The Story Of The Black Uber Driver Turned Tech Entrepreneur
When Nicholas Cave, from South London, isn’t in the front seat of an Uber, he’s fronting his own business. The 31-year-old based in Carshalton has transformed his original Uber side hustle into a massive opportunity.
He was one of 76 Uber drivers and couriers awarded a ‘Business Builder’ grant as well as mentorship and training as part of a partnership between Uber and Enterprise Nation to encourage the development of start-up businesses amongst drivers.
Last year he had the opportunity to showcase his business at a pop-up store in Oxford Street.
But getting the funding and support wasn’t smooth sailing. He had to work hard.
In order to secure the investment of up to £10,000, Nicholas had to prepare and deliver a Dragons Den-style business pitch to a panel of industry executives and complete an Enterprise Nation-led course which taught him how to develop his entrepreneurial instinct into a solid business idea including how to handle trademarking, develop a brand identity and get to know your customer.
Nicholas’s start-up, The London Experience, aims to get tourists, visitors, and families to experience a wider range of London attractions, culture, and events by not having a Zone 1 focus.
For those who aren’t based in the UK or London – Zone 1 covers the West End, the Holborn district, Kensington, Paddington, and the City of London, as well as Old Street, Angel, Pimlico. This is where the ‘more well off’ areas are.
The London Experience Card app currently has offers speedboat rides along the Thames, museums, and restaurants.
Nicholas hopes that he will be able to start partnerships with new businesses, especially those which champion diverse, inclusive communities and those which are outside of Zone 1.
Asked to give a potted history of his company, The London Experience Card, he told Enterprise nation: “I first had the idea in 2018. I registered the name that year, just because I thought it was fantastic. And then I was doing little bits and pieces but I wasn’t really taking it seriously.
“But by the middle of 2019, I started to think, ‘You know what, it’s actually got a chance of going somewhere, which is when I began working on it properly.
“In August, I joined Uber, so I was doing that alongside my full-time job. I left that role in January 2020 to dedicate more time to The London Experience Card, although two months later came the COVID-19 lockdown.”
Before joining Uber – he had worked as a Logistics Manager for Ocado, he was running the warehouse but never had the time to work on his entrepreneurial ambitions, which is why he left.
At the time – Ash Kebriti, general manager for the UK and Ireland, Uber, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Enterprise Nation who have been amazing at providing programs that have inspired our drivers and couriers.
He added: “The business ideas and strategies we’ve seen to date have been fantastic and we’re sure that the shoppers on Oxford Street will be as excited as we are about what’s on offer.”
