Pathao’s startup journey story is full of excitement, innovation, and perseverance. In 2015, the two founders, Hussain M. Elius and Shifat Adnan, saw an opportunity to impact how people traveled and connected amidst the ever-evolving dynamics of urban Bangladesh.
With a brave and daringly bold vision of radically transforming urban mobility, this tech solution was designed to empower local communities while reimagining convenience.
Pathao is a Bangladeshi service provider operating in Dhaka and Nepal, among other regions. It is a different kind of startup from many others, as it provides easy-to-use applications for ride-sharing, parcel and courier services, and food delivery services.
From its humble beginnings as a small logistics service, Pathao quickly captured the fancy of city residents.
With the launch of their ride-sharing app in 2016, they revolutionized the tech-driven alternative to ordinary transportation.
Pathao quickly crossed those limits and expanded its services to include car rides, food delivery services, and digital payments. Thus, it has grown into a one-stop solution for urban living.
Pathao’s startup journey demonstrates an unyielding drive for innovation, together with versatile service offerings to match the changing needs of its users throughout its startup development. Pathao is a regional advancement indicator in Southern Asia today, and it shows the possible effects of a dedicated vision and commitment to enhancing universal lifestyle quality.
Pathao’s Startup Journey: A Tale of Vision and Determination
Enterprise Story – Pathao’s Startup Journey
In the throbbing center of Dhaka, through the noise and congestion of urban existence, two friends, Hussain M. Elius and Shifat Adnan, noticed a problem.
It was 2015, and the city suffered from gridlock and unreliable public transportation, and people needed a better way to get around.
It wasn’t born in a fancy office or during a high-stakes business meeting. It started as a small concept from a Facebook group where they asked all their friends if they wanted anything delivered, and they could use their group service. Little did they know that this small experiment would soon become much more significant, marking the beginning of Pathao’s startup journey.
The Spark of an Idea
When the company began operating, it consisted of five motorcyclists whose purpose was to deliver any item their friends required. The delivery service replied to every request without limit, no matter how minor the request was. While riding through the congested traffic, the riders started pondering whether their bikes had potential beyond package delivery.
Bangladesh’s transportation culture differed from Vietnam’s and Indonesia’s because motorcycles were not used as daily transport vehicles. Traveling on unfamiliar people’s motorbikes through the city felt as revolutionary as it was transformative. The team noticed an unspoken demand for time-saving services because time and energy were constantly scarce within the country.
The Leap
The team developed a basic platform that served as the MVP to test the potential of their idea. Surprisingly, the users became enthusiastic about the platform. At that time, the system of actual demand was expanding.
But scaling up wasn’t easy.
At initialization, the company founders used their personal phone numbers so users could contact the service. Even during the early days of operation, riders received service with minimal human support because bookings were recorded in Excel spreadsheets and processed manually.
The Turning Point
Pathao launched its first app edition in December 2016. People changed their transportation planning through this app. Everlasting process coordination is completed within minutes using Pathao’s mobile application, thus replacing traditional manual coordination with digital methods as the service grows its user base. The startup’s small initial test phase developed into a mainstream movement, triggering a critical point in Pathao’s startup journey.
Building an Empire
As of 2017, the group surpassed its initial startup atmosphere. Its workforce has expanded from 30 employees to 500 while opening three new offices across three different cities in Bangladesh. The app serves as the central mechanism for the company to connect thousands of riders with customers through its efficient matching system.
But growth wasn’t just about numbers. It was about audacity.
The company introduced its Pathao Cars service in Chittagong in October 2017 and introduced the same product in Dhaka. Pathao Food delivered a challenge to the food delivery giants in January 2018. The company became Bangladesh’s most prominent food delivery operation within three months of launch. The competition grew speechless while Pathao’s startup journey sprinted to dominate the market by effectively doing more than entering the competition.
Creating a Culture
Pathao established a path that created an innovative way for people to embrace their modern lifestyle. Motorcycles, which people once believed served only labor functions, evolved into conveniences and newfound freedoms throughout the country. Stable income opportunities have made life better for motorcycle riders, and people have rediscovered their cities after accepting the traffic jams.
Building the business came with multiple fights along the way. Performing startup scaling resembles motorcycle riding through harsh weather since you must struggle to keep control of the ride. Systems that managed thirty users failed when faced with five hundred. When transferred to different locations, operations functioning well in one municipality showed complete failure. Every setback led them to gain additional knowledge. With each crisis, they adapted. Resilience became the driving force that shaped Pathao’s startup journey.
The Legacy
Pathao now exists as a business enterprise, demonstrating the power of daring to question if something is possible. Pathao represents the transformation of doubt into promising prospects that developed both an entrepreneurial venture and a social environment. Pathao’s startup journey demonstrates how answers to small questions about Facebook groups can become revolutionary ideas that result in millions of rides and deliveries.
The Birth of Pathao’s Startup Journey in Nepal: A Story of Innovation and Connection
Enterprise Story – Pathao’s Startup Journey – Pic – Techlekh
Asheem Man Singh Basnyat serves as the regional director of Pathao, a ride-hailing app in Bangladesh. Basnyat, along with six friends, launched the app in Nepal.
Asheem entered the ride-sharing industry when the Indian economic blockade occurred in 2015/16. He started giving carpool services to various individuals facing hardship during this difficult period because he recognized the chance to develop a ride-sharing platform. When the blockade ended, Asheem collaborated with an international company that intended to introduce Uber services in Nepal. After the project failed to launch, he lost interest in employment for the subsequent half year.
He found out about Pathao in Bangladesh and contacted them for a chat. Basnyat persuaded Pathao to run in Nepal, but the company was not interested in investing in it.
In May 2018, Asheem was appointed managing director for Pathao Nepal. The Pathao team in Bangladesh was initially reluctant to launch in Nepal, but given Asheem’s persistence and determination, the investment for Pathao Nepal from the USA was secured. This took about ten months. On 24 September 2018, Pathao formally launched its bike service in Kathmandu.
Initially, it extended to relatively small areas of Kathmandu: an app with a handful of riders but promising nothing less than better city navigation. The team worked around the clock searching for riders, training them thoroughly, and gearing them up for the norms of quality service. They would move to a particular local community and explain why Pathao was unique and different from the other services.
The cornerstone of Pathao’s success is trust, which Asheem and his team understood would render their work futile without it. They worked on safety, screening every rider and making every customer feel safe. Listening to feedback and making improvements showed they were in touch with the community they served.
A doubtful heart turned to belief, which spread like wildfire through positive experience stories: the student who made it to the exam on time because of Pathao, the parent who, from then on, could cease worrying about their child getting home, the busy executive who saved hours in traffic. Such stories form the fuel for Pathao’s startup journey in Nepal.
Pathao reached Chitwan in 2022, rendering services to even more individuals. However, Asheem had further plans. In another bold declaration, Pathao was launching into 17 new cities across Nepal in April 2024: a moment of excitement and uncertainty. Will they be able to replicate their successes across so many diverse places?
The answer was yes.
The app became the heart that joined communities from scratch, from the bustling streets of Biratnagar, literally swagging at the serene beauty of Pokhara, to some who found opportunities to ply their services and others who found the freedom to engage the services. It also became a lifeline for people in their petty day-to-day activities.
Pathao did not enter Nepal merely for business growth and movement strides but as a movement that empowers riders and the community, finally changing their perceptions of transportation. It showed that significant obstacles could be surpassed with the right ideas and approaches.
More than just a ride-hailing service in Nepal, Pathao today symbolizes development and is a testimony of what happens when innovation meets purpose. With the apparent growth of Pathao, what is certain is that the journey is far from over; one more ride and a few more pages will be added to Pathao’s startup journey.
Pathao’s COVID-19 Story: Resilience and Innovation in the Face of Crisis
In 2020, as COVID-19 made its way around the world, all of it went out the door, and businesses and communities around the globe were faced with immense challenges. Almost everything tested Pathao, an established company connecting people and services in Bangladesh and Nepal, in terms of resilience, adaptability, and community spirit, showing how Pathao weathered the storm and emerged stronger in both countries.
Bangladesh: Pivoting to Meet Essential Needs
Pathao has stopped operating ride-hailing in Bangladesh because of the pandemic. When lockdowns came in March 2020, the crowded streets of Dhaka and Chittagong, once a blur of Pathao bikes, went silent. But the staff soon shifted their energy to essential services. In May 2020, Pathao launchedPathao Tong, an on-demand essentials delivery service, working with retailers such as Shwapno, UniMart, and Meena to deliver groceries, medicine, and hygiene products to the doorsteps of people’s homes. “In just a few weeks, Pathao Tong had become a lifeline for thousands of families, providing contactless delivery to ensure safety.
Pathao Pharmawas launched to order non-prescription medicines through the app. For many, this was not just a matter of convenience; it was a matter of life and death. The company distributed over 5,000 masks and gloves to riders and implemented contactless delivery as an alternative to reduce the risks to its employees and customers.
Nepal: Providing Employment and Essential Services
In Nepal, the case was no different. Pathao’s ride-hailing operations sustained substantial revenue losses due to lockdowns in March 2020. The organization refocused its operations to provide essential products for customers. The company reshaped Pathao Tong for essential goods distribution, which served as a lifeline for families during the lockdown.
Supporting Frontline Heroes
Riders and delivery agents were the backbone of Pathao’s operations across both countries. The company was at the forefront of this crisis, supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep our teams safe and implementing health and safety protocols. Pathao also focused on rider income to ensure its delivery heroes supported their families during the crisis.
A Salary Restructuring to Save Jobs
Pathao, however, has a different story altogether. In April 2020, CEO Hussain Elius announced a progressive salary restructuring plan. Heavier pay cuts were imposed on higher-paid employees, while the lower-paid employees (earning below BDT 30,000) were left untouched. All executive team members, including Elius, also waived their salaries entirely. This brave move has been hailed as a way to save jobs during the pandemic’s darkest days and keep the company afloat, triggering a critical point in Pathao’s startup journey.
Community Support and CSR Initiatives
Pathao lends meaningful support to the community. In Bangladesh, they partnered with the Bidyanondo Foundation to provide logistical support for food distribution to underprivileged communities. In Nepal, they partnered with the OBHIZATRIK Foundation to provide groceries to stranded riders and launched a donation campaign to support needy riders.
Health and Safety at the Core
Pathao Health has become a telemedicine service within the Pathao app, enabling users to speak with doctors while accessing COVID-19 check systems and getting healthcare guidance through the platform. Through this initiative, Pathao showed dedication to using technology for public health care while helping its users obtain medical assistance.
The Result: A Stronger Pathao
During the pandemic, Pathao became a more self-reliant and community-centered company. By emphasizing the bottom line, assisting its workforce, and implementing quick and sharp innovations in management and service, Pathao truly emerged stronger from the pandemic. Pathao’s COVID-19-imposed programs have also solidified its standing as a trusted employer and platform.
Pathao’s startup journey during COVID-19 demonstrated adaptability, community spirit, and courageous leadership.
The Inspiring Journey of Pathao’s Founders After Their Departure
Hussain Elius
In November 2021, Pathao co-founder and former CEO Hussain Elius officially resigned from the post, which was then given to Fahim Ahmed. He is also a senior advisor and a board member at Pathao. The board made the enterprising young person part of Forbes’ 30 under 30 for Asia in 2019.
In this role, he will keep offering strategic advice and assistance to the company he played a key role in establishing from the beginning. This marks a significant transition for Pathao; however, Elius’s influence and vision will define this company’s course. While still in its formative years, Pathao took off under his leadership and metamorphosed from a small startup into one of the most important tech companies in today’s Bangladesh.
In 2022, Elius created Wind, a decentralized bank built on self-custodial wallets that allow instant and nearly free international payments. Its Web3 backend and familiar Web2 UI make it accessible. Wind offers instant payments, high-yield stablecoin strategies, and access to digital assets.
Elius desires to use technology to touch people’s lives, improve, add value, and solve real-world problems. Having learned from his time with Pathao, he took the lessons with him to Wind to continue building a successful startup that not only scales but also meets the needs of its customers.
Shifat Adnand: Continuing the Journey as CTO
Pathao’s technology leader, Shifat Adnan, is a co-founder who fulfills his Chief Technology Officer (CTO) role. He advances technology boundaries through his work while managing Pathao’s service development and growth.
Shifat Adnand’s technical abilities and ability to envision the future led to expanding Pathao’s resources and establishing it as a critical support platform for mobility services and logistical and food delivery operations. Adnand’s regular company participation will secure Pathao’s continuous evolution and adaptation to user requirements.
Fahim Saleh: A Legacy of Innovation
On July 14, 2020, Fahim Saleh was found dead in his luxury apartment in Manhattan, one of the co-founders of Pathao. This was a regrettable loss for both Pathao and the tech startup ecosystem.
Known as the Elon Musk of the Developing World, Saleh greatly inspired many by working towards creating things that are “adding real value to humanity.” For Pathao and beyond, Saleh will always be remembered and appreciated, inspiring future entrepreneurs worldwide.
Through Pathao and many other efforts, Saleh has championed his vision and passion for innovation to live on after his untimely death. His legacy reminds us of the change entrepreneurs can bring to society and the importance of working on projects that give heart and life to their people.
Fahim Ahmed: Leading Pathao into the Future of Digital Commerce
Fahim Ahmed is the managing director and CEO of Pathao. Endowed with a substantive background in finance and investment, including Goldman Sachs, RBS, and SEAF, Ahmed was appointed as CFO at Pathao in 2018 and later elevated to President. He has been instrumental in steering the company towards growth and innovation.
In 2021, he succeeded co-founder Hussain Elius as the Chief Executive Officer of Pathao. The leader has guided Pathao in enhancing its offerings, creating the “Pay Later” payment solution, and securing a payment system provider status from Bangladesh Bank. Pathao has expanded remarkably to reach more than 8 million users, employing 300,000 drivers and 30,000 merchants within its network.
His vision for Pathao’s startup journey as a digital commerce platform empowers producers, businesses, and daily earners, while his fintech strategies position Pathao as a key player in Bangladesh’s digital economy.
Conclusion
Through their accommodating, flexible business strategy and enduring spirit, Pathao began as a small startup and grew into a leading ride-sharing application in South Asia. With their successful push of governance and strategy, the founders braved several turbulent times in their wake toward the company’s outstanding achievements.
By revolutionizing urban mobility, Pathao’s startup journey gave way to enormous economic opportunities, leading to the development of another generation of entrepreneurs. Pathao has now advanced with its software; however, its newer impact will form South Asia’s digital economy and, with time, convey the future of mobility and commerce for the region.
