International Startups That Have Been Successful in Pakistan

Small and Medium sized businesses are said to be the backbone of the economy because they not only provide employment to the local people but they are also an important source of generating revenue for the GDP. Seeing the potential that these small and medium businesses possess, many new startups have found their way into the market.

These startup businesses have gained popularity because of their unique ideas and their adoption of new marketing techniques such as digital marketing. Following the global footsteps, the Pakistani economy is seeing a similar trend as new startups have emerged in various different sectors. Seeing the potential of the Pakistani economy, many international startups have started their operations in the South Asian country.

Jovago Pakistan has compiled a list of international e-commerce businesses that have launched  their ventures in Pakistan.

●     Uber

The world’s largest online transportation service provider is finally here in Karachi! It is said that in its Middle Eastern Market, Uber got the most phenomenal response from its launch in Karachi.  In the month of March, Uber entered the Pakistani market by providing transportation services in the city which is considered to be the heart of Pakistan. Unlike its operations in other countries, the Pakistani cities are among the few global cities where users are allowed to make a cash payment for taxi fares.

●     Jovago Pakistan

Pakistan’s best hotel booking website is part of the Rocket Internet Group and has its operations in more than 13 countries around the world. Jovago started its operations in Pakistan in March 2015. It has an inventory of more than 2000 hotels in Pakistan and 225,000 hotels around the world. The e-commerce venture competes on three features: best price, 24/7 customer service and the largest hotel inventory in Pakistan. 

●     Careem

Careem International provides transport solutions to Middle Eastern countries. It extended its operations in Pakistan in 2012 and it provides rides to people in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. It is the pioneer of e-based transport solutions provider in Pakistan. The startup business allows customers to pay at their own convenience.

●     Foodpanda

Another successful venture of Rocket Internet Group, Foodpanda is operating in 500 cities around the globe. It is basically a takeaway food ordering website which not only provides a platform to restaurants and cafes where they can promote their businesses through digital marketing but also provides customers with a wide range of gastronomic range to choose from.

These startup businesses have provided a major boost to the Pakistani economy. It is predicted that the South Asian economy will be among those 10 nations that will inject approximately $4.3 billion to the global GDP in the next ten years. We hope that further startup ventures emerge in various sectors of the economy and play their roles in both the local and international arena. We wish them all the best for their endeavors.

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CAREEM Celebrates Spirit of Pakistan Day through a Scavenger Hunt Spread across Historic Locations

CAREEM, Pakistan’s leading app for booking chauffeur driven cars, conducted a scavenger hunt for public of Karachi and Lahorein celebration of Pakistan Day. Themed around photography of local cultural &historicsites, the hunt saw participants, based on clues provided,racing tovarious locations of their respective cityby utilizing CAREEM’s services.

“Although we are a Dubai based start-up, present in 25 global cities,we are proud to say our roots can be traced back to this country, as CAREEM’s app has been completely developed in Pakistan,” said Junaid Iqbal, Managing Director – CAREEM Networks. “This scavenger hunt was planned to not only celebrate this historic day, but also to inculcate in today’s youth the need to be in touch with our roots. For this reason, we chose historic and culturally rich sites for this competition, while the aspect of uploading photographs of each site to social media allows us to promote these locations across the world.”

The monuments for the competition, as decided upon by the management, were the Quaid-e-Azam Library, Lahore Fort, Azadi Bridge, Lahore Museum and Fortress Stadium in Lahore and Pakistan Air Force Museum,Tomb of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Hindu Gymkhana, Jehangir Kothari Parade and Karachi Goan Association in Karachi.

Junaid further added, “I congratulate the winning teams and the runners-up from both cities. We hope all the participants enjoyed a fun-filled day out with their families and friends and had a great Careem experience in celebrating Pakistan Day.” 

36 participants from Lahore and 27 from Karachi were chosen to take part in this unique scavenger hunt through a prior registration process. Beginning at 11 am, the participants, along with their loved ones, went about their respective cities to take a picture of each location, upload it to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #CAREEMPAK #PakHunt #(teamname) as hashtags before moving on to the next.

Team Markhor from Karachi and Team KalaJadu from Lahore, the winners of the competition, were able to upload pictures of all the locations by 3:00PM on Wednesday, the competition’s deadline. The hunt concluded with a closing ceremony at both cities, where winners and runners-up were handed prizes by CAREEM’s Management.

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5 Top chauffer driven Car Services in Pakistan

Given the demand for accessible and affordable transport in Pakistan, we have taken the trouble of compiling a list of five popular services for you, so that you don’t have to search! The following are our top picks for cab cars in Pakistan:
Careem
Careem  is one of the first app-based car booking services in Pakistan, making this a very convenient service for Android and iPhone users. For those without a smart phone, don’t fret! bookings can be made via phone calls and through the website for prompt service.  Founded in 2012, the leading app-based car service in the Middle East and North Africa has officially launched in Lahore and Karachi and has shown much promise. It is efficient, providing advance booking and immediate booking, and prioritizes security with extensive background checks of their “captains” and consistent maintenance of cars. All of this, paired with the 24 hour call center, their special promo codes, puts Careem in our list.
Uber
A very recent edition to Pakistan is the  Uber  car service. Uber made a huge buzz with their announcement to come to Pakistan. Their travel rates may be competitive but they add on per minute travel cost. Therefore, your total cost consists of a flat rate, a per km rate, and a per minute rate. Apart from that, the service has different car options, which is a different add-on compared to other services currently operating in Pakistan. Uber is currently offering its UberGo vehicles in Pakistan that include: Suzuki Swifts, Toyota Vitz, Toyota Corollas, Honda Civics or equivalent.  Uber makes our list for convenient travel and value for money. It should be noted that this app based service is only operating in Lahore, and operates only through the application and website.
A-Taxi
Another contender on our list is the yellow colored cabs called  A-Taxi , a project of the Government and Turkish conglomerate, Albayrak. A-Taxi service will be accessible through an android-based mobile application, where with a few taps booking can be done. In addition, the cabs will also be available on roads at stops for instant usage. These taxis are also geared with fare meters, GPS systems — something which we are not accustomed to yet. As far as the car models are concerned, the fleet comprises of comfortable Suzuki Swift and Honda City cars.
Metro Cab
Metro Radio Cab  commenced operations in 2001 and is now available in numerous cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, and Rawalpindi. The service functions via telephone and the internet.  The Metro Cab is available at international airports and can also be booked to go to the airport. This service functions 24/7 and aims to provide a cab within 30 minutes of booking. With priority given to maintenance and a dedicated service station for emergencies, Metro Cab is a good option for rental cars.
Daewoo Cab
Daewoo Cab  is currently operational in Lahore, Pindi, and Islamabad, but the company has plans to expand to Multan, Karachi, and Faisalabad. This addition to the Daewoo network makes door to door travel exceptionally easy, giving Daewoo Bus passengers a pick and drop service. Daewoo also plans to provide intra-city transport at a reasonable price. This is a great service for frequent Daewoo travelers and with the addition of intra-city transport, will be even more useful.

We can only hope that such services continue to expand and provide Pakistani customers with affordable and convenient transport!

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