# Suresh Kakarla

> Suresh Kakarla is the founder and former CEO of TollPlus, the tolling software business later combined with Cofiroute USA to form ViaPlus. He stepped down after VINCI Highways took full ownership in April 2022 and now leads Toucan Payments as founder and CEO. Based in Southlake, Texas, his public work connects electronic toll collection, bank partnerships and payment infrastructure.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Toucan Payments LLC
- **Organizations:** Toucan Payments LLC, Toucan Payments India Pvt. Ltd., TollPlus, SureIT
- **Education:** Thunderbird School of Global Management
- **Known for:** Founded and led TollPlus through its development into an international electronic toll collection software business., Led TollPlus during its North Texas Tollway Authority implementation, which he described as a landmark for the company., Built bank and NPCI collaborations around TollPlus’s Indian electronic toll collection product.

## Career timeline

- **2006–2007** — Attended Thunderbird School of Global Management.
- **Before 2010** — Founded TollPlus; in his 2022 farewell, described a journey of more than thirteen years.
- **2016** — VINCI Highways took a 30% stake in TollPlus.
- **2019** — Toucan was established; its corporate history identifies Kakarla as its promoter and current CEO.
- **2019-10** — Kotak Mahindra Bank announced a TollPlus partnership after integrating 16 national-highway toll facilities.
- **2022-04** — VINCI Highways acquired the remaining 70% of TollPlus; Kakarla stepped down as CEO.
- **2023** — Publicly introduced Toucan Payments as his latest venture.
- **2026-03** — Announced a 24-week series of field notes on payment architecture.

## Achievements

- Founded and led TollPlus through its development into an international electronic toll collection software business.
- Led TollPlus during its North Texas Tollway Authority implementation, which he described as a landmark for the company.
- Built bank and NPCI collaborations around TollPlus’s Indian electronic toll collection product.
- Led TollPlus before VINCI Highways completed its acquisition in April 2022.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published a tribute to long-time adviser Chakrapani Doppalapudi following the conclusion of his professional chapter on August 31.
- **2026-07** — Sought a leader to build Toucan’s cross-border payments business and reported over ₹550 crore in monthly payment volume; this is a founder-reported figure.
- **2026-05** — Advertised engineering and technical leadership roles, describing work on transaction consistency, reconciliation and operational controls.
- **2026-03** — Announced a 24-week payment architecture series.
- **2026-02** — Shared his recollections of early FASTag stakeholder coordination and a Hyderabad reunion.

## Links

- Website: https://toucanus.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sureshkakarla

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/suresh-kakarla
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23