Lane Raises ₹8.5 Crore Pre-Seed Funding Led by Kae Capital
Lane has delivered 30,000+ hours of driving instruction to over 3,100 learners, with its training methodology developed through 400+ hours of pilot classes.
Bengaluru-based driving education and mobility startup Lane has raised ₹8.5 crore in a funding round led by Kae Capital, with participation from DeVC, Antler India, Panthera Peak and angel investors, according to the company’s funding announcement.
The latest funding will be used to expand Lane’s instructor network, strengthen its technology and deepen its operations in Bengaluru, before expanding into other Tier-I cities.
Founded in 2025 by Samiksha Agarwal, Lane is building a technology-enabled driving education platform that combines structured driving lessons, instructor assessment, technology-led learning and support for driving licences and RTO processes. The startup aims to address what it sees as a longstanding gap in India’s driver education system, where many people obtain licences without receiving structured training in real-world driving conditions.
“The problem isn’t that India can’t teach people to drive. It’s that there is no structured, high-quality system for doing it at scale,” Samiksha Agarwal said.
The company’s focus is not limited to helping learners obtain a driving licence. Lane’s stated goal is to build safer and more confident drivers, with its broader vision centred on contributing towards zero road fatalities through better driver education.
“Every driving school in India chases the same thing: the licence. We’re after something harder and far more valuable — a confident, competent driver. Confidence behind the wheel is a life skill: built once, carried forever,” Samiksha Agarwal said.
Lane says it has delivered more than 30,000 hours of driving instruction to over 3,100 learners, while its operations have continued to expand in Bengaluru. The company has also said that a large proportion of its customers already held driving licences when they enrolled, highlighting the gap it sees between obtaining a licence and developing practical driving skills.
The startup’s training methodology was developed through more than 400 hours of pilot classes, according to Lane. Its instructors are assessed across multiple driving parameters before being onboarded, with the company aiming to create a more consistent standard of driver education than traditional driving schools.
Lane is also developing a driver-intelligence platform that uses sensor-generated data to analyse driving behaviour, including parameters such as braking, speed and lane discipline. The technology is intended to give learners and instructors more objective insights into driving performance.
Lane’s larger ambition extends beyond driving education. The company sees driving lessons as the beginning of a longer relationship with customers, particularly as many learners are potential first-time car buyers.
Lane has begun expanding into car discovery and purchase, RTO services and other vehicle-ownership requirements, creating the possibility of serving customers beyond their initial driving lessons.
“We’re not in the business of repeat enrollments. We’re in the business of building trust that lasts well beyond the last driving class,” Samiksha Agarwal said.
According to the company, nearly 60% of its customers have expressed an intention to purchase their first car, creating an opportunity for Lane to build services around financing, insurance, servicing, maintenance and other ownership requirements.