When Mr. Nadiem Makarim returned to Jakarta after graduating from Harvard in 2011, he used motorcycle taxis to get around town, but they proved unreliable.
However, Indonesia’s biggest problems – insufficient infrastructure and big traffic jams – turned out to be an amazing opportunity for him.
The 32-year-old, who has a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, was born in Singapore. He has had a hand in several technology firms, including online retailer Zalora Indonesia, where he was managing director.
He got here up with the concept of creating his own network of “ojeks” – because the two-wheeled taxis are known locally – and letting passengers hail them using a smartphone app. Using borrowed money and his own savings of US$100,000 (S$142,000), he launched ride-hailing app Go-Jek in January last 12 months with a bunch of 700 motorcyclists.
In just two years, the startup has already achieved considerable success, valued at over $1.4 billion. The company boasts the most important motorcycle taxi network within the country, with over 250,000 drivers in 15 cities.
In a bid to outdo direct rivals Uber and Grab, which also provide motorcycle taxi services, the corporate has partnered with over 35,000 food vendors and a couple of,500 service providers to offer food, grocery and even medicine delivery services.
Go-Jek has “evolved into a much bigger animal,” said Mr. Nadiem, the corporate’s founder and CEO. “Go-Jek is a perfect fit for Indonesia.”
Source : Strait Times
