Gaurav Bubna
| Gaurav Bubna | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988 Mumbai, India |
| 🎓 Alma mater | IIT Bombay |
| 💼 Occupation | *Entrepreneurship
|
| 📆 Years active | 2012- Present |
| 👔 Employer | NextBillion.ai |
| Known for | Mapping and route-optimization technology |
| Title | Co-founder at Zlemma and NextBillion.ai |
Gaurav Bubna (born 1988), is an Indian tech executive and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of NextBillion.ai, a Singapore-based geospatial mapping and routing startup which was acquired by Velocitor Solutions in 2025. Bubna holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the IIT Bombay. H e is iknown for his work n mapping, navigation, and connected-car technologies. Prior to founding NextBillion.ai in 2020, he served in at Ola in India and Grab in Singapole.[1][2] In 2022 and 2023, he was named among the “40 Under 40” by ''Fortune India''.[3]
Biography
Gaurav Bubna was born and raised in Mumbai, India. In 2009 he graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay with a B.Tech. in Computer Science.[4]
Career
Bubna began his career in quantitative finance. From 2009 to 2012 Bubna worked as a Quantitative Analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York.[5] In 2012 he shifted into the tech startup scene by co-founding Zlemma, a recruitment search platform for STEM candidates, where he served as Head of Product.[6] Zlemma was later acquired by Hired.com. During his time at Zlemma he co-developed the core search engine and filed U.S. patent applications related to that work.[7]
In 2016 Bubna returned to India to join ANI Technologies (Ola) as associate director of Product Management. At Ola he was a founding member and product head of Ola Play, a connected-car infotainment platform for ride-sharing vehicles.[8] The Ola Play project contributed several patent applications and helped Ola secure an investment partnership with Microsoft.[9]
In April 2017 Bubna moved to Singapore to join Grab, Southeast Asia's leading super-app. He became Head of Product, ETAs and Navigation on Grab's newly formed Maps team.[10] Bubna also led strategic initiatives at Grab, including a joint venture with SK Telecom in South Korea.[11]
In 2020 Bubna co-founded NextBillion.ai alongside Ajay Bulusu and Shaolin Zheng. NextBillion.ai offers enterprise-grade mapping and route-optimization APIs tailored to different industries.[12][13][14] The startup raised a $21 million Series B funding round in May 2022, contributing to over $34 million total raised.[15] In October 2025 NextBillion.ai was fully acquired by Velocitor Solutions (a fleet management software firm). As part of Velocitor, NextBillion.ai's AI-driven mapping technology is integrated with telematics and fleet management solutions.[6]
References
- ↑ "After Grab: ASEAN's Tech Giants Produce a New Startup Generation - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
- ↑ Tardif, Antoine; CEO; Unite.AI, Founder of (2021-05-27). "Gaurav Bubna, Co-Founder of NextBillion.ai – Interview Series". Unite.AI. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
- ↑ "Ajay Bulusu, Gaurav Bubna". Fortune India. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
- ↑ Sanghi, Rahul. "Are We There Yet?📍📍". www.tigerfeathers.in. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ↑ Team, Editorial (2022-11-23). "How Mapping Technology Can Transform The Global Urban Landscape". CXO Outlook. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ↑ US20150317610A1, Rao, Ashwin; Gaurav Bubna & Zubin Mehta, "Methods and system for automatically obtaining information from a resume to update an online profile", issued 2015-11-05
- ↑ "Gaurav Bubna - NextBillion.ai". 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ↑ PTI (2017-11-07). "Ola teams up with Microsoft for connected vehicle platform". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ↑ "Gaurav Bubna". eChai Ventures. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ↑ Ji-young, Sohn (2018-06-11). "Ride-hailing giant Grab joins hands with SK for lead in future mobility". The Korea Herald (in 한국어). Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ↑ Salim, Zafirah (2022-02-04). "Grab, Lazada, Sea: 14 tech giant alumni that have made a mark in S'pore's startup world". Vulcan Post. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
- ↑ Source, Open (2023-10-05). "Beyond wayfinding: What you should know about the evolution of maps". KrASIA. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
- ↑ Stevens, Morgan (2023-09-12). "5 Q's for Gaurav Bubna, Co-founder of NextBillion.ai". Center for Data Innovation. Retrieved 2026-04-21.
- ↑ Upadhyay, Harsh. "NextBillion.ai raises $21 Mn in Series B round led by Mirae Asset". entrackr.com. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
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