{"data":{"type":"company_profile","id":161889,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:161889","attributes":{"canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/schoolryde","generated_at":"2026-06-08T20:07:58Z","updated_at":"2026-06-07T23:52:57Z","entity_ids":{"company":"wefunder:company:161889","slug":"wefunder:company_slug:schoolryde"},"profile_visibility":{"owner_published":true,"public_search_results":true,"site_search_listed":true,"privacy_mode":"promote","invite_only":false},"provenance":{"source":"wefunder_public_company_profile","as_of":"2026-06-08T20:07:58Z","claims":{"total_amount_raised":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#amount_raised","last_verified_at":"2026-06-07T23:52:57Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T20:07:58Z","confidence":"high"},"total_investors":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#number_of_investors","last_verified_at":"2026-06-07T23:52:57Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T20:07:58Z","confidence":"high"},"active_raise_states":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil)","last_verified_at":"2026-04-22T17:59:18Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T20:07:58Z","confidence":"high"},"latest_fundraise_state":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil).order(funding_started_at)","last_verified_at":"2026-04-22T17:59:18Z","as_of":"2026-06-08T20:07:58Z","confidence":"medium"}}},"company":{"id":161889,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:161889","slug":"schoolryde","name":"SchoolRyde","tagline":"Affordable \u0026 Daily rides for kids","story":"It is also not just a logistics issue — it’s an economic and social barrier.That means millions of lost work hours, stressed-out parents, and kids missing extracurriculars that shape their growth. And for single parents or dual-income households without flexible schedules, the problem is even worse.Across major U.S. cities — from New York to San Francisco, Chicago to Boston — taxi and rideshare drivers are earning less and utilizing their fleets less efficiently. In NYC alone, trips per cab fell by 40%. In San Francisco, LA, Austin, and Phoenix, hourly driver pay dropped between 4–7% in the past year.Families are already spending billions.School districts put $28 billion into transportation each year. Parents add another $3–6 billion privately. And when you look at tutoring and after-school programs, another $29 billion is tied up — much of which depends on reliable transportation. Altogether, this is a $50 billion industry.We partner with professional taxi operators who are vetted, trained, and compliant with child-safety standards.Parents get the peace of mind of knowing exactly who’s driving their child. Kids get reliable rides, not just to school but also to after-school activities. And because we leverage existing professional fleets, we keep costs far lower than private drivers.Think of it as combining the safety of school buses with the flexibility of rideshare — at a price families can afford.Parents schedule rides through our iOS and Android apps.Taxi Operators manage logistics through a dispatch systemPowered by SchoolRyde API Platform.A SaaS platform that Seamlessly connects:Parents + kids + Drivers + Professional Taxi fleets + kids Focussed Institutions. Launching in 2 cities—ready to scale nationwide.Parents can trust that safety is built into every layer — from state regulations and insurance safeguards, to operator accountability and our tech-enabled oversight. This multi-layered approach ensures the highest standards of protection and peace of mind.That’s not a future plan — that’s traction today. And the market is responding.Higher safety standards.Most of the competitors rely on peer-to-peer drivers or their own fleets, which creates higher operational costs, liability issues, and inconsistent safety.Highly Scalable BusinessEvery Taxi operator partnership onboards hundreds of Drivers in one shot.Every Kid Focussed institute partnership (e.g Schools) bring thousands of rides.Low operational costs.We don’t buy vehicles. We don’t put drivers on payroll. We don’t carry liability insurance for the fleets. Taxi Operators do.That means we can scale like a SaaS company, without the heavy costs of traditional transportation businesses. The bigger we grow, the better the margins get.Future-looking projections cannot be guaranteed.Our model is simple and powerful. Parents or institutions pay per trip. We take a platform fee and pass the rest to the Taxi operators.Partnerships with Taxi OperatorsPartnerships with schools, daycares, extracurricular programs, and even government initiatives like McKinney-Vento and foster youth education programs.Direct-to-parents (B2C) through our apps.B2B, B2B2C channel is a force multiplier. One school district deal can bring in thousands of rides a day. That’s how we build scale quickly, without burning cash on consumer acquisition alone.The raised fund will be utilized to:Expand our taxi and school district partnerships.Launch in new cities - nation wide,and build out sales, marketing, and support.Forward-looking projections cannot be guaranteed.","location":"Fremont, CA","website":"https://www.schoolryde.com","total_amount_raised":86007,"total_investors":18,"is_funded":false,"is_active":true,"quality_score":2,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/schoolryde","https://www.schoolryde.com"]},"media":{"share_image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/custom_card_photo/161889/xxl_SchoolRyde_1762980630767.jpg","logo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/logo/161889/large_blob.png","header_media_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/161889/standard_blob.jpg","cover_photo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/custom_card_photo/161889/large_SchoolRyde_1762980630767.jpg"},"links":{"company_url":"https://www.schoolryde.com","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/company/schoolryde"},"highlights":[{"id":75541,"name":"investment_memo","url":"investmentmemo","presentable_name":"Investment Memo","description":"An investor has written an Investment Memo","image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/2021/profile-highlights-pencil.svg"}],"quick_facts":[{"index":1,"claim_id":"claim-fact-1","value":"We have hit revenue stage. Service is live in Minneapolis, MN. 250 drivers already taking rides."},{"index":2,"claim_id":"claim-fact-2","value":"Partnerships signed with taxi operator in Phoenix as well."},{"index":3,"claim_id":"claim-fact-3","value":"Parent App is live in the Appstore"},{"index":4,"claim_id":"claim-fact-4","value":"Our API platform is successfully integrated with major taxi operator’s dispatch system in a key city"},{"index":5,"claim_id":"claim-fact-5","value":"Our API platform for Taxi operators is ready for scale"},{"index":6,"claim_id":"claim-fact-6","value":"Ex-Turo Exec | COO at Outschool | Technologist, Docusign | Harvard Alumni | Strategy, Kelloggs"},{"index":7,"claim_id":"claim-fact-7","value":"Quarter finalist of 1500 applications at GAMIC event"}],"team":[{"id":5104350,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:5104350","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:4404730","role":"founder","name":"Naveen Tulseela","title":"Founder \u0026 CEO","bio":"Technical Advisor at Liscio | Technologist at Docusign | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Alumni","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/5104350/square_blob.jpg?1773112591","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/naveen.tulseela","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/naveen.tulseela"]},{"id":5702526,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:5702526","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:4800080","role":"employee","name":"Tristram Hewitt","title":"Advisor","bio":"Ex-Turo executive | Harvard Alumni | COO at Outschool | Board member at Openroad Foundation","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/5702526/square_blob.jpg?1773112591","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/tristram.hewitt","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/tristram.hewitt"]},{"id":5811218,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:5811218","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:4763424","role":"founder","name":"Gaurav Agarwal","title":"Head of Product","bio":"20+ products launched | 100M users served across industries, startups and enterprises | Product Strategy - Kellogg School of Management","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/5811218/square_blob.jpg?1773112591","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/gaurav.agarwal.5","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/gaurav.agarwal.5"]}],"featured_investors":[{"id":12360,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_investor_profile:12360","investor_profile_id":4357006,"investor_profile_entity_id":"wefunder:investor_profile:4357006","subject_entity_id":"wefunder:user:4865638","name":"Cipson Jose Chiriyankandath","role_title":"","avatar_url":"https://wefunder.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NTk5MjE3LCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--ac01763c8546f6665ed80d03a264d5806fbbada0/profile_picture_8e4c615adf25.jpeg","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/cipson.jose","endorsement_quote":"As a father, I understand the challenges of finding safe and reliable transportation for my children's school and after-school activities. I've known Naveen, one of the co-founders, for over 15 years. When he shared the plans for SchoolRyde's technology platform, I immediately saw its potential. Not only does it address the critical need for safe transportation for children, but it also provides a scalable solution that can be applied to other niche markets. SchoolRyde stands out from its competitors by focusing on its innovative technology platform rather than managing cabs and drivers. This approach allows them to offer safe and reliable ride service for children, in a market that has significant room for growth.","endorsement_name":"","investment_total":5000,"investment_info":"Invested $5,000 this round","is_lead_investor":true,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/cipson.jose"]}],"investor_memos":[],"tab_counts":{"posts":0,"ask_questions":3,"featured_investors":1,"faq_entries":3},"active_fundraises":[{"id":121395,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:121395","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","funding_type":"note","structure":"ttw","security_type":"","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":true,"min_purchase":100,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":1000000.0,"minimum_target":"50000.0","maximum_target":"1000000.0"},{"id":121394,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:121394","state":"open","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","funding_type":"note","structure":"safe","security_type":"equity","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":false,"min_purchase":100,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":1000000.0,"minimum_target":"50000.0","maximum_target":"1000000.0","funding_started_at":"2025-11-11T00:58:23Z","funding_closed_at":"2026-09-01T03:59:59Z"}],"latest_fundraise":{"id":121395,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:121395","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","structure":"ttw","testing_the_waters":true,"can_invest_now":false,"funding_started_at":null,"funding_closed_at":null,"terms":{"eb":"$5.6M","nb":"$8M","txt":"valuation cap"}},"recent_posts":[],"q_and_a":[{"id":320059,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:320059","question":"The idea is interesting and the need is real. I have a few concerns before making my decision to invest: 1. How did you come up with the $15 pricing? 2. So far you are the sole operator of the business, no partner, no advisor. This is a concern for sustainability. What other skill sets are you looking for to bring onboard? 3. Your company is registered in Fremont but piloted in Wisconsin. Any particular reason? 4. And this is a major one: how do you plan on addressing parents' potential concern of the driver saying or doing stuff that negatively impacts the children or is even illegal DURING the trips? Thanks for your time.","author_name":"Katia Oltmann","votes":0,"created_at":"2025-11-22T00:34:24Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/schoolryde#question-320059","answers":[{"id":320065,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:320065","answer":"We want to make rides affordable for everyone. We negotiate ride costs with our taxi partner companies to bring them onto the platform, aiming to build a Costco-style model where margins per ride are lower but families use the service daily. We currently have a team of 10, along with business advisors and partners who have extensive industry experience. We are looking to add sales and marketing team members who can help scale the business and expand partnerships in additional cities. We already have taxi partnerships in the Minneapolis area, with several more in the pipeline across other regions. Although we are registered in Fremont, California, our Minneapolis partners were the first to complete full platform integration, which is why our initial pilot launched there. For safety, we partner only with state-compliant taxi and transportation companies that meet all required safety standards for school transportation. Many of our partners already serve schools, ensuring a strong safety foundation. SchoolRyde adds a technology layer through our dispatch platform to automate the process and make booking seamless and transparent for parents. Hope that helps.","author_name":"Naveen Tulseela","votes":0,"created_at":"2025-11-22T05:27:15Z"}]},{"id":319759,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:319759","question":"I invested in a ride share company that is for adults. So this is very interesting. I invested in a kids product company. Yeah this is very intriguing. I am wondering i see another company doing a ride share for kids. There are a couple doing the same thing. What separates you from the others?","author_name":"John Webster","votes":0,"created_at":"2025-11-16T20:09:44Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/schoolryde#question-319759","answers":[{"id":319761,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:319761","answer":"Thanks for the question John. Most competitors manage their own fleet of drivers and vehicles, which limits scalability and increases operational complexity. SchoolRyde, on the other hand, integrates directly with existing licensed taxi dispatch systems by partnering with professional fleets that are already state-compliant and insured. This allows us to grow rapidly across markets without owning vehicles or managing drivers, while ensuring the highest safety and reliability standards. Our focus is on building the infrastructure layer for safe, tech enabled kids transportation through our taxi dispatch platform, rather than just another ride service.","author_name":"Naveen Tulseela","votes":0,"created_at":"2025-11-16T20:27:04Z"}]},{"id":319585,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:319585","question":"Have you done any analysis about how the school trip times may overlap with peak hours for taxi utilization? While I can see the 30-40% utilization overall, does this not just double demand in certain time windows versus create demand to raise the 24hr utilization rate? Second question is that whether you can schedule rides in advance if so has there been any outreach to the taxi companies about ensuring those appointments are met?","author_name":"Ryan Medlen","votes":0,"created_at":"2025-11-13T21:08:21Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/schoolryde#question-319585","answers":[{"id":319587,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:319587","answer":"Thanks for the great questions Ryan. Through our partnerships with taxi companies, SchoolRyde provides a consistent and predictable revenue stream, which directly improves driver utilization. While school trips may cluster around certain peak times, our model benefits taxi fleets by giving them recurring, pre-scheduled rides that they can reliably plan for. This helps smooth out demand and increases overall operational efficiency rather than simply doubling peak usage. Parents can already schedule rides in advance, including recurring schedules using our App. Our tech platform is fully integrated with the taxi dispatch systems of the taxi companies we partner with, ensuring rides are assigned and honored reliably. We are already operating in Minneapolis where we’ve seen strong adoption and positive feedback from parents who use SchoolRyde regularly. These early results validate both the demand and the reliability of our operational model.","author_name":"Naveen Tulseela","votes":1,"created_at":"2025-11-13T21:28:58Z"},{"id":319700,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:319700","answer":"Expanding a little more for Ryan and the Wefunder community: Our data and partner feedback show that school-hour demand is actually complementary to taxi peaks. The 7–8:30 a.m. and 2:30–4 p.m. windows fall just before or after traditional taxi surges, which means we’re filling natural idle gaps, not competing with existing core revenue hours. Importantly, demand extends beyond School dismissal time range. Afterschool programs, extracurriculars, tutoring, and private lessons push our usable window to 2:30–6:30 p.m., which aligns perfectly with the lull before the late evening peak. Add the demand and need to support rides over the weekends from extracurricular activities. Said that, even during busy periods, taxi fleets typically run at only ~60–70% utilization, versus ~30–40% over a full day — so there is meaningful excess capacity available in those hours. Plus, Since all SchoolRyde trips are scheduled in advance, operators get predictable, recurring rides rather than one-off requests. On top of it, 45% of schools facing driver shortages and 40% reporting stagnant transportation budgets, there’s a clear supply gap that taxis can fill — especially during the exact hours when their vehicles would otherwise sit idle. So, SchoolRyde doesn’t strain taxi peaks; it converts fleet downtime into guaranteed demand while solving a growing transportation problem for schools and families.","author_name":"Gaurav Agarwal","votes":0,"created_at":"2025-11-15T03:57:50Z"}]}],"faq":[{"question":"Have you done any analysis about how the school trip times may overlap with peak hours for taxi utilization? While I can see the 30-40% utilization overall, does this not just double demand in certain time windows versus create demand to raise the 24hr utilization rate? Second...","answer":"Thanks for the great questions Ryan. Through our partnerships with taxi companies, SchoolRyde provides a consistent and predictable revenue stream, which directly improves driver utilization. While school trips may cluster around certain peak times, our model benefits taxi fleets by giving them recurring, pre-scheduled rides that they can reliably plan for. This helps smooth out demand and increases overall operational efficiency rather than simply doubling peak usage. Parents can already sch..."},{"question":"I invested in a ride share company that is for adults. So this is very interesting. I invested in a kids product company. Yeah this is very intriguing. I am wondering i see another company doing a ride share for kids. There are a couple doing the same thing. What separates you...","answer":"Thanks for the question John. Most competitors manage their own fleet of drivers and vehicles, which limits scalability and increases operational complexity. SchoolRyde, on the other hand, integrates directly with existing licensed taxi dispatch systems by partnering with professional fleets that are already state-compliant and insured. This allows us to grow rapidly across markets without owning vehicles or managing drivers, while ensuring the highest safety and reliability standards. Our fo..."},{"question":"The idea is interesting and the need is real. I have a few concerns before making my decision to invest: 1. How did you come up with the $15 pricing? 2. So far you are the sole operator of the business, no partner, no advisor. This is a concern for sustainability. What other s...","answer":"We want to make rides affordable for everyone. We negotiate ride costs with our taxi partner companies to bring them onto the platform, aiming to build a Costco-style model where margins per ride are lower but families use the service daily. We currently have a team of 10, along with business advisors and partners who have extensive industry experience. We are looking to add sales and marketing team members who can help scale the business and expand partnerships in additional cities. We alrea..."}]}}}