Zipgo

Zipgo Technologies Pvt. Ltd. was an app-based shuttle-pooling platform founded in 2015 by Gaurav Agarwal, Pritesh Gupta, Jitender Sharma, and Neeraj Paliwal. The company aimed to provide an affordable, comfortable, and reliable daily commute solution with on-demand, air-conditioned bus services. Its target market consisted of daily commuters in major Indian metropolitan areas like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Hyderabad, and Jaipur. Users could book seats, track buses in real-time, and view estimated arrival times through a mobile application available for both Android and iOS devices. The business model focused on providing both intra-city and inter-city routes, as well as specialized services for corporate employees and women-only shuttles.

The founders brought relevant experience to the venture. Gaurav Agarwal and Jitender Sharma had previously co-founded the radio cab booking app TaxiPixi. Agarwal's background includes roles at Capital One and HCL Technologies, with an MBA from the University of Virginia. Pritesh Gupta had experience at Ola, TinyOwl Technology, and Samsung, holding a B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur. Jitender Sharma, the CEO, had a background in investment banking with UBS and Barclays Capital and held an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Zipgo secured significant funding, raising a total of approximately $52.6 million over three rounds from investors including Essel Infraprojects, Omidyar Network, and Ventureast. A major Series B funding round of $43.7 million was led by Essel Infraprojects in August 2018. This capital was intended to fuel expansion, increase the bus fleet, and transition towards being 100% electric. In October 2018, Zipgo acquired Pune-based bus operator Supreme Trans Concepts to expand its footprint. However, the company faced substantial challenges, including intense competition from ride-hailing giants like Uber and Ola and significant regulatory hurdles. Ultimately, its operations were critically impacted when promised funding from its primary backer, Essel Infrastructure, did not materialize due to the financial troubles of the Essel Group. This funding crisis led to the suspension of services in Mumbai and Bengaluru in early 2019, followed by a complete operational shutdown and employee layoffs across all cities by April 2019.

Keywords: Zipgo, bus pooling, shuttle service, daily commute, urban transportation, ride-hailing, mobility startup, Essel Group, Omidyar Network, Gaurav Agarwal, Pritesh Gupta, Jitender Sharma, TaxiPixi, Supreme Trans Concepts, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, app-based bus booking, failed startup, transportation technology, venture capital, corporate commute