Lengthy queues, disorganised area, congestion; parking in India is usually actually chaotic. Recognising this subject, Dhananjaya Bharadwaj from ParkMate shares all the pieces about their superior, completely ‘Made-in-India’ automated answer with EFY’s Nitisha Dubey.
Q. Are you able to share an summary of ParkMate and the options it supplies?
A. At ParkMate, our mission is to unravel the on a regular basis challenges of city parking via automation and innovation. We serve enterprises, sensible cities, and most people with customised options. For our enterprise purchasers—like mall house owners, municipalities, and actual property builders—we exchange outdated, operated by hand parking methods with our totally automated answer. It’s all powered by Web of Issues (IoT) units and our superior synthetic intelligence (AI) platform, the Trident System, which streamlines operations and enhances effectivity. For the general public, we have now made parking sensible and fully hassle-free. By means of our cellular app, customers enter their vacation spot and drive there as regular, no have to seek for parking. One in all our attendants meets them on the vacation spot, takes the automobile, and parks it in a close-by authorised facility. When they’re prepared to go away, a easy faucet on ‘Get My Automotive’ within the app brings their automobile again to them.
Q. How does ParkMate’s Trident System ship a totally automated parking expertise?
A. Trident System makes use of AI-powered cameras and sensors to handle parking entry, exit, license plate recognition, and funds—all built-in with the digital toll assortment system (FASTag) expertise. We’ve got additionally developed our personal radio-frequency identification (RFID) methods and AI-enabled surveillance instruments, combining them with totally built-in software program and {hardware} to ship the expertise. In our sensible metropolis tasks and industrial websites, past expertise; we provide full possession and modernisation of the parking operations. We additionally put money into and improve present infrastructure, making certain all the pieces runs effectively and meets trendy requirements.
Q. What digital and {hardware} elements are concerned in ParkMate’s parking methods, and the way do they work together to allow options like picture processing and entry management?
A. ParkMate’s parking methods include a number of key {hardware} elements, together with RFID readers, quite a lot of growth obstacles, and AI-enabled automated quantity plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. These cameras usually include an inbuilt controller, typically a Jetson Nano, which processes the captured pictures to extract information. This information can be utilized for facial recognition, licence plate identification, and detecting uncommon actions like fence leaping or different anomalies. The system includes the growth barrier, RFID reader, static controller, and a management field, also referred to as the native processing unit (LPU), which serves because the system’s central processing unit. The AI cameras are important for picture processing and analytics.
Q. Are your units modular or upgradable for future applied sciences, resembling 5G or AI processors?
A. Sure, ParkMate’s methods are designed with full modularity in thoughts. Customers can select which elements to deploy based mostly on their particular wants. The system can operate solely with an RFID reader, solely with a digicam, and even be operated manually or remotely if neither is most well-liked. By way of future applied sciences, resembling enhanced AI processing, the methods are already suitable with trendy connectivity choices, together with in-house web, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 5G. For purchasers involved about information privateness, methods can be configured to run on an area server, holding all information on-premises fairly than within the cloud.
Q. How do your sensors and {hardware} methods guarantee sturdiness, longevity, and dependable efficiency in hostile outside circumstances?
A. ParkMate’s sensors and detection methods are particularly engineered to function reliably in difficult climate and outside environments. Most elements are IP-rated, making certain they’re hermetic and dustproof. Cameras are totally sealed in opposition to moisture and mud, whereas growth obstacles and different exterior {hardware} are powder-coated and constituted of artificial supplies and aluminium composite panels (ACP) sheets. Rubber linings are additionally integrated to forestall the ingress of mud and moisture. The native processing unit (LPU), which requires periodic upkeep and information entry, is housed in a specifically designed enclosure that enables for efficient cooling whereas sustaining hermetic and watertight integrity. Growth obstacles, being less complicated units, include their very own sealed models to course of instructions from the LPU and persistently carry out effectively in different climate circumstances. These mixed options make the system sturdy, sturdy, and appropriate for long-term outside deployment.
Q. Is all ParkMate expertise developed in-house?
A. We design and develop all our methods completely in-house. We don’t use any Chinese language or European elements—each a part of our expertise is proudly constructed utilizing domestically sourced supplies. Our {hardware} is manufactured via our trusted contract manufacturing models based mostly in Ghaziabad and close to Gurugram. We’re an organization registered in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, and our headquarters are situated in Noida Sector 16.
Q. How does the valet software program work, and what advantages does it present to clients?
A. In conventional valet companies, clients drop their vehicles and obtain a paper slip, which they later use to retrieve the automobile. This course of is inconvenient throughout peak hours, inefficient, and vulnerable to errors. We exchange paper slips with quick message service (SMS)-based confirmations. When a automobile is handed over, the shopper receives an SMS with a novel hyperlink containing their reserving ID, automobile ID, key quantity, valet info, and 360-degree images of the automobile. The net hyperlink serves as an online app, enabling customers to trace their automobile’s location and request supply. The client can click on ‘Get My Automotive’, and the system calculates the estimated arrival time, permitting customers to minimise wait instances and improve the general premium expertise.
Q. What’s the pricing mannequin for ParkMate companies?
A. Our pricing varies based mostly on the companies availed. {Hardware} purchases contain a capital expenditure (CapEx) mannequin with an annual upkeep contract. Software program companies are priced on a month-to-month licensing charge. When purchasers go for full operations administration, together with manpower, they pay a recurring month-to-month charge. The enterprise is primarily business-to-business (B2B), and funds are made by entities resembling mall operators or municipal our bodies.
Q. How do you method new purchasers and begin companies?
A. We usually contact centre administrators or deputy common supervisor (DGM)-level operations managers who’re answerable for parking and facility administration. Throughout their pitch, we clarify the worth proposition of our skilled valet companies, valet automation software program, AI-powered parking methods, growth obstacles, FASTag integration, and full hardware-software-manpower deployment. We suggest an operations takeover, which incorporates all the pieces from set up to employees deployment. As soon as a piece order or buy order is signed, ParkMate often implements the system inside two to 3 weeks.
Q. How does ParkMate guarantee security within the Drop and Store (DaSH) service?
A. Within the DaSH service, each automobile is GPS-tracked and each driver is geo-tagged. Any deviation from the designated path triggers an alert. Every automobile is photographed with 360-degree cameras to document its situation. Moreover, we offer industrial common legal responsibility insurance coverage and customised insurance coverage for added security and accountability. The service was known as DaSH throughout improvement, however it is going to be rebranded at launch.
Q. Are you able to describe the construction of your analysis and improvement (R&D) staff and their major areas of focus?
A. Whereas detailed details about the R&D staff construction is confidential, ParkMate has a succesful chief expertise officer (CTO), a head of engineering (HOE), and a devoted supervisor for AI engineering. The staff is presently targeted closely on pc imaginative and prescient applied sciences, aiming to ultimately get rid of the necessity for RFID readers. One other main space of improvement is on-street parking, which presents a novel set of challenges with few present options available in the market.
Q. How does your R&D staff collaborate with {hardware} suppliers or exterior tech companions?
A. Collaboration with exterior {hardware} suppliers is minimal as a result of most {hardware} used—resembling growth obstacles, RFID readers, and cameras—are passive or ‘dumb’ units. The intelligence of the system is centralised within the LPU, which is designed and manufactured in-house. ParkMate develops the software program, writes the code, and handles software programming interface (API) integrations internally. This method ensures that the system stays totally underneath their management and could be optimised successfully with out heavy reliance on third-party distributors.
Q. What’s the typical timeline from idea to prototype for a brand new {hardware} product?
A. The event timeline for a brand new {hardware} product at ParkMate usually ranges from 4 to 6 weeks. This era contains idea improvement, system coaching, algorithm refinement, and efficacy testing. Explicit consideration is given to machine studying elements, resembling bettering the system’s means to differentiate comparable characters on licence plates. Nevertheless, the timeline can range relying on the complexity of the system being developed.
Q. How massive is the ParkMate staff?
A. We’ve got roughly 343 staff members, together with floor employees. The core managerial and backend staff consists of 36 members. In whole, the workforce could be rounded off to 350 to 400 personnel.
Q. What applied sciences type the inspiration of ParkMate’s methods?
A. We’re constructed on the Bharat Stack, which integrates digital public infrastructure, together with the Unified Funds Interface (UPI), FASTag by the Nationwide Funds Company of India (NPCI), and probably the Nationwide Widespread Mobility Card (NCMC). Our methods additionally incorporate Aadhaar, cellular quantity authentication, and AI-driven predictive algorithms, in addition to pc imaginative and prescient.
Q. Through which cities is ParkMate presently operational?
A. We function in 12 cities, together with Delhi NCR, Lucknow, Pune, Moradabad, Jhansi, and Hyderabad. We proceed to scale throughout sensible cities and concrete centres.
Q. What position do AI and machine studying play within the firm?
A. AI and machine studying are foundational to ParkMate’s operations. Our methods use predictive algorithms to forecast site visitors spikes, decide peak hours, plan manpower allocation, and optimise parking availability. Our AI-driven pc imaginative and prescient additionally performs a key position in monitoring automobiles and imposing parking guidelines.
Q. What challenges have you ever confronted in your journey to date?
A. One of many greatest challenges has been hiring expert expertise at inexpensive charges. Many candidates seem certified on paper however lack sensible information. This expertise hole has made recruitment a persistent hurdle. Past human sources, we additionally confronted challenges in navigating the startup ecosystem, particularly in the course of the funding winter post-Ukraine struggle and post-COVID restoration. Initially unfamiliar with startup funding, we discovered via expertise and benefited from early participation within the EvolveX accelerator programme, which supplied essential mentorship and publicity.
Q. Is there a significant announcement or upcoming launch?
A. Sure, we’re getting ready for a significant business-to-customer (B2C) launch. The brand new platform will carry valet and parking options to most people. As well as, a preferred celeb has been signed as model ambassador, although particulars stay confidential resulting from a non-disclosure settlement (NDA).
Q. Are you open to vendor partnerships?
A. At the moment, we function completely with an in-house staff and don’t have any speedy plans to onboard exterior distributors.
Q. What steps are being taken in the direction of sustainability and electrical automobile (EV) integration?
A. Our methods cut back paper utilization via digital transactions and reduce gas consumption by minimising the time drivers spend looking for parking. The typical time to search out parking has dropped from 19 minutes to simply 4 to 5 minutes. This contributes considerably to air pollution management. We’ve got additionally partnered with main EV charging suppliers to put in chargers at their parking amenities, however want to remain targeted on our core parking companies fairly than function the EV charging infrastructure straight.
Q. How scalable is your platform for metro cities?
A. Our platform is very scalable, particularly in traffic-heavy cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. The upcoming B2C app and AI infrastructure are constructed to deal with excessive demand whereas producing employment and lowering city congestion. With end-to-end management over tech, operations, and customer support, we’re well-positioned to scale throughout India.
Q. What’s the firm’s enlargement plan for the close to future?
A. For the following yr, we’re specializing in increasing to Mumbai and Bengaluru along with consolidating our presence in Delhi NCR. The target is to strengthen operations in these three metro areas and construct a powerful basis earlier than increasing additional.
Q. How does ParkMate differentiate itself from opponents?
A. In contrast to opponents making an attempt to turn into common automobile marketplaces or targeted on residential societies and gated communities, we’re devoted solely to fixing parking points. We don’t purpose to diversify into different verticals; as a substitute, we concentrate on turning into India’s most dependable and scalable parking answer. Our companies are rooted in B2B contracts and backed by full-stack expertise and operations, setting them other than typical parking apps.
Q. How are valets employed and skilled at ParkMate?
A. Valets endure a 12-day coaching programme the place they’re skilled to deal with automobiles of every type—from primary fashions to luxurious vehicles. This coaching culminates in an examination. Solely candidates who go the examination are onboarded. Moreover, each valet should endure a police verification and background verify previous to employment.
Q. How did your online business develop within the final fiscal yr, and what are your objectives and techniques for the following two years?A.
We have been registered in July 2021 and commenced operations in April 2022. Since then, the corporate has proven fast development, reporting a 300% improve in income final yr. For the present fiscal yr, we’re projecting an 800% improve and purpose to scale up 20 instances within the close to future based mostly on our sturdy pipeline.
