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Ansh Kadam

Stealth • 1m

Here’s how Girish Mathrubootham turned a broken TV into a $13 Billion dollar company, and how you can also turn simple events into billions. In 2010, Girish was VP of Product Management at ZOHO Corporation when a frustrating personal experience changed his life. His TV arrived broken after moving from the US to India, and customer service left him with nothing but headaches. At the same time, he stumbled upon a Hacker News article where ZenDesk customers were unhappy about price hikes. A comment caught his eye: “Someone should build a simpler, cheaper help desk.” Girish decided to take the leap. Despite a stable job and financial commitments, he and his colleague, Shanmugam Krishnasamy, co-founded FreshDesk with just 6 people. The journey wasn’t easy. They were based in Chennai, India, making it hard to incorporate in the US and build global credibility. Critics called them a ZenDesk ripoff, but FreshDesk kept on going. Despite the odds, they gained their first customer 3 days after launch and hit 100 customers in just 100 days. By 2017, they had rebranded as FreshWorks and expanded their product portfolio. In September 2021, they made history. FreshWorks became the first Indian SaaS company listed on NASDAQ, raising $1 Billion at a $13 Billion valuation. Today, FreshWorks serves 68,000+ businesses worldwide and employs over 4,000 people. What started with a broken TV is now a global SaaS powerhouse. 🚀 The takeaway : Your frustration with a problem might just be the spark for your next big idea. And to unlock more solid information related to business, startups, and growth overall, subscribe to my newsletter through the link in the comment.

11 replies7 likes

Replies (11)

Anonymous 6

Stealth • 1m

The journey wasn’t smooth, with skeptics calling them a ZenDesk copy, but FreshWorks’ resilience and smart rebranding turned their story into a massive success

1 replies1 like

Anonymous 5

Stealth • 1m

Despite being a small team from Chennai, FreshWorks proved that location and resources are secondary to a strong idea, persistence, and the ability to solve real problems

1 replies1 like

Anonymous 4

Stealth • 1m

Damn what started as a broken TV became a billion-dollar opportunity.

0 replies1 like

Anonymous 3

Stealth • 1m

The broken TV anecdote is overhyped. The real reason for FreshDesk’s success was the untapped SaaS market back then, not some random customer service frustration. Timing was everything

0 replies

Anonymous 2

Stealth • 1m

This is proof that opportunities lie in everyday frustrations. The key is execution, not just the idea. Girish saw a gap, took a risk, and followed through. That’s what separates dreamers from doers.

1 replies1 like

Anonymous 1

Stealth • 1m

Starting with a simple idea and scaling to billions is incredible, but building credibility as an Indian SaaS company was probably harder than dealing with a broken TV. The real story is their grit in overcoming global bias

1 replies1 like

Ansh Kadam

Stealth • 1m

Join the Newsletter here - https://expansiontalks.com/

0 replies

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