SafeMotos to represent Rwanda at Geneva Social Good Summit

SafeMotos was selected to represent Rwanda at this year’s edition of Social Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland on October 13. SafeMotos is an Uber-like platform that links clients to vetted public transport motorcycle operators at no extra costs. With this platform, city dwellers can order for a Taxi-moto from any location. The startup was selected after a competitive process and will represent Rwanda at the second edition of Accelerate2030, an international cross-border scaling programme for impact-driven ventures. The programme was co-initiated by Impact Hub and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Beginning early May, 32 local companies were trimmed down to six and recently evaluated by a panel of judges from Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Rwanda, UNDP, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Centre for Africa, according to the organisers. “Later, three teams including SafeMotos, Pit Vidura, and Ndiyo Business Group were chosen and sent to the global team of judges after which only SafeMotos emerged the best. This is the startup that will represent Rwanda,” said Jon Stever, one of the local organisers. SafeMotos is among the ten international finalists that were announced this week. They were selected based on their innovation, their impact on the community, and proved their solutions are scalable outside their countries of operations. Other criteria considered while selecting included those with successful track record and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Impact Hub Kigali, an organisation specialising in designing programmes and activities for the business community, provides a platform like Accelerate2030 for organisations that have thrived in Rwanda’s business-friendly environment to scale to larger markets in the region, like Accelerate2030. “As companies realize more and more the importance of being socially minded, it’s important to showcase Rwandan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by placing them on an international stage,” said Ara Nashera, the co-founder of Impact Hub Kigali. SafeMotos, like other selected companies, will have the opportunity to get tailored scaling support for nine months and present their ventures at the Social Good Summit Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2017. During their stay in Geneva, they will connect with a dynamic ecosystem of impact investors, representatives from international organisations and governments, experts from the global supply chain and fellow entrepreneurs, all committed to scaling innovative ideas that accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. “We are so excited for this opportunity and as a startup that looks to expand to other markets, this is going to be a platform to meet other mentors and experts who will be sharing with us their knowledge and skills on how we can enter other markets,” said Clive Irambona, who will go to Geneva on behalf of SafeMotos. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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SafeMotos to represent Rwanda at Geneva Social Good Summit