Pakistani’s Airlift Secures $2.2 Million, Expands to Kenya

Airlift, Pakistani’s bus booking startup has secured $2.2 million as they plan global expansion. The company plans to expand across the MENA region and to Kenya. The fund was secured in a round co-led by Fatima Gobi Ventures, through their Techxila Fund I vehicle and Indus Valley Capital.

Airlift plans to leverage the fund in enabling swift, reliable and economical urban movement. They will be competing with startups like Little Shuttle in Kenya, SWVL Egypt Kenya, and Careem Bus in Egypt.

Usman Gul birthed the Airlift vision in the summer of 2018 when he figured that it is quite difficult to commute in his hometown Lahore, Pakistan. He dropped out of INSEAD’s MBA Program to launch Airlift Technologies. He later launched a pilot project in Lahore in March 2019.

Airlift is an on-demand startup that allows bus owners to operate their buses on fixed routes. This process allows for a stop-to-stop solution model.

Usman Gul has experience with DoorDash, a food delivery unicorn headquartered in San Francisco. Tony Xu, Founder/CEO at DoorDash, was among the first angel investors to support Airlift. The team includes Ahmed Ayub, Awaab Khaakwany, Meher Farrukh, Muhammad Owais, and Zohaib Ali.