Malaysians and former classmates Hooi Ling Tan and Anthony Tan, who share the same last name but are not related, founded taxi-booking application GrabTaxi in 2012, after their plan to revamp the Malaysian taxi industry took second place in Harvard's 2011 Business School Plan Contest.
Little did they know, their idea would blossom into a regional business. Apart from Malaysia, the duo has set up shop in Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
"There wasn't any lightening or spark that created the idea," said Hooi Ling in an interview with Life.
"I had had a number of unsavoury experiences with taxi drivers. Due to the long hours at my former workplace, I had to largely depend on taxis to take me home each night. The experience was mostly unpleasant. To keep my family from worrying, I used a GPS device to inform them of my whereabouts. That did not seem enough. Despite my predicament, it was not like I wanted to go out there and fix it."
While she was studying at Harvard Business School, Hooi Ling befriended Anthony. Together, they developed an idea and business plan that would eventually develop into GrabTaxi. At first, they had little to no inkling about how to create a business, let alone a business plan. But two elective classes the two shared in their second year of university helped set the course for what was to come.
"In one class students were taught to build sustainable and socially responsible companies for everyone, not just top income earners. Through all the cases there, I was personally inspired by what amazing things some companies were doing to improve the lives of people," she said.
"The second class was about launching technology-based ventures. Here, we were taught by really smart people how we can use technology to make life better, solve real-life problems and more."
Revamping taxi services was a viable — if not obvious — business option, due to Anthony's family background. His entrepreneurial grandfather, Tan Yuet Foh, was a taxi driver in Kuala Lumpur prior to building a multinational auto sales and assembly empire, and Hooi Ling's encounters with substandard service.
The aim to revolutionise the taxi industry was a gradual one. Anthony and Hooi Ling started off by attempting to solve the taxi problems in their own country, but soon realised the issues were regional.
Hooi Ling said initially one of the biggest challenge she and Anthony faced was convincing their family and friends that the two weren't crazy.
"Taxis are not one of the sexiest businesses to be in. If you want to use technology to save the world, there are so many interesting and fun ventures to go into. We chose this over all others because of our passion and the higher probability to succeed in it.
"It was never about the money. If it were, we would probably be in very different jobs. There was a lot of hard work put into this before we could get our act together. We spoke with taxi drivers and saw first-hand how they worked to get a good picture of what we had on our hands. We also have a great team that has helped us to achieve each milestone."
Hooi Ling recalls having to work in offices where the bathrooms were not in working order, and reaching out to drivers that were exceptionally sceptical of their idea, asking them to do something they have never done before. In the area where they first set up shop, drivers had never seen a smartphone, let alone used one.
"There were many times when all of the challenges became overwhelming and made me question whether I was barking up the wrong tree.
"What kept me motivated was a good team and, of course, Anthony. At the start of our venture, we found that they were a substantial amount of people who wanted to make a difference in revolutionising the taxi industry. That really kept me focused during the most trying times."
