Desi instant messaging app, Aratai, is currently under great discussion in India. Equipped with features like WhatsApp, this app became popular among the people as soon as it was launched and the app reached the top in the store. But the lifestyle of the person behind this app is no less than a film story. We are talking about Joho Corporation founder and billionaire entrepreneur Sridhar Vembu, whose total assets today are estimated to be around 5.8 billion dollars (about Rs 8850 crore). Despite this, they live a simple and easy life and can still be seen riding a bicycle on the village footpaths.
Travel from IIT to America
The journey of Sridhar Vambu is quite inspiring. He did his PhD from IIT Madras in Electrical Engineering in 1989 and then from Princeton University in America. As soon as he completed his studies, he started working as a system design engineer in the American company Qualcomm. However, he did not like this job and dreamed of doing something big for himself.
In the 90s, Sridhar Wambu, along with her family and friends, launched the Adventnet, which later became Joho Corp. Today Joho is counted among the largest software companies in India, which serves millions of customers worldwide. Joho recorded an integrated revenue of about Rs 8,703 crore in 2023-24 and a company assessment of Rs 1.04 lakh crore.
Despite being a billionaire, life in the village
Sridhar Wambu was 51st in Forbes India’s top 100 billionaires list of 2024. His wealth has increased rapidly year after year. His total assets in 2018 were $ 1.6 billion, which will increase to more than $ 5 billion in 2024. Despite this, he made villages like Tenkashi and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu instead of big cities. They often make local trips by bicycle. This is the reason why despite being a billionaire, his image is connected to a land and a practical person.
Vambu’s response to IPO discussion
After the success of Aratai, when speculation about Joho’s IPO was intensified, Sridhar Vambu clarified that the company was in no hurry to go public. He says that many innovative projects of Joho have been possible without any pressure and this is their real strength.