Mobility and technology / Founded 2012
Careem
Mobility built for the Middle East
Company Record
Careem built a regional mobility platform around cash payments, local navigation, driver relationships, and market-specific cultural requirements before Uber acquired the company in 2019.
Milestones
- 2012Careem was founded in Dubai.
- 2014The company operated across 14 Middle Eastern cities.
- 2018Careem had become one of the region's most consequential technology companies.
- 2019Uber agreed to acquire Careem for $3.1 billion.
Continue through the archive
One record should open another.
Follow the shared decisions, markets, constraints, and places surrounding this story.
01 / Ledger case fileThe Ledger of Grit: CareemCareem's story is not only about rides. It is a record of three founders who treated the Middle East's cultural and infrastructural differences as the foundation of the product.20 minute read02 / Founder recordMudassir SheikhaMudassir Sheikha helped build Careem by treating the Middle East's differences as product requirements rather than obstacles to a copied global model.Careem / Dubai, United Arab Emirates03 / Field noteGlobal Startups Beyond the Silicon Valley PlaybookStartup methods travel more easily than the infrastructure assumptions embedded inside them.Global Founder Context04 / Company recordAnima IrisAfrican luxury, designed and produced with ownershipLuxury fashion and accessories / Founded 2019