Nigerian mobility startup, Treepz expands operations to Kenya
By Chisom Nwatu
Treepz, a Nigeria mobility startup, has announced the expansion of its operations to East Africa with a focus on Kenya, which will be the fourth country the mobility startup will operate in, as it has already launched in Uganda and Ghana.
The development is coming a few months after the company celebrated its third anniversary amidst many other investments made in the last couple of months led by GIIG Africa Fund and MoAngels, Roselake VC, Unpopular VC, Goodwater Capital, and BKR Capital.
However, the new launch in Kenya is expected to pave the way for its operational services to be available in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya’s largest commercial cities.
Samar Patel, the new Country Manager for Kenya, will lead the team. He brings with him 18 years of experience in sales, transportation, and technology to the table, and has previously worked in a comparable capacity with SWVL Kenya.
Onyeka Akumah co-founder and CEO of Treepz, commenting on the announcement, said the company is thrilled by the addition of Samar to the team and the launch of Treepz Kenya in Nairobi.
“Today, our efforts are focused on building a centralized solution across the 4 countries we operate in and providing Africans with excellent mobility services, for their personal and business needs. We hope this will be the experience Kenyans will enjoy with our service and remember, as we build a world-class mobility business for Africans and the rest of the world,” he added.
In 2021, Treepz raised $1.2 million just two months after it completed the Techstars Toronto Accelerator Program. Then, it raised an additional $1.6 million to make a total of $2.8 million in seed funding with new investors coming on board.
There were also investments made by Treepz’s current investors, including ShockVentures, Winston Limited, led by the Lynch Brothers, Aston Investments, and Novum Actus, led by Clara Ogunsemi.
The transport company began operations in Nigeria on September 16 2019, when its e-hailing app went live in Lagos, Nigeria. It was at first called PlentyWaka but rebranded its name to Treepz just a few weeks after raising $1.2 million in seed funding. It also acquired Ghanaian Stabus at that same time; in September 2021, as part of its expansion plans.
A month after, the mobility startup closed yet another investment round of $2.8m pre-seed and acquired Uganda mobility startup, Ugabus, which later became Treepz Uganda.
Following this feat, Treepz entered a partnership deal with CMS Taxi and Motor Nigeria Limited (CMS T&M), a Lagos-based traditional bus company, to provide better payment options and travel time management with its technology.
It introduced the Transportation Operator System to provide Bus Parks and Bus Operators with the necessary technology to digitize their services while increasing their customer base and managing revenue.