About us

A team of mobility, technology, and design leaders shaping the future of human-centered autonomous travel.

We're Not Just Engineers. We're Urban Optimists.

Pliyt is built by a cross-functional team of engineers, designers, technologists, and urban thinkers who believe that the future of mobility should make cities more humane not more mechanical.

We bring together expertise across autonomous vehicle systems, safety critical engineering, privacy-first software platforms, urban mobility planning, and human-centered design. This diversity allows us to approach mobility as a holistic system one that balances technology, infrastructure, environment, and lived human experience.

At Pliyt, we don't see autonomy as an end goal. We see it as an enabler one that, when thoughtfully designed, can reduce friction, reclaim public space, lower environmental impact, and restore calm to everyday movement through cities.

Our work is grounded in optimism, but guided by rigor. We build deliberately, test exhaustively, and design responsibly placing safety, trust, and consistency at the core of every decision.

Privacy is not an afterthought in our systems; it is foundational to how our technology is architected and deployed.

Based in California and currently operating in stealth, we are focused on developing a purpose-built autonomous mobility platform, with plans to launch our first pilot deployment in 2026.

Every step forward is taken with long-term impact in mind on riders, cities, and the urban fabric we all share. We are not just building vehicles. We are shaping a quieter, safer, and more human future for cities.

We're based in California, operating in stealth, and committed to deploying our first pilot in 2026.

Our team combines expertise from

autonomous vehicle engineering, privacy-first software development, urban planning, and

human-centered design.

Our Team

The people behind Pliyt’s human-first vision.

Shalin James Anto
Founder & CEO
15 Years of Automotive R&D expertise. Shalin is a seasoned automotive technologist with over fifteen years of experience in vehicle systems, autonomy, and advanced research. He has worked across traditional OEM environments and cutting-edge autonomous platforms, contributing to core engineering innovation. His background includes key technical roles at Honda, Byton, and Waymo, supporting autonomous systems, vehicle platforms, and next-generation mobility. At Pliyt, Shalin leads technology vision, ensuring safety-critical engineering, scalability, and real-world readiness globally.
Prashant Tiwari
CTO
Dr. Prashant Tiwari is a global engineering executive and CTO with over two decades of leadership at Toyota, Volkswagen, and GE. A prolific innovator with 60+ patents and recipient of SAE and IEEE awards, he has scaled high-performance teams to deliver flagship products like VW/Porsche’s next-gen vehicle OS and Toyota’s connected car platform. Driven by a passion for innovation and technology, he holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, a PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and a Masters from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
Pradeep P S
CIO
8 years of experience as a Founder of B2C startup. Pradeep is a founder-led technology and product executive with over eight years of experience building and scaling consumer-focused digital platforms. As the founder of Farmers Fresh Zone, he led the development of a B2C ecosystem centered on transparency, supply-chain efficiency, and user trust. His work was recognized through the United Nations SDG Accelerator, reflecting alignment between the technology, the sustainability, and social impact. At Pliyt, Pradeep oversees the data strategy, reliability, and security.
Philip Reinckens
Advisor
Mobility industry veteran. Former CEO of Spin, now SVP at Gatik Philip is a mobility industry veteran with extensive leadership experience across shared, autonomous, and logistics-focused transportation systems. He previously served as CEO of Spin, a leading micromobility platform, and currently serves as SVP at Gatik, a pioneer in autonomous middle-mile logistics. He provides guidance on scaling mobility platforms, operational execution, and navigating complex urban and regulatory environments, supporting Pliyt’s transition from pilot programs to large-scale deployment efforts worldwide.
Shalin James Anto
Founder & CEO
15 Years of Automotive R&D expertise. Shalin is a seasoned automotive technologist with over fifteen years of experience in vehicle systems, autonomy, and advanced research. He has worked across traditional OEM environments and cutting-edge autonomous platforms, contributing to core engineering innovation. His background includes key technical roles at Honda, Byton, and Waymo, supporting autonomous systems, vehicle platforms, and next-generation mobility. At Pliyt, Shalin leads technology vision, ensuring safety-critical engineering, scalability, and real-world readiness globally.
Prashant Tiwari
CTO
Dr. Prashant Tiwari is a global engineering executive and CTO with over two decades of leadership at Toyota, Volkswagen, and GE. A prolific innovator with 60+ patents and recipient of SAE and IEEE awards, he has scaled high-performance teams to deliver flagship products like VW/Porsche’s next-gen vehicle OS and Toyota’s connected car platform. Driven by a passion for innovation and technology, he holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, a PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and a Masters from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
Pradeep P S
CIO
8 years of experience as a Founder of B2C startup. Pradeep is a founder-led technology and product executive with over eight years of experience building and scaling consumer-focused digital platforms. As the founder of Farmers Fresh Zone, he led the development of a B2C ecosystem centered on transparency, supply-chain efficiency, and user trust. His work was recognized through the United Nations SDG Accelerator, reflecting alignment between the technology, the sustainability, and social impact. At Pliyt, Pradeep oversees the data strategy, reliability, and security.
Philip Reinckens
Advisor
Mobility industry veteran. Former CEO of Spin, now SVP at Gatik Philip is a mobility industry veteran with extensive leadership experience across shared, autonomous, and logistics-focused transportation systems. He previously served as CEO of Spin, a leading micromobility platform, and currently serves as SVP at Gatik, a pioneer in autonomous middle-mile logistics. He provides guidance on scaling mobility platforms, operational execution, and navigating complex urban and regulatory environments, supporting Pliyt’s transition from pilot programs to large-scale deployment efforts worldwide.
Shalin James Anto
Founder & CEO
15 Years of Automotive R&D expertise. Shalin is a seasoned automotive technologist with over fifteen years of experience in vehicle systems, autonomy, and advanced research. He has worked across traditional OEM environments and cutting-edge autonomous platforms, contributing to core engineering innovation. His background includes key technical roles at Honda, Byton, and Waymo, supporting autonomous systems, vehicle platforms, and next-generation mobility. At Pliyt, Shalin leads technology vision, ensuring safety-critical engineering, scalability, and real-world readiness globally.
Prashant Tiwari
CTO
Dr. Prashant Tiwari is a global engineering executive and CTO with over two decades of leadership at Toyota, Volkswagen, and GE. A prolific innovator with 60+ patents and recipient of SAE and IEEE awards, he has scaled high-performance teams to deliver flagship products like VW/Porsche’s next-gen vehicle OS and Toyota’s connected car platform. Driven by a passion for innovation and technology, he holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, a PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and a Masters from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
Pradeep P S
CIO
8 years of experience as a Founder of B2C startup. Pradeep is a founder-led technology and product executive with over eight years of experience building and scaling consumer-focused digital platforms. As the founder of Farmers Fresh Zone, he led the development of a B2C ecosystem centered on transparency, supply-chain efficiency, and user trust. His work was recognized through the United Nations SDG Accelerator, reflecting alignment between the technology, the sustainability, and social impact. At Pliyt, Pradeep oversees the data strategy, reliability, and security.
Philip Reinckens
Advisor
Mobility industry veteran. Former CEO of Spin, now SVP at Gatik Philip is a mobility industry veteran with extensive leadership experience across shared, autonomous, and logistics-focused transportation systems. He previously served as CEO of Spin, a leading micromobility platform, and currently serves as SVP at Gatik, a pioneer in autonomous middle-mile logistics. He provides guidance on scaling mobility platforms, operational execution, and navigating complex urban and regulatory environments, supporting Pliyt’s transition from pilot programs to large-scale deployment efforts worldwide.
Shalin James Anto
Founder & CEO
15 Years of Automotive R&D expertise. Shalin is a seasoned automotive technologist with over fifteen years of experience in vehicle systems, autonomy, and advanced research. He has worked across traditional OEM environments and cutting-edge autonomous platforms, contributing to core engineering innovation. His background includes key technical roles at Honda, Byton, and Waymo, supporting autonomous systems, vehicle platforms, and next-generation mobility. At Pliyt, Shalin leads technology vision, ensuring safety-critical engineering, scalability, and real-world readiness globally.
Prashant Tiwari
CTO
Dr. Prashant Tiwari is a global engineering executive and CTO with over two decades of leadership at Toyota, Volkswagen, and GE. A prolific innovator with 60+ patents and recipient of SAE and IEEE awards, he has scaled high-performance teams to deliver flagship products like VW/Porsche’s next-gen vehicle OS and Toyota’s connected car platform. Driven by a passion for innovation and technology, he holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, a PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and a Masters from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
Pradeep P S
CIO
8 years of experience as a Founder of B2C startup. Pradeep is a founder-led technology and product executive with over eight years of experience building and scaling consumer-focused digital platforms. As the founder of Farmers Fresh Zone, he led the development of a B2C ecosystem centered on transparency, supply-chain efficiency, and user trust. His work was recognized through the United Nations SDG Accelerator, reflecting alignment between the technology, the sustainability, and social impact. At Pliyt, Pradeep oversees the data strategy, reliability, and security.
Philip Reinckens
Advisor
Mobility industry veteran. Former CEO of Spin, now SVP at Gatik Philip is a mobility industry veteran with extensive leadership experience across shared, autonomous, and logistics-focused transportation systems. He previously served as CEO of Spin, a leading micromobility platform, and currently serves as SVP at Gatik, a pioneer in autonomous middle-mile logistics. He provides guidance on scaling mobility platforms, operational execution, and navigating complex urban and regulatory environments, supporting Pliyt’s transition from pilot programs to large-scale deployment efforts worldwide.

FAQ

What is Pliyt?

Pliyt is an autonomous mobility platform designed for privacy, comfort, and quiet travel. We build purpose-driven pods for people who want a more personal way to move through cities.

How does Pliyt protect my privacy?

Every pod is built for in-ride anonymity, even during shared trips. No personal identities are visible, ensuring you travel without being tracked or observed.

Is Pliyt safe to use?

Safety is central to our design. Pliyt combines secure vehicle architecture, controlled environments, and intelligent systems to deliver a calm and dependable ride.

Is Pliyt fully autonomous?

Yes. Pliyt vehicles operate without drivers and are guided by advanced autonomous systems. This allows for smoother rides, fewer distractions, and a more relaxed travel experience.