By chance Bid-based ride model Across Asia and Latin America, a “super app” strategy for border markets will be launched – expanding taxis to provide daily essentials to its users.
Starting with grocery delivery in Kazakhstan, Indrive plans to expand into multiple verticals in its top markets over the next 12 months, including Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Pakistan, Peru and Mexico. The transformation comes after more than 360 million app downloads and 6.5 billion deals of high heels worldwide, cementing its position as its position The world’s second largest ride-hailing appsince 2022, behind Uber.
“If customers use you more often, they certainly stay longer, they are more valuable in the ecosystem and have greater loyalty overall,” Andries Smit, chief growth business officer at Indrive, said in an exclusive interview.
Indrive chose grocery stores as the first expansion of its fast-growing delivery sector – with more than 41 million orders completed worldwide in 2024 alone and more than 14 million completed in 2025 in the second quarter alone, making it one of the fastest categories in the company’s portfolio.
The California-based Mountain View company launched grocery delivery in Kazakhstan, offering over 5,000 products and a 15-minute delivery commitment. The company said early pilots in Central Asian countries had a net promoter score of 83%, indicating high customer satisfaction, with an average of five grocery orders per user per month.
Smit told TechCrunch that Indrive is using dark store models for grocery delivery in Kazakhstan, where most items are concentrated on ready-to-eat meals, about 10% of them consisting of fresh products, part of a strategy to promote customer retention. He added that the model will be different in other regions, which opens to collaborate locally, especially in a market with dense network of mom-and-wife stores.
Smit said the company has increased dark stores by 30% in the country since August.
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Why is Kazakhstan the first market?
Indrive currently operates in 982 cities in 48 countries around the world, with eight of which are leading the way. But why did it choose Kazakhstan as the first market for super application action?
Smit told TechCrunch that the company decided to do so after seeing a “huge rise” in digital consumers in the country, the largest economy in Central Asia. Indrive also has the largest staff in Kazakhstan, which is the central hub for its R&D and operations.
Indrive has not disclosed specific growth indicators for its operations in Kazakhstan. However, Dealroom’s latest report was published in partnership with the government-backed tech park Astana Hub, Famous The company has grown 44% in the country over the past 12 months.
The report also estimates Kazakhstan’s technology ecosystem at $26 billion, 18 times since 2019, indicating a sharp rise in local startup groups, funding and digital services.
Kazakhstan already has grocery delivery apps to meet certain needs. Still, Indrive wants to win the market primarily at affordable prices – Aldi, who aims to be online groceries.
“There are grocery stores that have access and inequality, and even access some issues,” Smit said. “Some of our cost-conscious consumers end up buying from the right place or not buying the right items, and they recognize that, but they feel they have no choice.”
Indrive’s Super-App: Differentiation or Déjàvu
Many companies are trying to succeed with super apps. Although some have found success like WeChat and Gojik, others (including Yuan) Efforts to gain traction.
Smit, who held a previous position with WeChat in 2016, has experienced a comprehensive experience on Chinese applications that works well. He told TechCrunch that by leveraging his expertise and leveraging AI capabilities, Indriver plans to make its superapp successful. He said AI integration will help personalize users and make it available to people with disabilities and those with lower literacy rates.
In November 2023, Indrive announced its joint venture and merger and acquisition division Investment up to $100 million In the next few years. Smit told TechCrunch that the joint venture has deployed about 30% in its super application strategy.
company Invested in a Pakistani grocery startup Krave Martin December as part of the adventure. However, there is no specific timetable on when Indrive’s app will provide Pakistani users with grocery stores.
Indrive’s Arch-Rival Uber has also expanded its service portfolio and added vertical verticals in select markets with Uber Eats. Smit said Indrive aims for different customer areas (the ones that Uber does not normally serve), although some overlaps are available in some areas.
“In general, we do support and play a cost-conscious consumer,” he said.
India as a “puzzle” market
In addition to the border market, including Kazakhstan, Indrive has also been operating in India for some time, competing with local players such as Uber and Ola and Rapido. However, the company has not been acquired in South Asian countries. Uber even drive Indrive’s version of the tender model in India, attempting to replicate the method.
Data from AppFigures is shared specifically with TechCrunch, indicating that Indrive has seen a 1.07 million downloads and a 22.6% reduction in downloads compared to the same period in 2024. By comparison, Uber added 8.02 million downloads, a 60.6% increase, while Ola’s downloads increased by 1.55 million, a 13.2% increase. Rapido became the fastest-growing player, with another 14.9 million downloads – a surge of 80.9%.
“India is a difficult problem for us,” Smit told TechCrunch. “India is still growing and we focus…we decided to focus very quickly on the major cities that we really think we want to operate strongly.”
The company is testing different models, especially in the freight business, although it is known for allowing drivers to bargain with drivers. Smit said these mechanisms include different payment mechanisms that allow drivers to be paid every day and even use specific payment rates.
Indrive faced early challenges, initially having limited success – even in markets such as Pakistan, and later became the leading ride-hailing platform after Uber exited.
“We already have a sleeper market, the market is a bit drifting, and then in any case, maybe one of the competitors will stagger.”
More than a dozen riders and drivers in India told TechCrunch that safety issues are the key reason why they no longer prefer to use Indrive. Some drivers say the app’s tendering model has been exploited by riders – in some cases, even if the driver is posing as a rider to bother his peers.
Smit said the company prioritizes security and customer service.
“Yes, we need to do more in talking about this sense of security and teaching and educating drivers and passengers,” he said.
The next vertical industry in the plan
Indrive plans to expand its superapp products by launching new services targeting local market demand. Smit told TechCrunch that these could include financial services. An example of already living in markets including Brazil and Mexico where drivers can Access to micro loans via ride-hailing app. The executives added that the company is exploring ways to expand it to passengers and has the potential to expand to small businesses involved in delivery.
The company also plans to explore services that enable micro capacity to connect its consumers with local businesses and public transportation services.
“We want to be city-specific, and it can be a bunch of different services,” Smit said. “We want to capture the key verticals where we have capabilities, we know and are very close to our core… But if we don’t have the experience of running, for these services we will certainly work with the right players.”
