The Peak Unicorn

From Seeking Growth Through Venture Capital to Creating His Own Investment Vehicle, Here’s How Girish Mathrubootham Is Defining the New-age Tech Investment.

- Punita Sabharwal

For any young startup, having a unicorn founder like Girish Mathrubootham as an early investor is a boon. When we met the founder of Freshworks in Chennai — his wit, pleasant mien, intelligence and avant-garde ideas — all suggested why he is one of the most sought-after investors in India.

Girish has always been the one who took charge of his decisions in life, right from the beginning. If one’s parents separate when one is aged just seven, then one tends to mature a little early, and of course, one grows to be self-dependent. “I believe as parents we shouldn’t be taking all the decisions for our children because, at the end of the day, when you take your own decisions you learn to live with the consequences,” he says. His parents’ separation remains a defining moment in Girish’s life. It not only prepared him in his entrepreneurial undertakings, but also in being a parent to not just his children, but to his employees as well. He even mentors startups he invests in as a father mentors his child. Oftentimes, he lets them take their own decisions.

Born and brought up in Trichy in Tamil Nadu, Girish went on to study engineering in Chennai. Being an average student, Girish developed his own way of learning things, which was different from what one normally does in a classroom. He went on to do his MBA from the University of Chennai with the financial support of his father. He had a few brief job stints, where he also learned Java on the job. Soon, Girish began giving Java training to his friends as well. Sharing his unique way of learning, Girish says, “I had this habit of structuring all these engineering subjects like logical stories so as to easily remember and write the stories.”