Known for its Asian and Latin American bid-based riding models, Indrive is developing a “super app” strategy aimed at the frontier market.
Starting with grocery delivery in Kazakhstan, Indolib is expected to expand to multiple industries over the next 12 months in top markets, including Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Pakistan, Peru and Mexico. The shift comes shortly after over 360 million app downloads and 6.5 billion transactions worldwide, cementing its position as the second-most downloaded ride app in the world after Uber since 2022.
“Of course, if your customers use you more frequently, they stay longer, are more valuable in the ecosystem and overall loyal,” Andree Smitt, Chief Growth Business Director at Indolib, said in an exclusive interview.
Indrive has chosen grocery delivery as its first expansion move after seeing rapid growth in its delivery segment. Over 41 million orders were completed worldwide in 2024, with over 14 million orders in the second quarter of 2025 alone, making it one of the fastest categories in the company’s portfolio.
California-based Mountain View has launched a grocery delivery service in Kazakhstan, offering over 5,000 products with 15-minute delivery. Early pilots in Central Asian countries showed a net promoter score of 83% (high customer satisfaction, resulting in an average of five grocery orders per user per month, the company said.
Smit told TechCrunch that Indrive is using the Dark Store model for grocery delivery at Kazakhstan. Most items focus on ready-to-eat meals, with around 10% of them being made up of fresh products – said it is part of a strategy to enhance customer retention. He added that the model differs in other regions. Other regions, the company has opened partnerships locally, particularly in a market with a dense network of mama and pop stores.
Without sharing details, SMIT said the company has added 30% more dark stores 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, leading eight of them. But why did they choose Kazakhstan as the first market for the super app movement?
Smit told TechCrunch that the company decided to do so after seeing “a huge increase” in consumers that are digital in the country, the largest economy in Central Asia. Indrive also has the largest personnel in Kazakhstan and serves as a central hub for R&D and operations.
Indrive did not disclose any specific growth metrics for its operations at Kazakhstan. However, a recent report by Dealroom, published in collaboration with the government-backed high-tech park Astanahab, noted that the company has seen 44% growth in the country over the past 12 months.
The report also rates Kazakhstan’s technology ecosystem at $26 billion (an 18x jump since 2019), suggesting a sharp rise in local startup formation, fundraising and digital services.
Kazakhstan already has a grocery delivery app to meet some of the demand. Nevertheless, Indrive primarily wants to beat the market with affordable pricing.
“You’ll even have access to access and inequality, and even some food issues,” Smit says. “Some of our cost-conscious consumers are either not buying from the right location or buying the right product, and we know that, but we feel there is no other option.”
Indrive’s Super App: Differentiators or Déjàvu
Many companies are trying to succeed with their super apps. Some have found success, like Wechat and Gojek, while others, including Meta, struggle to gain traction.
Smit, who collaborated with WeChat in his previous role in 2016, experienced how the integrated experience on Chinese apps worked well. He told TechCrunch that he indolibs plans to successfully make a super app strategy by leveraging his expertise and leveraging his AI capabilities. AI integrations will help users personalize and enable services to be accessible to people with disabilities or low literacy.
In November 2023, Indrive announced its venture and merger and acquisition division to invest up to $100 million over the next few years. Smit told TechCrunch that around 30% of its ventures have already been deployed in a super app strategy.
The company invested in Pakistani grocery startup Krave Mart in December as part of its venture. However, there is no specific timeline for Indrive’s app to offer grocery delivery to Pakistani users.
Indrive’s Arch Rival Uber has expanded its service portfolio and added verticals such as food delivery via Uber Eats. Smit said Indrive is targeting different customer segments – Uber doesn’t normally provide services, but there are some overlaps in certain regions.
“Overall, we really support and play cost-oriented consumers,” he said.
India as a “puzzle” market
In addition to the frontier market, including Kazakhstan, Indrive has been operating in India for some time, competing with homemade players such as Uber, Ola and Rapido. However, the company has not covered it in South Asian countries. Uber has tried to recreate its approach by piloting a version of Indrive’s bid model in India.
Data from Appfigures, shared only with TechCrunch, shows that Indrive has 1.07 million fewer downloads per year compared to the same period in 2024. This is a 22.6% decrease. In contrast, Uber increased 802 million downloads by 60.6%, while OLA increased by 13.2%. Rapido has emerged as the fastest growing player, with 14.9 million additional downloads, a surge of 80.9%.
“India is a puzzle for us,” Smit told TechCrunch. “India is still growing and we are focused. We have decided to focus very quickly on major cities that we really want to run strongly.”
The company has tested a variety of models, especially in its cargo business, but is known for its riders can hug the driver. These include various payment mechanisms for drivers to receive payments daily and use certain take-rates, Smit said.
Indrive faced early challenges and initially achieved limited success – even markets like Pakistan later became the main ride platform following the exit of Uber.
“We had a sleeping car market where the market is sort of drifting away, and in any case, perhaps one of our competitors will be shaken,” Smitt said.
More than 12 riders and drivers in India told TechCrunch that safety concerns are an important reason why they no longer like using Indrive. Some drivers said the app’s bid model was being misused by riders. In some cases, even by fellow drivers who pose as riders to annoy their peers by actively hugging.
SMIT said the company prioritizes safety and customer service.
“Yes, we need to talk about this safety awareness and more when we educate and educate drivers and passengers,” he said.
Next Vertical of Plan
Indrive plans to expand its super app offering by launching new services tailored to the needs of the local market. Smit told TechCrunch that these could include financial services. One example is already living in markets, including Brazil and Mexico. Drivers can access small loans through the riding app. The company is looking for ways to extend this to passengers.
The company will also explore services that enable micromobility, allowing consumers to connect with local businesses and public transport.
“We want to be city-specific. It could be a bouquet of different services,” Smitt said. “We want to capture the important verticals that we have the ability. This is something we know and very close to our core. But for such a service, if we don’t have the experience of running, we will definitely be the right players and partners.”
