On February 10, 2025, LightMetrics quietly marked its 10-year milestone. LightMetrics was founded by Soumik Ukil and his co-founders, who previously worked at Nokia Research, where they honed their expertise in computer vision and signal processing for smartphones — a background that now informs the company’s deep technical approach. “We were colleagues at Nokia when smartphones were just beginning to show their potential,” recalls Soumik, CEO and Co-founder of LightMetrics. “We knew there was a better use of our skills if we focused on real-world problems — and the automotive sector pulled us in.”
Their original idea was innovative, albeit ahead of its time: using smartphones as driver monitoring tools by mounting them on dashboards. AI-driven applications processed video feeds for forward collision warnings and driver behaviour analytics. “It worked in pilots,” says Soumik, “but smartphones aren’t reliable as permanent fixtures in vehicles. The model wasn’t scalable.”
That pivot led to the foundation of LightMetrics’ success — building dedicated video telematics solutions that went beyond recording incidents. “In North America, fleets needed video for liability protection. We layered AI on top of that,” he says. Their solution gained traction quickly. “By 2017, we had strong product-market fit in the U.S., and channel partners began signing up — telematics providers, fleet management platforms, even OEMs.”
Expanding Globally with Smart, Partner-Focused Fleet Solutions
The true inflection points for LightMetrics, came during COVID. While other startups struggled, LightMetrics expanded. “We started getting inbound interest from Australia, Brazil, Mexico — and India, finally,” he recalls. “We had built something globally relevant, without intending to.”
What made LightMetrics stand out wasn’t just their cameras or software, but the entire ecosystem they built around both. “We designed the solution for two personas: our channel partners who integrate and install it, and the fleet managers who use it daily,” says Soumik.
That meant solving real-world friction points: an installer app that guides field technicians during camera installation to avoid misalignment, and health diagnostics to detect tampering or malfunctioning cameras before incidents happen. “If a camera is blocked, tampered with, or disconnected, we alert our partners in real time. This avoids nasty surprises when footage is needed,” he adds.
Another pillar of strength: training and partner enablement. “We don’t sell directly to fleets, but we work very closely with partners to help them succeed,” Soumik explains. LightMetrics offers white-label training, sales enablement material, workshops, and 24/7 tech support. “We want to make their sales and customer success journey easier.”
Targeting High-Impact Sectors with Advanced Fleet Safety
As India’s market opened up in 2020, LightMetrics discovered high-impact segments to focus on: mining, hazardous goods, cold chain logistics, and employee transport. “In mining, safety is non-negotiable. An accident can shut down a site. Our AI system detects drowsiness, seatbelt violations, and even offers live streaming from control centres,” Soumik explains.
They also offer intelligent data compression, with proprietary algorithms now covered in Forbes. “We can now stretch a 128 GB camera from 10 days of recording to 25 — without losing clarity,” he says.
In India, 6,000 vehicles are now equipped with LightMetrics systems — with the aim to double that by year-end. Globally, they’ve crossed 130,000 vehicles and are targeting 200,000 by FY-end. Most of these are dual-camera setups, offering both ADAS and DMS — essential for comprehensive driver and road safety.
“People may buy a cheap camera, but the hidden cost of downtime, unreadable footage, or non-compliance is too high,” says Soumik. “Our value is in total ownership cost — and peace of mind.”
Building Intelligent, Privacy-Respecting Fleet Safety
The platform also respects privacy regulations, with GDPR, ISO 27001 compliance, and India-specific hosting. “In shared mobility, we offer tools to blur passenger faces while retaining driver visibility,” he adds.
Looking ahead, LightMetrics is investing in crowdsourced intelligence. “We’re mapping speed bumps, accident-prone zones, and even offering early fog warnings by adjusting thresholds in real time,” says Soumik. The company is also preparing for India’s upcoming AIS regulations, working with OEMs to offer factory-fit safety solutions including blind spot cameras and 360-degree views.
“A company starting today can’t build this overnight. You need millions of kilometres of footage, edge cases, and scale,” he explains. “We’re turning connected cameras into intelligent observers of the road.”
And perhaps most importantly, they’re building not just a tool, but a feedback loop — with coaching workflows, scorecards, and even reward systems for safe drivers. “You can’t just install a camera and forget about it. It has to actively improve behaviour,” Soumik concludes. “That’s the future of fleet safety. We’re building it now.”
