Zoho announced it has reached 100 million users across its suite of more than 55 business applications, making it the first bootstrapped software-as-a-service (SaaS) company to hit this milestone.
Zoho saw rapid growth over the past 15 years to reach the 100 million mark, with over 50 million users added in just the past 5 years. And it’s the second major milestone in as many years. Zoho surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue last year.
Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu thanked customers for their support in helping Zoho achieve the 100 million user milestone. He says, “This is an impressive milestone for any organization, but it’s particularly sweet for us as a bootstrapped company that’s never raised external capital.”
Staying Bootstrapped to Keep Core Values
Zoho has achieved this growth as a bootstrapped company without any external funding or influence. This allows Zoho to stay closely aligned with its core values like sustainable expansion and user privacy protection. A key part of Zoho’s growth strategy is its commitment to “transnational localism” – staying close to customers no matter where they are located.
This year Zoho is hosting 31 Zoholics user conferences across 27 countries. These intimate events allow Zoho to connect with and learn from customers around the world.
Brent Leary, Partner at CRM Essentials, explains the impressive nature of this achievement: “Zoho has done something that really boggles the mind. Reaching 100 million users is no easy feat, especially for a business application software provider.
“But to reach this mark while taking no outside money (and remaining privately owned) is a testament to their dedication and long-term commitment to serving customers – while valuing them far beyond the financial transaction that impacts the bottom line. And customers have rewarded that commitment by making this rather improbable milestone a reality.”
Find out more on LinkedIn Live for a conversation with Brent Leary and Zoho Chief Evangelist Raju Vegesna to discuss the news on Tuesday, September 5th at 10 a.m. ET. You can watch that conversation by following this link: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7103123710148059136
Honoring Privacy
Zoho is also distinctive in its stance on user privacy. The company does not rely on an ad revenue model for its free products and operates its own data centers to maintain customer data security and privacy oversight. With sustainable growth and a focus on providing accessible yet powerful and flexible tools for businesses, Zoho has carved out a niche for itself in the competitive SaaS market.
The 100 million user mark validates its strategy. As Vembu stated, reaching this many users is an impressive feat for any company. And Zoho shows no signs of slowing down, either.
Vembu adds, “We are not done yet. We have an impressive innovation pipeline covering the next 10 years, investing in deep technologies to serve billions of users around the world. We’re working towards it, and we want to thank all of you for your continued support.”
Image: Zoho
This article, "Zoho Reaches Major Milestone of 100 Million Users" was first published on Small Business Trends