Startup Series: Mazi Mobility

Today's guest is Jesse Forrester, Founder and CEO of Mazi Mobility.

Mazi Mobility is a Kenyan Mobility as a Service (MaaS) company that is re-imaging mobility through the implementation of an electric vehicle ecosystem in Africa. Mazi assembles and sells electric two and three-wheelers while building and operating the EV charging infrastructure to support these vehicles. A Kenyan award-winning entrepreneur and visionary, Jesse believes in the confluence of impact and profit. He is a former Zayed Sustainability Prize winner and has been involved with social enterprises for the last 6 years, touching on the food, water, and energy nexus.

We were excited for this one because while the MCJ podcast focus has primarily been in the Western world, developing nations are just as important. Transportation in countries like Kenya will be critical in terms of emissions and Mazi is trying to bring about positive change. We learned a lot from this one and are so grateful that Jesse was willing to share his story.

Enjoy the show!

You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me),  @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded May 12, 2022.


In today's episode, we cover:

  • An overview of Mazi Mobility, the company’s origin story, and progress to date

  • Jesse’s motivations for electrifying transportation in Africa

  • Mazi’s shift from matatus to focus on motorcycles 

  • Problems associated with motorcycle transportation and how Mazi’s solutions address them, including costs of petrol and maintenance 

  • Mazi’s battery swapping stations for its electric motorcycles

  • The company’s consumer focus and purchasing model

  • The current (lack of) public infrastructure for charging batteries and Jesse’s predictions for the transportation landscape overall

  • How to improve electric motorcycle safety

  • The role of government in the whole equation 

  • How climate change and energy poverty impacts people on the continent, plus how climate justice fits into the conversation


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Episode 214: Rachel Slaybaugh, Principal at DCVC

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Episode 213: Alison Smart and Spencer Glendon, Probable Futures