David Back - How he co-founded Zoomcar with Greg Moran

Zoomcar is the first self-drive car rental firm in India. ZoomCar operates on a strategy in which it borrows money from banks to acquire 75% of the cars in its network, with the other 25% leased from major firms like Avis Budget Group.

Zoomcar was founded by Greg Moran and David Back in April 2012. In this article, you will find some intriguing information about the life of David Back.

About David Back
David Back's Journey with Zoomcar
David’s Exit from Zoomcar
FAQ

About David Back

David Back is one of the two co-founders of Zoomcar which is India's first car rental company specialising in "western-style" self-drive rentals. With seven cars, Zoomcar commenced operations in Bangalore in February 2013. It had expanded to roughly 1,500 automobiles in six locations by the time Back departed day-to-day administration at the end of May 2015.

The company is still expanding, with over 9,000 automobiles in over 45 Indian cities. Zoom is assisting India's cities in becoming smarter and more sustainable by providing a variety of transportation solutions to meet a variety of demands. Today Zoomcar is having its existence in five countries and 100+ places.

The idea to India was unique and Zoomcar did not have to initially struggle for investments. Their advisors include Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, British politician and entrepreneur Lady Barbary Judge, Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and academics from Wharton, Harvard Law School, and Cambridge University's Judge School of Business.

David Back graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he held teaching fellowships on the history and prospects of globalisation under Niall Ferguson and Larry Summers. He was given a full scholarship to study for an MBA at Cambridge University's Judge School of Business. But fortunately and unfortunately he quit out after one term to start Zoomcar in India.

David Back has worked in various organizations. Some of them include a consultant for McKinsey & Co., an investment manager for Goldman Sachs, and a research analyst for the Kauffman Foundation's General Counsel too. He also has worked and contributed to The Hydrogen Expedition. This was a campaign to raise awareness about alternative fuels by circumnavigating the world on a hydrogen fuel cell-powered boat. David is exceptional with his career and serves on the boards of advisers for a number of start-ups in the US, India, and the UK.

David Back also edited, 365 Of The Wittiest, Most Cutting Insults From History. It is a page-a-day desk calendar sold to Barnes & Noble Publishing. It features, among other things, critiques from Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Voltaire, and Mahatma Gandhi too.

David Back's Journey with Zoomcar

By late 2012, the two founders Greg Moran and David back had collected a significant amount of money, and David and Greg had quit their professions in the United States and relocated to Bangalore, India.

They intended to establish Zoomcar as an hourly rental platform at first. However, it now functions not just on a short-term rental basis, but also on a long-term subscription basis.

Zoomcar is the market leader in India's self-drive sector, with approximately 10,000 automobiles in its fleet. The company's golden era began in 2018, when its income topped Rs 155 crore, before skyrocketing to Rs 259 crore the following year. That isn't to say it didn't hit some roadblocks along the way. Challenges were unavoidable when launching a whole new company model, from forming a partnership with a fleet vehicle owner to obtaining licence plates for the fleet of automobiles.

David’s Exit from Zoomcar

David Back, the co-founder of Zoomcar, resigned from the self-drive car rental startup in 2015 and returned to the United States for personal reasons. According to paperwork submitted with the Registrar of Companies, Back left ZoomCar India Pvt. Ltd on May 12, 2015.

"It's been a smooth move for David," said Greg Moran, co-founder and CEO of Zoomcar. Back's departure, according to Moran, was prompted by both personal and professional factors. "David has always prioritised early-stage prospects and will do so in the future."

"I've been the company's CEO since the inception, and his departure will have no influence on the company's growth trajectory," he continued. Back will retain his stake and board seat in Zoomcar Inc., the parent company of Zoomcar India, according to Moran. But David never returned to Zoomcar again.

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Conclusion

Today, David says that “I was a co-founder of India's first automobile rental firm. I'm now based in Denver. I am the Chairman of Tattered Cover, the greatest bookstore in the Western Hemisphere.” People like David create a revolution. Zoomcar is one such revolution for our country. There is no denying that India has a market for automobile rentals. However, it has a long way to go before it reaches the maturity of a European or American market. Nonetheless, David continues to grow his life in different spheres and will continue the same ahead in future.

FAQ

Who is David Back?

David Back is the co-founder of Zoomcar, who is now a chairman of Tattered Cover Book Store.

Why did David Back resign from Zoomcar?

David Back exited Zoomcar in 2015 and returned to the United States for personal reasons.