Taxify, Estonia based transportation network company with operations in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, has completed an investment round of $175 million.
According to Markus Villig, CEO and co-founder, Taxify: “We’re on a mission to build the future of mobility, and it’s great to have the support of investors like Daimler and Didi. The number of rides on Taxify grew by ten times last year, even considering that our home markets Europe and Africa are some of the most complex markets for ride-hailing in the world. Today, more than ten million people globally use Taxify. But this is just the beginning as more and more people give up on car ownership and opt for on-demand transportation.”
The investment round was led by global automotive leader Daimler that counts several European mobility and technology companies amongst its portfolio. Daimler will also join the board of Taxify. European venture capital fund Korelya Capital and TransferWise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus joins existing investors including Didi Chuxing in a round that brings Taxify’s valuation to $1 billion.
Shivachi Muleji, East Africa regional manager for Taxify said: “This investment is exciting for Taxify in Kenya as it will provide additional momentum to expand the platform’s availability to drivers and riders in more cities, apart from Nairobi and Mombasa where it is already in use.”’
Taxify launched in 2013 in Estonia with the then 19-year-old Markus Villig borrowing college money from his parents to build the first version and personally recruiting first drivers to the platform. Today, Taxify is one of the fastest-growing ride-hailing companies in the world with over 10 million passengers and 500,000 drivers in more than 25 countries.