Maps help us in tracking our cabs - if they're idle, headed for a booking, or in the midst of a trip. With custom systems built atop maps using available APIs, we are able to manage our inventory extremely well, predict ETAs for customers, and optimally allocate the nearest cab to a booking request.
The crux of what makes a company Indian is its entrepreneurship. The management needs to be in India.
Global companies can raise capital much easier than local Indian companies can because they have access to many more markets than we do, and this ends up distorting competition.
Our first 100 rides took us one-and-a-half years from the time we started in January 2011. It was only after that we started scaling up rapidly.
Challenges keep evolving as you move into different stages. When you are at a prototype stage, it's about getting that sustenance money. Then, talent becomes an issue; your early hires are difficult to get when you aren't too big. Later, it's about handling growth; then, you have competition.
Focus on solving real problems and not on making money. There will be enough takers for your solutions. You will help make lives of some people better, and money will follow.
