Gojek facts for kids
Gojek's current logo, nicknamed as "Solv", used since 13 December 2022
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| Founded | 5 October 2010 |
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Jakarta, Indonesia
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Key people
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Number of employees
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3,000 (2019) |
| Parent | GoTo (2021–present) |
PT Gojek Indonesia is a big Indonesian company that offers many services through its app. It's like a "super app" because it has more than 20 different services. Gojek started in 2009 as a call center. It helped people connect with couriers and motorbike taxis.
In 2015, Gojek launched its app. It began with four main services: GoRide, GoSend, GoShop, and GoFood. Today, Gojek is worth about US$10 billion. It operates in five countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. Gojek was the first company in Indonesia to become a "unicorn" (worth over $1 billion). It was also the first "decacorn" (worth over $10 billion). Fortune magazine even listed Gojek as one of the "50 Companies That Changed the World" in 2017 and 2019. By June 2020, about 170 million people in Southeast Asia used Gojek.
On May 17, 2021, Gojek joined forces with Tokopedia, another big Indonesian company. They created a new company called GoTo. Many big companies like Google, Facebook, and PayPal have invested in Gojek.
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How Gojek Started
The name Gojek comes from "Ojek." This is the Indonesian word for motorbike taxis. Gojek began in 2010 with just 20 motorbike drivers. The Gojek app came out in January 2015. In less than two years, nearly 30 million people downloaded it.
Gojek was started by Nadiem Makarim and Michaelangelo Moran. Nadiem studied at Brown University and Harvard Business School. He noticed that motorbike drivers often waited a long time for customers. Customers also wasted time looking for a ride. Gojek was created to solve this problem. It helps drivers and riders connect easily. This also helps drivers earn more money. Michaelangelo Moran designed Gojek's first logo and helped build its brand.
By May 2018, the Gojek app offered 18 services. It later added two more, making it 20 services in one app. Being an Indonesian company helped Gojek understand the local market. This allowed them to create features that worked well for both drivers and customers.
In 2020, Gojek launched GoStore. This service helps small businesses easily set up online stores.
Gojek's Growth and Funding
Gojek started getting big investments in late 2014. This was when it received money from NSI Ventures. Because it grew so fast in 2015, more investors joined in.
In August 2016, Gojek raised $550 million. Big Indonesian companies like Astra International and Blibli.com invested. Global tech giants like Google and Tencent also put money into Gojek. By February 2018, Gojek was valued at about $5 billion. This was more than all other transportation companies in Indonesia combined!
In May 2018, Gojek announced it would invest $500 million to expand internationally. By January 2019, the company raised another $2 billion. Its total value reached $9.5 billion. In March 2020, Gojek received $1.2 billion in funding. Its goal was to reach a $10 billion value. In June 2020, WhatsApp and PayPal also invested in Gojek.
Company Mergers and Purchases
Gojek's fast growth led to many purchases and partnerships. In 2016, Gojek bought two engineering companies in India. They also bought Leftshift, an Indian app developer.
In 2017, Gojek bought Loket.com. This is a big online ticket and event company in Indonesia. That same year, it bought three financial technology (fintech) companies. These were Kartuku, Midtrans, and Mapan. This helped Gojek grow its payment business.
In January 2019, Gojek bought a large part of Coins.ph. This is a mobile wallet company. Gojek later sold its share in Coins.ph in 2022. In June 2019, Gojek bought AirCTO, an AI hiring platform. In March 2020, Gojek bought Moka. Moka is a top company that provides sales systems for businesses.
In December 2020, Gojek was talking with Grab about combining their businesses. This would have been a huge merger in Southeast Asia. In February 2021, Gojek was also close to merging with Tokopedia.
On May 17, 2021, Tokopedia and Gojek officially merged. They formed a new company called GoTo. This made GoTo one of the largest technology companies in Southeast Asia. In 2020, GoTo handled over $22 billion in transactions. In July 2021, AirAsia bought Gojek's business in Thailand. Gojek now owns a small part of AirAsia's app business.
Working with Other Companies
In 2016, Gojek teamed up with Blue Bird. This is a major taxi company in Indonesia. That same year, Gojek launched Go-Car for car rides. It also launched Go-Auto for on-demand mechanic services. By August 2016, Gojek was Indonesia's first online transportation system.
Gojek works with Google Maps for its GPS. It also partners with entertainment companies like Google Play. For bill payments, it works with AEON Credit Service and Suzuki Finance Indonesia. It also partners with the national electricity provider PLN and health insurance company BPJS Kesehatan.
In February 2019, Garuda Indonesia talked with Gojek about delivering products. This would help deliver goods across Indonesia's many islands. In August 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported that Gojek was talking with Amazon. Amazon was interested in investing in Gojek. This would help Amazon use Gojek's delivery network in Indonesia.
In September 2020, Gojek partnered with Unilever. They worked together through GoToko. GoToko is a platform that connects small businesses with big consumer goods companies. This helps small businesses get products from brands like Unilever at good prices.
Gojek's Impact
Studies show that Gojek helps many people earn more money. Full-time Gojek drivers earn more than the average minimum wage in Indonesia. Their income is also higher than many other professional employees.
Gojek has added a lot of money to the Indonesian economy. One study found it contributed about US$732 million each year. Another study showed Gojek added Rp 8.2 trillion (about US$550 million) annually through driver incomes. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) using Go-Food also contributed a lot.
New Look for Gojek
On July 22, 2019, Gojek showed off a new logo. The new icon is called "Solv." It shows how Gojek changed from just a ride-hailing service. It became a "super app" that helps solve many daily problems.
Anak Bangsa Bisa Foundation
The Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa (YABB) is a non-profit group. Gojek started it to help people have equal chances. It also helps people who rely on daily income build better lives. It began in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first money for the foundation came from Gojek's senior team. They gave 25% of their yearly salary.
Changes to Services
In December 2019, Gojek decided to stop most of its lifestyle services. These were under its GoLife brand. Services like GoLaundry and GoDaily stopped on December 31, 2019. GoFix, GoGlam, and Service Marketplace stopped by mid-January 2020. Gojek kept GoClean and GoMassage because they were very popular. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gojek stopped GoClean and GoMassage on July 27, 2020. Gojek also stopped GoFood Festival around the same time.
Where Gojek Operates
Gojek works in many cities across Indonesia. It operates in large, medium, and even some rural areas.
Gojek launched its ride-hailing service in Singapore on January 10, 2019. This was part of its test phase. Gojek's president, Andre Soelistyo, said they wanted to give more choices for ride-hailing in Singapore.
International Offices
Gojek has an office in Singapore. This office focuses on data science and engineering. It also has an engineering center in Bangalore, India. This center was created after Gojek bought C42 and CodeIgnition. It works on product design and engineering.
In May 2018, Gojek announced it would invest $500 million to expand internationally. It planned to go into Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines. It started with ride-hailing services. Then, it planned to offer many other services, just like in Indonesia. Local teams run these companies, with Gojek providing technology and support.
Gojek's Products and Services
Gojek offers many useful services through its app:
- Go-Pay is a popular e-wallet service in Indonesia. It allows users to pay for things using their phone.
- GoRide is Indonesia's first online motorcycle taxi service. Gojek has over 1,000,000 drivers for this service.
- Go-Car is a service for ordering cars for rides.
- Go-Blue Bird lets you book Blue Bird taxis through the Gojek app.
- GoFood is an instant food delivery service. It works with over 250,000 restaurants in Indonesia.
- Go-Food Festival is a chain of food courts. They sell food from Go-Food restaurants in real-life locations.
- Go-Mart helps you shop for groceries from supermarkets listed in the app.
- Go-Shop is similar to Go-Mart. It lets you buy things from shops not listed in Go-Mart.
- Go-Send is a courier service. It helps you send items and documents.
- Go-Box is like Go-Send but for moving large items. It uses pickup trucks or bigger trucks.
- Go-Tix is a service for buying tickets to entertainment events.
- Go-Med is a medicine delivery service. It partners with HaloDoc.
- Go-Massage lets you request a personal masseuse.
- Go-Clean is a professional house cleaning service.
- Go-Glam offers personal hairstylist, nail care, waxing, and facial services.
- Go-Auto provides car care services. This includes car washing and emergency repairs.
- Go-Pulsa lets you top up your phone credit. You can only pay with Go-Pay for this service.
- Go-Bills helps you pay electricity bills and health insurance premiums.
- Go-Points is a loyalty program. You earn points for each transaction and can get rewards.
- Go-Play & Go-Studio are Gojek's ventures into online entertainment. Go-Play is a video streaming service. Go-Studio is their production house.
- Go-Pertamina is a fuel delivery service. It brings fuel from gas stations to users.
- Go-Nearby helps you find Go-Food restaurants near you.
- GoRide and GoCar Protect+ are new services that offer better safety for users.
Awards and Achievements
Gojek has received many awards. In 2017, Fortune magazine listed Gojek as number 17 in its "56 Companies that Changed the World." It was the only company from Southeast Asia on that list. In 2019, Gojek made the list again, jumping to number 11! It's the only Southeast Asian company to be on the list twice.
Other international awards include "Top Performer in ASEAN Award 2017." It also won "Entrepreneur of The Year" from Ernst & Young. Gojek has also won many national awards in Indonesia.
Working at Gojek
Employees
Gojek has over 3,000 employees. This includes 210 engineers in Jakarta, Singapore, and India. By May 2018, Gojek had over 1,000,000 drivers. It also had 125,000 restaurants for Go-FOOD. There were also 30,000 professionals for services like Go-MASSAGE and Go-CLEAN.
In June 2020, Gojek had to let go of 430 employees. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workplace
Gojek's main office in Jakarta is in an old mall. It was turned into a modern workspace. It has a cinema, a playroom with arcade games, and pool tables. There are also cafes and nap rooms for employees.
Sponsorships
Gojek sponsored the Liga 1 (a soccer league) from 2017 to 2018. It also sponsored Persib Bandung (a soccer team) starting in 2019. Gojek was also a local sponsor for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Slogans
- An Ojek For Every Need (2010-2019)
- #HidupTanpaBatas (2017-2019, English: Life Without Limit)
- Pasti Ada Jalan (2019–present, English: There Is Always A Way)
See also
- List of unicorn startup companies
