Confirmtkt: How Two Roommates Solved India's $12 Billion Train Waitlist Problem
In India, the train waitlist isn't just a number—it's a source of national anxiety. Out of every 100 tickets booked, 40 end up on a waitlist, leaving millions of travelers in a state of uncertainty. Dinesh Kumar Kotha and Sripad Vaidya, two former IBM colleagues and long-time roommates, saw this chaos as a data science opportunity. Today, their venture Confirmtkt (now part of the ixigo group) is the go-to platform for 25 million monthly users seeking the one thing IRCTC often can't guarantee: a confirmed seat.
The journey from a "virtual" side project to a high-value acquisition is a masterclass in bootstrapped resilience. Starting with an intern-driven team and almost zero revenue for the first four years, the founders navigated massive technical crashes, funding delays, and the COVID-19 shutdown. By focusing on a single, "meaty" problem—ticket confirmation probability—they built an engine that nudges users toward hidden quotas and alternate routes, effectively solving one of emerging markets' most persistent mobility challenges.
The Waitlist Paradox
While most trains show "Full" or "Waitlist" for major routes, hidden compartments and unused quotas often go empty between smaller stations. Confirmtkt's algorithm identifies these gaps, suggesting "Alternate" options where a traveler can break their journey across different seats or classes to ensure they reach their destination with a confirmed ticket.
The Roommate Dynamic: From Auto-Meters to IRCTC
Dinesh and Sripad's partnership began at IBM Bangalore, where they shared a room for four years. Before the birth of Confirmtkt, they experimented with several "part-time" ideas, including a "Meter Up" app that helped users negotiate fares with Bangalore auto drivers. "Both of us were keen on just trying out something," Dinesh reflects. "It's a lucky thing to get somebody who supports you when things aren't working out."
The "eureka moment" for Confirmtkt happened virtually while Sripad was working in the US. They realized that historical data could be used to predict the likelihood of a waitlist moving. When they finally returned to India and launched the platform in 2014, a massive wave of media coverage caused their service to crash. "We were seeing four-digit real-time visitors... that was the turning point," Sripad recalls. From that day on, organic growth became their primary engine.
"The first five years are the struggle. We saw many people give up in the third or fourth year because they couldn't manage the financial pressure. But if you give your best and keep moving, there is always light at the end of the tunnel."
Cracking the "Convenience" Code: Why Users Pay
For the first four years, Confirmtkt was an information-only app with zero revenue. They experimented with ad revenue, but the returns were negligible despite millions of users. The real pivot happened in 2017 when they transformed into a booking platform. Many skeptics believed Indian users wouldn't pay an extra ₹20 or ₹40 for convenience, especially with free options available.
"To our surprise, people started paying for the convenience," says Dinesh. By integrating a seamless, customized booking experience—where traveler details are autofilled and alternate routes are proactively nudged—Confirmtkt beat out established players who had been in the ticketing space since 2014. The "Jio effect" further accelerated their growth, bringing a massive influx of first-time digital users onto the platform.
The Confirmtkt Intelligence Engine
- Waitlist Prediction: A color-coded system (Green, Yellow, Red) showing confirmation probability based on historical past data.
- Alternate Route Discovery: Combining two or more trains or breaking a single journey into multiple compartments.
- Quota Optimization: Tapping into unused inventory reserved for smaller intermediate stations.
- Cross-Class Comparison: Suggesting a partial journey in AC and partial in Sleeper to ensure a confirmed seat.
The ixigo Acquisition: A Strategic Hedge
In 2021, Confirmtkt was acquired by the ixigo group in a 50-50 cash and equity deal. For the founders, this wasn't just an exit—it was a strategic alignment. Being part of a larger entity that handles flights and buses creates a "hedged bet" for the business. "If it is raining and roads are bad, trains work better. If trains are full, buses are an option," Dinesh explains.
This integration has allowed the team to cross-sell flight and bus tickets while maintaining their laser focus on the train ticketing funnel. The founders continue to lead the division, leveraging ixigo's deep understanding of finance, compliance, and corporate structure to scale their 35-person team into a national leader.
Confirmtkt: Impact at Scale (Jan 2026)
- Monthly Active Users (MAU): 25 Million+ Indian travelers.
- App Rating: 4.6 Stars (Highest in the train ticketing category).
- Prediction Accuracy: Over 70% confirmation probability for 'Green' coded tickets.
- Revenue Model: Sustainable convenience-fee based model with high repeat usage.
Founder's Wisdom: Lessons in Resilience
Transitioning from a first-time founder to a successful exit taught Dinesh and Sripad several profound lessons about the Indian startup ecosystem:
Don't Give Up on the Light
Dinesh recalls a flight he almost missed, only to find the flight itself was delayed. "You never know what's out there. You just need to keep moving forward and give your best."
Product and Business: Do Both
Sripad warns against the "Product First" trap. "Initially we thought the product is so good we can make money anytime. But you should focus on the product and the business model parallely. Consumer funding is long-lasting and equity-free."
The Control Factor
The founders managed to keep 70% equity between them until the exit. They advise teams to keep at least 50% ownership until the very end to maintain control over the execution and vision.
The Future of Train Mobility
For Dinesh Kumar Kotha and Sripad Vaidya, the mission remains the same: ensure every Indian gets to travel. As they continue to optimize their engineering for low-bandwidth environments and integrate even more complex "Alternate" travel options, Confirmtkt stands as a testament to the power of solving a "boring" but universal problem with relentless data science.
"Hiring the right people was our biggest challenge, but today we have the best guys in the country working on this space," Sripad concludes. As India's railway infrastructure continues to modernize, Confirmtkt is ensuring that the digital layer stays several steps ahead of the waitlist.
About the Guest
Dinesh Kumar Kotha and Sripad Vaidya are the Co-founders of Confirmtkt. Former roommates and colleagues at IBM, they launched Confirmtkt in 2014 to solve the systemic train waitlist problem in India. Dinesh, an electronics engineer from NIT Jamshedpur, currently serves as the CEO of ixigo trains and Confirmtkt. Sripad, a computer science graduate from Sastra University, led the company's operations as COO. Together, they have built one of India's most highly-rated travel apps, successfully navigating the journey from a bootstrapped startup to a major acquisition by the ixigo group.
Confirmtkt is India's premier train ticketing platform, specializing in waitlist prediction and alternate route discovery. By leveraging advanced data analytics and historical trends, the app provides travelers with the highest confirmation probability for their journeys. Now a part of the ixigo group, Confirmtkt serves over 25 million users monthly, offering a seamless booking experience across trains, flights, and buses.