RailYatri - Making Traveling Easier For Indians
đź“„Company Profiles
There is nothing like exploring India's vast and diverse landscape, and the Rail Transport Service a marvel of contemporary transportation is the hub of this adventure.
With 68,907 kilometers of rail routes and 8000+ stations, India's passenger rail network is the world's fourth-largest. With over 11 billion passengers, Indian Railways is the world's busiest networks. Trains run almost anywhere in India, and it's fair to say that you can travel by train the length and breadth of the country between any two Indian cities or major towns.
With 24 million passengers traveling and commuting by train every day, RailYatri aims to provide detailed and inclusive information to its passengers, allowing them to make informed decisions and simplifying their train travels. RailYatri is a leading website for train passengers on Indian Railways.
Read more about the RailYatri, Founders and Team, Business Model, Revenue Model, Funding and Investors, Growth and more.
RailYatri - Company Highlights
| STARTUP NAME | RAILYATRI |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Sector | Tourism |
| Founders | Kapil Raizada, Manish Rathi, and Sachin Saxena |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Website | railyatri.in |
RailYatri - About
RailYatri - Industry
RailYatri - Founders and Team
RailYatri - Startup Story
RailYatri - Name and Logo
RailYatri - Mission and Vision
RailYatri - Products and Services
RailYatri - Business Model
RailYatri - Revenue Model
RailYatri - Challenges Faced
RailYatri - Funding and Investors
RailYatri - Acquisitions
RailYatri - Growth
RailYatri - Awards and Achievements
RailYatri - Competitors
RailYatri - Future Plans
RailYatri - About
RailYatri is a trailblazing startup that has transformed train travel via its cutting-edge mobile application and intuitive online platform. With its extensive feature set, this dynamic platform offers users real-time train timetable information, booking options, and crucial travel warnings.
Beyond the essentials, the app provides users with features like meal reservations, station locations, seat availability projections, live announcements, and insightful rider comments to help them make well-informed decisions. Navigating the complexities of rail travel is made efficient and enhanced with a smooth fusion of factual information and ease when you use RailYatri.
RailYatri was conceived as a data-driven “intelligent” and consumer-centric travel platform. It is a Made-in-India and Made-for-India product company. RailYatri is the fastest-growing consumer brand in the intercity transportation space, as well as an innovator.
RailYatri - Simplifying Train Travel
RailYatri - Industry
A report analysis by Statista indicates that the travel and tourism industry in India is expected to increase significantly, with revenues expected to soar to US $23.72 billion by 2024. A strong expansion within the sector is indicated by the thorough study's remarkable predicted Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR 2024-2028) of 9.62%.
Based on this analysis, the market volume is predicted to rise to an estimated US $34.25 billion by 2028, indicating that the upward trajectory will continue. This data highlights how vibrant and active India's travel and tourism sector is, indicating not only the health of the market right now but also the industry's bright future for potential stakeholders and investors.
RailYatri - Founders and Team
Kapil Raizada (Co-Founder and Director), Manish Rathi (Co-Founder and CEO) and Sachin Saxena (Co-Foundert and Board Member) are the founders of RailYatri which was founded in 2011.
Kapil Raizada
Co-Founder and Director of RailYatri Kapil Raizada is an IIT Kanpur alumnus who started his career at A.F. Ferguson & Co. His career progressed through important positions as Head of Product Management at iSOFT R&D Pvt. Ltd., Senior Product Manager at Storeperform Technologies Inc., and Product Architect at i2 Technologies.
After that, Raizada joined GlobalLogic as Director of Product Management till moving on to OnMobile as Senior Director of Infotainment Products. His desire to start his own business resulted in the creation of RailYatri, where he is now a director and co-founder. In addition, he serves in a comparable capacity at IntrCity, which further highlights his significant impact on the development of rail travel in India.
Manish Rathi
Co-Founder and CEO of RailYatri, Manish Rathi, is a seasoned professional with a Master's in Computer Science from Western Michigan University and a background in Production Engineering from VJTI, Bombay. He has worked as a Senior QA Lead at Leapstone Systems, a Research Scientist at Telcordia Technologies, and an Owner and Consultant at Software Practices LLC.
Rathi has demonstrated a wide range of skills. He was the Director of Quality Assurance at July Systems and held the positions of Delivery Head/Business Development and AVP-Consumer Services/New Venture Services at GlobalLogic. In addition to RailYatri, he is the CEO and Co-Founder of IntrCity, where he has a substantial impact on India's rail and IT industries.
Sachin Saxena
Co-Founder and Board Member of RailYatri Sachin Saxena is a highly skilled individual who holds an MS in computer-integrated manufacturing from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a BTech in aerospace engineering from IIT Kharagpur.
He has held key positions throughout his career, such as GM of Loyalty Services at TIBCO Loyalty Lab, VP of New Ventures & Consumer BU at GlobalLogic, and VP of Product Management at E2open. Saxena expanded his knowledge base as Vice President of Cloud Security at Symantec and Blue Coat Systems before starting to invest with LP OVO Fund. Notably, he is the Co-Founder of Emanate Security Inc. and Co-Founder and Board Member of IntrCity.
The company have 51-200 employees as per LinkedIn.
RailYatri - Startup Story
Manish Rathi and Kapil Raizada had compelling motivations when they chose to launch their first business. With more than 15 years of experience in the corporate world and a history of "false alarms," Raizada experienced a turning point in his career following his fifth interview for a job with Amazon in 2011.
He realized something had to change and that it was "now or never" to launch his own business. Age presented certain difficulties, but Raizada never wavered in her resolve. Acknowledging the high failure rate of businesses, his friend and colleagues contended that the equation makes age irrelevant.
After RailYatri was founded in 2011, a year was spent perfecting the technological foundation and gaining subject expertise before the company opened to the public in 2013. At first, RailYatri functioned as a deep analytics platform, providing essential data on train seat availability, delays, and Indian station locations.
2014 saw the company release an app to increase its reach, which signaled the start of a notable growth trajectory. Since then, RailYatri has risen to prominence in the travel tech sector thanks to its tenacity and dedication to offering crucial travel information.
RailYatri - Mission and Vision
The mission on the company's websites states "to simplify travel for people in India."
The vision of the company is to "In order to assist its customers in making educated decisions and make their train travels easier, RailYatri strives to provide them with inclusive and thorough information."
Rishabh Rathi
RailYatri - Name and Logo
RailYatri's legal name is Stelling Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
RailYatri - Products and Services
RailYatri's prominent products and services are:
- Flexi-Ticket: RailYatri has launched a revolutionary 'flexi-ticket' feature, as per a news report from February 20, 2023, that offers users unmatched flexibility for last-minute modifications to their travel schedules, especially when securing train reservations is difficult.
- IntrCity: In India, one of the best and most reputable bus service providers is IntrCity SmartBus RailYatri. They offer assured end-to-end solutions for all of your travel needs, along with services on well-known bus routes.
- Bus Tickets: RailYatri gives customers a quick and effective way to organize and reserve their bus travels by providing a thorough ticket purchasing platform.
- Train Tickets: RailYatri's primary feature is making it easier for customers to book train tickets, making it a more convenient and hassle-free option for travelers.
- Food on Train: RailYatri expands its services to include the supply of meals on trains, realizing the value of a comfortable travel experience. This provision guarantees that passengers on trains will have access to high-quality meals.
RailYatri - Business Model
RailYatri, a distinguished Made-in-India and Made-for-India product company, has positioned itself as a consumer-centric and data-driven leader in the intercity transportation domain. The business strategy is based on significant growth, with key verticals including train ticketing, IntrCity smart buses, and transit food typically seeing monthly growth rates of 15-20% as per the news report of January 2022.
With a mission to redefine the travel platform landscape, RailYatri is committed to making travel easier for millions of Indians by providing innovative solutions. RailYatri's focus on cooperative expansion, variety, and the ongoing creation of more intelligent goods for long-distance travelers highlights the company's dedication to improving intercity travel.
RailYatri - Revenue Model
RailYatri makes revenue from different resources; some of the prominent ones are:
Food Business: RailYatri's food business generates money by allowing users to access and order meals while traveling by train, hence augmenting the overall revenue stream.
Hotels: As an extra revenue stream and means of meeting tourists' lodging needs, RailYatri's business model incorporates earnings from hotel services.
Bus Services: By giving passengers an alternate form of transportation, RailYatri's IntrCity bus services support the business model.
Campaigns: Revenue from campaigns is included in RailYatri's revenue model; these may be collaborations or promotional efforts that support the platform's broader monetization plan.
RailYatri - Challenges Faced
RailYatri encountered many difficulties in its early years of operation. The founders' struggles to obtain venture finance served as a reminder of the dearth of risk capital available at the time. It was difficult to find the right investors because the project lacked the glitz and excitement that some of them were looking for. The founders' plausible narrative revolved around resolving a real issue, namely, improving the comfort of train travel for millions of commuters.
However, investment capitalists preferred more interesting proposals, and this story found it difficult to get their attention. While having a long-term vision and being patient were crucial, not all investors were eager to lend their support.
In addition, the amusing episode of a VC supporting a dating app over their solution and the general lack of enthusiasm surrounding RailYatri's business highlighted the fight for capital in the startup sector.
Notwithstanding these difficulties, RailYatri's dedication to an "old-school way of doing business," which included bootstrapping and thrift, ultimately resulted in institutional funding in 2014, highlighting the significance of perseverance and a practical mindset in navigating the startup environment.
RailYatri - Funding and Investors
The RailYatri has raised $32.5 million in 9 rounds of funding:
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2024 | Equity and Debt Funding | $3.44 million | Mirabilis Investment Trust |
| Feb 24, 2020 | Series B | $14.3 million | Nandan Nilekani |
| Apr 27, 2018 | Series B | $8 million | Omidyar Network |
| May 23, 2017 | Non Equity Assistance | $50K | Google Launchpad Accelerator |
| Oct 19, 2016 | Venture Round | $3 million | - |
| Apr 27, 2016 | Series A | $2 million | Nandan Nilekani |
| Jun 30, 2015 | Seed Round | $1.2 million | - |
| Nov 20, 2014 | Seed Round | $486K | Blume Ventures |
Chayanika Goswami
RailYatri - Acquisitions
On January 22, 2018, RailYatri broadened its offerings by acquiring YatraChef, an online marketplace aggregator that links passengers on Indian Railways with eateries. This calculated action improves RailYatri's services and enables them to give customers a more thorough travel experience.
RailYatri - Growth
The growth milestones of RailYatri are:
- It has served 20 million users as of January 2024.
- It has 1.69 million reviews on the Play Store.
- It has 50 million downloads as of January 2024.
- The company had an estimated 30-35 million active users as of February 2020.
Financials
| RailYatri Financials | FY22 | FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Revenue | Rs 117.2 crore | Rs 273.7 crore |
| Profit/Loss | Rs 43.87 crore | Rs 18.18 crore |
RailYatri - Awards and Achievements
RailYatri awards and achievements are listed below:
- In 2014, RailYatri received the mBillionth South Asia Award, a testament to its superiority in the travel and mobile technology sectors.
- In the Vodafone Appstar competition, the app won the Best Utility Award, demonstrating even more how important RailYatri is in terms of giving customers useful functionality.
- Beyond accolades, RailYatri was well acknowledged, as seen by the critical praise it regularly received from print and online media sources, which highlighted its influence and potency in the travel and tourism industry.
RailYatri - Competitors
Trainman, OMitra, Confirmtkt, Railofy, and Travelkhana are RailYatri's top five competitors of RailYatri.
Shubham Kumar
RailYatri - Future Plans
RailYatri is starting a new chapter of expansion with the backing of robust confirmation of its value proposition, following a recent successful fundraising round. The funding demonstrates the platform's trust in its mission to reinvent tourism in India.
With the goal of redefining accessibility and convenience for travelers across the country, RailYatri intends to grow the range of travel services it offers in the future. As it continues to influence travel technology in the Indian industry, the platform's dedication to innovation and a flawless travel experience portends a promising future.
FAQs
What does RailYatri do?
RailYatri is a company that creates a mobile app and a web portal to make train travel easier. Its app provides users with information on locating and booking trains, as well as real-time alerts, meal reservations, station positions, seat availability and forecasts, live announcements, and rider commentary, allowing them to schedule and make train travel decisions.
Who founded RailYatri?
RailYatri was founded by Kapil Raizada, Manish Rathi, and Sachin Saxena in 2011.
Which companies do RailYatri compete with?
Trainman, OMitra, ConfirmTkt, Railofy, and Travelkhana are RailYatri' s top five competitors.
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