Pathao
Pathao is a Bangladesh-headquartered super-app platform founded in 2015 that provides ride-hailing, food delivery, parcel and courier services, fintech (Pathao Pay, BNPL), and e-commerce to consumers, SMB merchants, and freelance driver-partners across Bangladesh and Nepal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Pathao does
Pathao Ltd. is a Bangladesh-based super-app platform founded in 2015, headquartered in Dhaka, and operating across Bangladesh and Nepal. The company provides ride-hailing (bike, car, cycle), on-demand food delivery from 4,000+ restaurants in Dhaka and Chattogram, parcel and B2B courier services, car rentals, e-commerce (Pathao Shop), digital payments (Pathao Pay), Buy Now Pay Later (Pay Later), loyalty (Pathao Points), and health services (Pathao Health) through a single integrated mobile application available on Google Play and the App Store. Its underlying technology stack includes a multi-sided marketplace platform, a proprietary Pathao Maps beta navigation service, a Pathao Credits digital wallet, and safety infrastructure comprising rapid response teams, live location sharing, and insured rides with up to BDT 100,000 accident coverage.
Pathao monetizes primarily through transaction-based commissions on rides, food deliveries, and parcel/courier services, supplemented by marketplace commissions on Pathao Shop and recurring stored-value credits in the Pathao Pay wallet. Driver-partners are onboarded as freelancers via the Pathao Drive app, the website, or Walk-in Support Centers in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet, with new car captains and bike riders enjoying 0% and 1% commission promotional rates, respectively. The company reports 15M+ app downloads, 350M+ cumulative trips and orders, and over $50M in total funding, with its most recent $12M pre-Series B round in September 2024 led by VentureSouq at a $52M post-money valuation. Pathao serves individual urban consumers, SMB merchants, e-commerce businesses, enterprise corporate clients, and freelance driver-partners across South Asia.
Pathao firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pathao
- Legal name
- Pathao Ltd.
- Website
- https://pathao.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Pathao is a Bangladesh-headquartered super-app platform founded in 2015 that provides ride-hailing, food delivery, parcel and courier services, fintech (Pathao Pay, BNPL), and e-commerce to consumers, SMB merchants, and freelance driver-partners across Bangladesh and Nepal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pathao industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ride-hailing and On-Demand Delivery
- NAICS
- Taxi and Ridesharing Services (48531), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Local Messengers and Local Delivery (4922), Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Delivery-Enabled Super-Apps with Ride-Hailing (Multi-Vertical Mobility Platforms) (TLAFAIAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ground Transportation Booking Platforms (Rail/Bus/Ferry) (BPAMAIAD), Mobility Payments & Wallets (Transit + Mobility) (THADALAD), Domestic Distribution & Regional Linehaul Forwarding (TLACACAD)
Keywords
Where Pathao is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dhaka
- HQ country
- Bangladesh
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices6 records
Markets served
Pathao business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ride-hailing Commission: Pathao earns commission from each completed ride taken by bike, car, or cycle riders/captains on the platform. The platform charges a software usage fee per trip, with promotional rates for new drivers (0% commission for car captains, 1% for bike riders). Commission rates are determined at the company's discretion and can be up to 100% of the fare.
- Food Delivery Commission: Commission earned from restaurant partners (4,000+ restaurants in Dhaka & Chattogram) for food orders placed through the Pathao Food platform. Restaurant merchants sign up via Resto merchant portal and are charged a service fee per transaction.
- Parcel & Courier Services: Revenue from on-demand parcel delivery and B2B courier services for e-commerce and individual users. Parcel allows delivery of items up to 3 kilograms. Courier merchant services provide logistics for businesses.
- Pathao Credits (Digital Wallet): Pathao Credits serve as a stored-value digital wallet for the platform. Credits can be purchased by users to pay for rides, food, and deliveries. Credits expire after one year from last use and are not refundable or redeemable for cash.
- Pay Later (BNPL): Pathao offers Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services as part of its fintech suite, positioned within Bangladesh's BNPL market projected to grow from $1.17 billion in 2025 to $2.06 billion by 2031.
- Pathao Shop: E-commerce marketplace integrated into the super app, offering online shopping products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Pathao Car Captains can earn ৳70,000 to ৳1,00,000 per month with 0% commission for new drivers on ride sharing. |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Bike riders can earn ৳45,000 to ৳50,000 per month with 1% commission for new riders on ride sharing. |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Pathao Food delivery serves 4,000+ restaurants in Dhaka & Chattogram with food delivered in under 1 hour. |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | On-demand parcel delivery for items up to 3 kg, with emergency and document delivery options. |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pathao Credits digital wallet with maximum stored value limit of BDT 5,000 per account. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels11 records
Pathao product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pathao operates a multi-service super-app platform that connects independent drivers, restaurants, merchants, and consumers in Bangladesh and Nepal. The company offers ride-hailing, food and parcel delivery, courier services, and fintech/payment products through a unified mobile application, earning revenue primarily from commissions and transaction fees on third-party services facilitated through its marketplace.
Product overview
Pathao is a super app platform operating as a multi-service ecosystem in Bangladesh and Nepal. The core platform consists of ride-hailing services (Pathao Bike, Pathao Car with multiple tiers including Car Lite, Car Plus, Car Prime, and Car Max), food delivery (Pathao Food with 4000+ restaurant partners), and delivery/logistics services (Pathao Parcel for on-demand delivery, Pathao Courier for business deliveries, Pathao Rentals for car rentals). The fintech layer includes Pathao Pay (digital payments), Pay Later (BNPL), Pathao Points (loyalty), and Pathao Health (health services). Additional modules include Pathao Shop (e-commerce), Pathao Maps BETA (navigation), Pathao Safety Coverage (accident insurance), Pathao Fest (promotions), and Pathao for Business (enterprise solutions). The platform also enables earning opportunities for driver-partners through bike, car, and cycle services. Pathao operates Walk-in Support Centers (WIC) in Banani, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Lalbeg, and Sylhet.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pathao Bike: Bike ride-hailing service to beat traffic and save time
- Pathao Car
- Pathao Food
- Pathao Parcel
- Pathao Courier
- Pathao Rentals
- Pathao Shop
- Pathao Pay
- Pathao Maps
- Pathao Health
- Pathao Points
- Pathao Fest
Products and services
- Pathao Ride On-demand ride-hailing service enabling urban commuters to request bike, car, and CNG rides through a mobile app, fulfilled by a network of independent driver-partners. Targeted at individual consumers in metropolitan Bangladesh and Nepal.
- Pathao Food Food delivery marketplace connecting consumers with third-party restaurants for on-demand meal ordering and delivery, fulfilled by Pathao's own driver network. Targeted at urban consumers and partnered restaurants.
- Pathao Parcel Intra-city on-demand parcel delivery service for individuals and small businesses needing to send packages within metropolitan areas. Targeted at consumers and small e-commerce sellers.
- Pathao Courier for Business B2B last-mile delivery fulfillment product with API integration for e-commerce merchants and enterprises needing nationwide, real-time tracked delivery at scale. Targeted at online retailers and enterprise shippers.
- Pathao for Business Corporate mobility management platform that allows businesses to centrally manage employee rides, deliveries, and expenses with consolidated billing and admin controls. Targeted at corporate HR, operations, and finance teams.
- Pathao Pay Digital payment wallet enabling in-app payments, peer-to-peer transfers, mobile recharge, and cashback within the Pathao ecosystem. Targeted at consumers and driver-partners needing seamless payment.
- Pathao Shop E-commerce marketplace within the Pathao app where third-party merchants list and sell products, with fulfillment handled through Pathao's delivery network. Targeted at consumers and small to mid-sized online merchants.
- Pathao Plus (Membership) Subscription membership program offering free deliveries, discounts on rides and food, and priority access in exchange for a recurring fee. Targeted at frequent consumer users of Pathao services.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15M+ app downloads
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Pathao
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Pathao technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Pathao partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pathao competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rapido: India's leading bike-taxi platform now expanding into auto, cab, and parcel. Closest mechanical peer to Pathao Bike — same two-wheeler ride-hailing category adapted to South Asian traffic patterns.
- Foodpanda: Delivery Hero-owned food delivery platform operating in Bangladesh alongside Pathao Food. Directly competes for restaurant partnerships and consumer order share in Dhaka and Chattogram.
- Shohoz: Bangladeshi super-app offering ride-hailing, bus and launch ticketing, food, and event services. The closest homegrown direct super-app competitor to Pathao in Bangladesh.
- inDrive: Global ride-hailing platform with aggressive presence in Bangladesh and Nepal, often cited alongside Pathao in Nepal's new regulation. Competes on price (reverse-bid model) and directly threatens Pathao's rider supply and take-rate.
- Ola: India's largest ride-hailing platform with Ola Bike, Ola Auto, Ola Electric, and food/courier extensions. Comparable on South Asian two/three-wheeler ride-hailing mechanics and super-app adjacency.
Emerging players
- Obhai: Bangladeshi ride-hailing startup positioning on safer, insured rides. Emerging direct competitor in Pathao's home market ride-hailing vertical.
Broad incumbents
- Gojek: Indonesia's largest super-app spanning ride-hailing, food delivery, logistics, and payments. Direct comparable on super-app model and was an early strategic investor in Pathao, validating the playbook at scale in a South-East Asian emerging market.
- Grab: SEA super-app with ride-hailing, food delivery (GrabFood), parcel (GrabExpress), and GrabPay fintech. Closest public-market comparable on the multi-vertical emerging-market super-app thesis Pathao is executing in Bangladesh.
- Uber: Global ride-hailing leader with historical presence in South Asia (Uber sold its SE Asia business to Grab and exited China). Operates as a price-setting incumbent whenever it re-enters markets like Bangladesh, setting take-rate benchmarks Pathao must compete against.
- Careem: Middle East and Pakistan super-app acquired by Uber, offering ride-hailing, food, payments, and courier. Direct comparable for an emerging-market super-app that scaled via ride-hailing and expanded into payments and delivery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pathao social profiles
Digital presencePathao financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pathao leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Pathao funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pathao M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pathao
What does Pathao do?
Pathao operates a multi-service super-app platform that connects independent drivers, restaurants, merchants, and consumers in Bangladesh and Nepal. The company offers ride-hailing, food and parcel delivery, courier services, and fintech/payment products through a unified mobile application, earning revenue primarily from commissions and transaction fees on third-party services facilitated through its marketplace.
Is Pathao a public or private company?
Pathao is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Pathao founded?
Pathao was founded in 2015. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Pathao based?
Pathao is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in the Asia region.
How does Pathao make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Ride-hailing Commission is the primary driver. The others are food Delivery Commission, parcel & Courier Services, pathao Credits (Digital Wallet), pay Later (BNPL) and pathao Shop.
Who are Pathao's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rapido, Foodpanda, Shohoz, inDrive and Ola. Obhai is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Gojek, Grab, Uber and Careem.
Does Pathao have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pathao.
What industry is Pathao in?
Pathao's product category is Ride-hailing and On-Demand Delivery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAFAIAM, Delivery-Enabled Super-Apps with Ride-Hailing (Multi-Vertical Mobility Platforms), with a secondary code of BPAMAIAD, Ground Transportation Booking Platforms (Rail/Bus/Ferry). Its NAICS code is 48531 and its SIC code is 4700.