Empower

Empower: a rideshare platform with driver-set rates

Empower is a software company operating in the rideshare sector with a model that transfers control over rates and driver choice to the users themselves. Unlike traditional platforms, it does not provide transportation services; instead, it provides the technological infrastructure for drivers and riders to manage their own decisions.

Model for drivers

Drivers who use Empower set their own rates and keep 100% of the fare. The company does not charge any commission on earnings; instead, drivers pay a subscription. According to the platform's information, drivers have access to their own dedicated local support team and tools to manage their activity as their own business. The company states that its goal is for drivers to take control of their financial future.

Model for riders

Riders who use Empower pay, on average, 20% less compared to Uber or Lyft, according to data published by the company. The platform allows riders to request a trusted driver, either marked as a favorite or of the same gender, so that users feel safer during the ride. The company offers an incentive of more than $10 in free rides when signing up.

Figures and reach

The platform states it has surpassed 35 million rides, has more than 750,000 riders, and has generated more than $600 million in driver earnings. In March 2026, the company reported that Empower drivers completed more than 500,000 rides in a week. It also announced its launch in Miami.

Leadership team

The Empower team is led by Joshua Sear, CEO and founder. Before founding the company, Sear was Senior Counsel at SageNet, a managed network and cybersecurity services company, and gained M&A experience at Matterhorn Transactions and at a boutique transactional law firm. He also worked in the White House during the Obama administration and for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School and The University of Virginia.

Sarena Shen serves as VP of Finance. She co-founded Unplugg, a beauty and wellness services platform, and worked for 12 years as an investment banker at Bear Stearns, Deutsche Bank, and BTIG in New York. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Chris Henry is VP of Engineering. Before joining Empower, he spent four years as a senior software engineer at Bentley Systems, where he led the development of a real-time document collaboration application for web and mobile. He previously worked on real-time embedded systems, including the development of an engine controller for the RS-25 core stage engines of the SLS. He has experience in Azure, real-time systems, C#, and web technologies, and studied Computer Science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Simon Bascombe is VP of Customer Experience. He has more than twenty years of experience building technology startups across various industries. Before Empower, he led operations at Touch of Modern and built support and trust and safety teams at Rinse, Eventbrite, and Classpass. He studied Computer Information Systems at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.

The team is rounded out by Kimberly Hardy as Customer Onboarding Associate, Ajmal Kukkangai as Backend Software Engineer, Navy Merianda as Full-Stack Software Engineer, Laura Sanchez as Operations Associate, and Clint Atkins as Driver Engagement Specialist, among others.

Presence and expansion

Empower operates in several U.S. cities. The company has announced its launch in Miami and mentions activity in the DMV area (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia). The platform is available through driver and rider apps, and the company offers the possibility of bringing the service to new cities via a contact form.

Legal entity and policies

The company operates under the names Yazam USA LLC and Yazam Inc., as indicated in the website's copyright notices. It has published acceptable use and privacy policies.