Bengaluru-based self-driving startup Minus Zero has raised USD 1.7 million in seed funding led by tech VC firm Chiratae Ventures, along with participation from JITO Angel Network, a handful of angel investors and senior executives from tech companies like Lyft and NVIDIA. The startup plans to use the capital to mainly invest in R&D infrastructure and expand their talent force to hasten the launch of their products scheduled for between late 2022 and early 2023. 

Founded in 2021 by Gagandeep Reehal and Gursimran Kalra, Minus Zero aims to make self-driving technology affordable by making self-driving more intuitive instead of stacking up more high-end sensors like LiDAR. 

“With multiple patents in the pipeline, our proprietary approach towards self-driving mimics human intuition giving the software an ability to gain confident insights even with less data inputs. This enables robust decision making, which is crucial for safe navigation in scenarios where extrinsic factors like poor traffic infrastructure, rash driving, and harsh weather would have otherwise compromised the safety of the vehicle. Safety is and will be our foremost priority,” said Gagandeep Reehal, CEO and CTO of the startup. 

Founder and Vice Chairman of Chiratae Ventures TCM Sundaram stated that the approach to AVs needs to be fresh and specifically tailored in emerging markets like India due to the disorganised driving conditions and poor infrastructure, and Minus Zero had the desired perspective. 

The startup had previously raised an undisclosed amount of money in the pre-seeding round in September last year.