Meet SafeBoda, the African ride-hailing and fintech company

Ugandan bike-hailing startup, SafeBoda has secured a Series B investment co-led by Allianz X and Go-Ventures. This was announced on Tuesday, May 7 by Allianz X.

Allianz X is the digital investment unit of Germany’s Allianz Group, and part of the group’s Renewal Agenda while Go-Ventures is the venture capital arm of Indonesian startup—GOJEK, investing globally in early-stage ventures.

Allianz revenue of 130.6 billion euros places it firmly in the top 5 largest financial services companies in the world. Allianz X invest in digital growth companies that are part of their ecosystems related to insurance: Mobility, Connected Property, Connected Health, Wealth Management & Retirement, and Data Intelligence & Cybersecurity while also helping to drive innovation across Allianz operating entities.

Allianz X, the digital investment unit of German financial services company Allianz Group has made in its first investment in an African-based company — Ugandan ride-hailing startup SafeBoda.

Allianz X said in a statement that it co-invested in a Series-B round with Go-Ventures, the venture fund of Indonesian logistics startup Go-Jek.

SafeBoda was founded in 2015 by director of operations Ricky Rapa Thomson and co-CEOs Maxime Dieudonne and Alastair Sussock.

‘Allianz X’s investment in Safeboda underlines continued commitment to growth markets’

Allianz X corporate development director Oliver Ullrich, commenting in the same statement, said the unit’s investment in SafeBoda underlines its continued commitment to growth markets.

“SafeBoda has successfully established itself in the ride hailing market in Uganda and we look forward to supporting the company’s expansion into additional countries and services,” said Ullrich

Allianz explained that it intends to use its regional presence and capabilities, in partnership with SafeBoda, to transform transportation, logistics, and payment sectors on the continent.

Allianz Africa CEO Coenraad Vrolijk described SafeBoda as a promising startup with substantial growth potential, including the development of relevant financial services and insurance products.

This, while Sussock said the startup is excited to have Allianz X join its investor group as the company is developing its platform and looking to add fintech services for both its drivers and passengers.

“We are confident that collaborating with Allianz will enable us to grow the business and impact the wider community across East and West Africa,” he added.

According to business intelligence platform Crunchbase, SafeBoda has raised up to $1.3-million in funding since launch.

Ugandan tech publication Digest Africa reported in an article in last August that SafeBoda had raised $1.1-million in a deal in January 2018 which the startup did not made public.

Featured image: SafeBoda via Facebook

52.6368778-1.1397592

US tourist and safari guide freed after kidnap in Uganda/AIWAI! NO!

BY STEFAN BECKET/ CBS NEWS

An American who was kidnapped along with her driver in Uganda last week has been recovered unharmed, a spokesman for the Ugandan government said Sunday. The pair were recovered along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mountain gorilla Bwindi, Uganda

Kimberly Endicott, 56, and tour driver Jean-Paul Mirgene Remezo were taken hostage at gunpoint while on safari in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park last Tuesday. Their four kidnappers had demanded a $500,000 ransom and had not backed down from the demand as of Friday, authorities told CBS News last week. The abductors had been using Endicott’s phone to negotiate her release and were in contact with authorities nearly everyday, officials said.

The Uganda Police Force said the pair were rescued during a joint operation and are in “good health.” A spokesman for the Ugandan government said Ugandan security forces were involved in the operation. The two were brought back to the lodge where she had been staying, while the kidnappers managed to escape.

Kimberly Endicott with a Ugandan commando shortly after she and her driver were rescued April 7, 2019.OBTAINED BY CBS NEWS

Wild Frontiers Uganda, which operates the lodge in the park where Endicott was staying, released photos of Endicott and Remezo meeting with Paul Goldring, the company’s managing director.

Kimberly Endicott shakes hands with Paul Goldring of Wild Frontiers Uganda on April 7, 2019.WILD FRONTIERS

Jean-Paul Mirgene Remezo shakes hands with Paul Goldring of Wild Frontiers Uganda on April 7, 2019.WILD FRONTIERS

The kidnapping spurred a massive search effort along the edge of the park, which borders the DRC. The park is one of 10 national parks in Uganda, where tourism remains a major driver of the economy. Hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to the parks each year.

Endicott, an esthetician, runs a skin care clinic in Costa Mesa, California.

Sarah Carter contributed reporting from Uganda.

US tourist and a Ugandan driver are being held for $500k ransom – AIWA! NO!

The Uganda Police Force released a statement about the kidnapping of a 35-year-old woman and a Ugandan senior guide who was allegedly kidnapped by gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

A massive search-and-rescue effort was underway Wednesday in Uganda after an American tourist and a local guide were ambushed and kidnapped by four armed men demanding a $500,000 ransom, Ugandan police said.

The attack took place Tuesday in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, a sprawling wildlife refuge more than 200 miles west of the capital Kampala.

Map showing area where abduction happened

The American was identified by police as Kimberley Sue Endecdott, 35, from California, who was taken along with her Ugandan driver Paul, when their vehicle was ambushed by the gunmen, Reuters reported.

The kidnappers, using the victim’s phone, demanded the ransom. “We strongly believe this ransom is the reason behind the kidnap,” the statement said.

The police statement said Endecott had entered Uganda on March 29 and flew to the park the following day.

Police cruise through downtown Kampala, Uganda. (Adam Jones/Wikimedia Commons)
APRIL 03, 2019 LAURA WIDENER

An elderly couple who was also at the scene were not taken. They contacted the camp manager, who rescued them, according to police police spokesperson Polly Namaye. The BBC reports that a second couple with the group was also unharmed.

The U.S. Embassy in Kampala was informed, Namaye said. A State Department spokeswoman said only that U.S. officials were aware of the kidnapping report and the response by Ugandan security forces.

Namaye said authorities set up roadblocks and cut off the border between Uganda and the Congo in the area. Ugandan security forces, police and game wildlife officers collaborated in the manhunt.

“We strongly believe the perpetrators and victims could still be trapped within our search area,” the statement said. “We are hopeful that our efforts will lead to their successful recovery.” ..Uganda police statement

The park, in western Uganda, is about 750 square miles of savannah and tropical forest. It sits between two lakes at the base of the Rwenzori Mountains and is home to buffalo, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, elephants, leopards, lions and chimpanzees.

“We want to further reassure the public that this is the first incident of this kind,” the statement said. “Those planning to visit the National Park and its surroundings should not be discouraged. Strengthened safety measures have been put in place for both the local residents and visitors.”

In 1994, eight tourists, including an American couple, were hacked or bludgeoned to death in the Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest by a band or rebels armed with rifles, machetes and spears, according to The New York Times. Four Ugandan park employees were also slain in the campsites.

The killers were were ethnic Hutu rebels, according to the State Department and survivors.

Uganda is a landlocked, economically challenged nation of 43 million people. The CIA “Factbook” for Uganda credits Yoweri Museveni, president since 1986, with bringing relative political stability and economic growth.

AIWA! NO!

Wired on people, events and life; giving 'voice to the voiceless'.

Featured

AIWA! NO!

Category / Uganda Queen Elizabeth Park

German investor Allianz X chooses Uganda’s SafeBoda as its first African investment

Meet SafeBoda, the African ride-hailing and fintech company

Ugandan bike-hailing startup, SafeBoda has secured a Series B investment co-led by Allianz X and Go-Ventures. This was announced on Tuesday, May 7 by Allianz X.

American kidnapped in Uganda rescued unharmed along with driver after 5-day ordeal

US tourist and safari guide freed after kidnap in Uganda/AIWAI! NO!

EAST AFRICA – Armed men kidnap an American tourist in Uganda and demand a $500K ransom for her freedom

US tourist and a Ugandan driver are being held for $500k ransom – AIWA! NO!

The Uganda Police Force released a statement about the kidnapping of a 35-year-old woman and a Ugandan senior guide who was allegedly kidnapped by gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Meet SafeBoda, the African ride-hailing and fintech company

Ugandan bike-hailing startup, SafeBoda has secured a Series B investment co-led by Allianz X and Go-Ventures. This was announced on Tuesday, May 7 by Allianz X.

Share this:

US tourist and safari guide freed after kidnap in Uganda/AIWAI! NO!

Share this:

US tourist and a Ugandan driver are being held for $500k ransom – AIWA! NO!

The Uganda Police Force released a statement about the kidnapping of a 35-year-old woman and a Ugandan senior guide who was allegedly kidnapped by gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Share this: