Uber rival inDrive scales beyond ride-hailing to capture more consumer spending

Known for letting riders and drivers negociate fares, inDrive spent the past twelvemonth adding businesses specified arsenic advertizing and groceries astir its halfway ride-hailing service. Now the Uber rival is scaling those bets, installing caller leaders arsenic its ads, delivery, and financial-services businesses amusement aboriginal signs of traction crossed its mostly emerging-market idiosyncratic base.

inDrive’s advertizing business, piloted successful July 2025 and rolled retired to its apical 20 markets successful January, has since expanded to 25 markets, serving much than 2 cardinal impressions and attracting implicit 2,000 paying advertisers a month, the institution told TechCrunch. About two-thirds of those advertisers are repetition customers.

The Mountain View, California-based firm, which operates successful implicit 1,200 cities crossed 48 countries, sees an accidental to physique an advertizing concern astir an assemblage that tin beryllium harder for brands to scope done different platforms, Andries Smit, inDrive’s main maturation concern officer, said successful an interview.

“We’re successful precise wide emerging markets. Our conception is precise different, and we tin truly assistance brands link with a caller assemblage successful a antithetic way,” Smit told TechCrunch.

inDrive is present pushing what it calls “Ride Media,” which is designed to seizure passengers’ attraction portion they hold for a operator and during a trip. The institution tin presently people users based connected places they person visited implicit a specified period, though it plans to adhd real-time targeting capabilities.

The propulsion reflects a broader playbook among ride-hailing companies, which uses a ample basal of riders and drivers to physique businesses that make gross beyond the comparatively bladed economics of matching passengers with cars. Uber has progressively layered delivery, advertising, and different services onto its mobility network. inDrive, connected the different hand, is betting that its scope crossed emerging markets tin springiness it a akin accidental with a different, much cost-conscious lawsuit base.

There are aboriginal signs that inDrive is getting users to task beyond rides. The institution said 13% of its monthly transacting users utilized some mobility and astatine slightest 1 transportation work successful 2025, arsenic it looks to cross-sell services to customers already utilizing its halfway ride-hailing business.

The fig of loans taken retired by drivers done inDrive.Money successful Latin America besides jumped 118% year-over-year successful the archetypal fractional of 2026, the institution told TechCrunch. The service, which offers short-term recognition to drivers, is disposable successful Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Indonesia.

Smit declined to disclose however overmuch superior inDrive has earmarked for its newer businesses successful general. However, helium said advertising, fiscal services, and transportation necessitate comparatively small backing to scale, portion groceries and nutrient volition relationship for the bulk of its investment.

That concern could instrumentality inDrive deeper into different abstraction agelong dominated by Uber and different transportation platforms. The institution is investigating prepared-food transportation with partners, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the plans, though the effort remains successful aboriginal stages. inDrive declined to stock further details connected the tests.

The food-delivery tests travel arsenic inDrive has hired Raphael Zennou, a erstwhile Delivery Hero executive, arsenic vice president of Food and Groceries. The institution has besides brought erstwhile Google enforcement Max Silin to pb the ads business, called inDrive.Ads, and promoted Valentin Laykov to oversee its transportation business. Moreover, Alexander Kurchin volition proceed to pb inDrive.Money.

Zennou antecedently helped oversee quick-commerce operations serving 21 cardinal monthly customers astatine Delivery Hero, portion Silin spent much than 11 years astatine Google successful roles spanning integer media, monetization, and programmatic advertising. These appointments springiness inDrive executives who person acquisition successful 2 businesses — transportation and advertizing — that person go important extensions of larger user platforms.

It is inactive unclear however financially important these newer businesses are for inDrive. The institution declined to disclose gross from its advertizing concern oregon its stock of wide revenue. Smit besides would not accidental erstwhile helium expects ads to go a worldly contributor to inDrive’s business.

The pace, Smit said, volition beryllium not lone connected increasing inDrive’s advertizing inventory and advertiser base, but besides connected the enlargement of businesses specified arsenic groceries and food, which tin make much opportunities for advertising. “You’ll spot a bully multiplier effect,” helium said.