Zoho CEO Unveils ‘Karuvi’: Innovative Power Tools to Boost Rural Employment
Sridhar Vembu, the Founder and CEO of Zoho, a leading Cloud software provider, announced on Wednesday the development of first-of-its-kind power tools, ready for commercial production, aimed at creating more rural jobs in India.
Named ‘Karuvi,’ which translates to ‘instrument’ or ‘tool’ in Tamil, these hand-held tools are set to revolutionize the rural job market.
Vembu shared the backstory behind the creation of Karuvi, revealing that the inspiration came from Abdul Gafoor, the owner of ‘Mr Light Global,’ a prominent distributor of electrical and electronics products in the Middle East and India. Gafoor approached Vembu during the pandemic, presenting a box of hand-held tools and urging Zoho to manufacture similar products.
Despite initial hesitation, Vembu was persuaded by Gafoor’s vision of generating rural employment through the production of these tools. Zoho assembled a small engineering team two years ago and embarked on the challenge.
After numerous iterations, Zoho has successfully developed a suite of tools ready for commercial production. The company is now implementing innovative ideas in its factory in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, marking the beginning of a new venture.
Vembu expressed gratitude to Gafoor for pushing him to undertake this initiative and thanked Cibi Anand for suggesting the name ‘Karuvi.’
The announcement generated excitement among followers, with one expressing eagerness to replace their existing tools with Karuvi products, signaling a promising future for Zoho’s latest endeavor.
