Meet Uthaya Kumar, an ex-ISRO scientist who left his job to start his own cab company. Born in Kanniyakumari, Uthaya completed his early schooling from there. He later chose to leave the career in the scientific world and enter the world of entrepreneurship. His remarkable journey is an inspiration for people who feel stuck at their jobs and want to start something of their own. Uthaya made the bold decision to leave a successful career as an ISRO scientist for becoming an entrepreneur, which ultimately led him to success.
Uthaya had completed an M.Phil. and PhD in statistics before joining the Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO. His role was to ensure the exact density of liquid fuels used for launching satellites. He worked as a scientist for 7 years and later joined a college as an assistant professor.
With the support of his friends, Uthaya launched S T (named after his parents, Sukumaran and Thulasi) Cabs in 2017. He has near about 40 cars now and is generating an impressive Rs 2 crore in revenue per year. What’s more inspiring is that he ensures that all the drivers are treated properly and that they receive a 30% share. If the drivers/workers add a new car, they get a whopping 70% stake from the earnings. He recently used the profit to build accommodation facilities for employees who are migrant workers.
Ramabhadran Sundaram, an ST Cab user, once met Uthaya Kumar and realized that he is the CEO of the company. He shared a post on LinkedIn appreciating the CEO for his work and behavior. The post reads, “Through the pandemic, Uthaya had to wear hazmat suits and drive to Orissa and Kolkata to drop people there just to survive the lockdown’s impact on his new business. I realized that when I take cabs, I often catch up on email, take calls, or keep looking at the red lines on Google Maps, hoping they’d magically disappear. This ride changed my relationship with drivers and unheard stories waiting to inspire.” One can check the LinkedIn post here.
