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Girish Mathrubootham (Together Fund): 10 Key Things You Must Know

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Overview

Girish Mathrubootham is a renowned Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Freshworks Inc., a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that has achieved global success. Born in 1975 in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu, Mathrubootham's journey from a middle-class background to a globally recognized tech leader is both inspiring and instructive. As a key figure in India's evolving technology sector, he has been instrumental in shaping the Indian SaaS ecosystem and fostering innovation through his venture capital firm, Together Fund.

Freshworks, initially launched as Freshdesk in 2010, rose from a small startup in Chennai to become the first Indian SaaS company to be listed on Nasdaq in 2021. Girish's vision and leadership have guided the company’s expansion into a comprehensive suite of products tailored for customer engagement, IT service management, and enterprise solutions, serving over 70,000 clients worldwide. Beyond his corporate achievements, Girish is known for his philanthropy, particularly in grassroots football development through FC Madras, and for mentoring startups through Together Fund.

This article explores ten crucial facets of Girish Mathrubootham's life, career, philanthropic endeavors, and his pivotal role in the broader SaaS and AI landscape in India.

1. Early Life and Educational Journey

Born on March 29, 1975, in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, Girish Mathrubootham was raised in a middle-class family and experienced a childhood marked by resilience, including the separation of his parents at an early age. He attended Campion Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Trichy and later pursued engineering at Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy. He also earned an MBA in marketing from the University of Madras.

Girish’s early career involved software engineering roles, including at HCL and AdventNet (later Zoho Corporation), where he progressively took on leadership roles. His education and work experience laid the groundwork for his entrepreneurial ventures, marked by a methodical approach and a strong focus on product management.

2. Founding Freshworks and Early Product Vision

In 2010, inspired by a gap in the customer support software market and an incident involving poor service related to a broken TV shipment, Girish resigned from his VP position at Zoho to launch Freshdesk (rebranded as Freshworks in 2017) alongside Shan Krishnasamy.

Starting with a simple helpdesk software aimed at small and medium businesses, Freshworks rapidly gained traction internationally, focusing on cloud-based, user-friendly customer engagement solutions. The company emphasized a product-led growth strategy, building an ecosystem of SaaS tools including Freshdesk, Freshservice, Freshsales, and Freshchat, enabling seamless enterprise-grade service without complexity.

3. Freshworks’ Global Growth and Nasdaq IPO

Freshworks expanded from a six-member team in Chennai to a multinational company headquartered in San Mateo, California. The firm went public on the Nasdaq in September 2021, raising over $1 billion and becoming the first Indian SaaS company to be listed on the US stock exchange.

Under Girish’s leadership as CEO until 2024, Freshworks grew its revenue notably, surpassing $596 million in 2023 with aspirations to reach $1 billion by 2026. The company continued to evolve with strategic acquisitions and innovations, consolidating its position as a leader in SaaS.

4. Transition to Executive Chairman and AI Focus

In May 2024, Girish transitioned from CEO to Executive Chairman, appointing Dennis Woodside as CEO. This move allowed Girish to focus on long-term product vision and accelerating Freshworks’ AI strategy.

Freshworks embraced AI integration, notably through the Freddy AI agent, aimed at automating customer service operations and enhancing human-agent collaboration. Girish expressed conviction that AI would transform the SaaS industry into "SaaS.AI," driving productivity and reshaping job roles, highlighting Freshworks’ proactive adaptations.

5. Co-founding Together Fund: Supporting India’s SaaS and AI Startups

Alongside Manav Garg (Founder of Eka Software), Shubham Gupta, and Avinash Raghava, Girish co-founded Together Fund in 2021, an operator-led venture capital firm focused on backing early-stage SaaS and AI ventures in India.

The fund operates with a founder-first philosophy, leveraging deep operator knowledge to mentor startups beyond capital infusion. Together Fund launched with an $85 million corpus and raised a $150 million second fund, channeling investments into promising AI startups like Gibran, which develops adaptive AI for drug discovery and other verticals.

6. Angel Investment Portfolio and Mentorship

Girish is an active angel investor with over 60 startup investments, prominently in the SaaS and AI domains. His investment approach emphasizes founder-product affinity and hands-on mentorship, offering strategic guidance rooted in his entrepreneurial experience.

He has supported firms such as Unacademy, Chargebee, and emerging AI companies, while promoting startup growth across India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. His engagement extends through SaaSBOOMi, a community initiative co-founded by him, nurturing a vibrant ecosystem of SaaS entrepreneurs.

7. Philanthropy and FC Madras Football Academy

Beyond technology, Girish is passionate about sports and youth development. He founded FC Madras, a grassroots football academy near Chennai, investing about Rs 100 crore in building a world-class facility adhering to FIFA standards.

The academy provides training, education, and wellness resources to talented young players identified from across India, aiming to nurture international-level footballers. Girish’s vision is to create a "Messi from Madras," addressing the lack of infrastructure and support for the sport in India.

8. Authorship of Memoir "All In"

In 2025, Girish published his autobiography "All In," co-written with journalist Pankaj Mishra. The memoir candidly explores his personal and professional journey, from childhood challenges in Trichy to building Freshworks into a global SaaS powerhouse.

The book aims to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs from non-elite backgrounds, emphasizing unconventional decisions, perseverance, and the importance of "riding the wave" of technological trends. It also reveals his philosophies on happiness, leadership, and innovation.

9. Leadership Style and Industry Impact

Girish is recognized for a heart-led leadership approach that prioritizes employee well-being and customer-centric innovation. He fosters a culture of simplicity, transparency, and craftsmanship at Freshworks.

He advocates for balancing operational discipline with empathy, encouraging teams to embrace experimentation and delivering fast, tangible impact. His role has been pivotal in elevating India’s stature as a product nation and fostering a new generation of SaaS leaders through ecosystem-building efforts.

10. Influence on India’s SaaS Ecosystem and Vision for the Future

Girish envisions India evolving from a services-oriented economy to a "product nation," driven by digital transformation and global SaaS demand. He highlights India’s growing developer base, entrepreneurial talent, and supportive startup communities as catalysts.

He believes AI's integration within SaaS presents a transformative opportunity for Indian startups to innovate and capture global markets. Through his ventures and mentorship, Girish aims to accelerate this evolution, empowering Indian founders to build enduring, world-class technology companies.

Conclusion

Girish Mathrubootham’s journey from a middle-class upbringing in Tamil Nadu to the helm of a NASDAQ-listed global SaaS company exemplifies visionary leadership, resilience, and innovation. His contributions span successful entrepreneurship, fostering India’s SaaS ecosystem through active investing and founding Together Fund, and impactful philanthropy with FC Madras.

As a thought leader focusing on AI-driven transformation and founder empowerment, Girish continues to influence the tech landscape in India and beyond. His memoir "All In" offers valuable insights and inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide, demonstrating that determination, adaptability, and a founder-first mindset can surmount formidable challenges and build enduring success.

Girish’s vision for India as a "Product Nation" and his commitment to nurturing future champions in technology and sports underscore a broader transformative agenda that intertwines innovation with societal impact, positioning him as a pivotal figure in India’s tech-driven future.

References

  1. Freshworks Annual Report 2023: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001804729/000180472924000007/frsh-20231231.htm
  2. "Nasdaq Listing Of Freshworks Creates Windfall For Indian Founder And Hundreds Of Employees," Forbes, Sep 2021: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anupraghunathan/2021/09/24/nasdaq-listing-of-freshworks-creates-windfall-for-indian-founder-and-hundreds-of-employees/
  3. "Girish Mathrubootham launches memoir ‘All In’ tracing early life, Zoho years and Freshworks journey," The Hindu BusinessLine, March 2025: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/girish-mathrubootham-launches-memoir-all-in-tracing-early-life-zoho-years-and-freshworks-journey/article69390643.ece
  4. "Together Fund eyes final close of Fund-II by June to up AI play," Economic Times, July 2023: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/funding/together-eyes-final-close-of-fund-ii-by-june-to-up-ai-play/articleshow/118666691.cms
  5. Together Fund Official Website: https://together.fund/
  6. "Freshworks names Dennis Woodside as CEO," Reuters, May 2024: https://www.reuters.com/technology/freshworks-names-dennis-woodside-ceo-shares-tumble-2024-05-01/
  7. "Freshworks: Empowering Businesses with Intuitive SaaS Solutions," Freshworks Website: https://www.freshworks.com/company/about/
  8. "'A Messi from Madras': Freshworks founder builds Rs 100 crore football academy," Moneycontrol: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/startup/a-messi-from-madras-freshworks-founder-builds-rs-100-crore-football-academy-10273451.html
  9. "All In : Memoirs of the Freshworks Founder," HarperCollins India, 2025: https://harpercollins.co.in/product/all-in/
  10. "Freshworks IPO was code-named 'Project SuperStar' after Rajini," Economic Times, Sep 2021: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/ipos/freshworks-ipo-was-code-named-project-superstar-after-rajini/articleshow/86446436.cms