Post by Bolt

Markus Villig started Bolt at 19 with €5,000 and personally recruited the first 50 drivers in Tallinn. Today, Bolt serves 200M+ customers across 50+ countries. Markus joined Joe Wear on Founders and Builders podcast to talk about the choices that shaped Bolt's growth: why ride-hailing is built city by city, how Bolt tested demand in new markets even before building teams on the ground, what early expansion into Africa taught the team, and why autonomy may not be as simple as "more data wins." 💡 After 13 years building Bolt, his advice to other founders is simple: trust your instincts, especially when outside advice doesn't match your own read of the business. Watch the full conversation in the video 👇

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