Sridhar Vembu, the founder of Zoho Corp, believes the future of India’s tech and entrepreneurial success lies in its villages. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he urged ambitious engineers and entrepreneurs with a “long term horizon” to look beyond major cities and consider rural India as the place to build their dreams.
“If you are a smart ambitious engineer or entrepreneur with a long term horizon, rural India is a great place to build your dream,” Vembu wrote. He pointed out that, unlike rural areas in developed countries, rural India has a youthful demographic. In contrast, Indian cities rely on migration from villages to sustain their workforce.
Vembu challenged entrepreneurs to rethink their approach: “Why not go to the source of the talent? In the average rural district in India (Tenkasi being typical) you have about 20,000 kids born a year. Think deeply about this number! What can you build with that talent? There are over 600 such rural districts in India!”
However, he stressed that success in these regions requires patience and a long-term mindset. “The ‘long term horizon’ part is extremely important. If you want an exit in 3 years, forget it! And look beyond English and engage the talent in their native language,” he advised.
Vembu’s call to action comes just weeks after stepping down as CEO of Zoho Corp. He recently transitioned into the role of Chief Scientist, shifting his focus toward research and development. His latest message reinforces his belief in decentralization and rural empowerment — values that have shaped Zoho’s approach to talent development for years.