inDrive Pivots to Ads and Groceries to Fuel Global Growth

To diversify its revenue streams beyond traditional ride-hailing, California-based mobility giant inDrive is officially launching in-app advertising across its top 20 global markets and expanding its rapid grocery delivery service in Pakistan this month.

This strategic expansion comes as ride-hailing platforms face tightening margins and fierce competition in emerging markets. By integrating high-margin advertising and high-frequency grocery deliveries, the company aims to reduce its reliance on ride commissions while driving user engagement and reinforcing its core transportation business.

Challenging Uber with a ‘Super App’ Strategy

While inDrive has built its global reputation on a unique peer-to-peer bidding model that lets drivers and passengers negotiate fares directly, it operates in a highly crowded landscape. Competing against global giants like Uber and localized micro-mobility options such as autorickshaws has pushed the firm to transition into a “super app.” By adding high-frequency services, the company hopes to capture a larger share of consumer spending in frontier and emerging markets.

Monetizing Attention: In-App Ads Go Global

The new advertising initiative is rolling out across key markets, including Colombia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Egypt, and Morocco. This official launch follows successful pilot tests in mid-2025 that generated hundreds of millions of impressions, attracting interest from major financial institutions and global consumer brands, according to Andries Smit, inDrive’s chief growth business officer.

Initially, the ad business will focus on digital placements within the mobile application. Advertisements will target high-engagement touchpoints, such as the waiting period after a passenger books a ride and during the journey itself.

While in-car and on-vehicle physical branding remain on the long-term roadmap, Smit explained that inDrive will prioritize digital in-app formats through 2026. This decision bypasses the operational complexities of physical advertising in emerging markets while capitalizing on the immediate, strong returns of digital ad placements.

Pakistan: The Next Frontier for Grocery Delivery

The push for in-app advertising aligns perfectly with inDrive’s expansion into quick commerce, a sector that naturally commands higher user engagement than ride-hailing alone. Pakistan has become the company’s second grocery market after Kazakhstan, powered by a strategic partnership with local dark-store operator Krave Mart, which received an investment from inDrive in December 2024.

Why Pakistan is Prime for Quick Commerce

According to Smit, Pakistan presents a unique opportunity due to its booming demand for quick commerce and inDrive’s established local footprint. The country’s grocery sector remains largely fragmented and informal, while urban households increasingly rely on delivery apps to manage busy schedules. Because inDrive is already a leading mobility provider in Pakistan, it can cross-sell groceries to an existing, highly active user base without the prohibitive customer acquisition costs that have crippled other quick-commerce startups.

Since entering the Pakistani market in 2021, the platform has experienced rapid growth. Ride volumes surged by nearly 40% year-over-year in 2025, while courier delivery services jumped 67% in the first half of the year. Today, inDrive operates its ride-hailing services in more than 20 cities across Pakistan, with intercity services spanning over 200 locations.

Karachi Launch and Expansion Plans

The grocery service is debuting in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and one of inDrive’s strongest hubs. Users can order over 7,500 daily essentials—including fresh produce, meat, dairy, snacks, and household goods—with delivery times ranging from 20 to 30 minutes. To incentivize adoption, the platform offers free delivery on orders above PKR 499 (approximately $2) with no hidden service fees. Following the Karachi launch, inDrive plans to expand the service to Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi later this year.

Doubling Down on Local Investments

Pakistan has also become a primary destination for inDrive’s capital. Out of a $100 million multi-year investment fund announced in late 2023, Smit confirmed that Pakistan has received the largest share so far, with at least $50 million of the total global fund already deployed.

“We’re seeing incredible potential in Pakistan,” Smit noted, expressing a strong desire to double down on these local investments as performance metrics continue to meet expectations.

Navigating Market Volatility

This aggressive expansion stands in stark contrast to the general caution displayed by global venture capitalists. Due to macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds, equity funding in Pakistan totaled just $36.6 million across 10 rounds in 2025, according to data from Karachi-based analyst firm Data Darbar. While this represents a 63% year-over-year increase, it remains far below the peak funding levels of $347 million and $331 million recorded in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

However, inDrive views this funding gap as a competitive advantage. Operating in volatile emerging markets is core to the company’s DNA, making it less dependent on institutional venture capital trends. By leveraging its pre-existing user base, inDrive can scale its partner network efficiently, bypassing the expensive marketing campaigns that cash-strapped competitors cannot afford.

The Road to a Multi-Service Ecosystem

With a presence in 1,065 cities across 48 countries and over 360 million downloads, inDrive currently ranks as the world’s second most-downloaded mobility app, trailing only Uber. This massive global scale provides the perfect launchpad for its non-transportation services.

The diversification strategy is already shifting the company’s financial dynamics. Ride-hailing, which previously accounted for 95% of inDrive’s total revenue, now represents roughly 85%, even as the core ride business continues to grow.

Over the next three to five years, inDrive plans to expand its advertising, grocery, and delivery portfolios, while eventually introducing financial services across its priority markets to complete its transition into a comprehensive super app.