Phanindra Sama is a Co-founder and CEO of RedBus, India’s first online bus ticket booking service. It started in 2005, and today Redbus is the largest online bus ticketing company and network of bus operators in India. He is one of the founding patrons of the Kakatiya Sandbox in Nizamabad that helps locals work on solutions to pressing issues. Telangana has appointed Phanindra as Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) for the State. He will head the State's Innovation Cell, which focuses on enhancing the startup ecosystem by developing co-working spaces and incubators across the State. He was recently selected by Endeavor as a high impact entrepreneur. Also, Businessworld voted Phanindra Reddy Sama as one of the top 5 most promising entrepreneurs in India.