Nandan Nilekani boards RailYatri.in as investor

Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder of Infosys and former Chairman of UIDAI, has made an undisclosed amount of funding in RailYatri.in, a completely India-based technology start-up which provides solution to train travelers. RailYatri.in uses deep-analytics technology to make intelligent predictions that help travelers make smart decisions for their upcoming travel. The app uses a traveler’s mobile GPS to predict a train’s delay, in addition to platform number, coach position, on-time history of a train and if one’s wait list ticket will get confirmed.

In addition to Nilekani, RailYatri’s existing investors – Helion Ventures, Omidyar Networks, and Blume Ventures – have also participated in this round of funding.

RailYatri’s recent foray into the digital transactional marketplace customised around train travel is now enabling travelers book essential services such as premium onboard meals; bus tickets, budget rooms, etc. RailYatri.in plans to launch an array of other services, which will make the RailYatri app a one-stop destination for travelers in India.

Speaking about his association with RailYatri.in, Nandan Nilekani said, “What excites me about RailYatri is the fact that this is a new-age product made by Indians for Indians. The RailYatri app, which intelligently harnesses the power of smartphones, data and mobile payments, has a huge opportunity of impacting the lives of millions of travelers.”

Kapil Raizada, Co-Founder, RailYatri.in, said, “We are honoured to have Mr Nandan Nilekani as our investor. His passion and success in using technology to transform lives for the common man – be it in Aadhar project, which recently crossed billion registrations, or the recent Unified Payment Interface (UPI) – has been truly inspirational. Our aspirations align with Mr Nilekani and we believe his treasure trove of experience will help us in our endeavours. RailYatri app is already among the fastest growing travel apps in India and we are now ready to take it to the next level. We currently serve nearly 2 million users per month, and in the next couple of years we want RailYatri to reach out and help in the travel of each and every traveler in India.”

The brainchild of experts from IITs and IIM – Kapil Raizada, Sachin Saxena and Manish Rathi, with over 20 years of engineering experience – RailYatri is changing the ecosystem of train travel in India. The intelligent travel app provides the most comprehensive information on trains, passenger amenities at stations, platform information, speed of the train, personalised alerts, and much more via the mobile apps, mobile web and SMS.