Zoomcar names ex-FreeCharge exec Rajesh Bysani chief product officer

Self-drive car rental startup Zoomcar India Pvt. Ltd has appointed Rajesh Bysani as its chief product officer.

Prior to joining Zoomcar, Bysani led product and growth at digital payments firm FreeCharge. He also worked as AVP for products at bus ticketing platform redBus, where he was leading the B2C product and helped launch the mobile strategy.

With this appointment, Zoomcar India Pvt. Ltd expects an acceleration in its product innovation, expansion into new markets and delivery of exceptional customer value, the company said in a statement.

Bysani will work out of Zoomcar's headquarters in Bengaluru.

"Our goal is to become the most trusted, efficient and flexible self-drive car rental platform in India. Robust product and technology innovation is critical for us to achieve that objective," said Greg Moran, chief executive and co-founder of Zoomcar.

Last month, the startup had raised $24 million (Rs 161 crore) in a Series B round of funding led by US auto giant Ford Motor Company's newly created 'smart mobility' unit. Ford Smart Mobility LLC invested along with existing investors Sequoia Capital, Nokia Growth Partners and Empire Angels.

The company recently launched initiatives such as doorstep delivery and ZAP (Zoomcar Associate Program) to enhance user experience on its platform. ZAP, launched earlier in 2016, allows individuals to purchase vehicles on behalf of Zoomcar, list the vehicle on its platform, and then finally share in the profit on a monthly basis.

Zoomcar expects this marketplace model will account for over 75% of its overall vehicle inventory by early 2017. The funding will allow Zoomcar to reach a fleet size of over 25,000 across more than 25 cities by 2018.

The company competes with the likes of Carzonrent-owned Myles, Revv, Voler and JustRide.

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