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Problem
There's no easy way to compare ridehail options
No one wants to open a dozen different apps on their phone to compare pricing every time they want to grab a ride. There are thousands of different individual ridehail apps globally, but most consumers aren't aware of them. Price discrepancies between options can vary 25% at any given moment (and even more with surges and longer rides), meaning that riders are always losing valuable time and money. Quite simply, we all overpay for rides.
Solution
One app, every ride
With Obi, riders can easily compare prices across all ridehail apps and save when they book. Our app gives riders all the information they need to get the best ride at the best price.
Our mission is to maximize convenience and accessibility for our users. Think of us as the best personal assistant—handling the logistical heavy lifting of searching all ride providers and sorting them to help riders choose the best ride.
Product
Compare prices and book through the Obi app
Obi enables riders to compare pricing in real-time across multiple providers on one easy-to-read screen. Riders can also personalize to view certain ride types and categories (wheelchair accessible, car seat, luxury, etc.), as well as the quickest pickup time.
Until Obi came along, there was no way to easily compare different ride providers at once, especially as prices can change by the minute. Once riders choose their desired ride option, Obi effortlessly guides them through the booking process (either within the Obi app or with the selected ridehail provider).
Traction
130K+ users and 235K+ bookings
Obi has integrations with over 300 global ridehail companies including leading providers such as Curb, Ola, Heetch, and hundreds more across the US and globally. These crucial relationships have taken years to develop into commercial agreements.
Customers
There are 1.5 billion riders worldwide who can benefit from Obi
With over 130,000 downloads to date, Obi has received over 770 reviews with a lifetime average of 4.7 stars on iOS and 4 stars on Android. Our app appeals to a wide range of users - students looking to save money, essential workers commuting to their workplaces, both business and leisure travelers, as well as everyday users. With ridehailing now an integral part of so many daily routines (whether going to work, the gym, restaurants, sporting events, concerts, etc.), the Obi app will become synonymous with ridehailing.
Obi has done extensive test marketing across the U.S. and other key global sectors to prove both the need and business case for the platform. Below are just a couple of recent review excerpts from our customers:
Love the app! "I tend to use the same ridehail each day (I'm a little lazy) and never looked at others to be honest. Since I started using Bellhop [to be Obi] I'm paying less every day."
Great for travel
"I'm a keen traveler and have used the app in Paris, Sydney and London as well as NYC. It really does work. I can't keep up with the latest rideshares but this app does, tells me the best option and I book. It's super simple."
If you haven't yet, don't forget to check out our app (click here) and leave us a review!
Business model
Obi has multiple revenue streams
For each ride booking, Obi currently collects a service fee of up to 10% from ridehail providers.
Additional revenue streams will also include targeted advertising, data sales, subscription products, and technology licensing.
Market
$260 billion total addressable market
The global ridehail marketplace is projected to grow from $260 billion in 2021 to $386 billion in 2025.
Competition
Bringing together exact price and time comparisons with the most options
Mapping and transit apps such as Google Maps, Transit, and Citymapper have introduced very basic (and often inaccurate) ridehail information with limited functionality for a very small number of companies, and most importantly these apps do not have real-time or personalized pricing.
Our closest competitor, Migo, has a limited number of ridehail integrations, and does not include major providers such as Lyft and Uber in the US. Migo has also largely been focused on multimodal options (similar to Transit and Citymapper). Obi's goal is to dominate the ridehailing space first, and then expand into other mobility services as we grow.
Vision and strategy
Multi-channel, multi-model opportunities
We have an aggressive roadmap for launching new markets, integrating direct suppliers, and building innovative, market-leading product features. We are planning to launch other modes of transportation such as bikeshares and scootershares in 2022.
Excited about what we're building and want to join the team? We're hiring! Reach out to hiring@rideobi.com if you feel passionate about what we're doing and want to contribute with your rockstar skills in Product Management, Digital Marketing, Engineering, or Data Science.
Funding
$3.5M raised to date
- Friends & Family Round: $450K
- Previous Republic Campaigns: $350K
- Angel Round: $1.2M
- Series Seed: $1.5M
Founders
Executive Team
Payam Safa studied Computer Science & Engineering, graduating Cum Laude Honors from UCLA. He began his career programming drones and satellites for the US government with security clearance. Next, as a consultant for Accenture, he built enterprise systems for Fortune 500 companies. After an MBA at INSEAD where he was the Co-President of the Real Estate Club, he moved to Indonesia to co-found a hotel chain. Continuing his entrepreneurial journey, he founded Chanelink, the first channel manager in Indonesia. He is using his unique skills and experiences as a technologist in the travel and hospitality space to bring Obi to market and establish it as the industry leader.
Ji Young Choi studied Business Administration, graduating on the Dean's List from Cornell University. She began her career as a Strategy & Management Consultant with Accenture for Fortune 100 companies before becoming Head of Strategy at a speculative land development firm in emerging markets. After successfully leading multi-billion dollar projects in developing countries, she returned to Management Consulting as a Senior Strategy Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, solving complex problems for the US government's most high-profile agencies - from the US Treasury and the FBI to NASA and The Smithsonian. She then used her skills and experience to join the world of high-growth startups, first helping to build and scale the Enterprise business at General Assembly (exit: acquired by The Adecco Group in 2018), before becoming Co-Founder and COO of Teckst (exit: acquired by LiveVox in 2019), and then joining Obi in May 2020 as COO to revolutionize the mobility space.
Obi has an incredible lineup of advisors, including Harry Campbell (aka The Rideshare Guy), Matyas Tamas (Co-Founder of Ontiq and former Head of Supply Data Science at Uber), David Baggett (Founder of Inky.com and former Co-Founder of ITA Software, now known as Google Flight Search), Beth Birnbaum (COO of PlayFab and former SVP of Product at GrubHub), Norm Rose (President of Travel Tech Consulting), Daniel Gohari (Founder of Avenue Property Group), and Len Sherman (expert on growth strategy and innovation at Columbia Business School).