Mazi Mobility, a mobility-as-a-service (Maas) startup founded by Jesse Forrester, recently launched its flagship electric motorcycle fleet in Nairobi, Kenya. Mazi Mobility is backed by global Venture Builder, Satgana.
Mazi uses motorcycles, locally known as ‘bodas’, to accelerate the transition to efficient, affordable and clean transport in the city. The startup also introduced battery swapping stations that provide on-demand energy, reducing transportation costs by 50%. The MK3 offers a choice between a single and dual battery, capable of up to 70km and 140km of range, respectively. Mazi is taking a multi-stakeholder approach to drive the e-mobility sector forward. They are working with boda operators, technical institutions and manufacturers to ensure the successful implementation of their service.
“Mazi is not just an EV company, we are advocates for a sustainable mass mobility change,” says Jesse Forrester, Co-Founder and CEO at Mazi Mobility.
“At Mazi, we believe that Africans should be able to move efficiently, and affordably across cities at less than the price of personal vehicle ownership while reducing CO2 emissions. What industry is better to see this change than the boda one? Mazi is taking a long approach to mobility, we don’t want to just have the same status quo but with electric vehicles. At Mazi we move people, data and things. Twende Kazi na Mazi!”
Supporting Mazi on their journey is Satgana, a global Venture Builder on a mission to launch and fund responsible startups aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Satgana backs purpose-driven entrepreneurs who at the core of their business model want to address the social and environmental pillars of the SDGs. They become hands-on partners, supporting their startups with strategy, technology, investor readiness, and impact management.
As an e-mobility startup, Mazi Mobility fulfils one or more of the UN’s SDGs including SDG#8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG#11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG#13 (Climate Action).
In a conversation with Konstantin Behr, Venture Builder at Satgana, he shared with TechCabal what he looks out for in prospective founders:
“From the get-go, we analyse how impact-driven a founder is– that helps us determine if we’re a right fit for them and vice versa.
I am very passionate about the African continent and having been working in the ecosystem for the last 3 years, I have seen amazing growth in startups and increasing interest from foreign investors. Mazi Mobility is our first venture in Africa.”
While most Venture Builders hire founders to execute their ideas and strategic plans for a product or business, Satgana’s approach is unique and colors outside the box.
Satgana aims to build and invest into startups alongside purpose-driven entrepreneurs, wherever they are, by using innovation-led and market-based approaches to solve the greatest social and environmental challenges of our time. And alongside Mazi, they hope to write a new chapter in the history of e-mobility in Africa.
Founder and CEO at Satgana, Romain Diaz, elaborated on the launch of their first portfolio venture saying,
“The urgent need to decarbonise our economies places transportation at the cusp of a fundamental shift towards electric solutions and mobility in Africa is ripe for disruption. As such, Satgana is beyond excited to be involved in the launch of Mazi and truly believes in the founding team’s ability to make it happen. Since day-1, we have been impressed by Jesse’s vision and execution capability. As a Venture Builder, we are humbled to be able to support Mazi in its mission to make urban transportation sustainable while empowering low-income drivers.”
