Treepz, a Nigerian shared mobility and transportation tech start-up offering digital ride-hailing and vehicle rental services for business and everyday commuters, has expanded to Kenya.

This is after the firm, which was founded in 2019 by Onyeka Akumah, Johnny Ena, Afolabi Oluseyi and John Shaibu, raised Ksh.150.7 million ($1.2 million) from investment deals in the last 12 months.

Treepz announced on Wednesday that it has entered the East African market with a focus on Kenya, just over a year after launching in Uganda and Ghana.

“Today, our efforts are focused on building a centralised solution across the four countries we operate in and to provide 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,” Treepz Co-founder and CEO, Onyeka Akumah, said.

The investment was led by GIIG Africa Fund along with MoAngels, Roselake VC, Unpopular VC, Goodwater Capital and BKR Capital.

There were also follow-on investments from Treepz current investors including ShockVentures, Winston Limited led by the Lynch Brothers, Aston Investments and Novum Actus led by Clara Ogunsemi.

“This was made possible with the support we received from our current investors amid a turbulent 2022. Also, after winning the GSA African Award in Cape Town last year, we received funding from it’s funding arm – GIIG Africa Fund and that was also very timely for us,” Akumah said.

Treepz Kenya launches in Nairobi and later in Mombasa.

The company also announced Samar Patel as its new Country Manager. Patel brings on 18 years wealth of sales, transportation and technology experience to the role, having most recently held a similar position with SWVL Kenya.

“Under his leadership, it is expected that Treepz Kenya will continue to grow and innovate in the region,” the company said.

Treepz claims a customer base of over 2.5 million people, who it provides technology to book predictable, reliable and comfortable trips through a mobile application and website with.

Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, the start-up currently has operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and now Kenya. It says it serves an average of 12,000 people daily.

In recent times, Treepz has had a strong focus on vehicle rental service dubbed Business Treepz, which has made it sign a couple of high-profile companies to provide commuting service for their employees or students.

These include Kenyan e-commerce and food distribution platform Twiga Foods, Abacus Schools, OAK House School and the Diamond Trust Bank.

Treepz says it has 20 big-name deals across Kenya in the pipeline.

It enters the local digital ride-hailing scene, which currently has players as Little Ride, Farasi Cabs, US company Uber and Estonian company Bolt.

Yego Global, a Rwandan taxi operator also commenced operations in Kenya late last year.

It has, however, not been a smooth ride for some operators.

SWVL, the Egyptian company Patel joins Treepz from, in June last year suspended its daily intra-city rides in the country, citing the global economic slump.

The firm which had operated since July 2019 also suspended the SWVL Travel, leaving only the SWVL Business service which caters to corporations, organisations and private entities.

NopeaRide, Kenya's pioneer electric taxi company exited the local market in November after its parent company, EkoRent, failed to secure more funding to sustain its operations.

The company entered the Kenyan market in 2018 and had amassed a 70-strong fleet and wide charging network, becoming the largest electric vehicle charging network operator in East Africa.