Development goes beyond jo creation – it’s about harnessing India’s
entrepreneurial spirit. From rural artisans to urban tech innovators, startups
have been an integral part of the India’s identity. MSME’s are the backbone and
primed to lead the nations growth. With strong policy support, accessible
finance and digital empowerment the nation can grow sustainably.
The “Crafting
Bharat – Season 2”
powered by AWS Startups, an initiative by NewsReach, in association with
VCCircle, and production partner – HT Smartcast, explores how startups are
harnessing the power of the cloud to accelerate growth, optimise operations,
and building solutions that will define the India of Tomorrow. This
series is hosted by Gautam Srinivasan, famed for hosting a diverse range of TV
and digital programs, currently consulting editor at CNBC (India), CNN-News18,
Forbes India, and The Economic Times.
In this episode, we spotlight Naveen Dachuri, Co-Founder and CTO
of Yulu, who are using their micro-mobility solutions driving India to
a sustainable future. He shares insights about how their micro-mobility
solution is solving the last mile connectivity issues for commuters,
receptiveness towards using shared mobility and how AWS is helping them build
sustainable future.
In this series, explore inspiring startup stories that are shifting
gears and sparking innovation across sectors, all contributing to India’s
transformation into a developed nation by 2047 in this captivating series.
Video Links - https://youtu.be/yMkJwV2YqjQ
Edited Excerpts:
Segment 1: Ignite
India has a last mile connectivity issue.
Yulu was looking to solve that. What was the thought behind starting Yulu?
We began our journey in 2017 with bicycles, aiming to offer an
affordable, clean, and green mobility solution. The goal was to build India’s
first micro-mobility ecosystem, which didn’t exist back then. Starting with
bicycles helped us understand key aspects—like setting up parking zones,
collaborating with government agencies, and educating users on access of
micro-mobility solutions. This learning curve was essential. Once we gained
confidence in the operational model and ecosystem, we introduced electric
vehicles in 2019 to scale and enhance our offering.
You were building Yulu Bikes from scratch.
What was the biggest challenge you had to face?
Our biggest challenge was securing parking spots, as paying for them
would have made our model unsustainable. We partnered with government agencies
like MMRDA in Mumbai and DULT in Bengaluru, who provided ample parking close to
public commute/ transit hotspots like metros & bus stops. Their
initiatives, especially near metro stations, aligned perfectly with our Yulu
zone concept, easing commuters’ parking needs.
Segment 2: Launch
Yulu avoided cash burn through cost-conscious
innovation and key to this has been your homegrown mobility tech stack which
enables intelligent network growth and expansion.
Over time, we optimized our tech stack costs by avoiding replication of
environments. Since our unit economics are driven by vehicles rather than
customers, maintaining sustainable tech expenses is critical. Our approach of
frugal experimentation allowed us to manage cost surges and establish a pricing
model that ensures a viable, sustainable business.
Is pre-investing in team size, especially
engineering, a good idea considering we are in a very PAT+ focused environment?
The key is to design your system for future scalability. Being overly
frugal early on may save costs initially but can lead to critical failures when
you scale rapidly. It's better to invest upfront—even if it means a few
dissatisfied customers initially—so that any issues are resolved early,
ensuring a stable, robust system that delights customers as you grow and scale.
Sub-segment: Boost
Yulu has been with AWS since the start. Take
us through the highlights of this association and how it’s helped you build and
scale up to a significant lead in the shared mobility space?
We chose AWS for two main reasons. First, our mobility service collects
sensitive location data for vehicles and users, so using AWS’s India-hosted
cloud ensures compliance with data residency requirements. Second, as a
startup, we needed a fast, cost-effective solution. AWS offers a suite of
integrated services that enables us to process nearly 200 data points per
vehicle every few seconds, while their proactive support and educational
programs help us optimize our infrastructure. Their customer-first approach
perfectly aligns with our focus on ensuring customer satisfaction.
Segment
3: Orbit
Around three quarters ago, Yulu also launched
a franchise business model in various markets. What are Yulu’s expectations
with the model?
Our goal is to bring Yulu to every corner of India. Our research
identified over 400 cities with shared mobility needs, but given each city's
unique behavior, expanding directly isn’t practical. Instead, we chose the
franchisee model for presence beyond the top 10-15 cities where Yulu will be
directly present. We launched the YBP model to expand Yulu's reach and build a
viable partner-led business, and the response has been outstanding—some cities
have grown from 50–100 vehicles to nearly 500. This approach gives an
opportunity to the local entrepreneurs to build their businesses in their own
cities, reversing the migration trend along with making their city cleaner and
greener. Yulu & YBPs run a fleet of over 45000 EVs today, and we aim to
double that to 100,000 by the next financial year.
India has evolved beyond an emerging power to become a defining force of
the 21st century. Its expanding economy wields global influence, positioning
India as a beacon of inclusive policies and cutting-edge digital
infrastructure. The nation’s entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders are
crafting a future where every talent is nurtured, and no citizen is left
behind.
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