# Aravind Mani

> Aravind Mani is the Bengaluru-based co-founder and CEO of River, the electric scooter manufacturer behind Indie. His career spans software, petrochemical commercial strategy and electric mobility. With co-founder Vipin George, he has built River around practical design for everyday riders and self-employed customers, supported by international automotive investors and, since 2026, Indian institutional capital.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at River
- **Organizations:** River, Ultraviolette Automotive, Manali Petrochemicals, Tamilnadu Petroproducts, Infosys
- **Education:** B.Tech. in Engineering, University of Kerala, MBA, Finance and Strategy Management, Asian Institute of Management, Manila, ISC, Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram
- **Known for:** Co-founded River and brought its first electric scooter, Indie, into production and customer use., Received the Loyola Old Boys Association Young Achiever award in March 2023., Led River through a Yamaha-led Series B and a 2026 Series C backed by Indian institutional investors.

## Career timeline

- **2007-2011** — Worked as a systems engineer and senior systems engineer at Infosys, including a London assignment.
- **2011-2012** — Completed an MBA at the Asian Institute of Management.
- **2013-2015** — Led commercial and strategy work at Tamilnadu Petroproducts.
- **2015-2018** — Worked in strategy and commercial leadership at Manali Petrochemicals; its 2017 annual report lists him as AGM, Strategy, Global Initiatives and Marketing.
- **2018-2020** — Vice President, Business Operations and Corporate Strategy at Ultraviolette Automotive.
- **2021** — Co-founded River with Vipin George; the company dates its inception to March 2021.
- **2023** — River unveiled Indie in February and began customer deliveries in October.
- **2024** — River announced a $40 million Series B led by Yamaha Motor.
- **2026** — River passed 50,000 Indies produced in July and announced a $120 million Series C in August.

## Achievements

- Co-founded River and brought its first electric scooter, Indie, into production and customer use.
- Received the Loyola Old Boys Association Young Achiever award in March 2023.
- Led River through a Yamaha-led Series B and a 2026 Series C backed by Indian institutional investors.
- River crossed 50,000 Indies produced at Hoskote in July 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — River announced a $120 million Series C comprising equity and venture debt, led by Elev8 Venture Partners and Claypond Capital, for manufacturing, product and retail expansion.
- **2026-07** — River rolled out its 50,000th Indie at Hoskote and had expanded to more than 75 stores.
- **2026-06** — Discussed River’s manufacturing, fundraising and scaling approach on Autocar Professional’s Start to Scale interview series.

## Links

- Website: https://www.rideriver.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aravindmani/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Mani_Aravind

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/aravind-mani
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-07