Monday, March 6, 2017

Lyft Wants to Overthrow Uber by Pitching for New Investors



Lyft, Uber Technologies Inc.’s  ride-hailing rival, has been given a new opportunity to overthrow its competitor due to Uber’s latest string of unfortunate events. Uber is losing momentum after series of scandals that include allegations of sexual harassment, lawsuits, and videos of executives mistreating drivers. The situation has given Lyft a chance to seize the moment and pitch for new investors. Consequently, a new funding will be created in order to increase the company’s net working capital to at least $500 million. In addition, people familiar with the matter indicate that the San Francisco company will have a valuation of between $6 billion and $7 billion. Lyft, who only operates inside the United States, is now second to Uber by market share, but the company is growing up and plans to depose its rival sooner than later.

Relevance to Marketing:
Lyft pitching for new investors on a new funding is a good example of the marketing concept. The company is putting all of its efforts on knocking Uber out of first place in market share. In fact, Lyft has marketed itself to drivers and riders as a kind of anti-Uber. In addition, Lyft is using Uber’s recent unwelcome events to cultivate a more driver-friendly reputation. Furthermore, competition exists in this article as two of the largest online transportation companies are fighting against each other to deliver the best customer experience. They also wish to be pioneers on providing flexible and independent jobs to drivers.  

Application to Other Businesses:
The article serves as an example to others of how important is to maintain a business profitability and reputation. Without investors and profitability, a business will not survive in the long run. In addition, the reputation of a business is essential to its survival as the consumers’ confidence has a direct effect on a company’s durability.

Name: Javier León

Class: MKTG 3343

Article: Lyft Seeking At Least $500 Million in New Funding


Link to WSJ Website:
 https://www.wsj.com/articles/lyft-seeking-at-least-500-million-in-new-funding-1488418612

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