Phanindra Sama Success Story - Education, Investments, Personal Life and more, (2024)

Travelling is a basic necessity for all of us today. Everyone, from children to the elderly, travel places every day. The objective is distinct from the desire for fulfilment. There are a variety of types of transportation available, including planes and vehicles. However, for many people, the bus is still the most common mode of transportation.

Booking tickets provides passengers with a unique experience because it is a simple and effective way to purchase a ticket. Bus ticket bookings have increased in tandem with railway and aircraft ticket purchases. There are already a lot of companies that offer online bus ticket booking.

RedBus, on the other hand, was the first and is currently one of the most popular bus ticket purchasing platforms. Redbus was founded by Phanindra Sama, Chandran Padmarauju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri. These engineers were from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science. In this article, learn more about Phanindra Sama.

Phanindra Sama Biography

NamePhanindra Sama
Date of Birth15th August 1980
Hometown StateAndhra Pradesh
OccupationEntrepreneur, Angel Investor, Advisor
FoundedRedBus.in, Pilani Soft Labs Pvt Ltd.

About Phanindra Sama
Phanindra Sama - Education
Phanindra Sama - The RedBus Journey
Phanindra Sama - Personal Life
Phanindra Sama - Investments
Phanindra Sama - FAQ

About Phanindra Sama

Phanindra Sama is a famous name that wasn't well-known but is recognised in South India as a young Web entrepreneur. Every kid should be inspired by his journey. His experience as a web entrepreneur is unparalleled. He was an average employee ten years ago, but an idea born out of difficulty has set him apart from the group.

Phanindra Samma was born in the small village Tadapaikal of Nizamabad district in India. He lost his dad at an age where he could not understand why things were happening. This is the major incident in Phanindra that shook his childhood.

Phanindra Sama - Education

For his 10th and +2 years, Phanindra relocated to his Uncle's residence in Hyderabad. He was an exceptional student in his academics. He received an average of 80% in SSC and 97 percent in Intermediate. He was accepted into BITS PILNI in the Electronics Engineering track based on his Intermediate grades.

In BITS, he has had to deal with a lot of problems. He exhibited leadership characteristics, and as a result, he was named team leader of the photography club at BITS University. At the time, his classmates and fellow students were awestruck by his extraordinary leadership abilities.

He has attended Stanford University for the Field Of Study Economics, Social Psychology in 2016 in Kings College London. He also went to the Swedish Institute for Field Of Study Responsible Leadership and Sustainable Business Practices. He got a Chevening Standard Chartered Financial Services Fellowship from King’s College London.

Phanindra Sama - The RedBus Journey

In 2005-06, Phanindra Sama used to travel by bus very frequently. He wanted to travel to his family but He was late for a bus one day when the idea for RedBus came to him. He discovered a solution to the problem, and as a consequence, Redbus was formed.

Phanindra Sama considers himself an entrepreneur by chance. He began his career as a Design Engineer at ST Microelectronics, and two years later, he transferred to Texas Instruments as a Senior Design Engineer.

From his unfortunate experience of missing a bus one day while working at Texas Instruments, he saw the need for an online bus ticket-buying platform. Soon after, he began putting his plans into action, founding India's most popular and extensive online bus ticket-buying platform, RedBus, and working as the Chief Executing Officer of his own firm (CEO).

Phanindra Sama founded RedBus with his two friends Charan Padmaraju and Sudhakar Pasupunur in 2006. They failed to raise any funds at the start but later Venture capitalists started approaching them. They received their first seed funding from the 'Seed Fund' and built the company and scaled it to huge heights. The company was at the peak of its success when the Ibibo group acquired Redbus.

Following that, Phanindra Sama left the firm. He was employed as Chief Innovation Officer with the Government of Telangana. Sama is now an advisor at West Bridge Capital. He is also an angel investor, investing in tiny businesses that he believes in.

Phanindra Sama’s net worth is estimated to be over $12 million, according to reports.

Phanindra Sama - Investments

DateOrganization NameFunding RoundMoney Raised
Oct 27, 2021Stoa SchoolSeed Round₹110M
Jul 19, 2021Eka CareSeed Round$4.5M
Nov 27, 2020Kagaaz ScannerSeed Round575k
Oct 13, 2020TreadPre-Seed Round$1.1M
Oct 1, 2020QuestBookPre-Seed Round$625k
Mar 8, 2020AirMeetSeed Round$3M
Jan 8, 2020RheoTVSeed Round$2M
Jul 15, 2019Jiny.ioSeed Round$725k
Mar 21, 2018OpenTalkSeed Round-
Feb 13, 2017FlyleSeed Round$400k

Phanindra Sama - Personal Life

Having a love life while attempting to create a business, Phanindra Sama confesses, is quite challenging. When Phanindra Sama was busy aggregating bus services all the time, he didn't have time for dating. Phanindra Sama's interactions were mostly limited to his stakeholders, and he didn't have a girlfriend.

Phanindra Sama did an arranged marriage. The date of Phanindra Sama's wedding was determined by his parents, and the identity of Phanindra Sama's wife has not been revealed to the public.

The wife of Phanindra Sama is a very quiet woman who very occasionally attends events with his husband. She is kind of a life at home mother who is concerned for her children and their growth. Phanindra Sama stated unequivocally that he sold his firm for a variety of reasons, one of which was to give his daughter and his wife more time.

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Conclusion

Phanindra Sama built a thriving business and transformed the bus ticket booking system in our country. Phanindra Sama has now continued to fund new startups, as an angel investor. The nicest part about his newly created site is that he did not start it as a business. He merely intended to find a solution and assist everyone who was experiencing the same difficulties he had.

For a few years, Phanindra and his wonderful pals worked really hard because their efforts were not recognised by others who had worked in the tourism sector for many years. Nothing, however, could persuade Phanindra to abandon his plan, and this is what contributed to his triumph.

Phanindra Sama - FAQ

Who is Phanindra Sama?

Phanindra Sama is an entrepreneur and the founder and former CEO of RedBus.in & Pilani Soft Labs Pvt Ltd.

What is the net worth of Phanindra Sama?

Phanindra Sama’s net worth is estimated to be over $12 million, according to reports.

Must have tools for startups - Recommended by StartupTalky

Phanindra Sama Success Story - Education,  Investments, Personal Life and more, (2024)

FAQs

What are the unique characteristics of Phanindra Sama? ›

Phanindra Sama, the founder of Redbus (which got acquired in 2013 by Ibibo), is a shy man with very deep thoughts and never fails to make an impact on people. He is today's central character. Phani believes that entrepreneurship is a “self-purification” process.

Who is the owner of Red Bus? ›

The Redbus success story founded with the three key people Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju and Sudhakar Pasupunuri. The RedBus.in founders story comprises three engineers from BITS Pilani are the founders of the Redbus.

Why is Redbus successful? ›

Redbus achieved success by leveraging technology to provide its customers with an easy-to-use platform for booking tickets. It also used effective marketing strategies to create brand awareness and attract customers. The company established partnerships with bus operators to provide access to a wide network of buses.

Who is Phanindra Sarma Redbus? ›

redBus' CEO, Phanindra Sama was recently selected by Endeavor as a high impact entrepreneur. The company now has tie-ups with more than 170 bus partners across India, connecting far flung places that include small dots on the maps like Chittorgarh, Fatehpur and Davangere.

What happened to redBus? ›

It claims to have registered over 180 million trips, with a customer base of over 20 million. In 2018, the company achieved a GMV of ₹50 billion (equivalent to ₹67 billion or US$800 million in 2023), with a 70% share in the Indian online bus ticketing segment. In 2013, redBus was acquired by Ibibo Group.

What is the meaning of redBus? ›

BUS. ROLE OF REDBUS. redBus only provides a technology platform that connects intending travelers with bus operators. It doesn't operate any bus or offer the service of transportation to the User.

Where are red buses made? ›

The red double-decker bus is a global icon. They carry millions of passengers every day across the capital and are as synonymous with London as Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace. Now, Gregg Wallace has special access to a factory in Scarborough, Yorkshire, where they build this famous people mover.

Who owns most buses in India? ›

About the bus company VRL Travels

Listed in the “Limca Book of Record” as the largest fleet owner of commercial vehicles in India in the Private Sector.

Who invented red buses? ›

The London General Omnibus Company adopted red in 1907 for its buses in order to stand out from the competition and attract passengers. By 1933, the London Passenger Transport board was created by an Act of Parliament. The red colour was then adopted as standard for London buses.

Which is the biggest private bus company? ›

VRL Travels

VRL Group of Karnataka is India's largest logistics firm and one of the biggest transport companies in India also known by VijayAnand Road Lines Travels. It owns 550 buses of Volvo buses of multi-axle models and luxurious Multi-Axle Volvo buses were introduced to India by VRL Travels.

What is Phanindra Sama doing now? ›

About Phanindra

Currently he serves the Government of Telangana as the chief innovation officer, and is on the board of T-Works, India's largest hardware prototyping center.

What is the meaning of the name Phanindra? ›

Phanindra. Meaning. : King of the Gods, Name given to Sheshnag, the divine snake.

Who is the brand ambassador of RedBus? ›

Allu Arjun for RedBus RedBus has launched its first digital-first brand campaign, with its brand ambassador Allu Arjun, ahead of the festive season, with the objective of presenting itself at the heart of intercity bus travel, amid the upcoming festive occasions and holidays.

Who owns the Big redBus? ›

In 2014, the company was sold to another LB local, James DuLac. He jumped at the chance to purchase one of Long Beach's mobile icons. The kilt was passed to James in June 2014. He is excited to continue the tradition of what the Big RED Bus has created and looks forward to new adventures.

Who is the CEO of OurBus? ›

Narinder Singh has 2 current jobs as Co Founder and COO at Rally and CEO at OurBus .

Who owns the big bus? ›

Big Bus, which is mostly owned by a private-equity firm called Exponent Private Equity and entered into a renewable consolidation agreement with Gray Line in 2020, also declined to comment on the legal proceedings and did not respond to questions about its apparent merger with Gray Line.)

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