Zum Founder and CEO Ritu Narayan Named Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Bay Area Finalist by EY US

Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO of Zūm, has been named a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Bay Area Award by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). Now in its 41st year, the program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most groundbreaking companies, revolutionizing industries and uplifting communities.

Narayan was selected among 20 finalists by an independent panel of judges based on entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, company growth, and lasting impact in building long-term value.

“This recognition is deeply meaningful — not just to me, but to every member of the Zum team whose work makes this mission possible every single day,” said Narayan. “We set out to solve a problem that millions of families live with every day: the anxiety and uncertainty of not knowing whether their child will get to school safely and on time. What we have built is Zum CMX,  the first student mobility system ever designed around people — not just buses. This honor belongs to our drivers, our operators, our district partners, and the families who trusted us to show up for their children. We are just getting started.”

Narayan founded Zum in 2015 after recognizing, as a working mother and technology executive, that the largest mass transit system in America — student transportation — was running on decades-old technology. She left a career at eBay and Oracle to build something different: a fully integrated, technology-driven platform that replaces fragmented, disconnected workflows with a single, real-time system.

Today, Zum serves more than 4,500 schools across 17 states, partnering with some of the largest school districts in the country. Under Narayan’s leadership, Zum has achieved an average on-time performance rate of 98%, a 4.9-star parent satisfaction rating across 1.7 million reviews, and an 86% reduction in transportation-related absences in districts like Kansas City Public Schools.

The company recently announced a $100 million strategic investment from TPG’s The Rise Fund, bringing total funding raised to $430 million and valuing Zum at $1.7 billion. Zūm generated $333 million in revenue in 2025, up 35% year-over-year, with a four-year revenue CAGR of greater than 40% and has surpassed $2 billion in Total Contract Value.

“Being named a finalist for Entrepreneur Of The Year is a reflection of what happens when you refuse to accept that a broken system is inevitable,” Narayan said. “Student mobility has been overlooked for decades. We are changing that — and we are proud to be recognized alongside so many extraordinary leaders who are doing the same in their own fields.”

Regional award winners will be announced June 12. They will then be considered by the judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®,  where high-growth CEOs, Fortune 1000 executives and investors converge to shape the future of business.

Congratulations, Ritu!