Build story · Indonesia · 2010–2022
Gojek: from a 20-driver call centre to Indonesia's super-app
Nadiem Makarim began by booking motorbike taxis through a call centre. Gojek's app added food, payments, and deliveries, then merged with Tokopedia to form GoTo.
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
by the numbers
- Drivers at start (2010)
- about 20
- App launch
- 2015
- GoTo IPO (2022)
- about $1.1 billion raised
What happened
Indonesia's ‘ojek’ motorbike taxis were a common way to beat Jakarta's traffic, but finding a reliable driver and agreeing on a price was hard. In 2010 Nadiem Makarim set up Gojek as a call centre with about 20 drivers.
Gojek launched its app in 2015, offering fixed prices and verified drivers. Because its drivers were already on the road, it added food delivery (GoFood), parcel delivery, and payments (GoPay), building a super-app used daily. It also provided drivers with income, insurance, and financial services.
In 2021 Gojek merged with e-commerce company Tokopedia to form GoTo, which listed in Jakarta in 2022, raising about $1.1 billion. Makarim had left in 2019 to become Indonesia's education minister.
Timeline
- 2010
Call-centre service begins.
- 2015
App launches.
- 2016
GoPay introduced.
- 2021
Merger with Tokopedia.
- 2022
GoTo lists in Jakarta.
what made it work
- Organised an existing informal service.
- Used one fleet for many services.
- Payments tied the ecosystem together.
the lesson
Organising an informal local service with technology can create a platform for many other services.
Apply it to your business
- 1Look for informal services you could organise.
- 2Reuse your network for more services.
- 3Make payments easy to keep customers inside your ecosystem.
Laws at work in this story
Figures are rounded and drawn from public reports, company filings and widely cited coverage at the time. Check the company's latest filings before relying on any number.