Indian startup BluSmart has started operations in Dubai, according to TechCrunch exclusively and confirmed with its executive. The move to Dubai, which has been rumored for months, could help counter Careem, Uber and Hala in the UAE’s most populous city.
The Gurugram-based startup quietly activated the new Dubai service through its app earlier this week and created a separate subdomain for Dubai on its website. BluSmart co-founder Anmol Jaggi confirmed to TechCrunch that the pilot began on Tuesday with 100 Audi E-Tron SUVs and 130 drivers in the city. The official opening will be in early June, he said.
BluSmart has begun planning its Dubai debut in early 2023, people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. When contacted in late March last year, BluSmart CBO Tushar Garg denied the development. However, its co-founder Punit Goyal he said in an interview with local media later in the year that the startup launched in Abu Dhabi and Dubai between November and December.
Without revealing a specific timeline, Jaggi told TechCrunch that the launch in Abu Dhabi will happen later this year.
The new startup, which counts among its early backers BP Ventures, Mayfield India Fund and Green Frontier Capital, was founded in 2019 by Jaggi, his brother Puneet Jaggi and Punit Goyal to take on the Uber and SoftBank duopoly powered by Ola. . It started with an EV fleet in Gurugram and Delhi and later expanded to Bengaluru in 2022.
In January, the startup raised $25 million from Switzerland-based Impact ResponsAbility fund to boost its charging infrastructure.
Last month, BluSmart announced that annualized revenue grew 102% to $60 million, marking a 300% compound annual growth rate over the past three years. The startup has a fleet of more than 7,300 EVs covering nearly 286 million miles and aims to reach 10,000 by the end of 2024.
