Over the last week, it’s been nothing short of excitement for everyone at Treepz. We welcomed one of our investors; Techstars, to our HQ in Lagos, which coincides with the team’s preparation for our three-year anniversary in just a few weeks.
Last Friday, Alisha Golden; Techstars’ Investment Associate and serial entrepreneur, came calling at the office and had an exciting day with the team. Walking her through our operations and our journey so far since launching in September 2019 was something that simply “treepified” her perception of what we do and why.
In the words of Alisha, “Working at Techstars has been an incredible journey, that comes with its own perks including meeting a lot of amazing founders, especially from Africa who are solving real-life issues with a high impact on the continent. It is the best job in the world!”.
Two years ago, Treepz was selected for investment by Techstars, the largest global accelerator in the world, which provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, a worldwide network, and customised programming for early-stage entrepreneurs. Treepz joined the Techstars Toronto Programme alongside nine other startups and gained access to a world-class network of entrepreneurs and investors which supported global expansion starting from Canada. It also paved the way for partnerships with ARM Labs, Healthtracka, and Rent Small Small. Furthermore, Treepz partnership with Techstars gives visibility to the work of other African technology start-ups and helps them to be noticed better.
Speaking about Treepz, a company that Techstars has invested in twice after coming up top during the Toronto programme, Alisha said: “Treepz is solving a very crucial problem in Africa. I’m so excited about the impact the company has on the life of the average African citizen by making transportation accessible and reliable.”
On Tuesday, Treepz President and co-founder; Johnny Enagwolor was on the panel of a Techstars event for Nigerian-based alumni and shared Treepz’s experience during the accelerator programme while also gaining insights from the audience.
Here is what he had to say, “Before Techstars, Treepz was just an idea that all the co-founders knew would require massive work to make it a reality. We got the opportunity and applied to get into the Techstars program several times. After a few rejections, we eventually got in and that was when we saw the light! Investments came in and our model began taking shape as a world-class game changer.” He expressed his gratitude as an alumnus and encouraged other tech start-ups to keep building.
As part of our three-year anniversary, Treepz will be celebrating various accomplishments including being the Most Promising Tech Startup 2020, the acquisition of Stabus Ghana after securing $1.2M in seed funding, and acquiring Ugabus at the end of 2021. Another major step was the rebranding from Plentywaka to Treepz to further pan-African extension. Today, Treepz has moved over 1.7 million people across the continent.
About Techstars
Techstars is a global investment business that provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, a worldwide network, and customized programming for early-stage entrepreneurs. It was founded in 2006 in Boulder, Colorado. As of May 2022, the organization had accepted over 2,900 companies into its accelerator programs with a combined market capitalization of $71bn USD.