Auro Robotics

Auro Robotics, established in 2013, focused on developing autonomous vehicle technology, specifically for low-speed and controlled environments. The company was founded by Nalin Gupta, Jit Ray Chowdhury, and Srinivas Reddy, who met in their native India and conceptualized the idea for low-speed autonomous shuttles. Their journey began as a spin-off from a research group at IIT Kharagpur that was working on autonomous vehicles. This background in robotics and engineering was foundational to the company's direction. Nalin Gupta, with a degree in Electronics engineering from IIT Kharagpur, co-founded the company with his college friends, eventually moving to Silicon Valley to pursue growth opportunities.

The company's core business was the production of self-driving shuttles designed for use in contained areas such as university campuses, corporate parks, retirement communities, and theme parks. This strategy targeted a niche market where regulations for autonomous vehicles were less complex than on public roads. Auro Robotics developed a proprietary autonomous driving software platform, 'AuRoNav', which served as the base for its vehicle's autonomy. One of its most notable achievements was the successful deployment of its driverless shuttles at Santa Clara University, where they provided transportation for students and faculty. The business model was B2B, partnering with shuttle manufacturers to integrate their self-driving technology into electric vehicle platforms.

In October 2017, Auro Robotics was acquired by Ridecell, a company specializing in platforms for carsharing and ridesharing services, in an all-stock transaction. At the time of the acquisition, Auro Robotics had raised approximately $2 million in funding and had a team of 10 employees who subsequently joined Ridecell. The acquisition allowed Ridecell to integrate Auro's autonomous technology into its mobility platform, creating what they described as the industry's first complete autonomous mobility solution for on-demand shuttle services in private settings. Post-acquisition, the Auro team became the autonomous driving division of Ridecell, continuing to develop technology for automating fleet operations, such as moving vehicles for maintenance or to high-demand locations.

Keywords: autonomous shuttles, self-driving vehicles, mobility services, autonomous vehicle technology, Ridecell, private campus transportation, fleet management, low-speed autonomous vehicles, robotics, Y Combinator, IIT Kharagpur, Nalin Gupta, Jit Ray Chowdhury, Srinivas Reddy, AuRoNav, last-mile transportation, corporate campus mobility, university transportation, automated vehicle operations, autonomous driving software