Q1. How did the idea of RoadMetrics come about?

The idea of leveraging technology in solving one of the most pressing and annoying issues in the country, struck us four years ago when Me and my friend were navigating to our friend’s place using Google Maps. Although Google suggested an alternate time-saving shortcut route, it took us twice the time owing to bad road conditions and inaccurate road information.

Q2. What prompted you to start working on RoadMetrics and execute this idea?

We have experience in the mapping/automotive space and tech. We found that recent developments in AI are enabling automation in the road assessments and organisations are quickly transitioning to AI. This is the right moment for us to capitalise on and through our pilots and partnerships, the feedback has been tremendous.

Q3. When did you realise the need to raise Venture Capital - Seed funding?

After our first breakthrough with SMC (Surat Municipal Corporation), we moved to Bangalore to start our company in October 2019. To train our machine learning models, we need an ample amount of data and need a seed capital to start the data collection process to test different AI models.

Q4. How has 100X helped you at the beginning of your journey?

100XVC has assisted us across various fields, ranging from facilitating follow-up investments to providing valuable market feedback. They have connected us with pertinent industry leaders and offered guidance throughout every aspect of our entrepreneurial journey.

Q5. Has your startup pivoted? If so, what has the pivot been?

We explored various ideas, including the development of a crowdsourced road condition mapping app (B2C) and the utilization of LiDAR for high-definition mapping in automotive (B2B) applications. Ultimately, we concluded that focusing on creating an AI system for assessing and monitoring road conditions in international regions or councils (B2G) as well as providing solutions for infrastructure companies in the international market (B2B) was the most promising direction.

Q6. What challenges did you face & how did you overcome them?

We encountered several challenges, including securing capital investment for a new technology, addressing customer resistance to altering established habits and methods, and locating the appropriate talent and expertise for the new technology. Our breakthrough came when we identified a genuine use case for our system within the B2G model. Here, organizations could enhance work efficiency and achieve up to a 30% reduction in annual budgets by leveraging a fully automated AI system, all from the ease of recording smartphone video data.

Q7. What stage is RoadMetrics at present?

We're at the scale up stage with breakeven to our burn with 11 counties using RoadMetrics in the UK and expanding our reach internationally with projects in US and Australia and paid pilots in Qatar and Dubai.

Q8. As founders, what are your goals for the next 1-2 years?

My goal is to scale RoadMetrics internationally with global offices in developed countries within the next 3 years. And launch additional Mapping solutions like GIS based asset management solutions similar to ArcGIS. 

Q9. What keeps you motivated & keeps you going?

The curiosity surrounding new AI developments and the utilization of this technology to address global-level issues and enhance efficiency.

Q10. Your message for Startup founders building in the same sector?

I believe that AI/Machine Learning technologies have demonstrated enhanced efficiency in various industries, such as healthcare and automotive. However, I consider persistence to be a key factor in this scenario. It will be essential for people to gradually gain trust in these AI systems and begin integrating them into their day-to-day operations as they become more comfortable with the technology.