured a dominant position, capturing nearly 40% of the global market for cloud-based sales software.
