Mobility around the world — Acquisitions, Investments and IPOs
Before we publish here, we publish on our website. Check out the most important mobility news globally on a weekly basis. This is what happened last week:
BlaBlaCar buys “Less” for undisclosed amount
French startup BalBlaCar acquires another French carpooling platform for an undisclosed amount. The younger company “Less” focuses on short-distance carpooling as opposed to BlaBlaCar’s long distance. The strategy behind the acquisition is to consolidate the rides-haring space and position BlaBlaCar as a top player.
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Bangladesh’s Pathao raises more than $10 million
The motorbike ride-hailing startup Pathao, has recently raised, according to TechCrunch, more than $10 million. The round was led by Indonesia’s ride-hailing and tech unicorn Go-Jek. The money will be used to expand Pathao’s services to more cities in Bangladesh and possibly internationally — the investment from Go-Jek might signal a possible future collaboration between the firms given that the Pathao has stated it would like to expand to countries where Go-Jek is not present.
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3 ride-hailing startups plan to launch in Singapore
It seems like many companies are eyeing the Southeast Asian markets after the Uber x Grab deal. This time, Ryde, Jugnoo and MVL are planning to launch ride-hailing services in Singapore to enter the competition as early as this week.
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Is Didi prepping for an IPO?
The Wall Street Journal reported that Didi might, in fact, go public before Uber does. The WSJ mentioned that the Chinese ride-hailing giant is planning to do an IPO as early as this year, at a $70–80 billion valuation. Didi has declined to comment on the matter.
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