MetroRide India wins quarterfinals at 14th Annual Global Automotive & Mobility Innovation Challenge Competition 2022

Bangalore-based MetroRide, an AI-driven electric mobility platform has been selected as one of the finalists at the Global Automotive & Mobility Innovation Challenge (GAMIC) 2022.

Interestingly, MetroRide was selected from a pool of more than 1,500 global automotive start-ups and mobility companies that participated and is said to be the only startup from India to have made it to the list.

GAMIC is an annual competition for early-stage automotive and mobility companies with new technologies. GAMIC was created in 2008 out of a partnership between what is now SAE International and the MI Innovation Alliance to identify innovative companies, cultivate new technologies and solutions, and hasten their adoption into the automotive industry. In its 14th year, GAMIC has grown from a small, Detroit-based event into an 8-month long, international competition with quarterfinal rounds taking place in-person and virtually at locations in Metro Detroit; Silicon Valley; Ontario, Canada and Europe. The quarterfinals took place on December 6, 2021 and the winners were announced in the first week of February 2022. The semi-finals will be held on February 24, followed by the finals at the TCF Center, in Detroit, Michigan, USA in conjunction with SAE. 

The innovative challenge provides over $300,000 (Rs 2.2 crore) of services and cash awards to its award winners. The award winners and finalists have gone on to reach licensing, strategic partnership, or research agreements; execute business awards and enter production; and, in most cases, raise millions in investment capital.

Girish Nagpal, CEO and co-founder, MetroRide said, “We are thrilled to be in the semi-finals of such a prestigious award. It is a great honour for us at MetroRide to get recognised and honoured on an international platform like GAMIC. This gives us access to a coveted network of industry experts and ecosystem partners which will be a huge advantage for our global expansion.”

Kaaman Agarwal, CTO and co-founder, MetroRide said, “We are ecstatic and honoured to be one of the top 21 businesses across the globe nominated for GAMIC. MetroRide is the only brand from India that has been selected and winning this would put our brand on the global map. We are looking forward to that.”

The start-up closed its seed investment round last year from investors from USA and India. It will soon close its pre-series A round which will help its growth in India as well as embark on entering the US market. The start-up’s solution addresses the issue of urban mobility and has been working closely with various Metro corporations to address the last-mile challenge. It also aims to bolster the EV adoption landscape with its exclusive electric vehicle strategy.