Grab aims to build WeChat-like super-app
SINGAPORE: Grab is opening its app to external developers and fellow startups, as the company that bought out Uber Technologies Inc in Southeast Asia tries to build a WeChat-like super-app that encompasses everything from maps and payments to food delivery.
The move underscored the company’s newfound ambition to become an “everyday super-app” that helps millions of users carry out routine activities, said chief executive officer Anthony Tan.
That includes delivering groceries in partnership with regional online grocer HappyFresh, a first for the startup as it tries to emulate the success of rival GoJek beyond car-hailing.
New services should help Grab hit a US$1 billion (RM4.01 billion) in revenue for the first time this year, he added.
The initiative comes as Grab grapples with accusations it’s accruing monopolistic power in its home market. The six-year-old startup is hoping to replicate Chinese tech titans’ deep-seated connection with consumers.
Following in its footsteps may be difficult, given Grab lacks WeChat’s enormous user base — a big draw for third-party developers. But Tan argued Grab, last valued at US$6 billion by CB Insights, had heft of its own.
Partners “can leverage on our assets to help them grow”, he said. “For us, we are not going to be everything to everyone. We are going to focus on everyday services, leveraging on our payments infrastructure, transportation across the region.”