India, Oct. 14 -- Homegrown mapping platform Mappls, owned by MapmyIndia, recently grabbed headlines after Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw praised it as a "great swadeshi app" and urged citizens to support Indian technology. The endorsement sent MapmyIndia's shares soaring over 8% on the stock market and came just days after the company rolled out real-time traffic signal countdowns in Bengaluru, a first-of-its-kind feature in India.

As Mappls integrates with India Post's DIGIPIN system and expands partnerships with major carmakers, its rise has reignited public interest in the man who built it, Rakesh Verma, the founder who once left a stable life in the United States to chart a new course for India's digital future.

In the early 19...