Husband-and-wife team worth Rs 4,400 cr after MapmyIndia's market debut

Rakesh, 71, and Rashmi, 65, started their company in the mid-1990s, when businesses had little interest in buying mapping data

More than two decades ago, when Rakesh and Rashmi Verma decided to create digital maps of India, the couple were treading new terrain, quite literally. Long before Google revolutionized web cartography, the Vermas traversed India’s mega-cities by foot, painstakingly charting streets and landmarks.
 

But the mammoth task of building their company, MapmyIndia, paid off Tuesday. The Vermas’ startup met with resounding success during its trading debut after its initial public offering. The stock rose around 35% to Rs 1,393.65 ($18.4), pushing the couple’s net worth to about $586 million (approximately Rs 4,400 crore). It was a fittingly bold start for