Innovative-automotive-startups-in-India

The automotive sector has always been a forerunner in using technology and automation.

What’s most fascinating is the rise of startups that facilitate experiences for buyers using digital means. It ranges from new players in electric vehicles manufacturing to brands that provide software solutions to simplify transportation requirements.

Here are top 10 automotive startups thriving to increase vehicle ownership through technology and innovative business ideas.

Here’s a quick summary of startups, followed by details.

S. No.NameFounded in YearFoundersFundingInvestorsWebsite
1STROM Motors2011Prateek Gupta, Jean-Luc Abaziou, and Dr.Gilmer BlackenshipUndisclosedErhan Bilici, Anirudh Agarwal, Neeraj Garg, Sanjay Bhasinhttps://www.strommotors.com/
2Euler Motors2018Saurav Kumar$91.8MAthera Venture Partners, Blume Ventures, Ganesh Krishnan, Inventus Capital, Jetty Ventures, Kailash Trust, Moglix, Srinivas Anumolu, Sujeet Kumar, ADB Ventures, QRG Investments and Holdingshttps://www.eulermotors.com/
3Emflux Motors2016Ankit Khatry, Varun Mittal, and Vinay Raj$538.8KMeher Roy, Brian Fabian Crain, Rishabh Gupta, Samar Singla, Nikhil Arora, Nitish Singhhttps://emfluxmotors.com 
4Yulu2017Amit Gupta, Naveen Dachuri, R.K.Mishra, and Hemant Gupta$109.2M3one4 Capital, 3one4 Capital, AET Fund, Bajaj Auto Finance, Bajaj Auto Ltd, Blume Ventures, Incubate Capital Partners, Magna International, Rocketship.vc, Tracxn Labs, Wavemaker Partnershttps://www.yulu.bike/
5Ather Energy2013Swapnil Jain and Tarun Mehta$341.7MHeroMotoCorp Ltd, Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal, Tiger Global Management, InnoVen Capital, Caladium Investments, Herald Ventureshttps://www.atherenergy.com/
6OLA Electric2017Bhavish Aggarwal$861.2MBank of Baroda, Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors, Matrix Partners India, Pawan Munjal Family Trust, SoftBank Group, Tata Sons, Tiger Global Managementhttps://www.mission-electric.in/
7Droom2014Sandeep Aggarwal$333MBeenos Partners, Ellison Investments, SevenTrainVentures, 57 Stars, Joe Hirao, Toyota Tsusho, Digital Garage (TSE: 4819), Integrated Capital, BEENEXT, Digital Garage (TSE: 4819)https://droom.in/
8GoMechanic2016Amit Bhasin, Kushal Karwa, Nitin Rana, Rishabh Karwa$54.8MBrand Capital, Pawan Munjal, Orios Venture Partners, Alfa Ventures, Sequoia Capital India, Chiratae Ventures, Tiger Global Managementhttps://gomechanic.in/
9CredR2014Nikhil Jain, Nittin Mittal, Sasidhar Nandigam, Sumit Chhazed$29.5MYamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley Omidyar Network, Stride Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures, On Mauritius, Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, Astarc Ventures, BlackSoil, AngelList Indiahttps://credr.com/
10CarDekho2008Amit Jain, Anurag Jain$497.5MCapitalG, Hillhouse Capital Group, Sequoia Capital India, Ping An Global Voyager, LeapFrog Investments, HDFC Bank, Sequoia Capital India, Harbor Spring Capital, Changer Club, Sunley House Capital Management, Franklin Templeton Investments, Canyon Partnershttps://www.cardekho.com/

1. STROM Motors

Website: www.strommotors.com

Address: 207, Quantum Tower, Off S.V. Road, Ram Baug, Malad West, Mumbai City, Maharashtra 400064

Founded in: 2011

Founders: Prateek Gupta, Jean-Luc Abaziou, and Dr.Gilmer Blackenship

Funding: Undisclosed

Investors: Erhan Bilici, Anirudh Agarwal, Neeraj Garg, Sanjay Bhasin

Employee range: 11-50

About: STROM Motors is a personal three-wheeler EV startup. Their cars are fun to drive. They are sporty and nimble. The model, named STROM-R3 has a 4G-linked diagnostic engine to keep track of the charge, position, and status. It also shows the general condition of vital parts like brake pads, engines, and electronics. The onboard device continuously monitors the road environment and driver behaviour in addition to a machine learning-based navigation engine that learns the users’ typical driving patterns.

USP: Never did India have a vehicle brand that made three-wheelers for personal use, even though three-wheelers are extensively used in India for commercial purposes. With STROM Motors’ R3, commuting will become much easier.

2. Euler Motors

Website: https://www.eulermotors.com/

Address: Panchsheel Vihar, Pocket B, Sheikh Sarai Village, Sheikh Sarai, New Delhi, India

Founded in: 2018

Founders: Saurav Kumar

Funding: $91.8M

Investors: Athera Venture Partners, Blume Ventures, Ganesh Krishnan, Inventus Capital, Jetty Ventures, Kailash Trust, Moglix, Srinivas Anumolu, Sujeet Kumar, ADB Ventures, QRG Investments and Holdings

Employee range: 51-100

Euler Motors - Automotive Startup - India

About: Euler Motors manufactures Electric auto-rickshaws, which are essentially three-wheeler light commercial vehicles. They also make 4-wheeler versions inspired by Tesla. Their commercial cargo electric vehicle can travel eighty to a hundred kilometres on a single charge, depending on the load on the engine. The maximum load that the electric three-wheeler can support is 500 kg.

USP: Euler Motors’ solution can change the commercial vehicle landscape, particularly with the rise of e-commerce in the country. With government policies encouraging the use of EVs, eCommerce platforms can benefit from brands like Euler Motors for upgrading their whole fleet.

3. Emflux Motors

Website: https://emfluxmotors.com 

Address: 16, Bhuvanappa Layout, Tavarekere Main Rd, Tavarekere, Kaveri Layout, S.G. Palya, Bengaluru, Karnataka

Founded in: 2016

Founders: Ankit Khatry, Varun Mittal, and Vinay Raj

Funding: $538.8K

Investors: Meher Roy, Brian Fabian Crain, Rishabh Gupta, Samar Singla, Nikhil Arora, Nitish Singh

Employee range: 11-50

Emflux Motors - EV startup India

About: Emflux Motors, an Indian startup in its early stages, intends to create a product with a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.5 seconds. A Li-ion battery would power the motorcycle, giving it a maximum speed of 170 km/h and a range of 200 km. 

Technology enthusiasts who were convinced that electric technology could fundamentally alter the field of transportation and mobility founded Emflux Motors in 2016. Their goal is to enable 10 million electric two-wheelers in India by 2027. To do this, they have a two-pronged market focus: 

  1. First, they want to build brand recognition and customer loyalty by producing high-performance electric motorcycles. 
  2. Second, they want to establish an ecosystem of partner OEMs.

USP: Fastest superbike in the market, with a top speed of 200 km/hr, a 0-100 km/hr acceleration time of 3 seconds, and a range of 200 KM.

4. Yulu

Website: https://www.yulu.bike/

Address: Survey No. 58, 7, Outer Ring Rd, Devarabisanahalli, Bellandur, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Founded in: 2017

Founders: Amit Gupta, Naveen Dachuri, R.K.Mishra, and Hemant Gupta

Funding: $109.2M

Investors: 3one4 Capital, 3one4 Capital, AET Fund, Bajaj Auto Finance, Bajaj Auto Ltd, Blume Ventures, Incubate Capital Partners, Magna International, Rocketship.vc, Tracxn Labs, Wavemaker Partners

Employee range: 251-500

Yulu bikes - automotive company in India

About: Yulu’s flagship product is a dockless, lithium-powered scooter with a 5 KM range that concentrates on first- and last-mile connectivity called the Yulu Miracle. It has a battery-swapping model that forecasts demand using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Each scooter uses IoT hardware to periodically send the amount of battery charge to Yulu’s servers. It allows the brand to maintain a fleet of electric scooters always ready to go.

USP: Yulu Miracle’s rental rate is Rs 899 per week and Rs 19 per day for 16 to 45 days, making it one of the cheapest commuting solutions in the country.

5. Ather Energy

Website: https://www.atherenergy.com/

Address: 4, 1, Bannerghatta Main Rd, Bengaluru, Karnataka

Founded in: 2013

Founders: Swapnil Jain and Tarun Mehta

Funding: $341.7M

Investors: HeroMotoCorp Ltd, Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal, Tiger Global Management, InnoVen Capital, Caladium Investments, Herald Ventures

Employee range: 1001-5000

Ather Energy - Indian EV Startup

About: Ather Energy manufactures premium electric two-wheelers. The Ather 450X features an LCD screen with Google maps and the ability to play music and take calls. Incognito mode and stand sensors are among some other unique features of this EV. The scooter has a top speed of 90 kilometres an hour, while the total distance covered on a single charge is officially 116 KM.

USP: Ather Energy is one of the few high-performance electric scooter manufacturers in India. They also have Ather Grid, which is their charging solution.

6. OLA Electric

Website: https://www.mission-electric.in/

Address: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Founded in: 2017

Founders: Bhavish Aggarwal

Funding: $861.2M

Investors: Bank of Baroda, Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors, Matrix Partners India, Pawan Munjal Family Trust, SoftBank Group, Tata Sons, Tiger Global Management

Employee range: 1001-5000

OLA Electric - EV manufacturer India

About: Ola, the top mobility platform in India, was founded in 2010 and has since streamlined its ride-booking and car-rental services. 

Now, Ola is in pursuit of supporting sustainable development via its original idea for “e-scooters.”

According to Ola, their electric scooters will be offered in two variations: The entry-level Ola S1 and the top-of-the-line Ola S1 Pro. Scooters called the S1 and S1 Pro have already been introduced by the company, with prices starting at Rs. 99,999 and Rs. 1,29,999, respectively.

In 2020, Ola electric announced that the Ola electric scooter was based on the Etergo Appscooter after acquiring Etergo BV. 

USP: Ola’s scooters have a top speed of 95 kilometres per hour. These scooters have IoT sensors, built-in GPS, and SIM cards for LTE connectivity and come with a certified range of 240 KM per charge.

7. Droom

Website: https://droom.in/

Address: 546-567, Udyog Vihar Phase V, Phase V, Udyog Vihar, Sector 19, Gurugram, Haryana, India

Founded in: 2014

Founders: Sandeep Aggarwal

Funding: $333M

Investors: Beenos Partners, Ellison Investments, SevenTrainVentures, 57 Stars, Joe Hirao, Toyota Tsusho, Digital Garage (TSE: 4819), Integrated Capital, BEENEXT, Digital Garage (TSE: 4819),

Employee range: 251-500

Droom - motorplace startup in India

About: Droom is an AI-driven, used multi-category automobile marketplace for motorbikes, electric vehicles, and more.

It offers buyers verified listings and resources to examine, schedule, discuss, and interact with the vendor. Sellers have options for rating management, price estimation, dispute resolution, and the ability to manage their listings. Additionally, it has a function called “Droom Assist” that offers users individualized guidance when selecting a vehicle.

USP: Droom makes it easy for first-time buyers to find used vehicles that better suit their needs. AI-assisted technology makes it easier for novice buyers to find the right car from the right dealer.

8. GoMechanic

Website: https://gomechanic.in/

Address: 3rd Floor, Landmark Tower, Moti Vihar, Ashok Marg, South City I, Sector 41, Gurugram, India

Founded in: 2016

Founders: Amit Bhasin, Kushal Karwa, Nitin Rana, Rishabh Karwa

Funding: $54.8M

Investors: Brand Capital, Pawan Munjal, Orios Venture Partners, Alfa Ventures, Sequoia Capital India, Chiratae Ventures, Tiger Global Management

Employee range: 251-500

GoMechanic - Automotive Start-up India

About: Gomechanic is an app-based garage aggregator for auto repair services that offers on-demand support for vehicle maintenance. It provides denting, painting, battery replacement, glass replacement, custom services, detailing, tire or wheel care, and many more services. Through the platform or app, users may arrange for doorstep pickup. They have an app for iOS and Android devices.

USP: GoMechanic makes car maintenance easy. Users get access to professional services and even on-site services.

9. CredR

Website: https://credr.com/

Address: 2nd floor, 212, 1st Main Rd, Domlur I Stage, 1st Stage, Domlur, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Founded in: 2014

Founders: Nikhil Jain, Nittin Mittal, Sasidhar Nandigam, Sumit Chhazed

Funding: $29.5M

Investors: Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley Omidyar Network, Stride Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures, On Mauritius, Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, Astarc Ventures, BlackSoil, AngelList India

Employee range: 251-500

CredR - online marketplace for bikes

About: CredR is an online marketplace where users can buy or sell used motorcycles. It provides services including road assistance, and buyback services to customers with warranties, along with inspection, verification, scheduling test drives, paper transfers, and more. Additionally, it offers tools for viewing, comparing, and multiple images of bikes. On the platform, vendors can sign up to sell their bicycles. Customers can use the platform to look for the motorcycles they like and reserve them by completing an online payment.

USP: CredR provides access to used vehicles delivered right to the doorstep, plus pre-and post-sales services.

10. CarDekho

Website: https://www.cardekho.com/

Address: Girnar Software Pvt. Ltd., JTM, Model Town, Near Jagatpura Flyover, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Founded in: 2008

Founders: Amit Jain, Anurag Jain

Funding: $497.5M

Investors: CapitalG, Hillhouse Capital Group, Sequoia Capital India, Ping An Global Voyager, LeapFrog Investments, HDFC Bank, Sequoia Capital India, Harbor Spring Capital, Changer Club, Sunley House Capital Management, Franklin Templeton Investments, Canyon Partners

Employee range: 501-1000

CarDekho - marketplace for new and used cars

About: CarDekho is an app-based listing platform for new and old cars. Users can post their used automobiles on their app, and dealers can list new cars to sell on the site. 

Customers can look for cars depending on their location, price, brand, and other factors. It offers its visitors e-commerce services, 360-degree car views, and car reviews to assist them in contacting auto dealers. It also provides auto financing to individuals who want to finance the purchase of a car. Users may contrast car features, specifications, and on-road prices. They have an app for iOS and Android devices.

USP: Through its exclusive partnerships with automakers, financial institutions, and insurance providers, CarDekho is an auto site that assists its users with automobile research, financing, insurance, used cars, and other aspects of purchasing and selling cars.

Our Research Methodology

India’s automotive industry is mostly forked into:

  1. Electric vehicle solutions, and 
  2. Software solutions that simplify car ownership, trade, or maintenance. 

In this article, we focused mainly on the upcoming EV brands that will shape the automotive industry in the coming decades, such as Ather, Ola, and Strom. 

Furthermore, because of India’s strong global IT presence, it is hard to ignore the software solutions that are simplifying access and ownership to vehicles.

In India, the average percentage of households with a car is 7.5%, while that of households with a two-wheeler is 49.5%. With such low vehicle ownership, Indians heavily rely on public transportation. This is where brands like Yulu come in. 

If you’re in the automotive business and looking to streamline sales, marketing, and operations, LeadSquared’s Automotive CRM software could help.

You can also book a 1-1 consultation with our experts to know the complete functionalities of the product.

Want to see LeadSquared in action?