Paloma Ganguly · · 5 min readWhy do Ola, Quikr, CityFlo love this startup?
The Steero team.
A space as busy as a market square chimes with metallic sounds as men in greased clothes tinker away at vehicles of various shapes and sizes. It is lined with tiny shops selling everything your car needs, from seat covers to gear locks to wheels. You are at Palika Bhawan, close to an arterial road in Delhi.
This is where thousands of people like myself go to service, repair, or preen their cars, preferring it to expensive and often remotely located company-authorized workshops.
But any visit to Palika has a flip side.
You have to know the car mechanic or be willing to sit under the hot sun to keep an eye on the goings-on. Otherwise, there is a slight chance your car goes back home with fake spare parts or old wheels without your knowing.
That’s why I’m all ears when Siddarth Jain says Delhi is on his startup’s radar.
He is the co-founder of Steero, a company that sends skilled mechanics to your doorstep. “We own the complete experience, right from procurement of spare parts to fulfilment at one’s site,” Siddarth tells Tech in Asia.
It’s a web and mobile-based marketplace for auto services and products that has gained a strong foothold in Mumbai. Steero has clicked not just with individual car owners but also with startups like Ola, CityFlo, and Quikr.
It has handled over 1,000 transactions since its launch in December and is also present in Thane.
“A car is one of the most valuable assets an Indian buys. But while the buying experience has been addressed by companies like CarDekho and CarTrade, nothing has been done to transform the experience of using one,” Siddarth tells Tech in Asia.
Taking to the wheel
Photo credit: skhakirov.
Co-founders Swapnil Tripathi, Asad Abrar, Siddarth Jain, and Mohd Asad are IIT graduates. Three of them worked together at US industrial service firm Baker Hughes.
They first explored selling second-hand electronics online, but gave it up because of thin margins.
The lightness of being
Love on the go
The race ahead
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