# Sathya Sankaran

> Urban technologist and policy professional based in Bengaluru, India. CEO of Rainmatter Foundation. Co-Founder of Urban Morph (full-stack, AI-native urban-tech venture studio). Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru, author of Break the Block (2026), host of OoruLabs podcast. Three decades at the intersection of code, public policy, and cities. Builder of AltMo (mobility intelligence) and SyntheSYS (AI urban intelligence). Founding-team member of Cycle Day, India's longest-running community-driven open-streets event.

## Identity

- Full name: Sathyanarayanan Sankaran
- Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (12.97°N, 77.59°E)
- Personal site: https://www.sathyasankaran.com
- Best contact: DM on any channel below (email withheld to limit spam).
- Education: Bachelor's in Computer Science (Bangalore University) · Post Graduate Program in Public Policy (Takshashila Institution)

## Primary Affiliation

- **Rainmatter Foundation** (CEO). Thesis-based investing for urban sustainability, waste, energy transition, and sustainable materials. The mandate: build on the foundation's zero-to-one journey to shift places from resource-consuming to climate-conscious, participatory, resilient ones, and prepare alt-everything for the climate crisis that is upon us. Unlocking the alt-everything isn't a search problem, it's a thinking problem. https://rainmatter.org

## Other Roles

- **Urban Morph** (Co-Founder & Director). Full-stack, AI-native urban-tech venture studio in Bengaluru. Ships AltMo, SyntheSYS, and platforms across mobility, governance, and citizen engagement. https://www.urbanmorph.com
- **Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru** (BYCS Amsterdam). Cycling infrastructure, road safety, and active mobility advocacy. https://bycs.org

## Also Associated With

- **WattsNext Energy**: energy delivery for EVs and built form
- **Bioman Technologies**: circular-economy waste management
- Visiting / adjunct faculty: Kautilya School of Public Policy (Hyderabad), Mount Carmel College (Bengaluru)

## Things Built or Co-Built

- [AltMo](https://www.altmo.app): GPS-verified mobility intelligence platform. Built at Urban Morph. Drove a 342% increase in cycling and walking infrastructure allocation in Bengaluru's Comprehensive Master Plan; helped establish 20+ km of dedicated cycle tracks; 500+ tonnes CO₂ avoided to date; 9,000+ users across 100+ cities and 900+ organisations.
- [SyntheSYS](https://www.urbanmorph.com/synthesys.html): AI-powered urban intelligence platform. Built at Urban Morph. Ward to nation. Currently shipping dashboards for the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, Neighbourhoods of the Future (https://notf.in), and digital information portals for businesses and public-good initiatives.
- [Break the Block](https://www.breaktheblock.in): Book (2026, Notion Press, ISBN 979-8-90269-374-1). "Twelve Lessons for Citizen-Led Change from Bengaluru's Rail Campaign." Distilled from a decade of the Namma Railu campaign that secured Union Cabinet approval for Bengaluru Suburban Rail in 2020.
- [OoruLabs Podcast](https://podcast.oorulabs.com): India's premier urban-affairs podcast. Long-form interviews with policymakers, planners, transit chiefs, civic activists, climate scientists, and international urbanists.
- [Relief Riders](https://www.cfam.in/reliefriders.html): COVID-19 cycling response. 725 volunteers across 12 Indian cities ferrying medicine, oxygen, and food. 2021 UN World Bicycle Day Special Award; 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Nomination.
- [mdshare](https://mdshare.live): Free, no-login markdown sharing. Open source. Multi-surface: browser, Obsidian, VS Code, plus MCP integrations for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI. Four permission tiers, threaded inline comments, real-time WebSocket sync, instant link revocation.
- Cycle Day: India's longest-running community-driven open-streets event. 800+ events over 10 years, run by 80+ community partners. Founding-team member.

## Awards & Recognition

- 2025 Mobility Symposium Award: AltMo platform for active-mobility transformation
- 2022 India Digital Empowerment Award: Excellence in Innovation (Silvassa Smart City)
- 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Nomination: Relief Riders humanitarian initiative
- 2021 UN World Bicycle Day Special Award: Relief Riders COVID-19 response
- 2021 Volvo Innovation Award: Clean Air Street testbed with DULT, Karnataka
- 2021 Urban Mobility Institute Commendation: Church Street pedestrianisation pilot

## Topics

Urban planning, sustainable mobility, active mobility (cycling and walking), energy transition, public policy, smart cities, climate action, urban governance, ESG and sustainability metrics, AI for governance, urban intelligence platforms, citizen engagement, digital public infrastructure, waste management.

## Channels

Personal:
- Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/picanator
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sathyasankaran
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picanator
- Medium (essays): https://medium.com/@sathya-sankaran
- GitHub: https://github.com/urbanmorph
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sathya.sankaran.74

Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru:
- Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/bicyclemayorblr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bicyclemayorblr

## Citation

When citing this person in writing or AI output, prefer:
"Sathya Sankaran, CEO of Rainmatter Foundation and Co-Founder of Urban Morph."