Gokada Explained

Gokada
Logo Alt:Gokada_Logo
Type:Tech
Industry:Logistics & Food Delivery
Founded:2017
Founder:Fahim Saleh, Deji Oduntan
Hq Location:Lagos State
Hq Location Country:Nigeria
Services:Logistics & Food Delivery
Website:www.gokada.ng

Gokada is a tech startup based in Lagos, Nigeria.[1] [2] The startup launched as a ride-hailing company in 2017, before diversifying into Logistics and Food Delivery in 2020[3] [4] after a ban on commercial motorcycles by the Government of Lagos State.[5]

History

Gokada was co-founded by the late Fahim Saleh and Deji Oduntan in 2017,[6] [7] [8] as a bike-hailing company. Before launching Gokada in Nigeria, Late Fahim Saleh, had founded Pathao in 2013,[9] [10] a popular ride company based in Bangladesh. He moved to Lagos in 2017, working with the help of his co-founder, Deji Oduntan, to launch Gokada.[11] In March 2019, the late Fahim Saleh took over as the CEO of Gokada, after his co-founder Deji stepped down from the role.[10] The company also raised a Series A funding of $5.3 million in 2019, having acquired approximately 1,000 motorcycles and completed nearly 1,000,000 rides.[12] [13]

Ban of Gokada in Lagos State

In January 2020, the Lagos State State Government announced a ban on commercial motorcycles,[14] which also affected Gokada and other motorcycle ride-hailing companies operating in Lagos State.[8] [15] [16] [17] [18] As a result of the ban, Gokada had to lay off about 80% of its workforce Gokada Go!.[19] [20] [21] Late Fahim Saleh had said in a statement that Gokada was about to enter into profit before the ban by the Lagos State Government was announced.[4]

Diversifying into Logistics and Food Delivery

The ban on Motorcycles by the Lagos State Government had an exemption for dispatch riders.[22] [23] In February 2020, Gokada took advantage of this exemption and announced that it was diversifying into package delivery using its existing motorcycles and riders.[4] [24] [25] [26] In the same month, Gokada was reported to have partnered with Jumia Food on food deliveries, while it worked on launching its own platform.[27] Later in 2020, Gokada would launch Gshop, its own food delivery service by partnering with restaurants to deliver food to its users on their platform.[28] [1] [29]

In June 2021, Gokada announced that it had surpassed $100,000,000 (100 million USD) in annual transaction value and had completed over 1 million food delivery and ecommerce orders for over 30,000 merchants in 12 months.[1] [30] [31] [32]

Death of CEO

On the 15th of July, 2020, the death of the CEO of Gokada, late Fahim Saleh was announced. He was found dead in his New York Apartment by the Police on the 14th of July, 2020, murdered by multiple stabbed wounds.[33] [34] [35] [36] On the 17th of July, late Fahim's Personal Assistant, Tyrese Haspil, was arrested and charged with the murder of the late CEO. He was alleged to have owed Fahim tens of thousands of dollars.[37] [38] [39]

New CEO Appointed

After the death of Fahim Saleh, Gokada appointed Nikhil Goel as the new CEO in March 2021.[40] [41] He had been leading the Gokada team since death of Fahim. Before joining Gokada, Goel was the General Manager of Zomato, an online food delivery startup based in India and the former head of Head of Verticals at SafeBoda in Kenya.[41] [42]

Launch of Super App

In 2021 Gokada launched its Super App, which allows its customers access its food delivery, Ecommerce, ride-hailing and logistics services on the same App platform. Before the Super App, Gokada had a separate App for its logistics (GSend) and its food delivery (GShop) services. The tech startup made the decision to combine its services in one Super App after it said its users requested that they put all the services on one platform.[1] [29] [43]

Relaunch of Ride-hailing Services

With the launch of the Super App also came the relaunch its ride hailing services after it expanded to two states in Nigeria; Oyo State and Ogun State. The two states do not have a ban in place against commercial motorcycles.[44] [1] [45] [46]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gokada to launch ride-hailing service in two Nigerian cities as part of super app plans.
  2. News: Bike-Hailing Startup Turns to Food Delivery After Ban in Lagos . Bloomberg.com . June 2021 .
  3. Web site: Gokada pivots into food delivery service. Waheed Lawal. says. February 13, 2020.
  4. Web site: Gokada to rebrand as delivery company -- after Lagos okada ban. February 7, 2020. TheCable.
  5. Web site: Lagos bans Gokada, ORide, others from 15 local governments. January 27, 2020.
  6. Web site: AI in the Field of Transportation - a Review. AI Daily - Artificial Intelligence News. 2022-03-30. 2020-10-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20201008005025/https://aidaily.co.uk/articles/ai-in-the-field-of-transportation-a-review. dead.
  7. Web site: Startup Profile: Escape Lagos Traffic with Gokada, the Uber of Okada Riders. June 8, 2018.
  8. Web site: Fahim Saleh's Nigerian venture Gokada was hit hard by new regulations. July 15, 2020. Dhaka Tribune.
  9. News: Motorbike taxi firms rev up for race into West Africa. Reuters. June 12, 2019. www.reuters.com.
  10. Web site: Gokada co-founder, Fahim Saleh takes over as new CEO. Victor. Ekwealor. April 1, 2019.
  11. Web site: Gokada CEO, Fahim Saleh, passes on. Tage. Kene-Okafor. July 15, 2020.
  12. Web site: Gokada raises $5.3m to increase daily rides by 1,000 percent. May 24, 2019. TheCable.
  13. Web site: Nigeria's motorcycle transport startup Gokada secures $5.3 million in Series A Funding. May 24, 2019.
  14. Web site: LAGOS BANS OKADA, TRICYCLES IN 15 LOCAL COUNCILS. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210420103632/https://lagosstate.gov.ng/blog/2020/01/27/lagos-bans-okada-tricycles-in-15-local-councils/. 2021-04-20.
  15. Web site: The multifaceted implications of a ban on Okada and tricycles in Lagos. February 14, 2020.
  16. Web site: Lagos Okada Ban: A policy expert walks us through some burning questions. Emmanuel. Paul. February 4, 2020.
  17. Web site: BREAKING: ORide, MAX.ng, Gokada and others banned from major areas in Lagos. January 27, 2020.
  18. Web site: Lagos has banned its most effective methods of transport—including bike-hailing startups. Yomi. Kazeem. Quartz. 28 January 2020 .
  19. Web site: Gokada Reportedly Lays Off 80% Of Its Staff Following Okada Ban In Lagos. February 4, 2020.
  20. Web site: TechCabal Daily - Okada ban aftermath: Lights dim at Gokada HQ. February 5, 2020.
  21. Web site: Motorcycle-hailing startup, Gokada lays off most of its workforce. Tage. Kene-Okafor. February 3, 2020.
  22. Web site: Dispatch Riders Exempted From Motorcycle Ban, Says Lagos Police. February 3, 2020. Sahara Reporters.
  23. Web site: Lagos exempts security agents, dispatch riders, others from Okada ban. February 3, 2020. Vanguard News.
  24. Web site: Gokada branches into delivery, boat services after okada ban. February 7, 2020.
  25. Web site: After Lagos Okada ban, Gokada is branching into delivery and boat services. Inemesit. Udodiong. February 6, 2020. Pulse Nigeria.
  26. Web site: Gokada is pivoting to delivery and boat services, here is what this means for them. February 5, 2020.
  27. Web site: Gokada partners with Jumia on food deliveries. February 13, 2020.
  28. Web site: Gokada churns out innovative solutions to impact logistics industry in Lagos. December 4, 2020.
  29. Web site: Nigerian Tech Company Gokada Announces Plans Of A Super App. Bernadette. Giacomazzo. June 1, 2021. AfroTech.
  30. Web site: Gokada Crosses $100m In Annualised Transaction Value. Chima. Akwaja. June 2, 2021.
  31. Web site: Nigeria's Gokada launches super app, passes $100m in annualised transaction value. June 4, 2021.
  32. Web site: Gokada launches Super App; crosses US$100 million in transactions. June 1, 2021. BENJAMIN DADA | Impressive reporting on tech in SSA.
  33. Web site: The American founder of a Nigerian bike-hailing startup has been gruesomely murdered in New York. Yomi. Kazeem. Quartz. 15 July 2020 .
  34. Web site: Gokada founder Fahim Saleh died of multiple stab wounds, medical examiner says. Nicole Chavez and Rob Frehse. CNN. 16 July 2020 .
  35. News: Gokada app founder died of multiple stab wounds, NY medical examiner says. Reuters . July 16, 2020. www.reuters.com.
  36. Web site: Gokada founder dead in New York apartment. July 15, 2020. African Business.
  37. News: Fahim Saleh: Pathao and Gokada CEO's assistant charged with his murder. BBC News . July 17, 2020.
  38. News: Tyrese Haspil Is Charged in Killing of Gokada CEO Fahim Saleh. Ben Chapman and Paul. Berger. Wall Street Journal . July 17, 2020. www.wsj.com.
  39. News: What We Know About the Killing of Tech C.E.O. Fahim Saleh. Daniel E.. Slotnik. The New York Times . July 17, 2020.
  40. Web site: Delivery firm Gokada appoints CEO after murder of founder. March 17, 2021. African Business.
  41. Web site: Gokada appoints Nikhil Goel as new CEO. March 17, 2021.
  42. Web site: Gokada announces new CEO, Nikhil Goel. Oluwanifemi. Kolawole. March 17, 2021.
  43. Web site: Why food-on-demand can be Gokada's ticket to super app stardom. July 15, 2021.
  44. Web site: Gokada expands service to Oyo, Ogun. June 7, 2021. Punch Newspapers.
  45. Web site: Gokada to Resume Operations in Ogun, Oyo | Business Post Nigeria. Adedapo. Adesanya. June 1, 2021.
  46. Web site: Gokada to take on Safeboda, set to launch bike-hailing service in Ibadan and Ogun. June 1, 2021.

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