Bolstered by new Chinese and German investment, Estonian startup Taxify returns to Kyiv this summer, planning to expand to Ukraine’s other major cities in the fall.

Bolstered by new Chinese and German investment, Estonian startup Taxify returns to Kyiv this summer, planning to expand to Ukraine’s other major cities in the fall. After a misfire two years ago in Ukraine, Taxify returns with local managers running the franchise. Over the last year, Germany’s Daimler and Didi Chuxing, a Chinese competitor of Uber, invested in Taxify. The Financial Times now values the smartphone ride hailing service at $1 billion. Taxify says it offers better relations with its drivers than Uber and will gain riders by connecting to Daimler’s municipal transport app, moovel. Noting that Taxify now operates in 25 countries, Marcus Willig, CEO and co-founder of the Tallinn-based company, predicts the company has ‘huge’ growth potential in Ukraine.