While the category ���ride-hailing startup��� often conjures up the Big Two (Uber and Lyft) or woes about scooters, a recent deep dive in 蹤獲弝け data revealed other players in the on-demand economy with paths to investment.
Including startups from a range of places���from Redwood City to Lagos to Boston to Gurgaon���the ride-sharing market is a global, entrepreneurial phenomenon.
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We looked at some of these startups because a.) they are finding a market in a seemingly monopolized industry, and b.) it���s fun to write about more than just Uber and Lyft.
Alive And Raising
, a motorbike-hailing transportation startup based in Lagos, Nigeria (note: in Nigeria, ���okada��� means ) recently raised its . Using Gokada, people can request a driver to pick them up on a motorcycle bike,or hail one down on the street, and the driver will come with a helmet for passengers to wear.
The company has been around since, and claims it can get users to their destinations faster since, unlike regular ���okadas��� they are able to travel on major roads, over bridges and on highways.
The company���s Series A was led by San Francisco���s .
詁硃娶釵梗梭棗紳硃���s raised $3.1 million for , targeted toward companies, event organizers and schools. Redwood City���s , which we reported raised $40 million last month for kids-to-school transportation, has $71 million fastened underneath its belt, according to 蹤獲弝け data. , a Gurgaon, India-based company, raised $520,000 to help users get to their office and back through ride-hailing.
Other startups we���ve seen emerge focus on certain populations of people. For example, we spoke to Boston���s and Melbourne���s , two startups focused on making those who identify as female feel safer in ride-sharing cars. Shebah , and Safr claims it was close to announcing a funding round, but the company has not responded to our inquiries regarding the status of that funding.
Some That Shut Down
Obviously some startups struggled and closed. Eco-friendly startup, , appears to have closed. ��which promises to plant a tree with every ride taken through its app, has a website that isn���t loading, and its Twitter account hasn���t been active since August 2018.��
On a larger scale, who could forget Ford-backed Chariot shutting down in January. As our Jason D. Rowley then reported, the van sharing startup for $65 million, and shut down three years later.
The Bought
And finally, there are the startups that began small, and got swallowed up by the big ones. The most recent example is , which Uber acquired for over $3 billion. There���s hundreds of small startups that are stepping out of Uber and Lyft shadow, and making their own path in the ride-hailing industry.
For now, none compare to the recently-public companies, but the fact that they���re getting interest shows us there might be a day that we see a trio, instead of a duo.
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