Let’s face it – it’s impossible not to mention Uber when talking about super successful startups. The San Francisco-based company has not only made it big in its own right but has also singlehandedly inspired the global trend of on-demand services.
Uber has paved the way for hundreds of other tech startups that are now using modern technology to provide all kinds of goods and services. Owing to the Uberification of economy, you can now download web ordering apps for everything from Broadway tickets to medical marijuana.
It all started in 2008 when Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp came up with an ingeniously simple idea: an app-driven transportation service. By March 2009, Kalanick and Camp had invested around $200,000 they received in seed funding and began testing Uber service on the streets of San Francisco.
To get an idea of just how fast things started picking up pace from that moment on, it’s enough to state that only a year later Uber closed a $1.5 million deal with First Round Capital Lowercase Capital.
It quickly turned out that a fast and reliable taxi alternative was exactly what city-dwellers around the world had been pining for. By 2011, Uber started offering its services outside the US and the company’s international expansion has been growing ever since. Today, Uber is operating in over 70 countries and 430 cities around the globe.
It’s no big secret that Uber is so phenomenally successful simply because people have become frustrated with the growing inefficiency of traditional taxi companies. The biggest advantage of Uber over traditional taxis is the fact that Uber uses modern technology to connect drivers and passengers, whereas most taxi companies rely on outdated technology that has remained unchanged since 1940s. Using the app-based ridesharing service is also more budget-friendly than traditional taxis, which is one of the main reasons why Uber has managed to disrupt the entire taxi industry so quickly.
Not only has Uber garnered over 8 million users around the world, even celebrities are now using Uber services to get from point A to B safely and quickly. Among high-profile Uber fans are actors Ashton Kutcher and Neil Patrick Harris, Sports Illustrated cover girl Kate Upton, comedian Dave Chappelle, and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
Looking for more interesting info about Uber? Then scroll down and take a look at the infographic with 39 facts about Uber that will leave you speechless!
Made by: Mister Beep
