Otobot Technologies: Revolutionising the Automotive Industry
India is one of the fastest-growing automotive industries in the world. It contributes 7.1% to global GDP through its automotive sector and ranks 4th in global vehicle production. Yet, there are several hiccups customers face when trying to purchase an automobile right from vehicle selection to delivery.
Behind every vehicle sale is a complex orchestration of people, processes, and systems. A dealership must manage inventory procurement and allocation, capture and distribute leads, schedule test rides, coordinate financing and insurance, track bookings, process registrations, prepare vehicles for delivery, and ensure post-sales follow-up. Each step often involves different teams operating across multiple tools and disconnected workflows.
Dharthi Kashyap, the co-founder of Otobot Technologies, suggests that if you’ve ever bought a car, you’ve likely experienced friction along the journey.
She describes Otobot as an agentic AI retail suite for automotive businesses that helps manage leads, inventory, booking-to-delivery journeys, reporting, and business intelligence, ensuring dealerships have complete visibility into their operations.
The Journey from Ather to Otobot Technologies:
Co-Founders Dharthi Kashyap and Abhishek Sikka worked at Ather for a significant period of time. Coincidentally, Abhishek was Dharthi’s hiring manager at Ather when he was heading the company's business software. He went on to lead the UI/UX, engineering, and customer experience teams.
Dharthi joined Ather to manage the marketing section, but moved on to developing systems for customer support, marketing and subscriptions, among others. Abhishek also built the first extended battery warranty program at Ather.
As a result, Dharthi and Abhishek have known each other for nearly 8 years now. The foundation of their strong working relationship, according to Dharthi, is the transparency that they bring to the table.
Both have completed their graduation in computer science engineering. Abhishek Sikka had several stints as an entrepreneur before building Otobot. When asked about other people in the same space, they immediately spoke about looking up to Tekion, founded by Jay Vijayan, who also served as Tesla’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) before that.
Dharthi also believes that the democratisation and advent of AI in India have allowed them to build suitable systems and help push the envelope. When asked about what makes them unique, they highlighted that their experience in the industry has given them intimate knowledge about its functioning.
They have built this tool from a manufacturer’s perspective. They looked closely at what the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) look for in dealerships and distributorships, along with the issues that plague them. Inversely, the problems faced by dealerships and distributorships are different. Their experience from both sides of the table and domain expertise give them an edge over the rest.
Adoption Problems and CSR:
The paper-thin margins of dealerships and distributorships, according to Dharthi, don’t allow them to allocate significant resources towards technology and manpower. However, customer-facing staff often experience high churn, lack adequate training, and don’t have real-time incentivisation, resulting in low motivation to adopt new systems.
While they would like to keep the automotive sector as their core, Dharthi concedes that they even have a bunch of non-auto agentic use cases as well. Apart from automobile dealerships, Otobot Technologies has also worked with a Gurgaon- based company that organises summer camps for children.
Once every six months, they bring an NGO on board and support their technology operations.
One such partnership is with Humari Laado, an organisation focused on the personal development of adolescent girls. They help them navigate this shift by teaching them different skills, which ultimately culminates in a 5k marathon.
For Dharthi, initiatives like these reflect a core belief: "Commercial projects fund our growth. Impact projects give us purpose."
When asked about their lessons through this journey, Dharthi emphasised that building a company is both a privilege and a responsibility, one that goes beyond growth metrics to shaping a culture where people can thrive. She reflects on the journey as deeply humbling, knowing that employees rely on the organisation not just for their livelihoods, but for their learning, development, and sense of purpose.
Balancing the demands of scaling the business while nurturing a strong, values-driven culture and doing justice to the other important aspects of life remains one of the most defining lessons she continues to carry as a founder.