Fery Rides, India’s first women-led mobility platform built for women, has raised ₹2.075 crore in a seed funding round led by IAN Angel Fund, part of IAN Group. The round was led by Hari Balasubramanian, Uday Chatterjee, and Sri Prakash. The investment will help the company strengthen its technology platform, scale operations beyond NCR, and onboard more women drivers — referred to on the platform as Sister Partners.
Fery Rides is tackling one of India’s most urgent challenges: the lack of safe and reliable transportation for women. Every day, millions of women across Indian cities travel with anxiety or fear of harassment. The idea for Fery began when co-founder Ajay Kumar saw a close friend being harassed by a ride-hailing driver. That was the moment he realised how unsafe the daily commute had become for women. Together with Vindhya Mehrotra and Himanshu Chaubey, he built the platform to create a service where safety, reliability, and dignity come first.
Fery ensures every ride is operated by trained and verified women drivers and is exclusively used by women passengers. Technology enables easy onboarding, real-time tracking with SOS alerts, and WhatsApp-enabled customer support, through a robust app. Additionally, all vehicles are electric, making the platform both sustainable and inclusive.
Since launching in April 2023, Fery has completed over 65,000 eco-friendly rides, empowered more than 250 women drivers, and crossed 50,000 app downloads. The service currently operates in Gurugram and is preparing to scale across Delhi NCR and other major cities. Fery has partnered with players like Sakha Cabs for airport rides and participated in pilot operations during the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj.
Ajay Kumar, Co-founder & CEO, Fery Rides, said, “This fundraise is more than just capital; it’s a strong validation of our mission to redefine mobility for women in India. With the backing of IAN Group and our mentors, we are ready to scale Fery into a national movement for safer, sustainable, and women-led urban transportation.”
Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder, IAN Group, said, “Real change happens when innovation meets inclusion. Fery Rides places women at the centre of the solution to one of the biggest challenges — safe mobility. This company has built an innovative solution to a real problem, creating both value and social change. We’re proud to support a team that is redefining transportation through empowerment, technology, and trust.”
Fery’s model is unique because it empowers women on both sides of the ride. It offers commuters a trusted, stress-free way to travel while creating dignified livelihood opportunities for women drivers who are often excluded from the gig economy. These Sister Partners receive training, financial independence, and confidence through their work — and many now serve as role models in their communities.
Beyond the numbers, Fery’s story is deeply human. One early driver, who was once hesitant to even ride in traffic, now completes 20 rides a day and supports her daughter’s dream of becoming an Olympic athlete. Stories like hers reflect the larger mission of building a movement where women support, trust, and uplift one another — through mobility.
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