121: Micromobility in the Middle East and Asia Jaideep Dhanoa of Fenix (ex Circ and Grab)

This week Oliver interviews Jaideep Dhanoa, Founder and CEO of Fenix, about his experience within the micromobility industry across Asia and the Middle East. Jaideep is an absolute OG of the space. They talk about his experiences with the Chinese bikeshare boom while at Grab, his move back to the Middle East with Circ and now his efforts with Fenix. They talk Turkey which is a market that hasn’t been on the radar till now, but could well become the next Paris or Seoul. It's a great conversation and they really hope you enjoy as much as they did.  Specifically they dig into: - Jaideep’s background at Grab working on micromobility integrations, and why that foretold the future explosion of the sector. - His journey back to the Middle East and his efforts with Circ and then the rise from the ashes of Fenix. - The challenges and opportunities for the rise of micromobility in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). - The significance of the funding rounds that they’ve received. - The largest markets across the Middle East and Central Asia. - Why Istanbul is the most interesting emergent market for micromobility, and what Fenix is doing to secure their position there. - Jaideep’s reflections on the overall space globally, and where he thinks we’ll get to in 5 years. Our sponsor for the episode is Ubiq. Ubiq is making shared mobility profitable. Most shared mobility businesses are not profitable, as 60%-80% of the demand is not met. Ubiq is automating rebalancing operations to ensure vehicles are in the right place, at the right time, to meet demand. This enables operators to increase revenue by 20% within 8 weeks while also decreasing operational costs. The solution? Automated Rebalancing and Charging as a Service. Ensuring EV fleets remain charged is a major challenge for shared mobility and, if not managed effectively, can be a huge drag on revenues. Ubiq’s Charging as a Service gives you a head start by automating the charging process; its predictive engine is combined with crowdsourced operational execution to provide easily scalable charging operations. This leads to an efficient charging process that will have a major impact on revenue boosting. Best part? It’s plug and play and you can get started right away. Get in touch to find out more here: https://l.linklyhq.com/l/c3iX