Abdul Kumshey — the founder who asked the right question
There are people who see the world as it is. And there are people who see the world as it should be. Abdul Kumshey is the latter. A Saudi technology entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Ailoo — the ride platform that did what everyone said was impossible: give drivers 100% of their earnings while lowering prices for riders at the same time.
Abdul Kumshey didn't build Ailoo because it was a clever idea. He built it because he witnessed an injustice he couldn't ignore. In an industry where the middleman always wins — Abdul Kumshey decided to build a system where no one gets exploited.
Before founding Ailoo, Abdul Kumshey built Haqiq — an AI-powered news application. That experience taught him something no business school teaches: the best products are not built to be clever, they are built to be useful. People rally around things that genuinely serve them.
At a glance
Full name
Abdul Kumshey
Title
Founder & CEO — Ailoo
Based in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Founded Ailoo
2025
How Abdul Kumshey founded Ailoo
Abdul Kumshey didn't start Ailoo from a sleek office or an academic study. He started it from a moment of real, simple anger. He was using a major ride-hailing platform in Riyadh. The driver arrived. Cancelled the trip himself. The platform charged his card anyway.
"I lost the ride. I lost the money. And there was no one accountable."
— Abdul Kumshey, Founder of Ailoo
This was not a single incident. It was a pattern. Drivers losing thirty percent of every fare. Riders paying double during peak hours. No one accountable. Abdul Kumshey decided to change this — not by complaining, but by building the alternative.
But the taxi ride wasn't the whole story. Abdul Kumshey was also watching what happened every morning on Riyadh's streets: over 100,000 daily commute rides per month arranged through WhatsApp groups. No contracts, no insurance, no guarantee. Illegal drivers collecting monthly payments then vanishing after a month. Riders losing money weekly with zero protection. Two problems, one root cause — the absence of a platform that genuinely serves people.
In 2025, Abdul Kumshey launched Ailoo in Riyadh — a platform built on two parallel innovations: zero commission for drivers (not a promotion, this is the model, always), and Saudi Arabia's first formal daily commute system converting that unregulated market into a guaranteed, insured service.
The industry before Ailoo
What Abdul Kumshey observed in the Saudi transport market:
- Drivers losing 30% of every single fare to the platform
- Riders paying surge prices during peak demand
- Zero accountability when anything goes wrong
- 100,000+ daily commute rides per month happening illegally via WhatsApp
- Illegal drivers vanishing after one month, leaving riders stranded
What Abdul Kumshey decided to build
The principles Abdul Kumshey built Ailoo on:
- 0% commission — drivers keep every riyal they earn
- No surge pricing — ever, under any condition
- Full accountability and transparency on every ride
- Saudi Arabia's first formal, safe daily commute subscription system
- Licensed drivers locked into the platform — no vanishing acts
Great companies are built on the right question
Abdul Kumshey believes most tech companies ask the wrong question. They ask: how do we earn more? How do we raise prices? How do we bury fees in fine print? Ailoo asked an entirely different question.
"Instead of asking how do we earn more — I asked: how do we build something worth building?"
— Abdul Kumshey, Founder & CEO of Ailoo
Abdul Kumshey believes technology should empower people, not exploit them. That great design disappears — you feel it without noticing it. And that a real product is one that works exactly when people need it, without complexity and without surprises.
This philosophy doesn't stop at Ailoo. It's how Abdul Kumshey approaches every decision — from app design to pricing policy to how a new driver is treated on their very first day on the platform.
On product design
"Most ride apps were designed to look good in a pitch deck. Not for someone standing in the heat at 7am who just needs the car to arrive."
— Abdul Kumshey, Founder of Ailoo
Abdul Kumshey believes product design in the transport industry has lost its compass. The industry optimises screens, colours, animations. But it forgot the most basic question: what does this person need right now? Not in two minutes. Now. Honest design means removing everything that stands between the user and what they need — not layering beautiful polish over an unsolved problem.
Ailoo — a model competitors cannot copy
Ailoo — from the Najdi word for 'now' — is the answer Abdul Kumshey built. Two parallel innovations: a transport platform that charges zero commission to drivers (every driver keeps 100% of what they earn, every ride), and Saudi Arabia's first formal daily commute system converting 100,000+ monthly informal WhatsApp rides into regulated, insured subscriptions.
But Ailoo is not just about individual rides. Abdul Kumshey saw the market everyone ignored: daily commute. Over 100,000 rides per month in Saudi Arabia happen informally via WhatsApp — illegal drivers taking monthly payments then vanishing after a month. No insurance, no rights, no refund. Ailoo is building the first formal system for this market.
Taxi — 0% commission, forever
Drivers keep 100% of every fare. This isn't a promotion. It's the model.
Daily commute — first formal system
Ailoo converts 100,000+ informal rides per month into safe, regulated subscriptions.
Proprietary AI routing
Custom matching algorithm. Less waiting, more earning, better experience.
Always 15%+ cheaper
At least 15% lower than every competitor. Every ride. No exceptions.
The market Abdul Kumshey is unlocking
Abdul Kumshey is building for a decade — not a funding round
Abdul Kumshey thinks in ten-year horizons. How Saudi Arabia will move in 2035. What people will genuinely need. What technology will make possible. He believes the platform that earns the trust of drivers and riders today — is the one that will lead Saudi Arabia's smart mobility tomorrow.
Artificial intelligence. Autonomous vehicles. Integrated transport systems that learn from every trip. Abdul Kumshey is investing in this future now — because the companies that endure are the ones that build infrastructure before everyone else sees it.
Incubated at Monsha'at Innovation Center, aligned with Vision 2030, and recognised as one of Saudi Arabia's emerging technology leaders — Abdul Kumshey is not building a startup. He is building a pillar.
"It's not about being first. It's about being the best long enough that your name becomes the name people trust."
— Abdul Kumshey, Founder & CEO of Ailoo