In November 2016, when he was within the US, Jayant Ratti determined to develop into an Uber driver. Not to earn cash for a dwelling. But as a result of he had a automobile, as a result of he beloved driving, and he wished to transfer round a metropolis and see what drawback he might solve with the facility of mobility.
After a few weeks behind the wheel, his ideas started taking form – why not work on expertise that not solely might help clear up our cities and public areas, but in addition make them safer and extra habitable.
Jayant had accomplished BE in electronics & communication from Delhi College of Engineering, after which a MS and PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. His PhD concerned robotics and AI, and he went on to launch a couple of robotics ventures within the US to present robotic and drone-based options. In 2017, he returned to India, exited the robotics ventures, and launched Nayan Technologies primarily based on his experiences as an Uber driver.
“So many issues we face on a day-to-day basis, which we cry and laugh about – I wanted to solve them. And the idea came up when I actually got on the road,” he says.
The resolution was easy, but highly effective. All it requires is for individuals to obtain the Nayan app on their telephones, and maintain the telephone, or the in-house dash-cam, on the dashboard when they’re commuting to and from work, or they’re selecting up individuals, or delivering meals or items. The app’s AI will detect a host of civic issues, starting from street injury, potholes and rubbish to damaged visitors lights, and even visitors enforcement issues (somebody leaping a pink mild, driving on the incorrect facet, slicing a lane). All the info captured by the AI is then delivered by way of a cloud interface to legislation enforcement, municipal and security our bodies, and to fleet operators.
“It empowers communities to monitor and report civic and safety concerns to solve municipal problems, to improve their overall quality of life,” Jayant says.
For each drawback flagged, customers earn nominal factors that may be redeemed in money. “I always wanted to help the common man, those in the lowest income groups of the country. This app enables people on the road driving trucks and buses, and riding bikes to earn some money on top of their normal daily wages,” Jayant says.
Taking the arduous street
Jayant filed the mental property for the tech in December 2016, however pushed himself to the restrict, emotionally and mentally, to make sure that it labored. “You are on your own trying to build a business model which does not exist, and you want to do it well. Initially, times were very tough. You are on the road, picking up people and driving through the night, testing your application. I slept in the car as much as I could, and during the day I was running my (robotics) company on Bluetooth,” he tells us. “I’d come home to my apartment to take a shower, get some breakfast, head to office, and quickly see the team. By lunch you are already tired, so you take a nap, then get back on the road and also run the company.”
After three months of driving the cab and ideating and fine-tuning the tech, when he moved to India, there was one other large problem – that of persuading prospects, used to CCTVs, to take a leap of religion in an as but unproven expertise.
Jayant invested round $500,000 of his personal cash, and raised a additional $3 million by way of enterprise capital and the Indian authorities. Over time, he efficiently pitched his thought to the police forces in Kochi, Goa and Delhi. He then took the tech to Dubai Police. The tech is in the present day utilized by municipal our bodies in some 17 cities together with Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bareilly, Jhansi, Kanpur and Lucknow. Another 40 are testing it.
Nayan Technologies was amongst Nasscom’s League of 10 final 12 months. The award recognises deep tech startups creating new merchandise or options with distinctive IP and potential affect
After a few weeks behind the wheel, his ideas started taking form – why not work on expertise that not solely might help clear up our cities and public areas, but in addition make them safer and extra habitable.
Jayant had accomplished BE in electronics & communication from Delhi College of Engineering, after which a MS and PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. His PhD concerned robotics and AI, and he went on to launch a couple of robotics ventures within the US to present robotic and drone-based options. In 2017, he returned to India, exited the robotics ventures, and launched Nayan Technologies primarily based on his experiences as an Uber driver.
“So many issues we face on a day-to-day basis, which we cry and laugh about – I wanted to solve them. And the idea came up when I actually got on the road,” he says.
The resolution was easy, but highly effective. All it requires is for individuals to obtain the Nayan app on their telephones, and maintain the telephone, or the in-house dash-cam, on the dashboard when they’re commuting to and from work, or they’re selecting up individuals, or delivering meals or items. The app’s AI will detect a host of civic issues, starting from street injury, potholes and rubbish to damaged visitors lights, and even visitors enforcement issues (somebody leaping a pink mild, driving on the incorrect facet, slicing a lane). All the info captured by the AI is then delivered by way of a cloud interface to legislation enforcement, municipal and security our bodies, and to fleet operators.
“It empowers communities to monitor and report civic and safety concerns to solve municipal problems, to improve their overall quality of life,” Jayant says.
For each drawback flagged, customers earn nominal factors that may be redeemed in money. “I always wanted to help the common man, those in the lowest income groups of the country. This app enables people on the road driving trucks and buses, and riding bikes to earn some money on top of their normal daily wages,” Jayant says.
Taking the arduous street
Jayant filed the mental property for the tech in December 2016, however pushed himself to the restrict, emotionally and mentally, to make sure that it labored. “You are on your own trying to build a business model which does not exist, and you want to do it well. Initially, times were very tough. You are on the road, picking up people and driving through the night, testing your application. I slept in the car as much as I could, and during the day I was running my (robotics) company on Bluetooth,” he tells us. “I’d come home to my apartment to take a shower, get some breakfast, head to office, and quickly see the team. By lunch you are already tired, so you take a nap, then get back on the road and also run the company.”
After three months of driving the cab and ideating and fine-tuning the tech, when he moved to India, there was one other large problem – that of persuading prospects, used to CCTVs, to take a leap of religion in an as but unproven expertise.
Jayant invested round $500,000 of his personal cash, and raised a additional $3 million by way of enterprise capital and the Indian authorities. Over time, he efficiently pitched his thought to the police forces in Kochi, Goa and Delhi. He then took the tech to Dubai Police. The tech is in the present day utilized by municipal our bodies in some 17 cities together with Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bareilly, Jhansi, Kanpur and Lucknow. Another 40 are testing it.
Nayan Technologies was amongst Nasscom’s League of 10 final 12 months. The award recognises deep tech startups creating new merchandise or options with distinctive IP and potential affect
