Terence Zou

Terence Zou is a Singaporean entrepreneur, best known as the founder and CEO of Ryde Group Ltd, a ride-hailing and carpooling company established in 2014. Under his leadership, Ryde Group went public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 6, 2024, through its initial public offering. In September 2024, Ryde raised an additional US$4.5 million through a public offering.

Early life and education Terence Zou was born and raised in Singapore. He attended Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College before studying at the London School of Economics, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He later obtained a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Business career After fulfilling his military service, he worked in the finance sector, focusing on business operations.

In 2004, Zou conceived the idea for a carpooling application while serving in the Navy, although it was not until 2014 that he left his finance position to establish Ryde Group Ltd. the company secured S$1 million in funding from a venture capital firm, followed by an additional S$2.5 million. By 2017, the company entered into a strategic partnership with ComfortDelGro, a Singapore-based transport operator. By 2020, Ryde had raised US$9.5 million from several investors, including SEA Ltd, the parent company of Shopee, which led two of the funding rounds in 2016 and 2017.

In 2020, Zou introduced the Ryde Education Merit Awards to recognize the academic achievements of driver-partners' children, later expanding the program to include scholarships. The same year, the company partnered with MooVita, an autonomous vehicle technology firm, to propose a driverless shuttle service in Punggol in the fourth quarter of 2025. On 8 September 2025, Ryde announced a securities purchase agreement intended to raise approximately US$1.6 million.