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Uber: Disrupting Transit One Ride At A Time
Most of us never hear about a company until it has broken through the barriers faced by nearly every modern startup. It isn’t until these hurdles are overcome that a company has a chance to solve a real problem and make a difference. What we don’t usually see is how the company got started, where the idea came from, or how many adversities stood in the way before the company “made it.”
This is what Startup Stories is all about. By studying the journey of how a company goes from startup to success (or failure in some cases), we can learn how the process works and apply it to our own businesses.
An excerpt from Startup Uber
Uber is a ride-sharing company that was founded in 2009, and it represents an excellent example of how a simple idea can become a successful business. Uber was created in response to a shortage of taxis in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the success of the company is quickly changing the way we think about public transportation while offering thousands of budding entrepreneurs an opportunity to cash in on Uber’s global success.
From an idea that attempted to solve a real-world problem, to a global company valued at over $40 billion, Uber is a perfect example of how a startup evolves and grows throughout its lifecycle. Of course, that doesn’t mean the journey has been easy. Entrepreneurs can learn many valuable lessons from the challenges and setbacks that Uber has faced.
Chapter Founders
Our story begins with the two founders behind Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp. Kalanick was born on August 6, 1976, in Los Angeles. He grew up in the suburb of Northridge. As a child, Kalanick had a natural confidence and was known as a “chronic hustler.” He learned how to write computer code in sixth grade and he had dreams of becoming a spy. However, as he grew up, his confidence and persuasiveness landed him a job as a door-to-door salesman for Cutco knives, instead. When he was 18, Kalanick wanted to start his own business. Having nearly perfect SAT scores, he created New Way Academy, which was a tutoring service that prepared students for the SAT. This was successful and was one of Kalanick’s first experiences with starting a business. After graduating from Granada Hills High School, Kalanick enrolled at UCLA to study computer engineering. In 1998, he dropped out of school with some fellow classmates to found Scour Inc., a multimedia search engine, and Scour Exchange, a peer-to-peer file exchange service. Scour was funded mostly by family and friends and the 13 employees ran the business out of a cramped high-rise apartment. Scour was a success and had several million users.
This is what Startup Stories is all about. By studying the journey of how a company goes from startup to success (or failure in some cases), we can learn how the process works and apply it to our own businesses.
An excerpt from Startup Uber
Uber is a ride-sharing company that was founded in 2009, and it represents an excellent example of how a simple idea can become a successful business. Uber was created in response to a shortage of taxis in the San Francisco Bay Area, but the success of the company is quickly changing the way we think about public transportation while offering thousands of budding entrepreneurs an opportunity to cash in on Uber’s global success.
From an idea that attempted to solve a real-world problem, to a global company valued at over $40 billion, Uber is a perfect example of how a startup evolves and grows throughout its lifecycle. Of course, that doesn’t mean the journey has been easy. Entrepreneurs can learn many valuable lessons from the challenges and setbacks that Uber has faced.
Chapter Founders
Our story begins with the two founders behind Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp. Kalanick was born on August 6, 1976, in Los Angeles. He grew up in the suburb of Northridge. As a child, Kalanick had a natural confidence and was known as a “chronic hustler.” He learned how to write computer code in sixth grade and he had dreams of becoming a spy. However, as he grew up, his confidence and persuasiveness landed him a job as a door-to-door salesman for Cutco knives, instead. When he was 18, Kalanick wanted to start his own business. Having nearly perfect SAT scores, he created New Way Academy, which was a tutoring service that prepared students for the SAT. This was successful and was one of Kalanick’s first experiences with starting a business. After graduating from Granada Hills High School, Kalanick enrolled at UCLA to study computer engineering. In 1998, he dropped out of school with some fellow classmates to found Scour Inc., a multimedia search engine, and Scour Exchange, a peer-to-peer file exchange service. Scour was funded mostly by family and friends and the 13 employees ran the business out of a cramped high-rise apartment. Scour was a success and had several million users.
20 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2015
3 people want to read
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