DeSitio – My First Startup to Digitally Empower Taxis in Mexico

Before Uber took over the market, I launched DeSitio, a taxi-hailing app built specifically for traditional "sitio" taxi drivers in Mexico City.

At a time when Uber’s arrival sparked major public controversy, protests, and legal uncertainty, we offered a digital alternative that empowered taxi drivers instead of replacing them.

The Context

The startup was born in the midst of a heated public debate. Uber had just entered the Mexican market, and tensions between ride-hailing platforms and traditional taxi drivers were dominating the headlines. While others were focused on disruption, we focused on inclusion and modernization.

Our goal: create a local, secure, and user-friendly solution that connected passengers with official, regulated taxi drivers — bringing the convenience of mobile apps to a system that still relied on phone calls and street hails.

The setup was lean but ambitious:

• I ran operations from Mexico City, managing a local team of 5 people in charge of driver recruitment, support, and logistics.

• At the same time, I led a remote development team in India, handling all the product design, development, and iterations.

• We onboarded thousands of taxi drivers, one by one, teaching them how to use smartphones, accept ride requests, and gain trust in a new system.

• The Challenge

  We were competing against tech giants with unlimited funding and global playbooks, but we stayed focused on building a solution for local realities.

  • The app supported cash and card payments, a key differentiator for the Mexican market at the time.

  • We built our own backend infrastructure for ride assignment and driver tracking — without access to public APIs or integrations.

  • We developed a simple UI and real-time map, designed for users who may have been new to mobile apps altogether.

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The Outcome

After 11 months, we made the difficult decision to shut down. Without external investment and facing extreme market pressure, the model became unsustainable. But the lessons were transformative:

• I learned what it truly means to build a product from scratch with limited resources.

• I managed multicultural teams across time zones, balancing speed and quality.

• I saw firsthand the power of tech when it's designed to include, not disrupt.

• And I proved that even in the face of giants, a clear vision can create real impact.

DeSitio wasn’t just an app — it was my first step as a product builder and entrepreneur. It taught me how to turn an idea into execution, and how to lead with empathy, vision, and resilience.