Nairobi, Kenya-based Mazi Mobility, an Electric Vehicle Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) startup, debuted today in response to the city’s deeply fragmented public transportation system.
Mazi is accelerating the city’s shift to reliable, accessible, and safe transportation by using motorcycles, also known as bodas.
Their flagship motorcycle, the Magnus 3000 (M3K), was introduced as a safer alternative to petrol-powered bodas.
Battery swapping stations that provide on-demand energy are also being introduced by the startup, which will cut transportation costs by half.
The MK3 comes with a single or dual battery option, with ranges of up to 70km and 140km, respectively. Mazi is advancing the e-mobility market through a multi-stakeholder strategy. To ensure the effective implementation of their service, they are collaborating with boda operators, technical institutions, and manufacturers.
Jesse Forrester, Mazi Mobility’s Co-Founder and CEO, says, “Mazi is not just an EV company; we are advocates for a sustainable mass mobility transition.” “At Mazi, we believe that Africans should be able to travel safely and affordably around cities for less than the cost of owning a personal vehicle while reducing CO2 emissions,” he continues.
What industry is better suited to observe this shift than boda? Mazi is taking a long-term approach to mobility; we don’t want to just maintain the status quo, but instead replace gasoline-powered cars with electric vehicles. We move people, info, and stuff at Mazi.
Satgana, a global Venture Builder on a quest to launch and finance responsible startups aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is assisting Mazi on their journey (SDGs). This partnership has culminated in hands-on venture-building over the last four months in order to help achieve SDG#8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG#11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG#13 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) (Climate Action).
“The urgent need to decarbonize our economies places transportation on the cusp of a paradigm change towards electric solutions, and mobility in Africa is ripe for disruption,” Romain Diaz, Satgana’s founder and CEO, said of the launch of their first portfolio company. As a result, Satgana is ecstatic to be a part of Mazi’s launch and has faith in the founding team’s ability to pull it off. Jesse’s vision and execution abilities have amazed us since day one. We are honored to be able to help Mazi in its quest to make urban transportation sustainable while empowering low-income drivers as a Venture Builder.”
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