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Ejike Kanife
Guest
Enakl, a Moroccan shared mobility startup, has raised $1.4 million in a preseed funding round. The round was led by Africa-focused venture company, Catalyst Fund and supported by Renew Capital, Digital Africa, Station F and 15 business angels.
Enakl’s is a mobility startup that tries to address the problem of urban commuting by leveraging its technology to ensure that commuters are sharing rides in a sustainable way. With this new funding, the startup is looking to accelerate the development of its technology, incorporating artificial intelligence to optimize routes, and generally deepen its impact in its primary market of Casablanca.
Speaking about Catalyst Fund’s interest in the startup and why it made sense to invest in it, especially at this stage, Operating Partner at Catalyst Fund, Maxime Bayen, said the startup’s green and scalable solution makes it an exciting prospect.
“We invested in Enakl because they’re transforming urban transit in Africa with a scalable, green solution. By reducing emissions and congestion through tech-driven, shared transport, Enakl addresses urbanisation’s challenges while enhancing accessibility. In a climate-conscious world, Enakl’s model leads the way in sustainable, inclusive mobility for African cities,” Bayen said.
Maxim Bayen
Founded in September 2023 by Samir Bennani, Charles Pommarede, and Ahmed Omrane, Enakl is an urban mobility startup which is dedicated to providing sustainable, collective transport solutions tailored for emerging markets. The company says it is on a mission to solve one of Africa’s critical challenges: providing intelligent, safer, and sustainable collective transport solutions for daily commutes.
The startup is building a platform that provides a reliable and accessible shared transit platform that reduces congestion and carbon emissions. With its model, the startup aims to transform the daily commute of millions of workers in Morocco and eventually around Africa.
The startup hopes to achieve this by focusing on the daily home-to-work commute. Thus, it collaborates with corporations and local transport operators to make sure the shared mobility options are as affordable as they are accessible. The startup believes that its model not only simplifies commutes for workers but also supports employers in reducing their carbon footprint and enhancing employee satisfaction.
Speaking on how the preseed funding would impact its operation, Co-founders, Samir Bennani and Charles Pommarede, said it would help them expand their reach and enhance commuter experience in their primary market of Casablanca.
“This funding allows us to deepen our impact in Casablanca, expand our reach, and accelerate the development of our technology, leveraging AI to optimise routes, enhance commuter experiences, and drive sustainable urban mobility solutions,” they said.
Enakl has already launched its pilot phase which is now successfully underway. The startup said it is already managing over fifteen thousand bookings per month in Casablanca while recording a 20 per cent monthly growth rate. The startup also has huge expansion plans as it is also looking to expand to other cities across Africa.
Enakl logo
The startup prides itself on setting a new standard for safe, affordable, and eco-friendly commute options that can benefit corporations, communities, and governments. And Renew Capital, one of its new investors agrees with them.
“We recognise the problem Enakl is trying to solve in many of the cities we work in across Africa and feel strongly that the collective transportation solutions developed by Enakl are a key to solving these challenges. The Enakl team has demonstrated important insights, clear strategic thinking, and strong execution capacity, and we are excited to support them on their journey,” CEO of Renew Capital, Adam Abate said.
See also: Bolt passengers in Calabar, Uyo endure sweaty rides as drivers switch off air conditioning
Enakl’s is a mobility startup that tries to address the problem of urban commuting by leveraging its technology to ensure that commuters are sharing rides in a sustainable way. With this new funding, the startup is looking to accelerate the development of its technology, incorporating artificial intelligence to optimize routes, and generally deepen its impact in its primary market of Casablanca.
Speaking about Catalyst Fund’s interest in the startup and why it made sense to invest in it, especially at this stage, Operating Partner at Catalyst Fund, Maxime Bayen, said the startup’s green and scalable solution makes it an exciting prospect.
“We invested in Enakl because they’re transforming urban transit in Africa with a scalable, green solution. By reducing emissions and congestion through tech-driven, shared transport, Enakl addresses urbanisation’s challenges while enhancing accessibility. In a climate-conscious world, Enakl’s model leads the way in sustainable, inclusive mobility for African cities,” Bayen said.
Maxim Bayen
Enakl; a mobility startup with sustainable solutions
Founded in September 2023 by Samir Bennani, Charles Pommarede, and Ahmed Omrane, Enakl is an urban mobility startup which is dedicated to providing sustainable, collective transport solutions tailored for emerging markets. The company says it is on a mission to solve one of Africa’s critical challenges: providing intelligent, safer, and sustainable collective transport solutions for daily commutes.
The startup is building a platform that provides a reliable and accessible shared transit platform that reduces congestion and carbon emissions. With its model, the startup aims to transform the daily commute of millions of workers in Morocco and eventually around Africa.
The startup hopes to achieve this by focusing on the daily home-to-work commute. Thus, it collaborates with corporations and local transport operators to make sure the shared mobility options are as affordable as they are accessible. The startup believes that its model not only simplifies commutes for workers but also supports employers in reducing their carbon footprint and enhancing employee satisfaction.
Speaking on how the preseed funding would impact its operation, Co-founders, Samir Bennani and Charles Pommarede, said it would help them expand their reach and enhance commuter experience in their primary market of Casablanca.
“This funding allows us to deepen our impact in Casablanca, expand our reach, and accelerate the development of our technology, leveraging AI to optimise routes, enhance commuter experiences, and drive sustainable urban mobility solutions,” they said.
Enakl has already launched its pilot phase which is now successfully underway. The startup said it is already managing over fifteen thousand bookings per month in Casablanca while recording a 20 per cent monthly growth rate. The startup also has huge expansion plans as it is also looking to expand to other cities across Africa.
Enakl logo
The startup prides itself on setting a new standard for safe, affordable, and eco-friendly commute options that can benefit corporations, communities, and governments. And Renew Capital, one of its new investors agrees with them.
“We recognise the problem Enakl is trying to solve in many of the cities we work in across Africa and feel strongly that the collective transportation solutions developed by Enakl are a key to solving these challenges. The Enakl team has demonstrated important insights, clear strategic thinking, and strong execution capacity, and we are excited to support them on their journey,” CEO of Renew Capital, Adam Abate said.
See also: Bolt passengers in Calabar, Uyo endure sweaty rides as drivers switch off air conditioning