Transport and delivery startup from Laos attracts international attention
A ride-hailing startup founded and based in Laos has become the first to gain international attention in the venture world after it was added to the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list published by Forbes Asia Magazine on August 9.
The list names promising and agile newcomer companies in the region which are perceived to be on a growth path and keen to provide smart solutions to address issues such as improving transportation in congested cities, expanding affordable connectivity in remote regions and preventing food waste.
The top categories among the regional startups are e-commerce and retail, food and hospitality, biotechnology and healthcare, as well as education and recruitment.
In Laos, local ride-hailing and online grocery startup Loca has caught the attention of the magazine, making it the first Lao startup to be added on its Asia 100 startup watchlist, according to Laotian Times.
Ride-hailing, grocery delivery and truck services
Loca has been launched in 2018 in Vientiane by entrepreneur Souliyo Vongdala, who is also its CEO, and has since developed into a trade name for citizens and visitors of the capital for a variety of transport and delivery services via an online and mobile platform.
In addition to those offerings, Loca recently has added new services such as out-of-home advertising, a trucking service and on-demand groceries. Pre-pandemic, Souliyo says most customers were tourists but widening local use has helped the business grow 30 per month as of recently.
The company has gained a reputation for making taxi and delivery prices transparent and offering reliable and safe services. In addition, each trip has special insurance protection, he noted.
Loca recently expanded its services to Luang Prapang and the country’s second-largest city Pakse in the south.
Pitch at startup conference in Australia
US-educated Souliyo Vongdala has received a major boost to launch Loca through his attendance at the Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program held in Melbourne and Sydney in 2017. There, he pitched the business plan for Loca, building upon the difficulty in getting a taxi in Vientiane and the absence of digital delivery services.
Today, Loca, which is backed by Bizgital, a local digital marketing company formed in 2016 by Souliyo and friends, has a team of 30 staff and 300 cars offering ride services in Vientiane alone, and also runs Loca Gro, an on-line grocery shopping platform. The number of registered users amounts to more than 16,000.
Loca uses the Bajaj Qute for affordable taxi services, among other brands A ride-hailing startup founded and based in Laos has become the first to gain international attention in the venture world after it was added to the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list published by Forbes Asia Magazine on August 9. The list names promising and agile newcomer companies in the region which are perceived to be on a growth path and keen to provide smart solutions to address issues such as improving transportation in congested cities, expanding affordable connectivity in remote regions and preventing food waste. The top...
A ride-hailing startup founded and based in Laos has become the first to gain international attention in the venture world after it was added to the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list published by Forbes Asia Magazine on August 9.
The list names promising and agile newcomer companies in the region which are perceived to be on a growth path and keen to provide smart solutions to address issues such as improving transportation in congested cities, expanding affordable connectivity in remote regions and preventing food waste.
The top categories among the regional startups are e-commerce and retail, food and hospitality, biotechnology and healthcare, as well as education and recruitment.
In Laos, local ride-hailing and online grocery startup Loca has caught the attention of the magazine, making it the first Lao startup to be added on its Asia 100 startup watchlist, according to Laotian Times.
Ride-hailing, grocery delivery and truck services
Loca has been launched in 2018 in Vientiane by entrepreneur Souliyo Vongdala, who is also its CEO, and has since developed into a trade name for citizens and visitors of the capital for a variety of transport and delivery services via an online and mobile platform.
In addition to those offerings, Loca recently has added new services such as out-of-home advertising, a trucking service and on-demand groceries. Pre-pandemic, Souliyo says most customers were tourists but widening local use has helped the business grow 30 per month as of recently.
The company has gained a reputation for making taxi and delivery prices transparent and offering reliable and safe services. In addition, each trip has special insurance protection, he noted.
Loca recently expanded its services to Luang Prapang and the country’s second-largest city Pakse in the south.
Pitch at startup conference in Australia
US-educated Souliyo Vongdala has received a major boost to launch Loca through his attendance at the Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Program held in Melbourne and Sydney in 2017. There, he pitched the business plan for Loca, building upon the difficulty in getting a taxi in Vientiane and the absence of digital delivery services.
Today, Loca, which is backed by Bizgital, a local digital marketing company formed in 2016 by Souliyo and friends, has a team of 30 staff and 300 cars offering ride services in Vientiane alone, and also runs Loca Gro, an on-line grocery shopping platform. The number of registered users amounts to more than 16,000.
