SafeBoda, a Ugandan super app, is the first company to receive funding from Google’s Africa Investment Fund.
SafeBoda, founded in 2015 by Maxime Dieudonne, Rapa Thomson Ricky, and Alastair Sussock, is a network of entrepreneurs and Boda (motorcycle) drivers who think that everyone in Africa’s cities should have access to cheap services at the touch of a button.
It has more than 25,000 drivers in Uganda and Nigeria who have processed over 40 million orders in both regions.
In a statement, co-founder Ricky Rapa Thomson said, “SafeBoda welcomes Google to their community and is pleased to continue to promote innovation in informal transportation and payments in the boda boda (East Africa) or okada (West Africa) market.”
The unknown funds come from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai’s $50 million Africa Investment Fund, which he unveiled two months ago.
Prior to the fund’s inception, Google provided assistance to businesses through its Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program.
With equity-free mentorship and tools, the accelerator program has helped more than 80 firms from seed through Series A.
The money from Google’s Africa Investment Fund will help SafeBoda “push its expansion in Uganda and Nigeria, scaling its transportation-led app to offer new payment and financial services solutions for its expanding range of customers: passengers, drivers, and merchants,” according to the company.
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