Startup News: Mumbai Train App, OpenAI’s GPT-5.5, and More (April 24, 2026)
Developers engage with commuters on a crowded Mumbai local train, showcasing a real-time tracking app.
Key Highlights
Daily roundup includes Mumbai’s Yatri app, OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 release, Otto winning SaaStock USA 2026, IIT Madras’ AI courses, and Swiggy’s Builders Club launch.
YourStory presents the daily news roundup from the Indian startup ecosystem and beyond. Here is the roundup for Friday, April 24, 2026.
Lakhi and Reeva Sakaria are the sisters behind Yatri, Mumbai’s local train app. In 2021, as Mumbai was slowly reopening following the Covid-19 pandemic, Lakhi Sakaria Chowdhary faced the same question as every other employer in the city: When could her team safely take the local train again?
The Mumbai local train network, which ferries close to eight million commuters every day and is regarded as the city’s lifeline, had come to a standstill during the lockdowns. With no reliable updates from the railways, commuters were left to rely on WhatsApp forwards and guesswork.
The near-total absence of real-time information affecting millions of people led to the creation of Yatri, which is now the official app of the Central and Western Railways in Mumbai’s local train ecosystem. Developed by sisters Lakhi and Reeva Sakaria in partnership with Indian Railways, Yatri offers real-time train tracking using source-verified GPS data, with live updates on locations, delays, platform changes, and disruptions.
OpenAI has released GPT-5.5, its newest AI model that takes another step towards agentic intelligence, capable of autonomously planning and executing complex, multi-step workflows.
For a long time, AI was viewed as a one-shot answer engine. People asked a question, and it gave a response. GPT-5.5 is taking things in a direction wherein it aims to act more like an independent assistant.
It can research online, write code, create documents, and even operate software by clicking and typing just as a human would. OpenAI says that instead of people managing every tiny step, they can give the model a messy task and trust it to plan the work and navigate through any confusing parts until the job is finished.
Otto AI has emerged as the winner of the SaaStock USA 2026 Global Pitch Competition, securing a $500,000 investment from a syndicate of leading venture capital firms, including Backfuture VC, Quadri Ventures, BAG Collective, and OneSixOne Ventures.
Founded in 2026 by Mumbai-born entrepreneur Omkar Pandharkame, Otto is the result of nearly 15 years of hands-on experience in B2B SaaS sales and entrepreneurship.
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), in partnership with IITM Pravartak, has launched three new AI courses on the digital learning platform SWAYAM Plus as part of the ‘AI for All’ campaign.
The newly launched courses are AI for Aspiring Engineers, AI for Administrators, and Prompt Engineering. These courses are beginner-friendly programmes that require no prior coding or AI experience and were launched by Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, during a campus event marking two years of SWAYAM Plus operations.
The last date to register for all these courses is 10th May 2026.
Swiggy on Friday announced the upcoming launch of Swiggy Builders Club, a community, partnership, and builder enablement program designed for developers, startups, and enterprises building AI-native commerce experiences on top of its platforms.
At launch, Builders Club will open access to 3 MCP servers and 18+ API tools across Food, Instamart, and Dineout, enabling approved builders to create AI agents, copilots, assistants, and integrations that can take real-world actions such as ordering food, shopping groceries, or booking dining experiences.
Builders Club is open to developers, startups, and enterprises. Participants apply, are reviewed, granted access, and can then build and share a demo.
(The copy will be updated with the latest news)