Shohoz

Shohoz (Bengali: সহজ, meaning "easy") is a Bangladeshi consumer technology company founded in 2014 by Maliha M. Quadir. Headquartered in Dhaka, Shohoz started as an online bus ticketing platform and expanded into a super-app offering ride-hailing, food delivery, healthcare, and digital ticketing services. The company has been recognized as one of Bangladesh's most important consumer tech startups.

🚀 Founding Story

Maliha M. Quadir, an alumnus of Smith College and Harvard University, founded Shohoz in 2014. Before pursuing her lifelong dream of founding her own company, Quadir worked at some of the world's top organizations including Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered, Nokia, and Vistaprint, spanning multiple countries. She is also a recipient of the Young Global Leader award by the World Economic Forum (2007).

Quadir started working on building Shohoz towards the end of 2013. In 2014, Shohoz started its journey in Bangladesh with a simple mission: to simplify life for Bangladeshis by digitizing everyday services. The platform initially allowed users to buy bus tickets online — solving the frustrating problem of standing in long queues only to find tickets sold out. The company quickly expanded to launch (ferry) tickets and movie tickets.

💰 Investment History

Shohoz has raised approximately $18.4 million in total funding across 3 rounds:

• 💵 September 2018 — $15 million funding round led by Golden Gate Ventures (Singapore), with participation from Linear VC (China), 500 Startups, and Singaporean angel investor Koh Boon Hwee
• 🔒 2019 — Undisclosed amount led by Vostok New Ventures (Swedish investment firm), with Partech Ventures, Heritas Venture Funds, Cypress Capital, Tekton Ventures, and existing backer Golden Gate Ventures
• 🌱 Early Stage (2014-2018) — Initial funding from European and American tech angels

The 2018 raise was significant because it positioned Shohoz to compete with Uber and Pathao (backed by Go-Jek) in Bangladesh's ride-hailing market. At the time of the funding, Shohoz was registering one million completed rides per month.

📱 Services & Evolution

Shohoz has evolved significantly since its founding:

• 🎫 2014 — Online bus ticket sales (initial service)
• ⛴️ 2014-2015 — Expanded to launch (ferry) tickets and movie tickets
• 🛵 March 2018 — Launched on-demand ride-hailing service in Dhaka (motorbikes)
• 🚗 2018 — Added private cars to ride-hailing
• 🍔 October 2018 — Launched food delivery service in Dhaka
• 🩺 May 16, 2020 — Launched Shohoz Health amid COVID-19 pandemic — digital healthcare with video consultation from 100+ doctors (from top hospitals) and on-demand medicine delivery from 100+ pharmacies

Shohoz aimed to become a "super app" in the style of Go-Jek and Grab — the two Southeast Asian unicorns. Quadir's vision included adding financial services, payments, and on-demand services beyond point-to-point transportation. As Quadir told TechCrunch: "It's in my mind but there's so much to do in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, you can really make an impact — it's a green field."

👥 Leadership

• 👩‍💼 Maliha M. Quadir — Founder & Managing Director (CEO)
  • Education: Smith College, Harvard University
  • Previous: Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered, Nokia, Vistaprint
  • Recognition: Young Global Leader award (World Economic Forum, 2007)

🏆 Recognition

• 🌍 Young Global Leader award (World Economic Forum, 2007) — awarded to founder Maliha Quadir
• 🚀 One of Bangladesh's most important consumer tech startups (per Future Startup)
• 🛵 Registered 1 million completed rides per month as of September 2018
• 🩺 Pivoted to digital healthcare (Shohoz Health) during COVID-19 pandemic — 100+ doctors, 100+ pharmacies on platform