The Brazilian ride-hailing app acquired by Didi in 2018 was 99.
Founded in São Paulo in 2012 by Paulo Veras, Renato Freitas, and Ariel Lambrecht, the company initially operated as 99Taxis, connecting passengers with licensed taxi drivers. It later expanded beyond traditional taxis with services such as 99POP, which competed directly with app-based services including Uber.
Didi first invested in 99 in January 2017, followed by a major SoftBank-led funding round later that year. On January 3, 2018, Didi purchased the remaining ownership stake. The transaction made 99 one of Brazil’s earliest billion-dollar technology startups, although the final purchase price was not publicly disclosed.
A common mix-up is treating 99 as a generic number rather than the company’s brand name. “99Taxis” is its former name, while “99” is the concise canonical name used for the business acquired by Didi.