Kenya-based BuuPass has raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed funding round to develop its online ticketing platform and accelerate its mission “to transform the transportation landscape in Africa.”
The group of investors includes Founders Factory Africa, FrontEnd Ventures, Adaverse, Gullit, Five35, Renew Capital, Changecom, XA Network, Ajim Capital, Artha Ventures, Daba Finance, Google Black Founders Fund and several angel investors.
Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, who met while attending college in the United States, are co-founders and co-CEOs of BuuPass, formerly called Magic Bus Ticketing.
“With this funding, we are excited to be expanding our footprint in Kenya and Uganda and are actively looking for opportunities to bring our platform to other countries in Africa,” Kabra says. “Our ultimate goal is to create a comprehensive, continent-wide network of interconnected transport options that make it easy for travelers to get where they need to go.”
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Founded in 2017, the startup says it is “building the digital infrastructure for the broken and hyper-fragmented $40 billion long-distance transport market in Africa.”
BuuPass is a B2B2C full-stack marketplace that digitizes the operations of transport companies and connects them with online ticketing platforms, where travelers can book their intercity bus, train and flight tickets online.
“The BuuPass platform has effectively digitized the Kenya transit system, linking operators with travelers and relevant third parties, covering private bus, train and air travel,” says Francis Tay, investment manager at Founders Factory Africa. “We believe the company is well positioned to lead the digitization of intercity transport across Africa.”