Uber may sell Southeast Asia operations to Grab; Ola relies on product to keep on track

Monday March 26, 2018 , 2 min Read

Ride-hailing company Uber, according to reports, has agreed to sell its Southeast Asia business to its Indonesian rival Grab. The report said that as part of the deal, Uber will get close to 30 percent stake in the combined entity. This consolidation will give Grab a bigger edge over its rival like Indonesia's Go-Jek.

The financial year 2017-18 was promising for Ola. The company touched the 110-city mark, had over two million rides per day, and has on-boarded over a million driver partners on its platform. One of the key shifts seen this year was Ola focusing significantly on its product. Apart from launching a lite version of its app, the company also launched Ola Play, an in-car automated entertainment system. It also launched its first multi-modal electric vehicle fleet in Nagpur and entered the bike-sharing space with Ola Pedal.

Pinky Maheshwari started Surprise Someone with her mother Sharda Daga in 2015. The Jaipur-based company offers gift items made of recycled handmade paper that are embedded with seeds. Clients get a surprise too – small thoughtful gifts chosen after a background check.

Pinky Maheshwari with her mother Sharda Daga

At the Rajasthan IT Fest in Jaipur, a panel discussion by some prominent names in the startup world threw light on the travails of starting up, and how to make it all worth the effort. Mojo Networks founder and CTO Praveen Bhagwat said if you believe you will make it happen, that is the genesis of a startup.