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An acquired taste

Zomato swallows Uber Eats India — just desserts or a bitter pill?

Uber Eats India's fickle, deal-seeking customer base and heavily loss-making operations weren't enough to deter Zomato from an acquisition. Here's why

22/01/20

Sumanth Raghavendra

When Uber Eats was launched in India in 2017, it was part of a global strategy for its parent company, Uber

While most expected it to succeed, Uber Eats India has barely dented the market share of incumbents Zomato and Swiggy

Instead, after close to three years of futile efforts to catch India's foodtech heavyweights, Uber has sold the struggling food delivery business to Zomato

But given Uber Eats India's woes, questions linger about why Zomato even bothered to acquire it. Especially after rival Swiggy passed on an acquisition

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There was a time when startup investor wisdom decreed it difficult, if not impossible, for Indian startups to compete with and win against global majors looking to expand into their domain in India. The Uber of India would be Uber, and the Amazon of India would be Amazon.

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