Helping untangle India’s traffic mess, a startup is transforming idle private parking into smart, revenue-generating hubs with AI, IoT-powered barriers, and EV charging. How is it possible? Amrit Choudhury and Raj Bihani from Parkobot narrate their story to EFY’s Akanksha Sondhi Gaur.
Q. What led to the inception of Parkobot, and which pain points in Indian urban parking inspired its creation?
A. The foundation of Parkobot goes back to our observations as technology entrepreneurs in 2016–17. We saw severe parking congestion in Indian cities, especially the habit of drivers circling endlessly in search of space. Earlier, we ran a financial technology (fintech) company specialising in radio-frequency identification (RFID) and payments, and tried to tackle parking inefficiency with government bodies. However, the market was unorganised, riddled with local touts, and resistant to digitisation. That friction motivated us to look at the vast untapped private parking slots, often misused, poorly monetised, or kept empty when owners were not around. Thus, the concept of an ‘Airbnb for parking’, where private slots could be shared and monetised, was born. We developed Parkobot as a hardware barrier that stops illegal usage, and built a platform to allow owners to earn from unused slots, helping to decongest Indian streets.
Q. What gap does your parking solution fill? I mean, what makes it unique, and is it proprietary?
A. You see, globally, most parking automation systems still rely on boom barriers at entry points, without enabling true spot-level monetisation. With Parkobot, we pioneered both hardware and a platform that introduced Internet of Things (IoT)-driven smart barriers for individual parking spaces; the first of its kind worldwide. This granular approach, unlike traditional access control, allows each spot to be monetised independently, creating a new category with no global competitor. Our solution is proprietary.
Q. Was the innovation developed entirely in-house, and how does retaining design control give you an edge?
A. Yes. Our team managed every aspect of design and engineering in-house, from printed circuit board (PCB) development and hardware to software and platform decisions. They are all tailored for the Indian urban scenario. We follow a zero-outsourcing model for research and development (R&D), ensuring that user interface (UI)/user experience (UX), hardware, and proprietary technology remain core competencies. Manufacturing is outsourced to partners in Kolkata, Chennai, and Taiwan; however, full design control enables us to innovate constantly and release upgraded versions annually, much like the smartphone cycle.
Q. What does your core technical stack consist of, and how is it evolving?
A. Our stack combines proprietary IoT-enabled PCBs with Bluetooth connectivity, linked to a cloud-based booking engine. The hardware layer uses ultrasonic and proximity sensors for secure barrier operation, while the artificial intelligence (AI) layer powers booking logic, dynamic pricing, and time/day-based charging. Together, these two layers: the physical device and the cloud platform, are tightly integrated and already filed for patents. Our lithium battery versions run for six months to two years, depending on usage. All electronics, software, and design are developed in-house for rapid iteration, with more sensors added as requirements evolve. Looking ahead, we are expanding the platform to encompass two-wheelers, buses, and trucks, with the goal of providing a comprehensive parking solution across all vehicle segments.
Q. Beyond parking barriers, what are your major products and technical features?
A. Our extended suite includes the parking management system (PMS) for boom barriers, helmet lockers (that double as payment stations for two-wheelers), and comprehensive site mapping for entry automation. Electric vehicle (EV) charging integrations enable exclusive spots reserved for EVs to avoid internal combustion engine (ICE) car encroachment, linking partners such as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and other operators into our system. Patent filings cover our hardware modules and innovations, protecting unique features in global markets.
Q. How do you differ from conventional automated guided vehicles (AGVs), robotic platforms, and competitors in the parking space?
A. Unlike conventional robotic platforms, our system relies on a simple single-arm barrier that moves up and down, supported by built-in IoT and ultrasonic sensors for safety, rather than complex autonomous navigation. Our AI is primarily embedded in the booking engine, enabling ease of use and efficient management. Moreover, Parkobot has no direct competition globally; it is the first solution focused on personal parking spots. Beyond resolving conflicts over spaces, it transforms private parking into a revenue-generating resource, which is also sharable and manageable.
Q. Beyond finding a parking slot, how do you leverage technology?
A. Our platform uses AI and smart analytics. Retailers can reimburse parking, and upcoming features will integrate offers and merchant benefits, potentially making parking free for users who engage with partnered services.
Q. How do you integrate EV charging and additional solutions into the ecosystem, and what advanced features set it apart?
A. EV charging zones often get blocked by ICE vehicles, so our devices reserve EV spots exclusively for EVs, ensuring availability and boosting charger utilisation. Through our app, users also get incentives for EV charging, further supporting adoption. Beyond this, our PMS efficiently manages multiple devices and spaces, integrating with building access to allow seamless entry for booked users without guard intervention. We have also introduced solutions such as Parkobot Charge for growing EV demand, helmet lockers for two-wheelers (which double as prepaid payment systems and theft protection), and partnerships with EV companies and property owners for flexible deployment. Bulk deployments come with detailed indoor mapping, and merchants can even reimburse locker or parking charges, enhancing user value while cutting manpower costs.
Q. How adaptable is the system across varying parking infrastructures, like malls, offices, residential complexes, airports?
A. We have built specific technology stacks for each vertical. Offices use hourly-based parking, converting static slots to time-leased assets; this is invaluable in hybrid work cultures. Malls leverage our ‘premium parking’ model, charging extra for elevator-accessible slots, with merchant reimbursements. Residential complexes allow only internal guest bookings. The versatility of the platform supports these different models without requiring physical infrastructure changes. Our cloud software is available in 16 languages, supporting expansion into global markets.
Q. What major challenges did you face, and how were they solved?
A. Our biggest hurdles came from both product design and market adoption. The Indian urban landscape posed severe design challenges: waterlogging, dust, and rough usage destroyed our first prototype. To overcome this, we rebuilt Parkobot to meet IP65 waterproof standards, reinforced it with 2mm cold steel sheets, and engineered it to withstand up to 5 tonnes of weight, so any misuse damages the vehicle, not our hardware. All of this was achieved by our in-house R&D and production team in Kolkata, with expansion partnerships planned in Chennai and Taiwan.
On the electronics side, the toughest problems were power management and IoT connectivity. Parkobot can operate fully offline, powered by Duracell dry cells that last between six months and two years, depending on usage, with a lithium upgrade currently under development. We also developed a robust IoT-to-cloud bridge to ensure reliable performance.
Operationally, municipal compliance is not a challenge since we focus on private parking. What we face instead is a mindset barrier; many people still depend on guards who secure entry gates, but not individual parking spots. Parkobot changes that equation by providing dedicated protection for each space. Through pre-booking incentives and special offers, users can often recover the device’s cost within just months, sometimes even the very first month.
Q. What has been the hardest part, navigating city policies or technological innovation?
A. It is definitely a technology innovation. In private domains, city policies are not much of a problem. The bigger challenge is mindset change. We are creating a completely new category: shared, revenue-generating parking. Societies and residential bodies need to realise that these unused spaces can generate revenue.
Q. How did you avoid near-death moments while staying reliable and sustainable?
A. Reliability has been a key focus for us since the beginning. Our Indian-designed hardware is engineered to handle local realities, from water-logged streets to network outages in underground lots. We have faced issues such as misuse attempts and even hacking, but quick fixes, strict design enforcement, and partnerships with network providers such as Vodafone have kept us resilient. The biggest lesson: one size does not fit all; constant iteration and customer feedback are essential.
On monetisation, we recognised early that Indians resist paying for software. So, we do not charge separately for it. Our model is hardware at cost, plus a revenue-sharing arrangement, which includes cloud services and updates. To further lower adoption barriers, we plan to waive the hardware annual maintenance contract (AMC) under this model next year. This approach removes friction, aligns incentives, and ensures long-term sustainability.
Q. What assumptions about parking technology adoption did you get wrong?
A. We initially assumed that users would quickly embrace automated parking bookings. In reality, adoption has been slower because people want a more seamless experience. To fix this, we are now developing calendar- and meeting-integrated booking, much like how ride-hailing apps simplified cab bookings a decade ago.
Q. How does your business model stand apart, and how do you ensure sustainable monetisation?
A. Our model is hardware-first with a revenue share structure. Hosts buy the hardware at cost, but pay nothing for software or cloud services; we absorb those expenses. Consumers either pay per use or opt for subscription-based city plans. This approach ensures hosts in high-demand areas can earn anywhere from ₹40,000 to ₹300,000 annually per spot, often breaking even within just three months. To accelerate adoption in a market where enterprises resist software fees, we add incentives such as free car umbrellas and aggressive promotional offers.
Q. How do you balance monetisation, privacy, and safety at scale?
A. User trust is central to our model. We never sell user data or share it with competitors, and our app is kept ad-free and clutter-free so that drivers can book parking seamlessly in just a few clicks. While we occasionally provide targeted offers, they are non-invasive. Internally, only two authorised personnel handle consumer data under strict privacy guidelines. On the safety side, our devices are built to rigorous standards, with IP65-grade enclosures, human-detection sensors, automated alarms, and clear signage. The system automatically halts if individuals enter restricted driveways, preventing accidents. Since our deployments are entirely private, municipal road parking regulations do not apply, but we consistently design for reliability and compliance with high privacy and safety benchmarks. Future plans include in-car display integration with voice commands to further enhance ease of use.
Q. You mentioned a ‘priority pass’ for parking linked to subscriptions or memberships. How does that work?
A. Think of it like Netflix on your mobile plan. If a user is on a certain subscription pack, they could access parking free of cost while the operator recovers the cost. We are exploring similar integrations with telecoms and other membership platforms to simplify parking access.
Q. What are your sales, revenue, and growth plans?
A. We currently serve 20,000–25,000 vehicles per month across more than 2500 active parking spaces. Last year’s revenue was ₹15 million, and we are targeting ₹150 million this year. Parkobot breaks even rapidly; hosts recover hardware costs in just three months through monetisation and pre-booking offers. To attract adoption, we offer our IoT hardware at a pre-booking price of ₹25,000, bundled with an automated car shade of the same value, providing a 100% incentive. Our goal is to deploy one million devices nationwide to reduce street congestion, tapping into a global parking solutions market worth $114 billion. On the operations side, we partner with contract manufacturers specialising in metal fabrication, laser cutting, and device assembly, with a current capacity of over 1000 units monthly and plans for greater automation. At the same time, we are filing patents for new hardware designs to protect our proprietary innovations as we scale.
Q. Can you share your funding rounds, growth trajectory, and business metrics?
A. Our recent ₹20.9 million seed round was led by Inflection Point Ventures, with participation from high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) and builder partners who also offered their own parking inventory. This capital has gone into technology upgrades (including new EV solutions), larger deployment hubs, and India-wide expansion. Last year, we booked ₹15 million in revenue, targeting ₹150 million this year. With over 2500 live parking spaces and 20,000 monthly vehicle transactions, our aim is to scale to millions of devices, decongesting urban India and reaching global benchmarks.
Q. How are you scaling manufacturing and automation?
A. We currently rely on contract manufacturing facilities equipped with full metalworking, bending, laser cutting, and paint capabilities, with a production capacity of up to 1000 devices per week. As demand grows, we plan to introduce automation into the assembly process, which will be a key enabler for scaling efficiently. Our investment priorities include advanced tooling, production enhancements, workforce upskilling, and expanded marketing initiatives to power our geographic growth. In the immediate term, we are targeting major metro markets, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, and Kolkata, where traffic congestion is most severe, and where our solutions can provide the greatest impact.
Q. How do partnerships drive growth and deployment?
A. Partnerships are central to our ecosystem-driven growth. We collaborate with banks such as IDFC and Airtel Payments Bank for FASTag automation and special credit card offers, while mobile operators provide exclusive customer deals. Strong regional distributors, ranging from IoT resellers and car accessory chains to mobile retail stores, are being onboarded to support omni-channel sales, given the device’s hardware-heavy nature. Property owners and automakers help in scaling deployments, while academic collaborations support R&D, automation, and manufacturing. On the international front, pilots in France, Dubai, and the wider Middle East leverage localised integrations, such as FASTag or Salik, with multilingual platforms ensuring seamless adoption. Together, these alliances accelerate adoption, expand reach, and provide flexibility for global deployment.
Q. How is your team structured, what is your hiring approach, and how do academic collaborations fit in?
A. We are a 21-member team built since 2021, combining young talent with seasoned professionals in RFID, integrated circuit (IC)-level design, and hardware engineering, giving us the ability to develop robust solutions fully in-house. Our UI/UX head, R. Raj, leads design and consumer experience to ensure seamless usability. Technical roles are anchored in Kolkata, while sales and business development positions are expanding nationwide. We value entrepreneurial drive and technical flexibility in new hires, focusing on individuals who can adapt and innovate as we scale. Additionally, partnerships with academia support ongoing research, automation, and manufacturing, helping us stay ahead in both product development and deployment.
Q. How do you measure and achieve fuel, space, and carbon reductions?
A. Our platform eliminates ‘parking circling’, a major source of wasted fuel, and aggressively deploys EV chargers in low-activity night-time zones. Pre-booking guarantees slot access, reducing traffic and emissions. Power-rich sites, which previously saw zero nighttime usage, are being transformed into EV charging hubs, helping to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. As India lacks standard carbon tracking, these metrics are currently internal, but our future roadmap includes formal tracking and government integration for smart city infrastructure.
Q. How do you envision Parkobot reshaping urban logistics and mobility?
A. Most pay-to-use slots were previously unavailable for public or commercial use. Our system now enables offices, malls, and other complexes to monetise empty night-time spaces through EV charging partnerships with companies such as Uber, transforming these sites into active hubs. Property owners and associations can now earn extra revenues. At the same time, taxi fleets, logistics, and mobility operators gain critical access near busy urban centres, addressing both urban congestion and the emerging needs of EV charging infrastructure.
Q. What does your expansion roadmap look like through 2026 and beyond?
A. Our strategy is twofold: capturing demand in global congestion-heavy markets while simultaneously scaling across diverse Indian cities. By 2026, we aim to launch operations in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, where private parking solutions can offset costs such as congestion charges and offer strong revenue opportunities. At the same time, we are seeing a rising demand in India, not just in metros such as Mumbai, but also in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, including Lakhisarai, Tirupati, Kunnur, and Hosur. Since parking is a universal challenge regardless of city type, our platform is designed to adapt to varied urban structures, local regulations, and cultural contexts. With multi-language support across 16 languages and scalable technology, we are well positioned to build a truly global footprint.
Q. What key lessons shape your strategy, and what advice would you give deep-tech founders?
A. The core lesson is to stay adaptive; never get locked into outdated technology. Usability must come first, with continuous feature upgrades such as e-ink displays or voice controls, while remaining open to redesigning hardware as needed. Robust, sustainable hardware is critical, as it cuts long-term maintenance costs and enables scalable revenue-sharing models. Every deployment, especially in India, reveals new user behaviours, hacks, and misuse patterns, which demand constant fixes for survival and competitiveness. For deep-tech founders, the advice is clear: focus on building flexible, reliable products that evolve with the market and unlock long-term value.
Q. What is your vision for the future?
A. In the short term, we are focusing on business parks and commercial complexes to ease urban congestion. Our long-term vision is far broader, encompassing two million parking spaces across India, developing dual-use day/night EV infrastructure, and integrating congestion-based models to drive smart city mobility. Ultimately, we aim for parking spaces to evolve into multi-service ecosystems that support EV charging, automated parking, and smart mobility solutions, thereby making urban living more efficient and sustainable.
